Unicorns' Opal (13 page)

“How is it you and Jenneva ride unicorns?” asked Arik.

“We met Kaz and Yorra many years ago,” stated Alex. “Before the Collapse, we traveled to another Universe to learn the mysteries of the elves and dwarves. We found Kaz dying of wounds inflicted by the dark elves. We befriended him and healed him. Later, he returned with his fellow unicorns and saved us from an elf village where we had been captured. We have been together ever since.”

“How do they hide their horns?” quizzed Tedi.

“The Mage taught them that magic,” continued Alex. “It was necessary for them to remain with us in the company of humans. I feel guilty now for having kept them away from their home for so long. Kaz and Yorra have not been back to see their kin since before the Collapse.”

“They seem to be remembered by most of the others,” interjected Tanya. “They must have been popular before they left.”

“Kaz is the Shamta,” frowned Alex. “That means he is the Prince of the Unicorns. The large gray unicorn that meet us in the clearing is his father, Larastrides, Shamora of the Unicorns.”

“Wasn’t it Yorra who saved your baby from the black devils?” queried Tanya.

“Yes,” Alex replied bitterly. “Oscar Dalek and Yorra saved our child from the Black Devils shortly before the Collapse. Unfortunately, the child was lost again.”

Tanya felt the glares directed towards her for bringing the subject up again. She rose quickly and walked out of the campsite towards the playful unicorns.

“I don’t think she means to keep bringing it up,” offered Fredrick. “She is just inquisitive.”

Alex rose and gazed at the departing figure of Tanya. “I must find Jenneva and let her know that her food is getting cold.”

As Alex left the campsite, Fredrick offered to help Niki with her knife throwing. Arik rose to start his practice, but Tedi grabbed his arm to stop him from rising.

“What is it?” Arik asked.

“I wanted to talk to you alone about Tanya,” Tedi said softly. “There is something that is not right about her.”

“I think Fredrik is right,” declared Arik. “She just wants to know everything. She is inquisitive.”

“I am sure she is,” agreed Tedi, “but there is more to her than that. Everyone knows she gets under Alex’s skin. We make excuses for her, but what if it is something more? What if she is trying to drive him away from helping the Children?”

“That is crazy,” Arik shook his head. “We need Alex and Jenneva. We have all talked about this before and we agreed that we need them.”

“Mostly you and I did,” reminded Tedi. “Niki does not trust them and Fredrik was borderline. Tanya never said much one way or the other.”

“She may not have said much,” replied Arik, “but I know she is with us on this.”

“Perhaps you are blinded by how you feel for her,” offered Tedi. “Did you know that she goes through Jenneva’s pack whenever she is on watch? I have seen her on several occasions when she thought I was sleeping. She takes things out and studies them for hours and then puts them back before she wakes the others up.”

“Are you sure of this?” questioned Arik. “Have you told Jenneva?”

“I am sure,” affirmed Tedi. “I have not told anyone until right now. I am not sure we should tell anyone just yet. I think it is better to keep watch on her without her suspecting that we are.”

“Maybe you were dreaming,” suggested Arik. “I cannot believe that Tanya would do anything to harm the group.”

“I found it hard at first too,” sighed Tedi. “I tried to think of all sorts of reasons why she might be doing it. Finally, I decided to do some snooping of my own. Last night I went through her pack while everyone was sleeping. I found something very disturbing.”

“What did you find?” queried Arik as he looked around nervously.

“I found a couple of crumpled up notes,” answered Tedi. “The notes told where we were going and what we were doing. They were the type of notes one would leave behind at a campsite to alert accomplices that might be following at a safe distance.”

“What did they say?” asked Arik.

“That we sought the Unicorns’ Opal,” frowned Tedi. “That we were heading east as directed by the Sword of Heavens. That we had killed a bunch of goblins. That Alex and Jenneva were riding on unicorns. Everything and anything that would help the enemy.”

“But if she had the notes in her pack,” reasoned Arik, “then she hasn’t had a chance to leave them behind yet. Maybe she has changed her mind about leaving them.”

“You forget how angry Alex got when she was playing her games in the morning,” reminded Tedi. “Remember the morning she left the campsite early and Alex made us break camp early and chase after her, only to have her come up behind us?”

