Shan started slightly. “You talk.”
*So do you,*Alder replied, with much more sarcasm. *Amazing.*
“Alder-in-Winteris the herd’s translator,” Leonie said to Shan, putting a slight emphasis on the unicorn’s full name. She wasn’t sure why the stallion was so touchy about that, given that he never called anyoneelseby their actual name, but it wouldn’t help to antagonize him. “His magic lets him talk to all creatures. Including us.”
*Unfortunately,*Alder muttered under the telepathic equivalent of his breath.
“Alder-in-Winter, this is Special Agent Shan Zhao,” Leonie said. “He’s part of a group dedicated to protecting shifters. There have been some odd reports from our campers, and he’s helping us to investigate.”
Alder’s nostrils flared.*What kind of odd reports?*
“A weird floating light, mostly. The kids think it’s a ghost, silly as that may sound.” A thought struck her. Alder and his peopledidlive in the forest, though not close to the camp. “Have you seen anything like that? Or encountered anything strange out in the woods?”
Alder flicked his tail.*Certainly not. Neither have any of the other unicorns, nor any of the forest creatures. If they had, I would know. Whatever your children claim to have seen, they must be mistaken.*
“They are not lying,” Shan rumbled.
*The forest contains no threats to your camp,*Alder snapped.*I am certain of that. If that is the only reason you are here, you may as well return to wherever you call home, Mountain.*
“Mountain?” Shan said blankly.
“He means you,” Leonie murmured to him. “His translation magic seems to be rather literal when it comes to personal names. In general, Alder-in-Winter says what he means.”
Shan nodded slowly, not taking his gaze from the stallion. “And means what he says.”
Which was a coded way of letting her know the unicorn was telling the truth. Not that she’d thought otherwise. For all Alder’s faults—and that was alonglist, in her private opinion—he took the safety of his people seriously. If he’d had any concerns about something in the local area, he would have been down at the camp straight away.
“Well, if you see anything, let us know,” she said to Alder. A thought struck her. “Actually, maybe you can help us. You know the mountain better than anyone else. Have you seen a really big dead tree? One with only two branches, reaching up like human arms?”
*A tree?*Alder’s ears flattened.*Why do you ask?*
“It’s where one of our campers saw this strange light. Shesaid it came out of the trunk somehow. We thought we’d better check it out, but we don’t know exactly where she was. Do you have any idea where it could be?”
*No.*Alder stamped a front hoof, impatient to be off.*I do not.*
Shan coughed.
Alderdidrecognize Hetta’s tree? Leonie couldn’t imagine what possible reason the unicorn could have for lying, but it was clear he wasn’t about to say anything more. If they revealed they knew he wasn’t telling the truth, he would only gallop away.
Maybe there was an indirect way to find out what he knew. She kept her tone polite and friendly, as if she had no idea the unicorn had just lied to her face. “Well, just to let you know, we’re organizing a search for this tree. We’re going to divide the forest into areas and assign a couple of counselors to each one. Shan, do you have that map?”
She had the distinct impression that Shan had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Still, he went along with it. He took the map from his back pocket, passing it to her. Unfolding it, she found he’d already annotated it with faint pencil lines, dividing the search area into a neat grid.
She held up the map for Alder’s inspection. “We’re going to assign a pair of counselors to each of these squares. Maybe you or some of the other unicorns could give us a hand—uh, hoof? We might not find anything, but the more eyes we can get on this, the better. And I expect there are areas of the forest you’d prefer to search yourself, rather than having us clumsy two-legs blundering around disturbing the wildlife.”
As she’d hoped, Alder took the bait. He studied the map for a moment, pale gray eyes narrowing.
*I will take this area.*He pointed at a square with his horn.*A mother bear is denning there with her newborn cubs. You should not approach them.*
“I’ll tell the staff to stay well clear.” Leonie gave the unicorn a bright, friendly smile. “Thanks, Alder-in-Winter.”
*You may repay the favor by sending Flash and Leaf back home, should you see them.*Alder faded back into the forest, moving with the soundless grace that only a unicorn could manage.*Keep the members of your herd in your own territory, Lioness. I shall endeavor to do the same.*
“That,” Shan murmured, when the unicorn’s light had vanished into the distance, “wasveryclever.”
She grinned up at him. “Thanks, I thought so too. Though I couldn’t have done it without you. So, is there really a bear den in that particular area?”
The corner of Shan’s mouth lifted. “No.”
