Unicorn Bait (6 page)

Another soldier was not as quick to slice and stab. An Umbrek kicked, and the horse fell with his rider pinned underneath. Before the horse could stand back up, the Umbrek was upon them. She quickly averted her eyes before she could see anything go into its pouch.

The wagons raced down the road, leaving more and more soldiers behind. Not all the Umbreks though were left behind. Several were following them. They leapt and crashed a wagon. Its contents spilled across the roadway. It hadn’t been the last wagon either but the third to last. The second to last wagon tried to plow through the wreckage but lost a wheel and floundered while the very last was able to bypass both. They were down to eight wagons now. Naomi hoped the drivers of those two wagons were able to defend themselves. The Umbreks continued to pursue the fleeing wagons. If they hadn’t been trying to kill them, Naomi would’ve been amazed by them. They were stronger and faster than Earth’s kangaroos. They didn’t hop. They pounced. They could jump twenty feet into the air and span about twenty feet.

Umbreks fell upon the last wagon and smashed it. The horses screamed as they were jerked down with the wreckage. Naomi watched the beasts fall upon the helpless driver and horses. Now their wagon was the last in line.

“Get out of the way, milady!” Naomi turned to find Yula hefting one of the trunks that had been stored with them. She moved to the side, and Yula threw the thing out.

“We need to lighten the load,” she told her. She turned back to grab another chest.

“Wait!”

Yula cast a dark look at her. “None of these things will do us any good if we’re dead.”

She nodded but threw open the chest and began to rifle through it. “Yes, but let's put them to good use as we get rid of them.” She hefted a candelabrum and threw it out the back at a pursuing Umbrek. It shied to the side to dodge and lost a little momentum.

Yula quickly got the idea. While she dug through the chests for useful throwing items, Naomi threw as hard and as far as she could, and thanks to summertime softball, she wasn't a lightweight. The other wagons caught on to what she was doing and soon shoes, cups, plates, spoons, combs, and even bars of soap were whizzing through the air. None of the Umbreks were killed, but some had black eyes and a couple landed on the discarded objects and got twisted ankles, forcing them to fall back. Soon though, their wagon was completely empty except for the driver and the two women. The Umbreks quickly regained the distance lost.

“Crap!” Naomi said in frustration. Now what were they supposed to do?

“It was a good effort,” Yula said.

She wheeled around on the old woman. “We are not giving up.”

Yula looked around the now empty wagon. “We don’t have anything else to throw at them.”

“We can’t be that far from the castle.”

“The horses can’t keep up this pace, they’ll start to falter.”

“If you think we’re done, then why don’t you jump out the back! It’ll lighten the load!”

Yula’s back stiffened. “Girl, accept the—”

An Umbrek crashed into their wagon, breaking it in two. Luckily the women were in the front of the wagon and not the back when the Umbrek crashed through. Naomi barely had a second to loop her arm about the front wagon bow of the bonnet and grab Yula’s arm. The back half tumbled away. As the front half now dragged on the road, Yula curled her legs up to keep them from dragging across the ground too.

“Lady Naomi!” the driver shouted.

“Don’t you dare slow down!”

“I don’t think I could if I wanted to. The horses are running wild. Thank the gods the roads straight. Where’s Mistress Yula?”

“I’m still here, Dennis.”

Dennis turned and leaned back. His eyes widened when he saw Naomi holding onto the wagon bow and Yula. He reached and got a hand under Naomi’s arm. She thought her arm would be pulled off as he dragged her onto his bench. They both helped Yula up. The driver’s bench wasn’t wide enough for all three of them. Naomi feared one of them would be bumped off.

“Ma’am, we have to leap onto the horses and cut what's left of the wagon loose.” 

She looked at the two horses galloping in front of them. “I don’t know how to ride.”

“Well, learn quickly,” Yula snapped. She suddenly did a full body leap and landed diagonally on a horse. She clutched the harness to keep her balance. She turned herself around and got her legs to straddle the back.

“Your turn, miss,” Dennis said taking her arm. She stared at the back of the draft horse in fear.

“Jump, milady!” Yula shouted back at her.

“Please miss, the wagon is coming apart.”

