Page 10

CHAPTER 10

BJORN

W oodsong Cabin was a finely appointed space with a small bed, a table with two chairs, a stone fireplace, and a small kitchen.

A glowing message box hung on the wall.

The box was dwarven in design and shimmered green, enchanted by a witch or wizard.

I’d never used one before, but as I understood it, you merely addressed your message to someone, wrote a note, slipped it into the box, and it delivered your message.

Ingenious and curious magic.

Leaving my horse in the small pen attached to the cabin, I grabbed a few things from my satchel and headed into the fields.

As I went, I surveyed the landscape for any sign of disruption.

I spotted no unusual vegetation, insects, or other features possibly causing chaos in the distance.

Pausing momentarily, I drew a rune in the air before me, whispering an enchantment for protection.

I hadn’t lied to Faelor.

My mother, a gifted rune witch, had taught me rune magic.

Protection spells had been first.

The rune shimmered blue, bathing me with the protective spell.

After casting the spell, I approached the unicorn herd.

The herd’s stallion spotted me coming and stepped out to inspect me.

He was a handsome creature with an ebony-colored coat and a silver mane and tale.

His rump was dotted with starbursts of silver hair, giving him a celestial pattern.

Amongst the unicorns, I noted a few other males with darker hair—deep blue, green, and purple.

They, too, kept an eye on me.

The female unicorns had smooth coats in every pastel shade and white.

The mare that had been at the elder’s stable and her foal grazed not far away.

I clicked to the stallion.

“Hello, friend,” I called but then began whispering an enchantment my father’s real Master of Horse had taught me.

Whenever around the animals, Master Runeson would evoke a calming spell, which I began to whisper now.

I could see the spell take shape, a wave of runes floating gently toward the stallion, who watched me curiously as I approached.

He breathed in deeply.

He seemed to calm a little—but just a little.

Suddenly remembering Emmalyn’s gift, I reached into my pocket and pulled out the packet of sugar blossom cubes.

That did the trick.

The unicorn’s stance relaxed.

He exhaled deeply and made his way to me, sniffing curiously.

“So, Emmalyn was right. You all really do love these,” I said, taking out a cube and offering my flat palm to the unicorn.

He took it delicately, his lips and whiskers dancing across my palm, leaving it slightly damp.

Once the others caught wind of what was happening, I soon found myself the friends of the entire herd…

save those busy munching on the honeybloom violets.

As each came in close, taking a sweet and then wandering off back on their adventures, I looked them over.

No sign of ailment.

No runny noses, no gunk in the eyes, no outward signs of ailment.

But one young foal was running amuck across the field, his coat changing colors as he jumped and hopped, prancing around a kaleidoscope of butterflies.

On the other side of the field, an old stallion was grazing, minding his own business, and farting clouds of sparkly rainbows.

From what I could see, the unicorns didn’t seem to be bothered by the impact of the magic.

Unicorn magic was always rather capricious anyway, making things beautiful, whimsical, fun…

or smelly, in the case of the old stallion.

Only now, they seemed to have less control.

Across the field, a mare’s horn lit up with a brilliant white light.

She sneezed, stomping her foot, and a pile of hay appeared.

It was so fresh and bright I could smell it on the breeze.

The other unicorns joined in the feast.

I stood patting one of the young mares, giving her a sugar cube.

Out of sheer curiosity, I popped one myself just to see what it tasted like—not bad, very sweet and floral.

As the sweet taste melted on my tongue, I thought of Rosalyn again.

My mind replayed her laughter, her easy way of being around people—something I was decidedly not so comfortable with, despite my mother’s best efforts—and her beauty.

I had never seen anyone so beautiful in all my life.

The mare beside me snorted, shaking me from my thoughts.

“Right. You’re right. I need to focus,” I told her, giving her another sugar cube, then set off again.

I spent the afternoon scouring the fields looking for any sign of something in the environment, seen or unseen, affecting the unicorns.

I studied their behavior and exchanges.

Aside from their chaotic magic, nothing seemed amiss.

I also looked for any tell-tale signs of spells or wards that might be impacting them.

It wasn’t my specialty area, but I saw no sign of any malicious magic.

After an exhaustive search, I found nothing.

Unicorns were sensitive to magical changes.

Something was bothering them.

Maybe there was something else I could do.

I sat down on the carpet of honeybloom violets and closed my eyes.

I was a Rune elf from far-off frozen lands, but magical blood flowed within me.

As an elf, I was tied to the land, even if I was a long way from home.

And I was royal.

That gave me magical abilities that not everyone had.

My personal magic granted me the ability to easily fix things.

Could I use all my blessings to find the source of the unicorn’s problem?

Exhaling deeply, I tried to focus.

It had been years since anyone in the royal family had the deep and strong magical gifts of our ancients.

Even rarer were the gifts of a seer.

However, I often suspected that Asa’s ability to get away with just about anything might have been due to more than just instincts.

But still, I had to try.

I closed my eyes, feeling the magic that flowed around me.

The buzz of bees and the call of birds, not the sounds of waves and cracking ice, greeted me when I focused.

I relished its softness.

My thoughts got in the way when I tried to reach deeper.

My mind drifted to a woman with flowing red hair who smelled of vanilla.

Even as I thought of her, I could feel the runes on my arms warming.

But I tried to push past that, to feel what the unicorns felt…

There was an odd bolt of energy, a strange shift.

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I swore I felt lightning.

Below the gentle hum of Moonshine Hollow was a wild magic.

I could almost feel it, but it was just out of my reach.

But then, I felt something else.

A warm, glowing pink energy entered my space.

As the magic drew closer, everything inside me felt soft, warm, and peaceful.

It was such an odd sensation.

It washed over me like unending waves of…

“Love,” I whispered, then opened my eyes to find Rosalyn hovering before me.

Her blue wings held her aloft and cast a golden shimmer around her.

In one hand, she held a picnic basket.

In the other, I saw a very curious-looking caticorn with its head poking out of a wicker carrier.

She smiled at me, the warm gaze washing through me.

“Rosalyn,” I said, surprised.

“Rose-and-strawberry scones, which are made with my top secret recipe, lemon-basil loaf, assorted meats and cheeses, and a bottle of bloomberry wine,” she said with a smile, gesturing to her basket.

“And, I think I might have an idea about your unicorn problem.”

Smoke, who had been frolicking in the field with the unicorns, joined us, barking excitedly.

“And dog cookies,” Rosalyn added with a laugh.

I rose and strode toward her.

Whatever energy this place held, it made Rosalyn light up.

She was beautiful.

Beyond beautiful.

Perfect.

Like the Lady of Spring herself.

My heart pounded in my chest.

I had met the love of my life.

All I saw, all I wanted, was her.

I strode across the grass, took the picnic basket from her hand, set it aside, pulled her close, and kissed her passionately.

I melted into the softness of her lips, the sweet vanilla scent clinging to her hair, and the butter-soft feel of her skin.

I’m in love.

I’m in love with a total stranger.

And, as if to confirm my suspicions, my runes glowed bright blue in agreement.