Unicorn Point (13 page)

Translucent began without preamble: “Blue suckered us.
 
He trained the boy Flach to be a nascent Adept with natural form changing from his unicorn side. We were just beginning to catch on, when the boy made his move. He substituted a golem for himself, and that was what arrived at the Blue Demesnes. Blue waited just long enough for the real boy to be thoroughly hidden, then pulled the plug on grounds we had delivered not. Bane tells me the same happened simultaneously in Proton: the little girl took off. The ploy be this: we had a covenant that we were allowed access to the Book of Magic only during the time when the boy was with Blue.
 
Since the boy did not reach the Blue Demesnes, our use of the Book be cut off. Until we recover the boy and deliver him to Blue, we can use it not. It be clear that Blue realized that we were on the verge o’ a breakthrough, and would assume dominance shortly; he acted just in time to scotch that. We be here to consider our alternatives.”

“I knew thou wouldst bungle it!” Purple exclaimed. “Thou didst say thou wouldst get the damned rovot to go along with us!”

“He did, Purp!” White snapped. “And he got Bane in with us too. That’s a potent pair, and they have decamped not.”

“They must have been in on it,” Purple said. “How did the brat in Proton know, else?”

“They knew not,” Translucent said. “In retrospect we realize that this break be more significant than that. The two children can speak to each other directly. “ This was news to the others.

“Same as Bane and the rovot?” Yellow asked.

 
“That be our conclusion. We were guilty o’ narrow thinking; we ne’er thought it possible. We thought it mere parallelism or coincidence. Had we caught on, we would have secured those brats instantly.”

“Then we must have those children!” White exclaimed.
 

“I had concluded as much,” Translucent said dryly. “I had suspected that the boy was able to assume more forms than just man and ‘corn, and thought to have Tan speak to him to ascertain just what these might be. That would have revealed aught we ne’er dreamed o’! Somehow Blue must have realized, and spirited the boy out o’ our grasp. Nor rovot nor ‘corn parents suspected; they believed the boy retarded.”

“He fooled e’en his own parents,” White said, thought fully. “That lad be dangerous.”

“That brat be power!” Purple said. “We capture him, we’ll need not mare or rovot!”

“Which is where Blue scored,” Translucent agreed. “He •knew—and doubled his ploy by making us liable for losing the lad. Gain back the lad, and we score double oursel’es.
 
There be our challenge. But methinks the lad will be not easy to find.”

“Trace his route!” Purple said. “He started with the mare; where did he leave her?”

“I have traced the route, and queried the auspices,” Trans lucent said grimly. “We had warners where’er magic occurred, and tags on both boy and mare. He left the mare only four times. The first was west o’ a pack, when he took a piss break. The second was when the mare went ahead to break up a dragon attack on pups leaving the Pack: she be oath friend to that Pack, and fought for its pups, but endangered not the boy. The third was near her Herd, when the boy took another rest break, and the fourth halfway ‘tween there and the Blue Demesnes, another rest break. I checked further and learned that traces o’ urine were only at the first stop; by this I conclude that the last two were the golem substitute, making pretense. We are assured it was the living boy up to the first stop, and the golem at the third. That puts the second in question.”

“Could he have joined the pups?” White asked alertly.
 

“Nay. They were four coming in, and four going on; an he joined them, there had been five. An he switch places with one, then it be a werewolf riding the mare—and it were no wolf arrived with her.”

“Then where did he go?” White demanded.
 

“Methinks he changed form under cover o’ the mare’s changes; our wamers can tell simultaneous changes not from one. We found no tracks, no traces ‘cept scratches on the bark o’ a tree there. I believe he changed to bird form and flew, and where he be now—“ He shrugged.
 

“Bird form!” Yellow exclaimed. “He could have flown anywhere by now!”

“True. Therefore our effort to trace him be doomed. We underestimated him, supposing him to be capable o’ but two forms instead o’ four, and thus he slipped away.”

