The group, who’d been walking ahead while Luna spoke to Damien, stopped by a corner and made themselves at home. Sael held two metal spoons and tapped them together against his knee while Taemin whistled, the tune matching Sael’s gentle rhythm. Ly smiled at her husband, then began to sing.
“What are they doing?” Luna asked.
Ly paused mid-song to answer her, “What we always do when we get to town. Make money. We’ve become sort of a travellingchoir, if I do say so myself.”
The children clapped their hands to their parents’ song and danced on the street. It wasn’t long until the townspeople made their way over to listen to the unfamiliar melody. The children pulled people out of the gathering crowd, encouraging them to dance to the tune.
Luna stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure what she was supposed to do. Part of her wanted to join in the fun and sing, but she didn’t know the words. She watched the people dance wildly and sporadically, with no rules governing their movements; they moved in whichever direction they liked.
One of the townspeople, who had recently gathered, came over to stand by Luna and Damien. Damien turned a cold shoulder on the older lady, but Luna, trained with her lifetime of nobility mannerisms, greeted the stranger. “Lovely song, isn’t it?”
“Why, yes. Yes, it is,” the lady said. “It’s nice to see some joy again. There haven’t been many visitors since we were attacked by those nasty unicorn fiends.”
Luna turned to her, taking in her thin pink dress covered in patches and her dull blue eyes. She understood what it was like to have your world turned upside down, and the attack must have been awful if the battlegrounds were any indication. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
“Sorry don’t make nothing better, nor does it fix the evil that has been done.” She let out a weary breath. “I’ve had enough of people bein’ sorry for our town to last me a lifetime.”
“My apolog . . .” Luna closed her mouth, stopping herself.
“We’re the lucky ones,” the lady continued, ignoring Luna’s almost apology. “Many towns have been wiped off the map. We were able to stand against them. Push them out. We even killed a few, though many got away. They’re just so strong. If I were a betting woman, I’d wager they’re the ones responsible for attacking Juden.”
Juden was a small village along the main roads through the mountains. Damien and Luna would’ve passed through it on their way here had they not travelled through the backcountry. Luna tried to maintain a calm appearance, nodding along as the lady spoke, even though her stomach was rolling. This was the first Luna had heard of Juden being attacked, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Knox and Harlow were responsible for their devastation.
What would the lady think if she knew she was speaking to a unicorn now? Luna bit the inside of her cheek, praying to the skies above for a change of subject.
Her prayers went unanswered.
The lady prattled on, “My Jimmy, may he rest peacefully, was one of the heroes who fought against the beasts here. We always keep some unicornbane dust on hand, and when the unicorns were burning everything in sight, he grabbed our stash and sprayed them down. I can still hear their screams. It’s the only thing that gives me any peace at night.” Hearing such a confession was unsettling, but the lady didn’t seem to notice Luna’s discomfort. “Horrible creatures. They didn’t spare anyone: children, men, women. We’re all targets.”
Demetrio, Luna’s old tutor, had said something similar weeks ago; humans were missing from their homes, never to be seen again. She looked towards Damien, curiosity edging in her mind. “I wonder if the unicorn attacks will ever cease?”
He didn’t turn to look at her; his eyes remained focused on the group and the people coming to drop coins into Ly’s hands.
“No clue,” the lady answered as if Luna had asked her. “Rotten beasts deserved to be wiped from existence. And if I ever get the pleasure of meeting one, I’ll show it a version of hell that is beyond imagination.”
Thankfully, Luna didn’t have to respond to the lady because the group’s song came to an end, rescuing her from the conversation. The adults took their bows, thanking the crowd for their attention. Ly gathered all the coins together and proudly announced they had more than enough for supplies to make it to the next village on their way home.
Taemin shifted Gawen in his arms, hesitating for a breath before gently passing him to Ly. His arms hung limp at his sides afterward, drained from holding the baby so long.
“Oh no!” Ly cried out. “His little leg. Look . . .” She pointed to a bright red welt. “Poor thing.”
“Looks like he got pinched by something,” Damien commented, his eyes fixed on Taemin as he added, “or someone.”
“A bug probably bit him,” Taemin answered with a shrug. “Don’t worry about it, Ly. These things happen.”
Ly nodded, brushing off the concern, and they moved on—children still dancing, as though the music had never stopped. They passed a stable built from thick timber beams, the wood weathered in places by years of rain and use. The scent of hay and horses drifted from the open doorway. Damien and Luna went inside to drop off the horses while everyone else headed to the inn.
Inside, a young man—no older than sixteen, with messy blond hair—hummed a simple tune as he scooped hay.
Damien whistled, and the boy spun around so fast that Luna was surprised he stayed upright. He dropped his pitchfork and hurried over, reaching for Pickles’s and Barley’s reins.
“Give them a good brush out and plenty of food and water,” Damien said, pressing something into the boy’s hand. “Have them ready to go at first light tomorrow.”
The boy nodded and thanked Damien before leading the horses into separate stalls.
On the way to the inn, Luna asked, “How far are we from Winta and Felix’s?”
“It’s about half a day’s journey from here,” Damien explained. “We’ll spend the night and take off first thing tomorrow morning.”
