Danger, came the unsettling invasion of feeling-thought.
“I know.”
Danger, he said again. This time, the unicorn lowered his head and sidled closer.Mount. Safety.
Her eyes widened at the creature’s marred flank. “You want us to…mount you. Like a horse.”
He scraped a hoof in the dirt in an agitated gesture.Safety. Now.
She exchanged a glance with Maiya, who could only seem to nod. Then, squatting down, she hefted her friend with all her might until Maiya took hold of the unicorn’s mane. “Sorry,” Maiya said with a wince as she pulled the creature’s hair harder to aid her efforts in climbing the rest of the way. Then Maiya extended an arm to Cora. Gripping Maiya’s palm with one hand and the unicorn’s mane with the other, she hauled herself up. She was hardly seated in front of her friend before the unicorn took off. Maiya encircled her arms around Cora’s middle while Cora wrapped the creature’s white mane around her fists.
They took off into the night, swallowed by the dark forest.
10
Prince Teryn Alante had witnessed his share of preposterous things in his life. His father’s attempt to replace the queen with his mistress topped the list, as did the time Teryn and Larylis snuck out to Dermaine City dressed as palace guards to watch the traveling mummer’s troupe. Only to realize he and his kingdom were the subject of their play. It hadn’t been flattering. But nothing—absolutelynothing—compared to being sent by his fiancée to hunt down mythological faerytale creatures in exchange for her hand.
Even now, hours later as he stood on the balcony outside his guest bedroom at Verlot Palace, he still harbored the hope that it had all been said in jest. This was the Heart’s Hunt, after all. The tradition was meant to be symbolic and the quest itself was supposed to be relatively simple. A scavenger hunt that could be solved in a single evening. Of course, Teryn knew nothing about this particular Heart’s Hunt was symbolic.
“Where the bloody hell am I going to find a unicorn?” Teryn asked for probably the hundredth time that evening. “And not just a single unicorn, mind you.Three. Do you think it was a riddle?”
Two round black eyes stared back at him, but he received no answer. Not that he expected one.
“You don’t think so?” Teryn said to his peregrine falcon perched on the balustrade next to him. He slipped her a strip of raw duck he’d had brought up from the palace’s kitchens. His hosts hadn’t been thrilled that Teryn would be bringing the falcon, but where Teryn went Berol went too. The falcon had bonded to Teryn as a hatchling, injured and nursed back to health by the prince’s own hand. Berol obeyed Teryn as much as a bird of prey could. So, to appease his hosts, Teryn promised to keep her from hunting on palace grounds during his stay and would hand-feed her instead. He could tell the bird was a little restless, but at least they’d be heading home by tomorrow. “You’re right, Berol. This is absolutely hopeless. Ridiculous. Insane.”
“Your choice of words suggests you must be talking about Princess Mareleau again.” Teryn glanced over his shoulder and found his half brother standing in the doorway to the balcony. Larylis leaned against the doorframe with a smirk.
“Right you are,” Teryn said.
Their father came up just behind Larylis and stormed onto the balcony. “I’ve talked to Verdian,” King Arlous said. His tone alone was evidence enough that he didn’t bear good news. Hands on his hips, Arlous shook his head with exasperation. “He suggests his daughter’s request is sound.”
Larylis frowned and pushed off from the doorframe. “Seriously? Everyone saw his face during Mareleau’s speech. He was furious.”
Teryn nodded and gave Berol another strip of duck. His brother was right. Anyone with eyes could have seen that King Verdian had been taken by just as much surprise as everyone else when his daughter brought up unicorns. Not to mention the way he stormed after Mareleau when she left the balcony. Or the muffled shouts that slipped beyond the closed glass doors not long after that.
King Arlous ran a hand through his dark hair. “If King Verdian revokes his support of the Heart’s Hunt, he’ll be admitting he has no control over his daughter.”
Larylis threw his hands in the air. “So he’s going to let her send our crown prince, Mareleau’s legitimate fiancé, on an insane quest. Did he make any apologies? Bring up their marriage contract even once?”
“You know he doesn’t have to apologize,” the king said through his teeth, cheeks flushing either with rage or shame. “He knows we don’t have the funds to fight him. And he knows thatweknow exactly where we stand in his eyes. We’re lucky the marriage contract hasn’t been torn up entirely. If it weren’t for our exclusive trade agreement with Brushwold, it probably would be.”
Lucky. Teryn internally scoffed. He had several choice words to explain his pairing with Mareleau andluckycertainly wasn’t one of them. Still, he knew what his father was getting at. He turned to fully face the king and his brother, propping his back against the rail as he slouched into it. “I have to go through with this farce.”
King Arlous nodded. “There’s a chance Prince Helios and Prince Lexington will back out. Either way, I’ll send informants to gather intel on whether there’s any truth to this unicorn nonsense.”
Teryn opened his mouth to ask if they could afford informants but stopped himself. While he knew information didn’t come cheap, he also knew his father couldn’t be persuaded against a course of action when he had his mind to it. Hence his kingdom’s current financial state. So instead, he gave a reluctant nod.
“Arlous, my love, there you are.” The king’s mistress stepped onto the balcony. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. You promised we’d attend the Beltane feast tonight.”
The king’s expression softened although his posture remained tense. He met his lover with a soft kiss to her forehead. “Apologies, Annabel. We were just discussing…important matters.”
Her face brightened. “You mean about the Heart’s Hunt?” She faced Teryn with a simpering smile. “Unicorns! Aren’t you just…so excited?”
Teryn wanted to roll his eyes but he forced himself to mutter a curt, “Thrilled.”
As much as Teryn resented Annabel Seralla for nearly usurping his mother, he knew the blame didn’t lie entirely with her. His father was the one who’d risked the stability of his kingdom in the name of love…and failed. Lady Annabel had been the king’s mistress since before Teryn was born. He’d been raised alongside his half brother, fully aware that their mothers were two different women. They shared the same father but not his surname. It took him nearly thirteen years of life to understand the taboo undercurrents of his familial ties. That was when things got complicated. When his parents’ fights grew louder, more frequent. When his mother demanded Teryn’s brother—a boy who’d become his best friend—be sent away to be raised out of her sight. For three years, Larylis lived as a ward to Lord Ulrich until, without explanation, Ulrich suddenly sent him back home to Dermaine Palace. Teryn’s mother was furious at his return and demanded he be sent away again. What followed was the scandal that nearly bankrupted the Kingdom of Menah.
Lady Annabel turned back to King Arlous. With a pout on her lips, she straightened his lace neckcloth. “Can we go to dinner now? You know Verlot’s feasts are far better than ours.”