“Four?” Purple asked. “Man, ‘corn, bird, and what?”

“Whate’er he changed to when his flying was done. He would not remain a bird; that be too limited a form, its life too hazardous.”

“He could be human or unicorn, and merge with a village or Herd,” Purple pointed out. “We can search them all and find him.”

“That be why he would have a fourth form,” Translucent said. “He made this cunning escape not to be readily recovered.”

‘ ‘But he be but four years old! His kind masters but three forms!”

Translucent shook his head. “We underestimated him once; needs we must not do so again. He could be anything.”

“Then recovery be hopeless?” Purple asked challengingly.
 

“Nay, merely difficult. We shall be obliged to search every settlement or group, human and animal, methodically, until we find him.”

“How can we find him, an we not know his form?” Purple demanded. “That be searching for one straw in a haystack!”

“Tan must question each prospect,” Translucent said. “We know the lad’s age; only those that age need be checked. An we knew what form, it would be a matter o’ weeks or months.
 
As it is, months or years. But it can be done, and must be done.”

“Months or years?” Tan asked. “I have aught better to do than that!”

“Then thy sister. Only thou or she can do it.”

Tania nodded. “I may do it, but I have a price.”

Translucent glanced at her. “Thou art moved not by the need o’ the Adepts?”

“Let us be not hypocrites,” she said coldly. “Which o’ us be moved by other than selfishness? We cooperate only in the face o’ a common enemy. An I devote myself to this tedious labor, needs must I have recompense.”

Translucent nodded. “Plainly put. Say on.”

“Was once might I have married Bane, uniting in time our power with that o’ Blue. Till he found the other frame, and his rovot self was besotted by the mare. Methinks me-him remains a decent match.”

“Thou didst try that,” Translucent said. “Unbeknownst to me. Bane fended thee off, and made I oath to him: no more o’ that. Now his power be such thou canst not fascinate him with thine Eye. This be no price thou canst ask.”

“I ask but this: that I be given leave to do what I can with him, using not my Eye. An he come to me voluntarily, it be no violation o’ thine oath.”

Translucent considered this, not trusting it. “For this thin chance, thou wouldst devote thyself to the search for the boy?”

“Aye, for this thin chance. An I succeed, it will bring me union with an Adept, and that be what I crave beyond all else.”

Translucent shrugged. “Then be it so. Our effort be in stasis till thou hast result.”

“The younglings,” Yellow said. “This be their travel time, small groups going to new homes. Only those who traveled need be checked, for a new member be not otherwise admitted to a tribe without challenge.”

“It still be some search, through all o’ Phaze,” Purple said. “Methinks the human brats should be checked first, and then the ‘corn foals.”

“Agreed,” Tania said. “An there be resistance to my search, you others support me.”

“Agreed,” Translucent said for the others.
 

First she approached Bane, who happened to be with Fleta the mare. That could be for only one reason. “Thou dost seek the boy,” Tania said.

“Dost have complicity?” Fleta asked sharply.

Tania turned her gaze on the unicorn. In her human form the mare was petite and full-bodied, with glossy black hair in lieu of her mane, and a pearly button set in her forehead in lieu of her horn. She was attractive enough, for men who might like that type. Bane was evidently immune, but Mach
    
had proved susceptible. That suggested that Bane was susceptible too, but chose not to admit it. But Bane in the old days had been interested in any female form that was young and healthy; his way with ‘corn, werebitch and batlass had been notorious.

Well, Tania could compete in that respect. Now she regretted that she had not deigned to do so back during Bane’s days of experimentation; she could have nabbed him readily then, and saved much complication. But she had foolishly hoped for better prospects, which had not materialized. Now she was older and wiser. Proximity, and time, might well do wonders with Bane. Of course he knew her nature, which was a problem; but he had known the natures of the animals he played with too, seeming to care mainly about their human forms for the indulging of his passing passions.
 
“Canst not answer?” the mare demanded, taking Tania’s silence for guilt.

