William sighed and turned to Shorty. “I wouldn’t put it past Clyde to have tripped and knocked himself out. It’s obvious Luna took advantage of his clumsiness and did something she is otherwise not allowed to do. We may as well go find him. I, for one, would like to see what kind of trouble he’s gotten himself into by leaving Luna here unattended.”
Shorty pressed his fingers to his temples. “It’s the only option that makes sense.”
Frustration flowed through Luna like her blood was made of it. “He didn’t trip,” she said between clenched teeth. “Haven’t you been listening to me?”
Shorty replied in the same condescending tone one would use to lecture a child, “I understand you are probably worried you are going to get in trouble for whatever rule you broke while Clyde was out, but we don’t want to cause mass panic throughout the kingdom by telling everyone there was an intruder here when there wasn’t. Let William escort you back to your house and I will go take care of Clyde.”
She almost wished the shadow unicorn would show up just to prove how very wrong they were.Almost.
“I’m going with you,” she said firmly. Being stuck at home worrying if Clyde was okay or not sounded like torture.
William shrugged. “As you wish, m’lady, I see no reason why not.” He then shouted for servants, who emerged from the palace, each with an umbrella in hand.
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She’d been gone for longer than intended. What if the unicorn had returned to finish him off? They needed to hurry.
Servants hovered over her, shading her, until they reached the naturally shaded garden. Time seemed to rush by and stand still simultaneously. A numbness engulfed Luna, and she was hardly conscious, her body going through the motions all on its own.
Clyde was in the same position she had left him in. After several attempts to wake him, William and Shorty agreed that he needed to be carried to the infirmary. How they made their way out of the gardens was a haze Luna barely registered.
Before she knew it, Clyde was placed on a bed and a healer named Tyrina was assessing him. Wrinkles lined her middle-aged face, and her dark brown hair was braided and pinned into a bun at the back of her head. She wasn’t from these parts, but years of tireless dedication and unmatched skill had earned her the position as the palace’s royal healer.
After a while of tsking and muttering under her breath, Tyrina finally turned to Luna and the guards. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen unicorn magic. He’s lucky he was only knocked unconscious.”
“Unicorn?” Shorty asked with a tremble in his voice. “You’re sure?”
Unicorns were feared throughout the entire realm of Ghelvina, renowned for their soullessness. They rampaged through villages, either killing everyone in their wake or, worse, kidnapping them. In the last couple of decades, the attacks have become worse with increased frequency. Meeting one was as good as a death sentence. Nina was the rare exception to the norm, who used her magic to protect humans.
“Of course, I’m sure.” Tyrina’s voice dripped with disdain, clearly irritated that he dared to question her. She let out a huff before refocusing her attention on Clyde.
The guards exchanged a panicked look before Shorty dashed out of the infirmary, likely to sound the alarms and begin a search for the shadow unicorn.
Tyrina shuffled to the back of the room and pulled out a jar filled with a dried herb. “We can awaken him with unicornbane dust. It’s been years since I last used this herb to treat someone, but I’m a bit of a hoarder and always keep some on hand.” She plucked off several leaves, crushed them into a fine white powder and added it to a cup of cold water. The healer then placed an empty bucket on the floor beside the bed and begansprinkling the herb mixture over Clyde’s face and body. Luna was going to ask what the bucket was for when the smell of burnt hair and wet dog suddenly hit her.
Luna pinched her nose closed to keep her lunch down and watched as Clyde’s chest continued to rise and fall slowly. The seconds ticked on. She brushed her fingers through her hair before dropping her hand, clenching and unclenching her fist.
How she wished she could hold his hands, at the very least stroke his head. A small smile rose to her lips. His hair was as stubborn as he was; short, a shade of dark blond, with a slight curl to it that no amount of brushing could tame. Sadly, with William and Tyrina here, she couldn’t do anything but stare at him and wait.
Alarms blared through the room a few minutes later, bringing Luna out of her thoughts. They would ring throughout the entire kingdom, echoing for miles from one tower to another, warning everyone to seek safety. Luna could only hope that the unicorn hadn’t hurt anyone else with how long it took to sound the bells. If only the guards had listened to her earlier, everyone else would have been ushered to safety sooner.
Time dragged like the passing of days, and a few seconds turned into twenty agonizing minutes, but Clyde began to stir. Slowly, and with great difficulty, he pulled himself upright, only to immediately vomit into the bucket the healer had placed by the bed. When all the contents of his stomach were emptied, he rolled onto his back and groaned.
Luna suppressed the urge to comfort him. “Are you feeling alright?”
He dipped his chin but then bolted upright, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His large hands gripped her arms, pinning them to her body. “Who cares howI’mdoing?” he blurted out, his eyes draping over her body. “The more important question is, areyoualright?”
Even though she hid her smile, she couldn’t help the rush of blood to her cheeks. “I’m fine.” How sweet that his first thought back to consciousness was concern for her.
With a sigh of relief, he leaned back against the bed frame, grabbing his head with both hands as if it was too heavy for his neck to hold up. “Thank the heavens for that. I feel like I was just run over by a bull.”
Tyrina chimed in. “Magic will do that to you. You would have woken up on your own eventually, unicornbane dust just helps the process along.”
Clyde nodded and thanked Tyrina for her services, then William for bringing him here.
“Do you know who attacked you?” William asked.
Clyde shook his head. “I never saw his face, but I’d know that magic anywhere. It’s that of a shadow unicorn.” A shiver ran down Luna’s spine, recalling the nightmarish magic. While all unicorns could shift between human and unicorn form, shadow unicorns could control darkness and use it against their foes.
“Evil and cruel beings with no sense of humanity,” Tyrina spat out. “You’re lucky to be alive.”