“Oh, God.” She bunched her leg muscles and leaped toward the other horse’s back. She crashed onto the heaving horse. Her hands scrambled to find something to hold onto. She’d actually landed better than Yula and only had to spread her legs and swing them down over the horse’s flanks.

“Dennis, hurry!” Naomi called.

She didn’t know what to do. The horse was running wild like he said. She wrapped one hand around a harness strap and tangled the other in the horse’s mane. Dennis climbed onto the wagon tongue and unhooked the chains. He held onto Yula’s horse, and as the wagon tongue fell away, he pulled his body onto that horse’s back.

“Dennis!” Naomi screamed. She thought he would come up with her. She couldn’t control the horse at all.

“Just hold on, milady!” He shouted once he had gotten himself straightened out and up behind Yula. She stared at the pair on the other horse with wide eyes until the Umbreks caught her attention again.

Most of them had stopped pursuit, but two were still hot on their heels or hooves rather. Without the weight of the wagon, the horses picked up a bit of speed, but they were not out of the woods yet, quite literally.

They raced through the forest, but the Umbreks were relentless. Naomi couldn’t believe how tireless they were, but unfortunately, the horses were tiring. With alarm, she saw that the horse carrying Yula and Dennis was falling behind. Her heart wrenched with the realization that this was why Dennis had picked the other horse. It was to give her the best chance of escaping.

“No!” she screamed as she watched her horse steadily outpace them.

Chapter 5

A group of unicorns is called a blessing.

Naomi watched helplessly as she continued to pull ahead of the other horse carrying Yula and Dennis. She couldn’t turn the draft horse back, stop it, or even slow it down. All she could hope to do was not get knocked off by low tree branch.

An Umbrek caught up with Yula and Dennis and reached out to swipe at their horse. They dodged the swipe but just barely.

She was so concerned with the two behind her that when an arrow whizzed past and hit the Umbrek, she jerked around and almost fell. Racing toward them was a group of armed men.

“You three keep going! We’ll take care of these monsters,” one soldier shouted.

Naomi whooped like a maniac as her horse raced through the armed men. Reinforcements! When she looked ahead, she saw the silhouette of towers. They had reached the castle.

The horses slowed the closer they got to the main gate for the castle. Foamy sweat covered them, and they breathed in heaving gasps. They were spent. It was at a walk that they entered.

The castle was in utter pandemonium. People were racing everywhere. More soldiers were mounting up and racing out. It reminded her too much of her first moments in the Town of Harold’s Pass for comfort. She kept a close eye on Yula. She didn’t want to lose the only person she knew.

“Miss, are you all right?” a man asked.

“Oh, I might be in decade or two,” she replied. The man flashed a grin at her and helped her down. She wobbled a minute as she relearned to use her legs. A large man with a bushy beard stormed up to her.

“Were you with the last wagon?”

When she nodded, he pushed her toward the main building. “Go to the hall, the women will tend to you.” She balked. She didn’t want to go anywhere without Yula, who was marching over. At the man’s touch, a murderous look entered the cook’s eyes.

“Are you all right, milady? I do hope you won’t let this awful reception be your first impression of your new home.” She shot a dirty look at the gruff man.

Naomi was quite taken aback by Yula’s demeanor. She didn’t want to give a bad first impression either, and demanding niceties during an emergency seemed like the making of one.

“I’m fine, Yula. I’m so glad the soldiers met us. It was such a relief.” She said this to the man to show him that she wasn’t upset with him, but he’d already jumped away from her and was looking everywhere but at them. If an Umbrek were to jump between them at the moment, Naomi thought the man would’ve been relieved.

“Let’s go inside. I’m sure the men will keep you apprised of your husband, LORD TAVIK’S status.”

Naomi smiled weakly at the man to soften Yula’s combative tone, but he was still avoiding their eyes. “Um, what's your name?” she asked, hoping to get on a little better footing with him.

In response, the man got down on one knee and bowed his head. “My name is Boris. I am Lord Tavik's steward. Please allow me to welcome you to Castle Tavik. If it pleases the lady, there are refreshments and attendants waiting in the hall. I hope my gruff manner did not displease you too greatly. I did not realize you were our lord's bride. If there's any way I can make amends, please tell me.”

