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Veronica was yanked out of a good dream by Billy’s calling. Her dream of a thick, creamy, melt-on-your-tongue chocolate bar provoked a craving for the niceties of her old life at The Castle Myra. It hadn’t been just any chocolate bar, but the chocolate that Edward had purchased from far-off lands and gifted to her on their wedding anniversary. The dream had brought back memories of tearing the paper that surrounded the thick rectangular bar while Edward sat near, beaming. He had loved watching her as she carefully removed the paper and exposed the deep, luscious brown underneath. She remembered the first bite and how she allowed it to melt inside her mouth slowly. That simple tradition had fostered a deep love between her and Edward. He had loved being spontaneous, but once he found a gift or an act that made me happy, I could count on it at the same time every year. I probably could have counted on a new cabin every year if he hadn’t left me for the Halls of Nurtia. Lovely memories notwithstanding, her mind traveled back to the sweetness of the bar, spurring a grumble from her empty stomach.
I’m a bit hungry this morning.
Veronica was surprised to find that the spear was already transformed when she went to feed Amaryllis. When she lifted it from the wall, it felt much lighter in her hands than when it was made of wood, and the roughness from the wood was gone. The texture from the wood was still there, but it felt as smooth as the stained glass back at the castle, and when she tested the edge of the spearhead, it was firmly fastened and permanently fused to the pole. Not to mention, the spearhead itself was still extremely sharp—even more so than when it had been made of flint. It was a powerful weapon. A gift from whatever god had been granting Veronica their favor. Was it Rhea who aided me by granting good fortune, or Nurtia, shaping my fate to her will? Whatever deity was assisting her, she was extremely grateful, and the spear would be extremely useful to her in her homesteading efforts. Perhaps I should make a sheath for it? The idea of her stumbling and accidentally impaling herself on the end of her own spear intruded on her mind, and she shuddered to think of the slow bleed out that would follow.
The ground was soft under her boots as she walked away from the stables. She gave the spear a few practice strikes, aiming for a broken part of the fence. Where there should have been a “thud,” there was a slicing sound, and the spear cut through the old hardwood like it had been made of butter. She hesitated to try it on stone as she didn’t want to risk the spearhead breaking, but it was more effective a weapon than even the highest of the Castle Guard had carried. And those were made of enchanted Damascus steel.
Though terrifying, the spear felt natural to her, like it was an additional appendage to her own flesh and bone. Her heart nearly burst with pride over the weapon she had created with the help of one of her friends. I am afraid of no predator while I wield this.
Veronica began her way back to her cabin, but a soft nudge from behind gave her pause. She turned and found Amaryllis standing behind her, her magic-filled eyes fixated directly on Veronica’s. The unicorn bowed low to her, as she had done before during her perilous journey from the castle, and waited in the position patiently.
The Queen, excited over the prospect of riding a mythical creature once again, hastily moved to mount Amaryllis but decided against it. She did not yet understand all the unicorn’s traditions and ways. “Would you like me to ride with you?”
Amaryllis bobbed her head and brayed in response.
Veronica beamed and gave Amaryllis a scratch behind her ear, then carefully got on her back with the spear grasped firmly in her hand. The unicorn rose, galloped towards the cabin, and turned up Chicken Coop Way.
Their path took them along the side of the stream and into Edward’s Meadow. They were traveling faster and faster, the wind rushing through her hair and her work dress flowing out behind her. What had taken Veronica a full day’s travel by foot was surpassed in what felt like a heartbeat on the back of Amaryllis. They were traveling faster than anything Veronica had seen before, speeds where she found herself having trouble inhaling as the air bombarded her like a tropical storm. The unicorn blasted through the beautiful meadow, then headed up a steeper path on the other side. Veronica had to firmly grip the unicorn’s mane to keep herself from tumbling backward off her. Amaryllis showed no signs of fatigue as she glided up the steep hillside, aided by the magic that made her hoofs silent and the ancient trees obey her commands.
The grade began to lessen as they reached the peak of their climb. The view from this vantage point was stunning, with an extensive valley laid out before them, filled with trees, but with many open spaces growing long, green grass. Amaryllis came to a stop and admired the view with her rider. The air was cold, crisp, and clean where they stood, and the majesty of the view filled her heart with peace. The fresh air liberated Veronica from her daily stresses with every lungful. She leaned forward and stroked the unicorn’s neck. “Thank you for taking me here. The view is beautiful.”
