CHAPTER 37: THE GLASS UNICORN
We walked into the clearing,hushed and in awe. There was a divine energy permeating the area, and it spread like a wave, encompassing us with the peace that swept along with it. I’d never felt so calm and peaceful in my life—it was as though something reached inside and turned off every ounce of stress.
I turned to Thornhold. “Can you feel it?” I asked in a hushed voice. “I feel totally relaxed. I could lie down and just rest for days.”
“I can feel it,” he said. “I’m breathing easier than I have since we got here. I’m not afraid, Erenye. I can’t remember a time when I felt like this. Every day when I go out to work, I worry. I walk to the train, and I wonder if I’m going to get through the day without someone screaming ‘faggot’ at me, or…worse.”
I nodded, pressing my lips together. Thornhold had been engaged, but on a very bad night several years ago, a couple of good ole’ boys had jumped him on the way home. They beat him so badly that he was confined to a wheelchair. They also beat him so badly that Dex had lost his long-term memory, and his short-term memory went haywire.
Thornhold tried to hold together the relationship, but he couldn’t give Dex the care he needed, and Dex was tootraumatized to deal with any remaining memories of their life together. His parents took him home, and Thornhold had to let go. He still wasn’t over Dex, but he had done the kindest thing he could in letting Dex go. They hadn’t spoken since. Dex dated now and then, but he kept a barricade around his heart when it came to falling in love again. I understood why, and I did my best to help Thornhold navigate the web of emotions.
I tried to think of what to say, but I’d said it all, and none of it helped. Thornhold was in therapy, but it was a complex issue, and it would take years of work to help him. Either that, or some form of miracle. So, I just took his hand and squeezed it, and he squeezed back.
“Thanks,” he whispered. “I wish I could keep this feeling forever.”
“Maybe you can, somehow.” I let go of his hand and walked over to Otsiano. “Hey, what is this place?”
“It’s the Grove of the Ancients. The trees are ancient souls here, and they hold this space. I come here when I need to find peace. I’m blessed to be a guest here.”
“Who watches over it?” I asked.
“You’ll meet him soon enough,” Otsiano said. He paused, then asked, “You are concerned about something?”
“I’m wondering… This space is sacred, correct? The energy here is so pure that it almost pierces my lungs.” I hesitated, then asked, “My friend Thornhold…he has deep emotional wounds from a traumatic incident. Is there any way that the peace here might…I don’t know…heal him?”
Otsiano thought for a moment. “Let me consult the Keeper of the Grove when he arrives. Meanwhile, rest and reflect. For when you leave this grove, we will be at the portal that will lead you into the Cryptic Marshes. I wanted you to have a chance to relax and gather your strength before you enter them, forthey are dangerous and treacherous.” With that, he turned and walked away behind a nearby tree.
I walked back to Thornhold, who was lying on the grass, wrapped in a blanket, his eyes closed. He snored lightly and looked completely at peace. I sat beside him, meditating.
The weather seemed to stay outside the grove. Though it was chilly and misty, it wasn’t raining. It felt like a force field shielded the circle of trees, keeping the peace inside and the stress of daily life outside, along with the rain.
I let myself drift, glancing over at Reggie, who was studying one of the plants inside the grove. Ray and Brynn were quietly talking to one side, their voices like gentle whispers rustling through the grass.
I wasn’t sure how much time passed; it could have been an hour or an afternoon, but the light was waning as Otsiano returned. By his side was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. The unicorn looked as if it were made of faceted crystal, with a gold mane and a silver horn. Standing a good five feet high at the shoulder, the unicorn’s eyes shone with gold, and altogether, it looked like it had been carved from a single piece of quartz, hand-painted, yet it moved with grace, silent in its steps.
I slowly stood, poking Thornhold in the shoulder until he woke up.
“Wha—?” He froze, staring at the unicorn.
Otsiano stopped, and the unicorn stopped beside him. “I’d like you to meet the Grove Keeper. Master Ashelainn, Speaker from the Crystal Stars. He speaks for the Lord of Quartz, and he sees into multiple worlds and planes of existence.”
I walked forward, my gaze locked on the unicorn. As I approached, my heart fluttered. I slowly lowered myself to my knees, staring up into his eyes. They swirled, a vortex of time and space, a thousand eons in each blink.
“Master,” I said, and suddenly the game was very real. Everything slid away, and I realized that Otsiano, that Erosel, that Master Ashelainn, were beyond our understanding. Somehow, they had been written into a game, but they weren’t a creation of someone’s mind, they weren’t fiction. They were very real, and that’s what I was sensing. Beings of power—beyond the game, beyond our world in here, and the world outside of Abarria.
“You’re real,” I whispered.
The next moment, Brynn, Reggie, Ray, and Thornhold were on their knees beside me, looks of wonder on their faces.
“You know it too,” I said. “You know they’re real.”
“How did you come to be here?” Reggie asked, looking up into the unicorn’s face.
But it was Otsiano who answered. “We’ve known that the worlds have been overlapping for some time. And when your people learned to create portals, we knew there would be trouble.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The game…it’s a portal. This isn’t just some technological wonder, creating a virtual game that feels real. This world, along with countless others, exists in the universe.” Otsiano cleared his throat. “You haven’t put it together yet, but you need to know. You’re in the actual world of Abarria. This is no longer a game—the game is broken. This is now your reality, along with everything in here. The Syms are no longer Syms. They’re very real and autonomous. And other portals exist within this world, some that lead to terrifying worlds with terrifying creatures. Master Ashelainn and I can’t put things to right, but we can recruit others to help us.”
