After a pause, once he realized she wasn’t with him, he glanced back and called out, “Come along, Luna. You’ve got work to do if you’re giving up your damsel title.”
She almost smiled.Almost.
When he nudged his horse onwards this time, she followed.
Luna wanted to stay angry as they rode but watching the rigid set of Damien’s shoulders softened something in her chest. He’d been brutally honest—maybe too honest—and beneath it all was vulnerability. That small thought loosened the knot inside her, just enough that she could breathe again.
Every few hours, they stopped to stretch their legs and let the horses drink. The first time, Luna stubbornly refused Damien’s help dismounting, but when she tried, her legs were so stiff and sore that she nearly toppled out of the saddle, practically falling face-first in the dirt.
After that, Damien insisted on helping her down each time, gently teasing that he didn't mind saving her from another encounter with the ground, especially considering how hard they’d been riding. Initially, being so close was awkward. Both were hesitant, the tension from earlier still lingering. Eventually though, the stiffness subsided, and Luna allowed herself to relax in his arms, savouring the butterflies that soared through her belly when he gently placed her on the ground. She’d never admit it out loud, especially now, but she treasured the brief moments cradled in his arms.
Day passed into night, and yet they travelled on, guided only by the pale glow of the moon. Its light bathed the forest in a strange, silver-blue hue as the small creek widened and pooled into a quiet lake.
Luna looked up, her breath catching. Blue moons were rare, unpredictable things—never falling on a fixed schedule. They came when they pleased, and she could count on one hand how many she’d seen in herlifetime. There was something about the way the light touched the water tonight, soft and unreal, like the world was holding its breath. Nature’s way of providing a momentary break from the chaos surrounding Luna’s life.
When they reached the lake’s edge, Damien drew his horse to a stop. “Let’s rest here.”
After helping her dismount, Damien unsaddled the horses, giving them a much-needed break from the equipment; Pickles began rolling on her back while Barley grazed on some nearby grass.
Luna’s body screamed in pain as she stretched. If she never got back in the saddle for the rest of her days, she’d consider life heavenly.
The spot he chose was rather lovely, with a gentle breeze carrying the songs of crickets and the rustling of leaves. The night sky was no longer obscured by trees, and Luna admired its vastness, its deep blackness contrasting against countless twinkling white stars and the blue moon. Luna took a seat near the lake, which mirrored the picture above on its calm surface. She watched as Damien roamed the area, gathering fallen leaves and dead branches into a small bundle. Once he had a sizeable handful, he took out a piece of flint from his leather bag and struck it against a stone a few times until sparks erupted, igniting a small flame. He leaned down, blowing gently on the leaves to encourage the flames to grow.
Luna moved closer and kicked off her boots, stretching her feet towards the warmth. Damien knelt on one knee, tucked the flint back into his bag, and began sharpening a long stick with a knife from his belt. Satisfied withthe makeshift spear, he approached the lake and waded in, stabbing swiftly into the water. He caught two fish with a single strike on his third attempt.
As sweet as it would have been to let him make her dinner, she didn’t want him to feel as though hehadto. If she was going to be on the run, potentially for the rest of her life, she needed to be more independent. Stepping carefully to not injure her bare feet, she found a long stick and held it up in the air as he put the fish over the fire. “I want to make one as well. Will you show me?”
He openly stared at her, surprise written across his face. Slowly, he nodded and reached for the stick. After making a few cuts, he explained how to shave it piece by piece until one end was sharp—then he handed her the stick and a knife.
She mimicked his movements, slicing the knife smoothly through the wood, peeling away shavings until the stick came to a sharp point. As she pressed the blade down again, her grip faltered. The knife slipped, slicing the back of her thumb.
“Dammit,” she cursed under her breath. Blood of light began to drip down her thumb and flashes of when she first injured herself played in her mind; to when she had escaped the palace grounds for a fun day in the market and had cut up her hands and knees while climbing. Thankfully, Damien had healed her wounds back then, or else she would have continued to bleed until she died.
Panic seized her now with its cold, icy grasp. She looked to Damien for help, but he hadn’t moved. In fact, he didn’t look the least bit concerned. Didn’t he realize she was at risk of bleeding out?
As if time wasn’t of the essence, he slowly reached for her hand and lifted it up. “You aren’t wearing that old necklace anymore, Luna.”
What did that matter? Her eyebrows drew together as she tried to piece together the information he was saying, but she couldn’t think. She was going to die. She looked down at her hand and jolted in surprise. The wound had stopped bleeding all on its own. How was this possible? The answer dawned on her like a slap to the face; she was a unicorn.I have magic,she realized.Duh.She wasn’t a sick human whose life was always hanging in the balance anymore.
“Oh yeah, I forgot . . .” A lifelong concern of imminent death just doesn’t disappear overnight.
She breathed in deep, shaking her hands as if to shake away her panic. “Everyone told me to be careful. To not get injured because I would bleed to death.” She paused, choking on her words. “They just didn’t want me to see that my blood was different from theirs. All those rules just to make sure I believed I was one of them.”
“I’ve only ever known humans to be incredibly selfish,” he replied, a matter-of-fact tone that hinted he had his own experiences.
She agreed; theyhadbeen selfish. She should’ve been told the truth, then she could’ve decided for herself whether to reveal who she really was or keep it hidden.
She pushed the thought aside, not wanting to think about how much she’d been betrayed. It was in the past, and there was little point dwelling on it. Changing the subject, she asked, “Do all unicorns have the ability to heal themselves and others?”
“Many magical creatures can, some more quickly than others. Most unicorns can heal each other to some extent. However, it is quite draining on our magic to do so.”
“Will you show me how?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted nothing to do with your magic?”
That was before, back when she thought she could live her life as a human. “Will you show me or not?” she asked rather sharply.
He was silent, seemingly thinking about how to answer . . . or maybe he was giving her time to change her mind—she wasn’t going to, though.
