The Unicorn Thief (12 page)

Chapter 24

Ben couldn't sleep any longer. He eyed the crack under the door. It would be light enough soon. He stepped over Merrill's sleeping form, grabbed his weapons—just in case—and eased the door open. Sword in hand, he headed for the stable to take care of Wonder and Rain Cloud and get them ready for their journey to the Death Swamp.

Ben didn't take more than two steps before the dim early morning light revealed something strange. A large, mud-spattered white form curled on the ground right in front of the stable. Ben hurried closer. A deep snuffle came from the unicorn. Its head was tucked against powerful forelegs, extended horn resting on the ground. A dark blue stripe spiraled around it.

“Indy!” Ben threw down his sword and almost flung his arm around his stallion's neck. But that was no way to wake a sleeping unicorn, not if he wanted to make it through another day.

“Indy-boy.” Ben waited for Indy's ears to prick, his head to lift, him to nicker a morning greeting. To nuzzle him and listen to him ask where he'd been. Indy nickered, but it was just another muffled dream sound. Ben dared to put a hand on Indy's flank. “Morning, boy. I missed you so much. Come on, are you not going to say hello?”

Indy snored loudly. Something was wrong. Just like that morning on the island when he wouldn't wake up.

“Twig! Merrill!” he called. “It's Indy!”

Twig skidded out of the house, donning her weapons.

Ben grabbed her arm and steadied her. “He's here. Indy's here.”

“What? How?”

“I don't know, but he won't wake up.”

“Like before?”

Merrill emerged in the yard. “What's all this now?”

“Indy's back, but…”

Merrill knelt next to the unicorn. “Something's not right, I think.”

Ben nodded. He studied the trees surrounding the clearing. Had someone brought Indy here or had Indy found them on his own? Could someone have followed him and Twig last night? Were they still there, watching? “Twig, you'd better check on Wonder.”

“You two stay here,” Merrill said. “I'd better have a look around.”

Ben stood next to Indy, bow ready, as Merrill disappeared into the trees.

Moments later, Twig emerged from the stable. “Wonder and Marble are asleep too, even with all this fuss—but not Rain Cloud or Franklin or the cow.” Twig tried to smile. “Don't worry. They came around last time. The important thing is that Indy's back.”

Something snapped in the trees from the opposite direction Merrill had gone. The subtlest of sounds, but—someone was there, Ben knew it. In a blink, he had an arrow nocked. Bowstring taut, he took a step forward, toward the sound.

“What is it?” Twig whispered as she readied her bow.

“I thought I heard something.”

Snap
.

This time the sound was behind them. Ben turned and looked right into Indy's wakeful quicksilver eyes.

“They're awake!” Twig cried, abandoning her bow. “That must've been what you heard.” She ran into the stable, where Wonder was nickering.

Indy's voice, fully awake, calling out to Ben, brought the undercurrent of emotions to the surface. “Where have you been, Indy-boy?” Ben shouldered his bow and buried his face in Indy's mane, hiding tears of relief.

Wonder bounced outside, then danced up a storm and darted to her father's side. Ben reluctantly backed away and stood next to Twig to watch their reunion.

Rain Cloud emerged, shaking his head at the braying donkey. Twig hugged Rain Cloud, and the pony gave the unicorns a smug look. They might have each other, but he had Twig all to himself. Feeling left out, Ben gave Rain Cloud a rub under the chin.

“We got Indy back,” Twig said. “Now we can go home.”

And then what? The thief had shown them he could get through the passage and take Ben's unicorn while he slept. Maybe Mr. Murley was right. Ben should move in. They could add a stall for Indy too. He wouldn't like it, but it was better than being stolen and dragged into Terracornus, wasn't it? In time, maybe he'd get used to it.

Except that Indy hadn't been dragged. There was no evidence of that.

“I don't get it,” Twig said. “If this thief, or whoever it was, put them all to sleep somehow, if he put Indy to sleep in the hollow, how'd he get him through the passage? How'd he get him anywhere? Unless—”

“Unless?”

“He hypnotized them. I saw a guy do it in a show at the fair.”

“The fair?”

“It's a thing they have every year in Puyallup. There are rides and shows and lots of food…never mind. It doesn't matter. The hypnotist looked the people in the eyes, and he talked to them and moved his finger. They followed his finger with their eyes, and before you knew it, they were in a kind of trance. It was sort of like a magic show.”

“I told you, there's no such thing as magic.”

“It's not magic. It's just one of those things that no one can really explain. A sort of trick. He could make the people do all kinds of silly things. Walk around and cluck like chickens. Afterward, he brought them back. They were themselves again.”