“Um, nice to meet you, Boris. Please, uh, get up. No worries about the reception. It's really crazy right now. I'm sure you have a lot to do. I'll just get out of your hair.” The man slowly rose to his feet. She hoped the smile on her face was comforting though she was kind of freaking out. He still looked the furthest thing from happy, but she didn't really think all that was due to her. There was an emergency happening at the minute which she was not qualified to help with in any way. She turned to Yula and let her lead the way into the hall where there were more people shouting and general commotion, though several skidded to a halt to usher them in and scrambled for food and drink. She was starting to realize that she was considered royalty or something. She had no idea how she was supposed to act, but Yula seemed to know how everyone else was supposed to and expected it. She didn’t know if that was fair. She was so out of her depth.

They were shown to a side room off the main hall. The main hall was set up like a makeshift triage unit. Wounded soldiers were lying everywhere with medical people running everywhere trying to help. From her little sanctum, she could hear their moans and cries.

A new worry had settled upon her. What would happen if Tavik was dead? Would people expect her to be in charge? Everyone referred to her as their lady. Did that mean she was the inheritor of whatever Tavik had or was she something to be inherited and by whom? The dread increased every hour that passed with no news of Tavik.

Yula picked up on her mounting apprehension. “Lord Tavik will be fine, don’t worry.”

But she did worry. Her worry increased exponentially when Boris came looking for them. He wasn’t smiling, which probably wasn't unusual for him, but there was a tightness to his face that made her stiffen. She stood up to meet him, but she didn’t know what to do. She looked around her. Should she sit back down? It was better to be sitting when one received bad news. Why was she standing? She looked back at the chair. It meant nothing to her. What was she doing? Boris came to stand before her. She turned to leave because standing and sitting both seemed like stupid ideas, but she had to do something. Yula's hand on her arm stopped her escape. She hadn't seen the cook come over to her.

"I just want to stretch my legs."

"It will be all right, milady."

She shook her head and tried to move away. Yula wrapped her arms around her.

The noises outside had quieted. Boris stood silently as if waiting. She wondered what he saw. Did he see a scared noblewoman or a scared normal woman? Did they look different? What was she supposed to be doing? Why was she there? Why wasn’t the man saying anything?

“What is it?”

“Lord Tavik’s horse has returned.”

She didn’t understand. “And?”

“The horse was riderless. The stead is badly injured. We fear Lord Tavik--” Naomi’s brain decided at that moment that she really didn’t want to hear another word and shut down.

When she next opened her eyes, it was to find Yula hovering over her. “What happened?”

“You fainted.”

“Oh, I need to stop doing that.” She heaved herself into a sitting position. She had been put in a bed. A candle flickered on the night table. The room was large and filled with dark wood furniture. Over the hearth, a shield and a pair of swords hung. She realized that she'd been placed in Tavik’s room. No one had known to not do that. It felt like she was someplace she wasn’t supposed to be. She was trespassing on a dead man’s sanctum.

“Would you like something to drink?”

She nodded, and Yula turned to pour her some water. “Have the soldiers returned?”

She saw Yula’s back stiffen. “They have.”

“And Tavik?”

She turned back around and handed her a cup. Her mouth was set in a grim line. No verbal answer needed. Naomi sipped the water while keeping a close eye on her. “What happens now?”

“Tavik will return.”

“Victor came back without him.”

“Yes, but we must have hope.”

"But if he doesn’t return..."

"Do not worry."

"Fat chance. What’s going to happen?"

"We must have hope."

She set the cup down and lay back against the headboard. She already hoped for so many things: a way home, a unicorn, an escape. She wasn’t sure if she had room to hope for Tavik as well. Yula helped her prepare for bed and exited with a gentle call of good night.

She slipped into unconsciousness hoping for pleasant dreams to distract her from all the badness that had been her life for the past couple of days, and she did dream. She was out in a meadow in the moonlight, but the moon wasn’t the brightest thing out; it was the unicorn racing toward her. She watched in disbelief as he galloped toward her. He was beautiful. The horn glowed golden, and his mane and coat shimmered like snow on a bright day. His hooves thundered as he pounded the earth, kicking up large clumps behind him. She reached out her arms to grab him, knowing he was her salvation. She strained to catch him as he ran past, but her fingers didn’t even graze his flank. He wheeled around and began racing back toward her. She tried to catch hold of him again, but he slipped by her a second time. She felt desperation. She had to catch the unicorn. The magical beast turned again and ran at her, and she missed again. They played this game several more times before the unicorn got tired and didn’t turn around again but continued to gallop away. She screamed for him to come back, but he grew steadily smaller. She sat up in bed with a gasp. Her arms were reaching out as her desperate action carried over to the waking world.