Amaryllis bobbed her head in agreement, then continued forward into the unknown. Veronica realized that she knew this place. She had seen this great valley before on the map she had on the desk back at the castle. This must be Merchant’s Pass. Many of the merchants transported their merchandise through this valley before it was shown for sale at Castle Myra. Although, she didn’t see any caravans passing through today. Odd. There should be at least one caravan heading to the castle. The realization struck her hard and left her heart feeling heavy with worry. Unless... It wasn’t safe to pass through. Is the castle in peril?
Amaryllis had reached a full gallop down the hill into Merchant’s Pass. Once again, the trees flowed around her like nothing more than water, and the feeling of freedom was overwhelming. Veronica released her firm grasp of hair, threw her hands and spear up, and let out a loud cry of glee. I am free, and my new life is magical. She channeled every ounce of air from the depths of her lungs to release another cry, “I am free!”
The Queen grabbed wildly at the unicorn’s mane with her free hand as a previously unseen cliff drew near, and her heart nearly stopped as Amaryllis, rather than stopping, pushed from the earth and vaulted herself and the Queen into the air. Time seemed to stop as they fell freely, though gracefully, down into the valley. The ground rushed towards them, but just before they plummeted to their deaths, a light spiraled down Amaryllis’ horn and, once it reached her head, ignited her eyes with a blinding pink flame. The Queen felt the air around her charge with power, and Amaryllis pulsed forward with explosive energy. Instead of falling, they were flying forwards, with the ground only a yard or so beneath them. Amaryllis didn’t miss a hoof-beat as the magical charge ended, and she fell forward onto solid ground, continuing forward without a hitch. It’s as if we didn’t free-fall at all. That was exhilarating!
The thick wealth of trees that had composed Chicken Coop Way ended. Where the trees had been, tall grass and short shrubberies remained. The grass behaved similarly to the trees, but instead of flowing around Amaryllis, it laid flat as if it were bowing to the mythical beast, then quickly stood up again once the unicorn glided by. This was a powerful and exhilarating experience, and Veronica knew that no one else on Earth had witnessed the things she had just enjoyed.
Her feeling of awe was replaced with confusion and fear as the hiss of an arrow pierced the air, and a purple explosion flashed from her left. Amaryllis’ eyes ignited with a sinister pink flame, projecting nearly three inches out and upwards from each eye. She, not slowing for an instant, looked into the canopy of a nearby tree, where Veronica noticed a dark figure hidden amongst the high branches. Her bray was a roar, a call to war, and the same light began spiraling down her horn again. Amaryllis turned towards the tree. Veronica grasped the mane and her spear tightly, and mount and rider pulsed toward the man watching them, attacking them from above.
The purple energy deflected another arrow in another blinding flash. Can unicorns climb trees? How are we ever going to reach him? Veronica’s question was soon answered. Amaryllis planted her front hooves firmly into the soil and bucked Veronica into the air. Veronica’s stomach felt like it had been left behind with the unicorn as she shot into the air, higher and higher, awkwardly landing on the tall branch next to the dark figure, who looked utterly amazed by what had just happened.
The Queen took advantage of the element of surprise, using her spear to slice the marksman’s crossbow clean in two with a single blow, then took his feet out from under him with the end of the pole. He landed on the thick branch on his back, nearly falling out of the tree. Veronica held the spearhead at his eye level and snarled, “Who are you, and why do you try to harm us?”
His hair was pitch black and styled short. He had a well-groomed beard that highlighted a strong jawline, broad shoulders, and he had to be nearly six feet tall. He wore light leather armor, with a pendant imprinted with a strange symbol of a dagger hanging around his neck. Strapped to his waist was a short sword with a ruby-encrusted pommel, still in the scabbard. What shocked Veronica the most was his eyes. His iris was a mixture of blood red and black, and it swirled with an ominous, unearthly power. The stranger looked up at her, smirking. “If it weren’t for your Virtuusian pet, I wouldn’t have just harmed you; I would have killed you.”
Veronica felt a chill cascade down her spine, and she could hear Amaryllis roaring far below them. She gathered her wits before the fear could set in. She repeated, “Who are you, and why do you try to harm me?” Threatening him by inching the spearhead closer to his face, meeting his striking gaze with an unwavering challenge.
He chuckled and held his hands up as if he were surrendering. “Do I need a reason?” He snapped his fingers and was immediately swallowed into a red cloud of smoke. His voice remained a moment longer to add, “I’ll find you, woman, and I will take everything from you.” Then, there was nothing but an empty branch and silence.
The pounding of her heart serenaded the climb down, harmonizing with the blood rushing in her ears. Why did he try to kill me? She felt as if a million eyes were watching her descend, the lurking creatures merely concealed by the trees, waiting patiently for their opportunity to kill. This sorcerer had tried to kill her from afar, without care, without any sign of remorse. How dare he try and murder while in my kingdom? The man is mad—mad and with the power of a sorcerer.