“If the unicorn thief did something like that…how did Indy and Wonder wake up?” Ben peered into the trees. He was out there somewhere, he knew it. And so was Merrill. Ben's heart pounded. He readied his bow again.

Twig shifted her feet uneasily. “Maybe it just wears off eventually. Maybe that night, in the hollow, the thief was testing it out on Indy and Wonder to see if it worked on them.”

“But why just put them to sleep? Why not make them follow him if that's what he does?”

“Maybe he wasn't expecting two unicorns, and one of them made a noise and woke us up before he could finish, so he just put them to sleep so we couldn't come after him.” Twig's eyes got bigger. “Do you think he was going to take both of them? Do you think he would've, if Wonder was there when he came again?”

“I don't know. He would have needed Wonder under his spell either way, in order to take off with Indy. But, Twig, how could he sneak up on them like that?”

“Merrill said he was good.”

Ben hugged Indy, resting the side of his face against his velvety neck. “What did he want with you, Indy-boy? Why did he just give you back?”

Twig smiled proudly. “Maybe Indy was more than he could handle, even with his hypnotic spell powers. He got away and almost got lost in the Death Swamp after all.”

“If that's what happened, the thief was able to find him and recapture him.” He was good. Who knew what else he was good at?

Ben whistled for Merrill. To his great relief, his old friend whistled back. The brush parted, and Merrill stepped back into the clearing. “He was out there, I think, but he's gone now. I'm afraid I won't be much good tracking him on foot.” Merrill patted his artificial leg. “Too noisy.”

“Let's just get them fed and get them home,” Twig said.

Merrill nodded at the animals. “They're not the only ones who need to be fed,” Merrill said. “If you two can take care of the animals, I'll go back in and get some breakfast going.”

***

Merrill served them something that resembled oatmeal for breakfast. There was a pot of honey in the middle of the table. Twig made good use of it, coating her food in honey, then drenching it with the especially creamy milk Merrill kept on hand. Straight from the poor, pestered cow. It was a wonder the cow's milk hadn't gone sour after a night with a grumpy pony and a restless, half-wild creature.

Twig jumped. Wonder and Indy whickered warnings from the stable. Marble joined in. Twig knew that sound.
Another
unicorn
is
coming
.

They rushed outside just in time to see a unicorn gallop onto the property.

Ben was ready to shoot when Merrill said, “It's all right, Ben-boy.”

The unicorn's rider dismounted. “So, you made it,” the rider said.

Griffin!

Ben shouldered his bow. “You again?”

“What's the matter? You thought you'd get away with never seeing me again? I had to make my appearance at the castle and give Mother the news that you'd escaped. I promised to find you and to bring you back.”

“Are you in the habit of making promises you cannot keep?” Ben's hand moved within easy draw of his sword. “Or did you let me go just so you could be the one who captured me?”

“I let you go so I could help you and then bring you back, and that's exactly what's going to happen. I'm going to help you take your friend to the passage, and then I'm going to bring you home to Mother. Merrill agreed to help.”

“Merrill?”

“I had to tell him, Ben. And let him have his say. It was Griffin who sent me word of how things went with your mother. Griffin who told Pete and arranged to get you out. Agreeing to his terms was the only way I could get Twig back home.”

Ben turned from Merrill to his brother. “I'm
not
coming back, except to face Reynald in that duel!”

“Then there's nothing I can do for you but take you back now.” Griffin's hands clenched at his sides. His face got redder, and his knuckles got whiter. “I won't let you die in that swamp or on that cursed island.”

Ben's fingers wrapped around his sword hilt. Twig put the palm of her good hand on his chest, holding him back before he could draw it. She gave him what she hoped was a calming look, but when she stepped between the brothers and looked up at Griffin, she felt the tears of anger and hopelessness sting her eyes.

She didn't allow herself to look away. “It's not a cursed island! It's our home, and the herd needs us. We're going to make things right there, and we're going to settle this thing with Eastland whether that means we die doing it or not!” The tears streamed down Twig's cheeks. Her heart pounded, making her injured left hand throb with a pain of even greater intensity.

Griffin stood there, looking stunned. “Merrill?”

Merrill shook his head. “I've met my part of your bargain, Griffin. I'm not fool enough to try to make Ben do anything he doesn't want to do. You cannot blame him for not wanting to go back there, I think. Not after what happened.”