“Naomi?”

She jumped and looked for the source of the voice. The room was dark, but she could make out the shape of a man, and she knew the voice.

“I thought you were dead.”

Tavik let out a low chuckle. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

She frowned but brushed off his comment. “Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

She couldn't tell if he had the mask on but decided not to ask. “But Victor came back all cut up. How did you get away from the Umbreks?”

“I killed them.”

“Oh.”

She looked away feeling uncomfortable. She didn’t know how to react. Violence had never been a part of her world. Before she’d come here, she’d never been in a fight or had her life threatened. This was Tavik’s world. He probably found it all old hat: Kill some monsters, burn a town, and come home for a relaxing nap. With a start, she remembered she was in his bed and that he probably wanted it back. She moved to get up.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting up. You should rest.”

“Don’t bother. I'll sleep elsewhere.”

“But this is your room.”

She heard Tavik sigh. “I’m tired, Naomi. I don’t want to argue.”

“Then stop arguing and do what I say,” she said with a mixture of frustration and humor. She climbed off the bed and folded the blankets back.

“Naomi,” he said with a warning tone.

“You slept in a chair last night. You rode all day and fought Umbreks. You need to rest in a proper bed tonight."

“Where will you sleep?”

She'd been avoiding that question because really she had no idea. She didn’t know where Yula’s room was, or else she’d go bunk with her. She hunched her shoulders. “If you’ll sleep in the bed, you can tie me to a chair.”

“What were you dreaming about?”

She was startled by the change of subject. She wasn’t sure if telling him the truth was wise, but she couldn’t think of a lie. “I was dreaming about unicorns.”

“It didn’t seem to be a pleasant dream.”

“I was trying to catch one and couldn’t.”

He walked over to the bed and sat. She could tell by the shape of his head that he had the helm still on. He kicked off his boots. “You might as well sleep here as well.”

“What about my own room?”

His shoulders slouched. “I will see to it tomorrow.” Naomi realized she was being a little prudish. He was obviously bone tired. She could see that by how slowly he moved. Anyway, she could sleep above the covers and scream like a banshee if he did anything. She walked around to the other side of the bed. She watched him lay his head back without removing the helm.

“You’re going to sleep in that thing?”

“Yes,” he replied without inflection. She scrunched her eyebrows together at that but didn’t comment. She slipped under the top blanket, leaving the rest underneath her. She didn’t think she would get back to sleep, but she was wrong.

She woke to a very odd sensation. It didn't feel bad, but considering it’d been six months since she’d broken up with her last boyfriend, and there’d been a very dry spell, a veritable drought actually, waking up to an arm draped over her waist made her pause for a moment, and wonder did she really want to wake up? Either this was a dream, or a nasty hangover was waiting in the eaves for her. But as anyone knew, thinking about waking up defeated the purpose.

She reluctantly cracked open one eye. She was lying on her side facing the arm’s owner. Being the second morning that she’d woken to the grim visage of Tavik’s helm, it didn't startle her as bad this time. The masked lord didn't appear to be awake yet. She could hear soft snores. She wondered what time it was. Dim light streamed in through a narrow window. She wanted to get up and look through it but not wake her bed partner. She figured he needed the rest.

She rolled over to her stomach. Tavik’s hand shifted to lay heavy on her back. If she could just ease out from under his arm, she’d be out of this odd predicament. She grasped the side of the bed and began pulling herself to the edge. His arm tensed. She thought he was waking up and prepared to apologize for disturbing him. To her chagrin, his arm stretched out, curled around her waist and drew her back to him. Her head was now nestled under his chin. Her arms flush against his chest. In alarm, she felt him lifted a leg and threw it over hers. She was now completely pinned against him. Her only consolation was that there were a layer of blankets separating them. She scowled at the turn of events. She still didn't want to wake him, but he'd made it impossible by becoming Mr. Grabby.