“Yes and the next morning we ended up having to stop and wait for her as she dawdled at the campsite too long,” nodded Arik.

“We must not give her another opportunity to be the last one to leave the campsite,” suggested Tedi.

Arik nodded and tapped Tedi on the knee as he saw Fredrik approaching. Moments later Alex and Jenneva returned and the conversation about Tanya was forgotten.

“Any luck with getting clues?” asked Fredrik.

“Not really,” frowned Jenneva. “Always the words are the same. The Golden Unicorn was lost in the sands of time. They do not know any more.”

“What if they meant that it was literally lost in sand?” posed Tedi. “Is there a coastline around here that we could search? Perhaps it was lost on the beach.”

“It was lost ages ago,” commented Arik. “The tides would bury and uncover it over time. Surely it would not still be just sitting on the beach.”

“You might have something there, Fredrik,” nodded Jenneva. “Not about the beach, but about the sand. In what was once called Sordoa, is the Great Sordoan Desert. It has also been called in past times, the Eternal Sands, or the Sands of all Times. With nothing else to go on, it is the best place for us to start our search.”

“You are going to search the Great Sordoan Desert for a horn no larger than Yorra’s?” questioned Alex. “You cannot be serious. That would be the work of many lifetimes, and even then you could not possibly hope to chart which areas you had searched. We must have more to go on.”

“Actually,” smiled Jenneva, “I have a friend who can help. I know a magician who lives in the desert. Egam introduced me to him years ago. If there is any credence to the horn being lost in the desert, he is our best chance of tracking it down.”

“Sordoa is a long distance from here to travel for a hunch,” interjected Alex. “Are you sure we will get nothing further out of the unicorns?”

“They can only tell us what they know,” responded Jenneva. “They want the Golden Horn more than we do. If they had any more information about where it was lost, they would have gladly offered it.”

“You have a clue as to where the horn might be?” asked Tanya as she entered the campsite.

“We have a place to start looking,” informed Jenneva. “Nothing more than a hunch. I think we should get a good night's sleep and head for Tice in the morning. We can catch a ship to Tagaret there and that will shorten the trip greatly.”

The Shamora wants Arik to ride my brother on the journey, Alex. He feels that Chaco will be more of a representative of our people than I have been.

Alex turned to look at Kaz.
What of the magic gifts that the Mage taught you? Your brother must not appear to be a unicorn.

I have taught the others the spells given to me by the Mage. Chaco is a chestnut so he will blend in well. You have nothing to fear about him giving us away. Arik’s horse will be set free to do as it wishes.

Introduce Chaco to Arik tonight so it is not a last minute decision on his part. It grieves me that I have lowered your value in your father’s eyes. I will understand if you wish to stay with your people.

The Shamora understands why I have been gone for so long, Alex. He is not displeased with me. Sending Chaco is a way to honor the Deliverer. As for my staying here, our tasks are not yet complete. Yorra and I shall be coming with you as well.

“Rangers,” Alex stated loudly, “we leave at first lightening. There will be no practice this evening. I suggest we catch up on our sleep while we can.”

Kaz left the campsite and returned with his chestnut brother. While Kaz made the introductions, Tanya looked on curiously. Far behind the two unicorns, Tanya spotted a third. A light gray mare looked curiously at the campsite. When the introductions were over and the chestnut unicorn left the campsite, Tanya let her eyes follow his path. She smiled inwardly as he headed straight for the gray mare.

The Rangers bedded down for the night without a sentry. A couple of hours after everyone went to sleep, Tedi opened his eyes. He perked his ears and heard very faint footsteps moving away from the campsite. He swiveled his head towards the sound and saw a figure stealthily entering the grove. Swiftly he sat up and counted bodies in the campsite. He frowned when he saw that Tanya was gone. He wiggled his body to one side so he could observe Tanya coming back and feigned sleep.

Tedi waited over an hour before Tanya came creeping out of the grove. He watched as she peered into the campsite before returning to her spot and going back to sleep. Tedi stayed awake for another hour trying to figure out what Tanya was up to, but sleep finally claimed him.