Griffin looked deflated for a moment. Then an angry determination, not so unlike what Twig had seen several times in Ben, took over. Twig thought he might actually try to take Ben by force. But then, without another word, he mounted his unicorn and rode away, into the silvery-dawn shadows of the forest. Twig had a feeling it wasn't over. Griffin wouldn't give up. And Ben was wrong about his brother wanting to get rid of him. He'd find another way to try to keep Ben in Terracornus.

Chapter 25

So many times Ben had sat around the Murleys' table and felt strangely thrilled—and sometimes overwhelmed—by the chattering of all the girls, their endless questions. Today, the dinner table was uncomfortably quiet. The Murleys' disappointment seemed to have dampened even Twig's appetite. Mr. Murley said the prayer this time, thanking God for bringing all the girls home safely several days ago, and now, bringing Twig and Ben, the unicorns, and Rain Cloud too. He asked for wisdom to know what to do about this situation.
Which
situation?
Ben couldn't help wondering. All of them defying the rules and sneaking out, or the fact that the passage had been compromised?

Twig had let Ben do most of the explaining. She hadn't said a word when he failed to mention their visit to the queen. Or the dungeon. Or their scrape with the Boy King. Or the duel.

When they'd asked about her hand, Twig had simply said, “It got stepped on.”

The Murleys knew little more than that they'd gone to Terracornus, found Indy, and brought him back.

After helping clear the table, Ben slipped away to be with Indy in the pasture. He needed to think, and Twig needed to smooth things over with her foster parents.

***

Something pattered against the window. Twig looked up from her schoolwork and saw a bright green blur of wings.

“It's Emmie!” Taylor exclaimed.

“She's looking for Ben,” Regina said. “Just leave her alone. She'll find him.”

That was true, but if Emmie had a message, Twig wanted to get to it first. She'd had enough of Ben's secrecy. She pushed back the little burning feeling that it was wrong, and she followed Casey and Taylor as they ran to the front door.

“She's so pretty,” Taylor said. “I want to see if she'll come to me.”

Casey threw open the door. Emmie was already headed for the pasture. A swath of white stood out against the shadows of the pasture shelter. There was Ben, deep in conversation with Indy while Wonder pranced in the rain.

“Emmie,” Taylor cooed. Emmie cooed back and landed on Taylor's extended arm.

“Look! There's a note,” Casey said. “Maybe it's from Merrill. When are we gonna get to meet Merrill, anyway?”

There was a brief note in Merrill's handwriting, a smaller piece of paper rolled around the outside of a larger, more substantial one—sealed with gold wax and stamped with a fancy letter
R
. Around the
R
, Twig made out the word
Eastland
. Merrill's note confirmed that he had forwarded it to Ben from the Boy King. With a burst of defiance, Twig popped the seal and opened Reynald's letter.

Casey peered over her arm. “The dwooo…?”

“Duel,” Twig whispered numbly.

“Duel!” Casey gasped.

“Give me that!” Regina said.

Twig held the note away, but it was too late. Regina had seen it.

Regina eyed her questioningly. “The duel is on?”

“Duel?” Janessa said. “Like in Casey's stories?”

“Shh!” all the girls said together.

“Too late.” In the doorway, Mrs. Murley held out her hand, and Twig reluctantly gave her the note. She glanced at Twig as she read.

Ben noticed the commotion and came running up the front walk. Emmie fluttered to Ben. He held his arm out for her and blinked at the note in Mrs. Murley's hand.

“This is for you, Ben.” She passed him the message.

Emmie hopped to his shoulder. Something glimmered in Ben's eyes—something that looked astonishingly like happiness. At the thought of a duel? Twig wanted to shake him. She'd spent the last couple of days regretting her bold words to Griffin and trying to convince Ben to come up with a way to fix things without getting himself killed.

When Ben finished reading, he looked from the broken seal to Twig, his expression clouded with accusation. Until he saw Mrs. Murley's face, set in determination against his crazy schemes.

“What does this mean?”

“Oh. This…” He twisted a fold of his cape in his hand.

“Well? ‘The duel is on. We will meet on our sides of the Death Swamp on the sixth day of the month of Silver Breeze.'”

Ben counted silently on his fingers. “That's June first.”

“Not the date. The
duel
, Ben.”

Ben didn't answer Mrs. Murley. Twig bit her lip, trying to decide whether she should do it for him.

“Here in the Earth Land,” Mrs. Murley said, “a duel is when two people face off against each other to settle a dispute. Often the loser ends up seriously wounded, even dead. What does it mean in Terracornus?”

“The same, mostly.”

“No one's going to die!” Twig said. “No people and no unicorns either.”

“But I have to do it! You agreed!”

