The Secret Of The Unicorn Queen -The Dark Gods

     Sheila McCarthy stirred restlessly in the saddle of her unicorn, Morning Star. She impatiently brushed back a wild strand of auburn hair from her eyes, barely aware of the now-familiar weight of the sword pulling at her waist. Sometimes she wasn't sure if all this was nothing but a wild, wonderful dream. Surely a world full of unicorns, and magic, and swordplay had to be only a fantasy! 

     Or . . . maybe the other life was the dream, that life in which she was Sheila McCarthy, an ordinary fourteen-year-old schoolgirl, gossiping about rock stars and cute boys with her friend Cookie Rogers. 

     But that was stupid! First of all, if this place were nothing more than a weird dream, she wouldn't be so hot and dusty, now, would she? She wouldn't be so saddlesore, either! 

     Oh, well. Nobody had forced her to come along, after all. And it had sounded like such fun: a royal procession all through the land, celebrating the victory of Prince Laric over evil Emperor Ankzar of Queelotoo. 

     Sure. Lots of fun. 

     Royal processions through the countryside might look exciting, and they might be a great way for all the people who would never have the time or money to go to the capital, to actually see their leader. But all this slow, steady riding was harder on the seat than any wild cavalry charge! 

     It was also getting to be pretty boring. At first it had been kind of fun seeing new sights and new people. Even Morning Star had seemed to be enjoying herself, prancing about and showing off. Everybody along the way had seemed so happy to see them. Everywhere the procession rode, from gleaming, white-walled cities to little peasant villages with dirt roads and chickens scratching for bugs, people had cheered their handsome young prince. 

     Great. Sheila was glad they were happy. But it would be so-o-o nice to just sit still for a time and not have to keep moving! 

     At least this sweep down through the southern towns before returning to Campora was the last leg of the journey. 

     Sheila winced. She didn't want to think about Campora, not yet. The royal capital was a beautiful city, and she knew she would always be welcome there. But it just wasn't home. . 

     No! She wouldn't let herself get homesick again! But how could she help it? How could she forget Mardock, the dark sorcerer who hated her? During the struggle against Emperor Ankzar, Mardock had managed to steal Sheila's Tracker—the only device that could get her safely across the dimensions and back home again. 

     I'll get it back, she vowed to herself. Somehow. In the meantime, I-I'll just pretend home really is only a dream, and-Ridiculous. If that other world, the world of computers and TV and school, were just a dream, she wouldn't be carrying this backpack full of her camera and makeup and everything else. She wouldn't suddenly be remembering hamburgers, either, or . . . mm, ice cream, or— 

     Trumpets blared. Sheila jumped and heard Morning Star give a little grunt of protest. 

     "Sorry, girl." She reached down to pat the unicorn's glossy white neck, then glanced around. Even after all the hard traveling, this was still a pretty spectacular procession. Banners snapped and fluttered in the breeze, their colors bright—crimson and green and blazing purple— against the clear blue sky. All of them bore the royal emblem of a diving golden eagle, insignia of Laric, Prince of Campora and Perian. 

     Beneath those banners, leading the royal procession of his eagle-warriors and the fabled warriors of the Unicorn Queen, rode the prince himself. Laric was tall and dark-haired, regal in purple and gold, a golden cloak flung casually over his shoulders. If he was bored with all the traveling, he didn't show it. Instead, he looked fresh and clean, and so handsome that Sheila sighed every time she glanced his way. 

     Beside the prince, astride her mighty unicorn, Quiet Storm, rode Laric's love, Illyria, the Unicorn Queen. With her long silvery hair and silken robe gleaming in the sunlight, Illyria looked pretty regal, too. But Sheila knew the woman was bored—after all, Campora had been pretty peaceful these days. Maybe even a little too peaceful. Illyria and Laric were so very happy together, but even so, Sheila caught a glimpse of wild restlessness in the Unicorn Queen's eyes every now and then. It wasn't easy to get used to quiet times after all those adventures of the past year. 

     Suddenly Illyria reached out to Laric. They joined hands for a moment, smiling at each other, and all the warriors cheered. Sheila sighed again. It was so romantic! If only someone would look at her like that. 

     Of course, there was always Darian, Illyria's younger brother. Sheila glanced at him, and the boy gave her a grin and bowed jokingly in the saddle. He was good-looking, and she did like him a lot—whenever he wasn't trying to show off too much, that was. 

     She bet he would be a good athlete in school. On the track team, maybe, or playing football, or… 

     School. Sheila could just see herself at a football game, cheering Darian on as he made the winning touchdown. No, he would be the quarterback, of course, and— A quarterback wearing a sword? Sheila was jolted back to reality so sharply that she gasped. For a minute everything looked strange. . 

     Well, everything was foreign. Sure, Darian and Pelu, the gentle healer, were her friends. And then there was the elegant ex-princess, Nanine, and Myno, the gruff ex-slave. All of the warriors were her friends, even jealous Dian, who insisted on seeing her as a rival. But right now friendship wasn't enough. It wasn't that everything here was foreign: she was the foreigner. No matter how many friends she made, no matter how they tried to make her happy, she would always be a foreigner. This magical land—the land of the unicorns—could never, ever, truly be her home.