In the morning, the Rangers rose and enjoyed a morning meal before packing up their gear. The Shamora came to the campsite to wish them a safe journey. Hundreds of unicorns watched as the Rangers mounted and headed southeastward toward the city of Tice.

Lightning pierced the gray sky in a brilliant flash that illuminated the underside of the clouds high overhead. The following thunder rolled down the valley with such ferocity that the horses fidgeted. The howling wind drove the frigid rain into the faces of the Rangers and into every possible break in their clothing.

“Find us some shelter,” Alex yelled to Tedi. “We will make no time in this weather.”

Tedi nodded glumly and forged ahead of the rest of the Rangers. Alex watched Tedi disappear when he was only a dozen paces away and shook his head. It had been many years since Alex had experienced a storm as bad as this one. He wondered briefly about the effects of the clear sky over Cordonia on the weather. Lost in his musings, Alex tensed as, several minutes later, he approached a dim figure on the trail before him.

“I found a small cave,” yelled Tedi. “Very small.”

Alex sighed and nodded. “Lead the way. Any cover is better than this.”

Tedi turned off the trail and led the group down a small incline and halted at the base of a hill. He pointed upward at a small opening in the side of the hill. The wind abated at the foot of the hill and Alex dismounted.

“We will need a line put up for the horses,” Alex shouted.

“I will see to the horses,” responded Tanya.

Alex nodded and climbed up the hill to the mouth of the cave. He peered briefly into the darkness and then stooped down and entered the cave. He ran his hands around the perimeter of the cave as he walked in a small circle and frowned. He stepped back out of the cave to see the Rangers assembling at the mouth.

“It is very cramped inside,” Alex stated. “There will be no fire, but it will keep us dry.”

“What about the unicorns?” asked Arik. “We cannot just leave them out in the rain.”

“They will be fine,” assured Jenneva. “They are used to the weather. Do not worry about them.”

Alex stood aside as the Rangers filed into the small cave. He watched as Tanya struggled to secure the horses to the tether line she had erected and then entered the cave himself. He almost tripped over Fredrik as he sought to find an empty place to sit down. Minutes later, Tanya entered the cave. A soft glow suddenly rose from Jenneva’s hand and illuminated the interior of the cave. Tanya found a spot near the mouth next to Fredrik and sat down. The glow from Jenneva’s hand winked out and the cave returned to blackness.

“Couldn’t you have found a bigger cave?” snapped Niki as she squirmed between Jenneva and Arik. “There is not even room to roll over in here.”

Tedi started to respond, but Alex cut him off. “We are out of the rain and wind for now. Let us get some rest until this weather clears up. I also think we should attempt to remain quiet as we have no way of knowing what is outside the cave.”

The cave lapsed into silence except for the occasional stirrings as the Rangers attempted to get comfortable. Soon everyone was asleep.

Fredrik was the first to awaken and he accidentally woke Tanya as he crawled out of the cave. She yawned and followed him outside.

“At least the storm is over,” smiled Fredrik. “I did not enjoy riding in that yesterday.”

“My horse is gone,” shouted Tanya.

Cries and mutterings drifted out of the cave as everyone inside woke up and stumbled their way to the entrance. Tanya raced down the hillside to the tether line and stood there looking off through the trees. Within moments, the rest of the Rangers had gathered by her side.

“There are no tracks to follow,” observed Alex. “It must have happened before the storm passed over. There is little chance of finding your horse now.”

“You can ride double with me,” suggested Arik. “Chaco is strong enough to carry the two of us.”

“No,” shrieked Tanya as she ran off into the woods.

Tedi shook his head and stared at her retreating body as she ran deeper into the woods. “I never expected Tanya to act like that. I thought she would be calm in any situation. Maybe we should help her look.”

Arik, Tedi, and Fredrik moved into the woods in opposite directions and Niki walked back up to the cave. Alex started to aid in the search when he felt Jenneva’s hand on his arm.

“One more set of eyes will not help find it,” she whispered. “I suspect it is long gone.”

“I agree,” nodded Alex, “but it may let her know we all care enough to try.”

“Our time is better spent discussing a new discovery,” Jenneva said softly. “I inspected Niki’s cloak again last night as we were pressed together in the cave. There is a new spell on it. Similar to the tracking spell we noticed in Sordoa, but this one is slightly different.”