“Yes, you have to do it. But we have to find a way for you to win without killing Reynald.”

“Reynald!” Janessa said, no doubt recalling the stories Ben had told them.

“The Boy King,” said Casey. “He's fierce and swift, and his stallion, Stone Heart, never wavers.”

All eyes turned on Ben.

Ben struggled to smile. “She sure likes stories. I didn't know about the duel when I told her. Besides, it's not as bad as that. She just tells it better.”

Mrs. Murley said, “There are better ways to settle differences than a duel.”

Ben's jaw twitched like he wanted to say something. Something he was afraid would come out disrespectful.

Before Twig could figure out what to say herself, Casey said, “Not for Reynald the Boy King. He's impossible. The only one worse is the queen. She—”

“Shh!” all the girls said again.

Casey blinked back tears, and Twig slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a pat with her bandaged hand. She wanted to glare at Ben for filling Casey's head so full of stories about Terracornus that they kept leaking out. But that wouldn't do, not when they had to convince Mrs. Murley he had his head on straight.

***

In moments they were all back in the living room, piled on the couches and spilling onto the rug. Mr. Murley leaned forward in the recliner and called the meeting to order.

“Girls,” he said calmly, firmly.

The chattering and squirming and pulling out of cushions from underneath each other stopped instantly. Amazing, how he did that. Ben made a note to himself to figure out how it was done.

“So, Ben, let's hear about this Death Swamp Duel.”

“It's a way for two riders to settle a dispute without their whole divisions—or now, their entire lands—going to war.”

Mr. Murley raised an eyebrow. “So duels save lives.”

“Tell him about the Death Swamp,” Casey hissed. “Just the smell of the Death Swamp makes the bravest riders shake in their boots. The water's so stinkified—so foul—it breathes fire.”

“Fire-breathing water?”

Mrs. Murley's eyes begged Ben to deny it, but he couldn't. It was true. “The duel used to be fought down in the mud. In the swamp itself. But so many duelers died without even settling their disputes, that a boardwalk was built through the swamp. There are some narrower boardwalks that you can enter from the north and south sides of the swamp to get to the main boardwalk, but those aren't used for duels.”

“So the fire-breathing water is avoided completely,” Twig said.

“But if you falled, the gators would eat you.”

“Casey!”

“She's right. Animals can smell blood, you know,” Regina said.

“There are alligators?” Mr. Murley asked.

“Swamp lizards,” all the girls said together.

“They're like alligators,” Casey explained.

Ben sat back and crossed his arms. “I won't fall.”

“But one of you has to fall. Isn't that how it works?” Mr. Murley pressed him.

“The flag of each rider is planted on one end of the swamp. Each rider starts on the end of the swamp where his flag is. A rider has to go through the swamp, take his opponent's flag, and come out of the swamp with it in order to win.”

“But one of them usually dies,” Regina said.

Casey nodded, giving Ben a defiant look.

“What about Stone Heart?” Mandy said in a hushed voice.

Casey nodded. “The Boy King's unicorn. He's never met his match.”

Ben squared his shoulders and looked into each girl's eyes. “Stone Heart never met Indigo Independence!”

A gathering of herdsmen would've raised fists and voices in a cheer at that. The girls hugged each other tighter. Mr. and Mrs. Murley exchanged silent looks.

Ben was still trying to make out what Twig thought, whose side she was going to take, when she spoke up. “I'm going to figure something out. There's going to be a duel to save Westland and Eastland from going to war. Ben's going to win for Westland, but he's going to do it without getting killed—and without killing the Boy King, Reynald.”

The girls murmured. Casey looked at Twig doubtfully.

Twig's shoulders sagged. She too had hoped for cheers. A crazy thing to hope for, since what she'd just proposed was even more unlikely than Ben's claim that he could win.

“Twig,” Mr. Murley said, “Ben, girls, I think Mrs. Murley and I are going to discuss this on our own now.”

“Yes,” Mrs. Murley said. “Back to work, all of you.”

Back
to
work
is
right
. Whatever the Murleys said, he had a duel to win in six weeks. He had to prepare—for the fight and for the fact that these might be his last days with Indy. The end of his dreams, of his father's dreams for him. Would his father really want him to do this? He'd entrusted him with the island and its herd. That's what he'd want him to focus on, not Terracornus and all its problems. Problems he'd warned Ben could destroy him. He didn't care what Merrill said; Ben was certain his father would've never wanted Ben to go back there and get involved. But the unicorn thief had given him no choice.

That's not true. I made a choice at the banquet. A decision all my own
.