Veronica pushed the thought from her mind. It would not be wise to waste energy on an aspect of the world that she cannot control. She decided that the best course of action would be to return to her home and try and protect her animal friends the best she could. She also needed to figure out if Amaryllis was merely a kind creature or if she was, in fact, a Virtuusian. What is a Virtuusian anyway?
So little had been said between her and the sorcerer, and yet, it exposed an entire world of questions. Veronica felt exhausted and could not bring herself to try and theorize about the odd encounter. One thing was certain: this was the first time she had wished for the Castle Guard to be by her side. Unfortunately, her escape from the castle had been a double-edged sword. Those who would help her were far away, and to Veronica’s knowledge, they did not know that she was here. You gave up your safety so you could be free. Do not go running back at the first sign of danger.
The day was not yet void of surprise. Amaryllis dropped her off at the cabin door. Before she could enter, Amaryllis placed herself between Veronica and the old entrance of the cabin. Veronica was flabbergasted when the door warped and shifted and stretched to be large enough for Amaryllis to enter the small cabin easily. Once inside, she roared, the flowing glow of magic intensifying across her body. She kicked her front hooves up into the rafters and brought them down together onto the wood floor. In a flash of pink light that rippled across the old wood, the entire cabin was transformed into unicorn glass. Even Veronica’s cherished tea set turned a deep reflective black and became indestructible.
Amaryllis gave a nod of approval, then slowly backed out the front door, which returned to its standard size as soon as she was clear of the doorway. Veronica’s cabin looked surreal. She could see herself on the reflective black surface every way she turned. She tried to start a pot of water boiling, but both her stove and her now black kettle would not heat. I guess unicorn glass doesn’t make the best cookware. The fire of her stove was hot, but the entire surface of the stove was cold to the touch. Luckily, her food storage did not transform as the cabin had. I guess it’s stale bread and butter for dinner tonight.
Another problem was with the unhatched chicks. The little incubator wasn’t heating, and the eggs were cooling off quickly. I need to transfer these back to the hen house. I won’t be able to keep them warm enough here.
Veronica paused. Will Amaryllis allow me to take these to the hen house? Suddenly, she felt a little less protected and a little more like a princess imprisoned for her protection. It was a feeling she did not like. She made up her mind that she would do as she pleased. Amaryllis’ attempts to protect her were noble, but if she didn’t get these chicks to the hen house, they would surely die. Veronica gathered the eggs, took a shaky breath, and headed outside.
Amaryllis was standing, watching her, from the entrance of Chicken Coop Way. Veronica felt sheepish in the unicorn’s gaze but pointedly held her head high and walked to the chicken coop. Billy greeted her when she entered, agitated over the mystical evening events. Veronica patted his head in greeting. “Thank you for watching over the hens and keeping them safe.” Billy eyed the eggs she carried, a question gracing his little rooster face. Veronica held them out to him. “Would you guard these as well? I can’t keep them warm any longer.”
Billy crowed, and the hens jolted awake, sending them hopping out of their roosts. Veronica quickly divided the eggs evenly between each hen, being careful not to step on any chickens as they fluttered around the hen house floor. After the hens calmed, they settled back down on the eggs, shooting both Veronica and Billy annoyed glares while they re-situated. Veronica sighed and gave Billy an extra handful of sunflower seeds. “Thank you, Billy, you are an excellent head of the hen house.”
As she left the hen house, she was startled to see Amaryllis right outside the door, no more than ten feet from where she stood. The unicorn was watching Veronica intently, eerily. Veronica made a point to hold her head high as she returned to her unicorn glass cabin. She entered and closed the door behind her without a second glance at the unicorn. She settled into her bed and breathed slowly and deeply to try and calm her pounding heart. So much happened today. Why did Amaryllis choose today to go for a ride? Was it simply a coincidence that we ran into the sorcerer, or did she somehow know that there was someone out there, hunting me?
As the night wore on, Veronica heard nothing of Amaryllis from outside her cabin. The only sounds were of the crickets and the other animals of the night. Unicorns must be the stealthiest creatures alive. She knew that her mythical protector was out there. Unfortunately, the feeling of being a prisoner waxed, and the feeling of security that Amaryllis previously inspired morphed into a sense of resentment. I cannot depend on a single creature for my safety. I need to be prepared to defend myself from the sorcerer. I have no guarantee that Amaryllis will remain by my side for my entire life, and if the monster comes at me again, I want to be ready to fight. I want to be strong enough to end his miserable life.