Teryn waited for him to elaborate but he didn’t. “That’s your plan? We hunt only two unicorns to collect one of every prize…and then what? Are we supposed to duel to the death to see who gets to keep them?”
“We’re all keeping them,” Helios said. “We find the unicorns together. Gather the pelt, horn, and pet together. We bring them back to her together. Her terms stated that he who returns first with what she demands will prove he loves her most and will, in turn, earn her hand in marriage. This way, all of us return as equal victors.”
Teryn frowned. “Then she’ll owe her hand to all three of us.”
Lex raised his palms in a defensive gesture. “No, thank you. I’m not sharing a bride with the two of you.”
“No, you fool,” Helios growled, “she’ll be forced tochooseone of us.”
“And if she refuses?” Teryn asked.
Helios let out a dark chuckle. “What, afraid your fiancée won’t choose you once her hand is forced? I’d be scared too. Rumor has it she’s already courted half the continent since your so-called engagement began.”
He bristled at that but kept his voice calm. “I’m serious.”
“If she refuses to choose, that’s when we’ll duel to the death.”
Teryn waited a beat, expecting his words to have been in jest, but Helios made no attempt to take them back. “This plan is madness.”
“Everything about this situation is madness,” Helios said. “I don’t know about you, but I have neither time nor patience to play the princess’ game. I say we beat her at it. Use her own terms against her. Force her to simply choose a husband like a sane person. My kingdom wants the marriage alliance, but not at the cost of me doing the impossible alone. With the three of us working together, we’ll be finished in two weeks tops. If the two of you try and attempt this without me, I’ll be walking down the aisle before you so much as catch a whiff of a unicorn.”
Teryn narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat?”
“A fact. The things I know…” His smirk widened. “I’m honestly embarrassed just thinking about you attempting the hunt without me.”
Lex crossed his arms and squinted at Helios. “Prove it. Give us one reason to believe you know anything about what we’re up against.”
Helios reached for his belt. Teryn stiffened as he unsheathed a dagger. Lex launched a step back, almost tripping as his calves collided with the lower ledge of the fountain. Helios chuckled at Lex’s reaction and aimed the dagger at Teryn.
It took Teryn a moment to realize he was handing it to him hilt first.
He assessed Helios’ arrogant expression before taking the weapon from him. As soon as his eyes landed on the blade, his breath caught. It was pale white, its tip sharply pointed, its edges curved in a sharpened spiral. He angled it, studying the strange knife beneath the moonlight. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen before. The blade seemed denser than bone, lighter than steel. He met Helios’ eyes. “Is this…”
“Unicorn horn,” Helios said, taking the blade from Teryn. He sheathed it, not even bothering to offer it to Lex. “Taken from a unicorn by my own hand.”
While there was every chance the prince was lying—the blade could have been a fake, or Helios could have purchased it—Teryn couldn’t help but feel a spark of awe.
“What do you say?” Helios asked, his face brimming with confidence. “Do you agree to this alliance, or do we part ways tonight knowing you will fail without me?”
Teryn’s blood boiled at the indignity of the situation. He hated to admit Helios could be right. Teryn knew plenty about hunting but nothing about unicorns. He could fell an enraged boar and take down the largest stag in the woods, but what if there was something to what Helios had hinted at—that unicorn hunting had its own nuances Teryn wasn’t aware of?
Lex edged closer to Teryn and whispered, “This is probably a good time to inform you that I know nothing about unicorns. Or killing. Or hunting. Or…forests.”
Teryn suppressed a groan. If he had any chance at securing his engagement to Mareleau, he had to put his trust in Prince Helios. At least there was one thing Helios didn’t know—Lex had already forfeited to Teryn. That had to count for something, right? If he could find a way to use Lex’s support to gain the upper hand…he just might be able to win this.
“Fine,” Teryn said. “But first—”
“See you in a week then,” Helios said, not waiting for Teryn to finish before he turned on his heel and stalked out of the courtyard.
“A week,” Teryn called to his back. “Don’t we need a plan?”
“I have a plan,” Helios said over his shoulder. Then he was gone.
Lex stared straight ahead, eyes unfocused. He blew out a heavy sigh, making his ruddy cheeks puff out. “I’m going to regret every word I’ve said today.” With that, he too walked away.
Teryn was left alone by the fountain, wondering if pirates, financial ruin, and an unfulfilled engagement contract were about to be the least of his worries.
13
