The Unicorn Hunter (23 page)

The white horses of Tír na nÓg were still waiting patiently, just as Fachtna had promised.

‘We don't have long,' said Finn. ‘The light will be gone in a few hours and we need to pick up the unicorn tracks quickly.'

‘We must move as fast as we can,' said Fachtna. ‘The hunter may already have a head start.'

‘Where do we look?' asked Danny.

‘The forest, boy,' said Finn. ‘The unicorns would never leave it.'

Maddy, Danny and Roisin struggled on to their horses while the Fianna tried not to laugh. Finn merely raised an eyebrow as he saw how Maddy lengthened the stirrup and then climbed up hand over hand. As soon as they were all mounted, he wheeled his horse about and cantered along the riverbank, heading back toward the mound.

Maddy yelped with fear when the horse she was riding surged forward as the Fianna chased after Finn. They were riding dangerously close to the edge of the bank and she tried not to look at the ground and the dry, barren earth that crumbled away from her horse's pounding hoofs.

As soon as the dark smudge of the forest came into
view, Finn stopped and dismounted. He led his horse to the river's edge and then they both plunged down into the water, which rose to their chests as man and horse struggled against the current. The rest of the Fianna dismounted and followed without a word; even Fenris and Nero threw themselves in and paddled madly for the opposite shore, only their heads visible above the water, long noses pointing to the sky as the river surged over them.

Maddy, Danny, Roisin and Fachtna were the only ones who hung back. Danny watched with a frown as the wolves and men forged their way through the water.

‘Can we do this?' asked Roisin. ‘Is the forest really going to let us in after what happened to Fionn?'

‘Maybe no one blames us?' said Maddy. ‘Fionn was punished for helping us and she decided to do that by herself. We didn't make her.'

‘Fat chance,' said Danny. ‘If the trees figure out we are with the Fianna, they'll have a go at us all right. Let's just hope we can slip past unnoticed.' He looked at Fachtna. ‘But if they do have a go, I hope they get you.'

Fachtna twisted her lips in a look of contempt, raised her arms above her head and shot off into the air. The white horses moved forward as if listening to commands only they could hear and slid into the river before any of them could dismount.

Thankfully the horses were so tall that the water only rose to Maddy's feet and she simply had to raise her legs to keep them dry. Her horse waded through the fast-flowing river with ease, only slipping once or twice when he lost his footing on the wet rocks beneath his hoofs. She clutched the reins in one hand and the saddle in the other and kept her eyes fixed on the opposite bank, where the Fianna were scrambling on to dry ground, horses and wolves sending up sprays of icy droplets as they shook themselves dry. Maddy wasn't a good swimmer and she didn't fancy a dunk in the grey water. She looked back over her shoulder at Roisin, who had George wrapped firmly in her jacket. The little terrier had his eyes squeezed shut. Maddy felt sorry for him – he couldn't bear having a bath, much less taking a swim.

After what seemed like an eternity, her horse was lifting his long white front legs from the water and biting deep into the riverbank with his golden hoofs as he scrabbled for purchase. She leaned right over his neck to keep her balance as he stood up on his back legs and heaved himself up on to the bank.

The Fianna were busy stripping themselves of their weapons and pulling up handfuls of dirt which they were rubbing into their horses' coats.

‘Get down and prepare your horses,' growled Finn.

‘What do you mean?' asked Roisin, her forehead puckering with confusion.

‘Moonlight will make those white hides gleam,' said Finn. ‘The unicorns – and whatever is hunting them – will see us coming for miles. We don't want to spook the stallion.'

Danny half climbed, half fell to the ground as he dismounted and he looked up at the vast white expanse of his horse.

‘You're joking?'

‘No,' said Finn, scowling.

‘But that will take hours!' he said.

‘Better get started then,' said Finn, before turning on his heel and walking away.

It took them ages to rub enough dirt into the white horses' hides to satisfy the Fianna, and Maddy's back was aching by the time they were finished. Even Fachtna smeared her bone-white skin. The Fianna kept themselves busy by wrapping the horses' hoofs in cloth and winding tiny scraps of material around buckles and bits.

‘What's that for?' Maddy asked a blond bearded man.

