"Like a beacon in the night," he confirmed. "Whoever did this... if they're still out there..."
"They could find it before we do," I finished for him.
"Exactly." Wade leaned forward between the seats. "We need to move fast."
"Got it." Daniel nodded and looked at me. "Step on it, Emma. Down Pinetop Road heading for Mountain Avenue."
I pressed the gas harder, the engine of the truck growling in response as we sped down the darkening roads of Mystic Hollow. The trees blurred past us, shadows dancing in the headlights' beam.
"Harder," Daniel said, his voice tense. "We can't let them get there first."
Unicorns were precious, beautiful creatures. No one knew how many of them were left, but they were rare, and needed to be protected at all costs. I’d get us there as fast as I could.
"Pushing it to the limit," I replied, the truck lurching beneath us as I willed it to go faster.
"Good." He practically hung his head out the window as the truck's tires ate up the miles. We were all silent, each lost in our thoughts, but united in our determination to save the injured creature from harm.
TWELVE
Emma
The woods swallowed up the last slivers of daylight long ago, wrapping us in a shroud of gloom and sending a chill through the air that slid beneath our coats. Daniel's broad furry back was a shadow ahead of me, his gait rolling and heavy, yet still silent. Way quieter than me. We treaded softly, my eyes fixed on the spatters of silver blood that glinted against the dead leaves.
"Over here," I whispered as I spotted another drop, slightly bigger, a sign we were closing in.
Daniel grunted in response, his bear form unable to articulate human speech. Still, his low growl vibrated with understanding.
"This is so much better than what I was doing,” Wade said softly, excitement in his voice.
"I told you he was impressive,” Beth told him, and they exchanged grins.
Daniel switched paths again, and I stumbled a little over a root but managed to stay upright. We weren’t using the flashlights, both because we wanted to keep an eye out for the glowing blood, and because we hadn’t packed any. Just following theunicorn blood seemed like a good plan until the moonlight disappeared. Now, I wasn’t sure all of us would manage to follow the blood without tripping and breaking something. Still, I was willing to try.
Once again, Daniel switched his direction, breathing in deeply every few feet as we moved. For a while, there was no more blood. No glow. Nothing. I began to wonder if we’d lost the unicorn’s track, but Daniel kept on moving forward.
"Can you smell it?" My voice barely broke the silence, fear of startling our quarry keeping me quiet. Daniel’s hearing was way better in his bear form, so it didn’t matter how quietly I spoke.
He paused, sniffing the air with powerful flares of his nostrils, then nodded a heavy, bearish nod.
"Good." I kept trailing behind him, my heart pounding not just from the exertion but also from what we might find.
I wasn’t necessarily worried about getting hurt. Daniel’s protective instincts were always on high alert, but especially now that he was in his element, literally a bear in the woods. He would keep all of us safe no matter what. I was more worried about finding the unicorn dead. Just the idea made my stomach churn. Unicorns were pure, beautiful, and magical, according to everything Beth had told me. It’d weigh heavily on my heart if I had to see something like that.
"I should've brought a flashlight," I muttered to myself, regretting the oversight as the darkness seemed to thicken with each step.
"Rrgh," came Daniel's guttural agreement, or at least I took it as such. Or maybe he was saying a flashlight would’ve been a dead giveaway. It was hard to say.
"This is further than we’ve explored into the woods so far,” Wade told me quietly. "And in a completely different direction. I wouldn’t have thought to go this way, assuming that the unicorns would stay close to the river. It’s fascinating. All very fascinating. I wonder what would draw the creatures to this area.”
"Keep in mind,” Beth told him softly. "The unicorn is hurt. It might be going a different direction in fear or in a panic. The others might not be this way.”
Wade’s brows drew together. "Hmm. Good point.”
We pushed deeper into the forest, the underbrush whispering secrets I wasn't sure I wanted to hear. This forest felt different than any I’d been in before. Maybe because the trees were so old, many the size of a car around, or maybe because there were magical things in this forest, like the unicorns, and that had a way of changing a place. I wasn’t sure which, and I didn’t have time to think about it too much. The trail of unicorn blood led us on, a macabre breadcrumb path that promised only grim tidings at its end.
"Almost there," I breathed, more to steady my nerves than anything else. Daniel rumbled again, the quiet sound barely audible.
I reached out, my fingers sinking into the thick fur along Daniel's massive back. Each stroke was a silent thank you for his strength and presence. His ear flicked at my touch, but he didn't slow down. We had to keep moving.