Oh, how tempting it was to give her a piece of the Eye!
 
But she had promised not to, and, more important, it would alienate Bane. In fact, it might enrage him, and he was no mean Adept in his own right; she could get in trouble. This had to be defused, much as it grated her to do so. “Nay, mare; this absence discommodes us as much as thee, for we had hope o’ the boy’s aid in our mission. We suspected at first that thou mightest have—”

“I had naught to do with it!” Fleta flared. “He be mine offspring, my flesh; I love him and fear for his safety!”

“My apology for doubting thee,” Tania said easily. She had done what she sought to do: turned the mare to the defensive, instead of herself. “But if thine interest be familial, ours be practical; we want the use o’ the power the lad has.
 
So be assured that we wish him harm not, but rather we want him safe and well. We desire his return, and I be here to join thee in a search for him.”

“We search not,” the mare said. “It seems Flach fled by choice, and though my heart break, I may not bring him back unwilling.”

“Fled by choice?” Tania asked, affecting surprise. “Loved he not his dam?”

“My father designed this thing,” Bane said. “For that he knew the boy would be useful to the Adverse Adepts, and now the covenant between sides be broken. It be the same in Proton; they acted together.”

Tania eyed him, playing the role of one who had not heard of this before. “Thy father, who opposes us. Be this good news or bad, to thee?”

“I joined this side because I lost the wager with mine other self. Fain would I have served my father instead, but I be true to my word. I knew naught o’ the powers o’ the children, and thought them slow. This be good news for me to find the children otherwise, bad news to find them lost.”

“But what news, to find them foiling the change in the balance o’ power?” Tania asked pointedly.
 

“I serve thy side loyally, but my heart be with the other. That thou hast always known.”

“Then must thou make thy most diligent effort to recover the boy for us,” she concluded.

“Aye,” he agreed grimly.

“Then shall we work together, and thine other self too, when he returns. Thy service to us was excellent, when thou didst have access to the Book o’ Magic; it must be the same, in this quest for thy nephew.”

“I shall look for my nephew. But I see no need to work with thee. Make thine own search.”

“Nay, that be inefficient. There be the whole o’ Phaze to search; two will cover it faster, with no duplication. Also, there be danger, in some locales; the one must guard the other.”

Bane grimaced. “Perhaps I made not my sentiment plain: I wish not to work with thee.”

At least he was straightforward! “Nay, mayhap it was I who was unplain: I mean to work with thee, and have the backing o’ the others.”

“Then thou dost have no objection if I verify.”

“None,” she said evenly. Already she was feeling the thrill of fencing him in.

He sang something, and disappeared. Tania was left alone with Fleta. “And thee, mare—willst join the search?”

“Aye,” Fleta said through her teeth.

“Why so negative? Methought thou wouldst welcome aid to recover thy foal.”

“Thine interest be more in Bane than in Flach!”

“And what if that be so? Be Bane thy man?”

“Bane be Agape’s man! We need not thee to interfere!”

“Methinks Bane be his own man. An he chooses one or t’other, that be his business.”

Fleta looked ready to skewer something with her horn, for all that she lacked most of her horn in this form. But then Bane reappeared, abating what might have become an interesting confrontation. “We search together,” he said. “But thou willst ne’er have satisfaction o’ it.”

“That remains to be seen, methinks,” Tania replied, satisfied. The Adepts were supporting her, as she had required.
 
They checked the human settlements first. These were scattered all across Phaze; most were small, hidden hamlets whose inhabitants eked out their existence by hunting and farming. Bane conjured an accurate map, and they decided to cross out each village after checking it.
 
The first one was typical. Bane conjured the three of them to the village of Gnomore, in the Gnome Demesnes. The name was not intended to be punnish; it related to the region, and indicated that the human villagers acknowledged the supremacy of the gnomes in this vicinity. In return, the gnomes tolerated the human presence, and even traded with the villagers.