Chapter 44

Naomi shot up in bed with a gasp. Her hands instantly checked her chest for a stab wound, but she was unhurt. Tavik sat up too and blinked sleepily at her.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded, but pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, not wanting to lie back down. He ran a hand over her back. “It was just a bad dream,” she told him. “Go back to sleep.”

He leaned back against the wall and pulled her back to lie against him. Naomi allowed herself to be uncurled and laid her head on his chest. “How long before dark?” she asked.

He looked toward the windows. “A few more hours.”

“Good.” He kissed the top her head, and they watched the day slip slowly away from the comfort of the bed. Yula and Agatha were in and out. They conferred in hushed tones, not wanting to disturb the two younger people.

Naomi watched Yula tidying the cottage. “You won’t hold any of this against Yula once this is over, will you?” She felt Tavik shake his head above her.

“No, I won’t. I will have to reassume the helm when I go back. Errilol is too distrusted to allow the people to see his mark, but I know I can trust Yula not to breathe a word of this to anyone, even to her sons.”

“So you’ll let her go and see them?”

“She may go and stay with them if she wishes. I cannot defend why I didn’t ever help her find her sons or show any interest in doing so.” Naomi didn’t reproach him for his willing oversight. They had all been through so much the past couple of days. It would be cruel to start slinging guilt around, especially since she felt she could be slapped with a hefty dollop herself.

The sun set as the four humans and one mouse took their last meal together. The mood was somber. Only perfunctory words were spoken. Once everyone took their final bite, they all sat around the table looking silently at each other. It was time. Agatha got up first.

“We should move a good ways from the cottage. Naomi, show me where you know the unicorn was still following you and Yula, not where you first noticed him gone. Everyone dress warmly. I don’t know how long we’ll have to stay out there. Hopefully a unicorn will appear promptly and let us get this over with.”

Naomi grimaced and put on her cloak. She wanted to drag her feet but wouldn’t let herself. If she couldn’t say stop, then she shouldn’t delay. Everyone trudged out of the cottage and headed away to look for a unicorn.

To attract the unicorn, Tavik had to distance himself from the women. In theory, the unicorn would allow him to approach and communicate with the beast, but the only records they had of unicorn encounters were of kills. None of them knew how the unicorn would react when asked to perform a favor.

The night was very cold, and they couldn’t start a fire because it would keep all the unicorns away and attract less pleasant creatures. The three women huddled together to stay warm, but they had quickly given up the hope of maintaining any feeling in their toes, noses, or finger tips. Naomi couldn’t imagine how cold Tavik was off by himself. He didn’t huddle and shiver like the three women. He stood tall and stared ahead. Naomi peered hard around the plateau for a glimpse of shimmering white, but the plateau was empty and silent. She prayed they would not have to wait out there long. She didn’t want anyone to catch frostbite for her. After several hours, Tavik began walking toward them. Naomi noticed his break in position with relief.

“Tavik, stop!” Agatha shouted. Naomi jerked to face the witch. She couldn’t be serious. They were slowly freezing to death voluntarily. Enough was enough. “Look,” Agatha pointed. Naomi looked where she directed and felt her heart both fall and flutter. Standing twenty yards away was a unicorn. Tavik noticed the beast too and faced it. The unicorn pranced around. Steam rose in thin wisps from his gleaming white coat and huge clouds drifted from his mouth. “Approach the unicorn slowly,” Agatha instructed.

Tavik looked over his shoulder at his mother, and Naomi couldn’t be sure in the wan light of the moon, but she thought he rolled his eyes. Naomi hid a smile. Her eyes darted back to the unicorn. It was cautiously edging toward him. Tavik stood his ground and let the unicorn come to him. The unicorn reached out its neck. Naomi’s heart skipped as her nightmare came back to her. Her eyes were glued to the horn tip. Her breath caught everytime it dipped down toward Tavik’s chest. She missed Tavik’s first contact with the beast.

“Why the little squirt brought carrots,” Agatha breathed.

Naomi turned to the witch incredulously, not believing that she had just called Tavik a little squirt. Yula chuckled and pointed. Naomi turned back and watched the unicorn nudge Tavik’s shoulder obviously wanting more carrots. Tavik swatted the unicorn’s head away good naturedly. Naomi could see the moonlight gleam off Tavik’s teeth as he smiled.

“Don’t take all night, Tavik!” Agatha called.

The unicorn’s head shot up to look at the three women. Naomi feared Agatha would scare the beast away with her shout, but Tavik quickly recaptured the unicorn’s attention with another piece of carrot. She thought she heard him say something to the beast but couldn’t make out any of the words. The unicorn stepped back as if to consider a request. Naomi held her breath. This was it. Either the beast agreed or--they would just try again with a different unicorn. Naomi didn’t know if she could do this over and over every night if they had to go through a number of unicorns to find one to take her back to her home.

Yula put her arm around Naomi’s waist and squeezed her to reassure her. Naomi’s eyes stayed with Tavik and the unicorn, and although she didn’t blink, it took her a second to process the fact that Tavik had turned and was motioning her to come to him. Yula gave her a helpful push, and Naomi suddenly found herself in motion toward the man and beast. As she got closer, she discerned the unhappy smile on Tavik’s face. She stopped a yard away and stared dumbly at them. He motioned for her to come closer. She crept closer slowly. He lunged forward and grabbed her arm and jerked her to them. She stumbled into him and scrambled to turn around to face the unicorn. The unicorn threw his head about in displeasure. Naomi pressed her back against Tavik.

Tavik rubbed her arms to soothe her. “Calm down. He won’t hurt you.”
Naomi tried to calm down, but she was not as sure as Tavik, after all the unicorn’s horn was pointed at her. “He says he will send you home. All you must do is imagine it, and when he pricks you with the horn, you will be sent there.”

“He said all that?” She felt Tavik’s smile against her ear.

“More or less.”

“More or less!” she squawked.

“Essentially,” Tavik appended.

She directed a glare at him and heard him chuckle. “I am going to miss you, Naomi,” he said and softly kissed her ear. Naomi sucked in a breath and felt it freeze her lungs. Her heart was pounding.

“Close your eyes and picture your home,” he instructed. “Now hold out your hand.” She did as she was told. She steeled herself but began to panic. She hadn’t said good bye properly to anyone. They hadn’t wanted to do it in case it didn’t happen that night. She reached blindly with her free hand for one of Tavik’s larger ones and threaded his fingers with hers.

“I’ll miss you too,” she said. He squeezed her hand and let it go. He must have stepped away. She couldn’t feel him near her.

She felt the point land on her middle finger and steady. Naomi bit her lip in nervousness. This was it. She was about to leave. The horn point rose from her finger, and Naomi squeezed her eyes tight.

The strange howl felt like a physical blow. Naomi’s eyes flew open. The unicorn’s head jerked toward the sound. Tavik was suddenly at her back again and took her by the arm. The unicorn wheeled around toward the source of the awful sound. “Tavik, what is it?”

He turned her toward Agatha and Yula. “Run! Go back to the cottage!” The unicorn neighed harshly and stamped the ground. Naomi started to sprint toward the two women who were madly motioning for her to hurry. The howl sounded again this time in multitude and closer. When she was a few feet away, the two older women picked up their skirts and started running in the same direction.

“Is it Umbreks?” Naomi shouted.

“No, that sounds like Golgoffs,” Agatha panted.

“Golgoffs?”

“Worse than Umbreks.”

“Oh fucking great.” Naomi looked over her shoulder for Tavik but didn't find him running behind her. He had stayed with the unicorn.

Continue to Chapter 45.