‘So we don't make even the smallest noise,' he said.
‘We can do nothing to let the unicorns know we are coming or we will lose them.'

‘Take only what you need,' Finn ordered. He pointed at George, who wagged his tail hopefully. ‘That dog stays here. I don't want him barking.'

‘We're not just leaving him,' said Maddy.

‘I'll stay!' said Roisin. ‘I don't think I'll be much use on a hunt anyway.'

‘Then it's settled,' said Finn. He held out his hand to Maddy. ‘Give me the scent.'

Carefully Maddy drew the piece of mane from her jacket pocket and handed it to him. Finn whistled Bran to his side and crouched down to her, holding the hair beneath her nose. The wolfhound sniffed at it eagerly, her tail wagging madly. Finn put a hand under her hairy chin and lifted her blue eyes to meet his. ‘Seek it, Bran,' he said. ‘But quietly.' Maddy thought that was a bizarre thing to say to a dog. but Bran seemed to understand him – she stopped wagging her tail and cocked her head to one side as she watched his lips.

Finn pointed to Nero and Fenris. ‘They can be trusted?' he asked Fachtna.

‘You can ask me that question yourself,' said Fenris. ‘But the answer is yes. We can help Bran bring the hunter in alive.'

Finn frowned at the wolves as they slunk closer to him, but he held out the scent and let them take a deep sniff all the same before he stood up again. ‘Mount up!' he commanded, as the wolfhound began to sniff the ground and wander into the forest, the wolves loping quietly behind her.

‘Will you be OK?' Maddy asked Roisin.

‘I really hope so,' she said, white in the face, holding a whimpering George by his collar as he strained to chase after Bran and the wolves. ‘Although I'm not crazy about the idea of being out here on my own when the sun goes down.'

‘Stay on your horse while you are waiting,' said Fachtna. ‘Any trouble, kick him into a gallop. He will follow his stable mates into the forest and bring you to us.'

‘What if I get lost?' said Roisin.

‘I'll find you,' said Fachtna. ‘I can always find you.' She turned away and followed the Fianna into the forest.

‘I
hate
the way she says stuff like that,' said Roisin. ‘She always makes it sound like a threat.' She smiled weakly at Danny and Maddy. ‘Good luck.'

‘You too,' said Maddy.

‘We'll be back soon,' said Danny, ‘so don't worry.'

‘Not much chance of that,' said Roisin.

Maddy leaned down and squeezed Roisin's shoulder
and then ran her hand quickly over George's head. The old terrier licked her hand and looked up at her eagerly, waiting to be taken along.

‘Be a good boy and
stay
,' she said, watching his little face fall with disappointment, before turning her horse toward the brooding forest and urging him on.

The forest was still and quiet as they rode through it. It was a little too quiet for Maddy's liking. Surely forests should be noisy at night, when the predators come out to feed? She couldn't hear the scurry of small animals through the undergrowth or the bark of a fox. It felt like every living thing around them was holding its breath.

It was warmer beneath the canopy of the trees, out of the autumn wind, and the horses' hoofs were muffled not only by the cloth around their metal shoes but by the thick carpet of pine needles on the forest floor. As evergreen trees stretched above them and blocked the moon, the darkness was almost complete. Maddy had no idea how the Fianna were gliding through the trees so confidently. The whole place was making her feel suffocated.

A deep, woody groan reverberated through the
forest, as if an old tree was being torn up slowly by its roots. Everyone froze and the horses threw their heads up and flared their nostrils as they dragged in every scent, searching for a predator. Maddy's hands began to shake on the reins as she watched Fachtna whirl around and scan the trees with her red eyes. The groan came again, closer this time, and the trees around them began to bend and thrash as if their branches were being tossed by gale-force winds.

‘They're remembering!' shouted Danny, just as a massive tree leaned down and swiped at him with its branches.

Maddy screamed as his horse was swept off its feet and Danny was thrown from the saddle by the impact. Fachtna shot into the air, while Fianna horses reared and screamed with terror as the trees began to pull their roots free of the ground and close in on them, huge heavy branches swinging like clubs. Maddy sawed on the reins to keep her own horse's head facing forward and desperately kicked at his sides. ‘Come on, MOVE!' she yelled, her cheeks wet with tears of pure terror. She saw a white blur at the corner of her eye and then Fachtna was hovering by her side, her sword drawn. She whacked the flat of the blade against the horse's rump and it was as if someone had hit his on switch. The animal jumped forward and began to gallop flat out
in a blind panic and it was infectious. As Maddy tore through the Fianna ranks, every horse fled after hers, whether its rider was still on board or not. The wind in her eyes made it impossible to see where she was going and she cringed against her horse's neck, waiting for a branch to fall on them. A loud rumble of thunder sounded overhead even though the evening sky was still bright and clear, and lightning flashed down. Maddy screamed and closed her eyes tight as her lids flared red and there was a stink of burning and a vegetable scream rose up from the trees around her that she felt rather than heard. Again and again the lightning forked and the trees shrieked in agony until Maddy was dumb with fear, her face buried in her horse's mane as she blocked out the chaos around her and the murderous trees, her legs numb with exhaustion as she gripped the flanks of her terrified mount who thundered on. Each crack of lightning seared her lids and her ears began to ring from the noise.

And then it just … stopped and all she could hear was her own ragged breathing, the pounding of her horse's hoofs and the wind roaring in her ears. The Fianna had caught up with her and flowed around her, faces of horses and riders alike drawn with fear. Eventually Maddy was able to grab the reins and pull her horse to a halt. He stood, head hanging and chest heaving. His
hide was coated in the foam of his sweat. The Fianna's horses were no better.

‘What in the name of the gods was that about?' barked Finn, his face purple with rage. ‘Don't bother lying to me, Hound – that had something to do with you. Out with it!'

Maddy stared at Finn with her mouth open and tried desperately to think of a short, quick lie that would keep him on her side. But before she could say anything they all heard the steady beat of cantering hoofs and Danny rode into the clearing on a cut and bloody Tuatha horse. The animal was trembling but clearly it took a lot more than an enraged tree to stop one of the giant horses. Danny's face was bruised and swollen, but Maddy was relieved to see he could still sit upright in the saddle. Fachtna flew by his side.

‘How fortunate Queen Meabh is watching us all the time,' she said, while looking at Finn.

‘It was Meabh with the lightning?' When Fachtna simply gazed back at him Finn spat on the ground. ‘I should have known. What have these children done that enraged the dryads so?'

‘You don't need to know,' said Fachtna. ‘You need to find the unicorns, and quickly – we are running out of time.'

Finn opened his mouth to say something but Bran
gave an odd whimper. Her tail was wagging madly and she seemed to be barking through clenched teeth as she tried to obey Finn's command to keep quiet. When everyone was looking at her, she bounded away, with Nero and Fenris in hot pursuit.

‘Well, it seems Bran has picked up the scent,' said Fachtna. ‘Although we may have lost the element of surprise.' She flew after the wolfhound without another word. Finn turned to glare at Maddy. She avoided his eyes and kicked her heels against her horse's sides as she followed the faerie.

The exhausted horses could not go faster than trot. Bran frequently had to stop and wait for them all to catch up and her frustration was obvious in the way she paced up and down while they struggled to reach her, the wolves watching her with eager expressions. Every muscle in Maddy's body was on fire from being in the saddle for so long, and the trotting jarred her aching bones. She clenched her teeth and tried to fight off exhaustion as the evening deepened into night and still Bran raced on, nose to the ground.

‘Are you OK?' Maddy whispered to Danny. His face was white and his eyes were shadowed with pain.

‘I'll live,' he groaned. ‘But I might have broken a rib.'

‘Do you want to turn around and head back to Roisin?'

‘I think it's a bit late for that,' said Danny. He smiled weakly. ‘Besides, I can't let you have all the fun, can I?'

Suddenly Bran stopped and lay down, her body tense as she stared eagerly into a clearing. Finn held his hand up in the air and then swept it down. In total silence the Fianna dismounted and walked their horses forward. Maddy and Danny quickly scrambled down from the Tuatha horses and followed them.

There, in the clearing, the two unicorns burned in the moonlight with their intense white skin. The mare was positioned exactly as Maddy had seen her in Blarney but with one crucial difference. Maddy widened her eyes at Fachtna and tapped her own shoulder. Fachtna looked at the mare for a moment and then nodded at Maddy.