Unicorn Tracks (22 page)
Caladrius—A water-dwelling bird with long stork-like legs. Prized and often hunted for its turquoise, cerulean, and bright orange feathers, the Caladrius now hovers on the verge of extinction with fewer than three hundred mating pairs still living in Nazwimbe. Its feathers adorn the headdresses of chieftains throughout Nazwimbe, though efforts are being made to convince locals to use Phoenix or Nkombe feathers instead to preserve the dwindling population. It prefers to nest in shallow waters and feeds on small insects.
Chimera—A dangerous predator that feeds on elephants and hippos. The Chimera has a lionlike head with two horns, the body of a great cat and a second head on its tail, with the form of a snake. The Chimera should be approached with extreme caution and only when it has recently fed, and then only when accompanied by a guide or expert. This predator prefers to live in tree-covered areas, so that it can ambush its prey from above.
Grelbok—Unique among the animal kingdom, this small antelope can digest and process minerals, using the metals to build up its elaborate horns. The solid horns of the Grelbok grow throughout its lifetime, and never fall off. The Grelbok is a rare and elusive creature—seeing one in the wild is thought to bring a lifetime of luck.
Griffin—A close relative of the Chimera, the Griffin possesses the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a powerful cat. In Nazwimbe, two subspecies of Griffin exist. At maturity, a Pygmy Griffin weighs about 100kg and has golden brown feathers while its full-sized cousin can weigh upward of 300kg, with white feathers. Unlike the Chimera, Griffins are generally placid and can be approached. However, when caring for young, the female Griffin becomes very territorial and has been known to attack humans.
Grootslang—A giant serpent with the trunk and head of an elephant. The Grootslang lives in marshy areas and prefers to spend most of its time in the water. It is known to hunt young elephants by making a trumpeting noise, reminiscent of their herd, which lures the unsuspecting creature into the water. The Grootslang is nonvenomous and constricts in the manner of a python to strangle its prey. Unmounted human beings can generally approach in relative safety, as the Grootslang views them as too small to be prey.
Hogfish—Also known as the Ambize. Closely related to the Sea-Swine, found Northern oceans. The hogfish is a lake-dwelling creature that has the head of a pig with the body of a fish, and hominoid style hands. Despite its gruesome appearance, the Hogfish is a vegetarian and feeds on algae and seaweed.
Hydra—A rare three-headed reptile that lives in lakes, oceans, and rivers. Contrary to myth, the Hydra is not a dragon nor very large. Most mature Hydra grow only to the size of a large dog and cannot pose a threat to humans. Its heads are known to argue for food, and as a result, many Hydra often die from the competition. Hydra have the keenest sense of smell in the animal kingdom—more accurate even than sharks or bloodhounds. These predators can smell a single drop of blood in the water from over two miles away.
Morgawr—A fifteen-ton sea creature with razor sharp teeth and a long, giraffish neck. Many people are put off by the Morgawr’s fearsome appearance, but it is in fact a close relative of the Echalend manatee. Its teeth allow it to feed on whole trees, easily grinding the wood into a pulp. The Morgawr is so gentle that native people in Nazwimbe record stories of using it as a ferryboat at river crossings. Morgawr cud is highly prized and many hunters seek out these docile creatures to collect the wood cud that drips from their mouth to make paper.
Nkombe—A brilliant gold bird, famed as the savior of the sun in mythology. The Nkombe flies higher than any other bird, and is said to greet the sun each morning when it wakes. As a result of conservational efforts by the government, the Nkombe’s feathers are often used in chieftain’s headdresses in place of the more traditional Caladrius feathers.
Phoenix—Although it’s a beautiful animal with striking gold, red, orange, and yellow feathers, the Phoenix is closely related to the common pigeon. Many visitors from Echalend actively seek the Phoenix on arrival to Nazwimbe, much to the bemusement of the locals. The Phoenix has a beautiful song and is a confident, showy bird that will often reveal itself to people.
River Mermaid—An amphibious species with a hominoid upper body and the tail of a fish. Two species of mermaid exist globally, but the ocean mermaid does not live in the warm Nazwimbe waters. Unlike its solitary ocean cousin, the river mermaid travels in large schools. The mermaid can be safely approached while the viewer is on land, but beware, mermaids attack in groups and have been known to strip a carcass faster than a school of piranha.
White Unicorn—
Unicornalis Kardunn
—the famous White Unicorn of Nazwimbe. Although equine in appearance, the Unicorn has a long ivory horn that grows throughout its lifetime. As it ages, the Unicorn’s horn develops silver spirals. It lives a solitary life, other than when mating. The Unicorn is unique among animals in that it can choose when to end its own gestation period. Despite its equine-like body, the unicorn possesses a much higher level of intelligence and strength. It can only be domesticated if raised from birth, and even then, it will only accept a rider by choice. Unscrupulous humans have determined that by removing the Unicorn’s horn, it can be enslaved. However, if enslaved in this manner, the unicorn will die within a year.
This book would not be possible without the extensive support and work of many people in my life:
To Dad: So much of what inspires me to write comes from the places you’ve taken me. Your wanderlust and curiosity about the world is inspiring, and I have so many amazing memories from the trips we went on. I will always remember stalking a pair of leopards at night at Mala Mala, flying in an air balloon over Bagan, snorkeling over the clams in Australia, the doubling game and the dinner-time geography quizzes. All those memories and experiences make the worlds I imagine in my writing so much richer.
To Mom: They say that to be able to write well, you have to be a reader first. You nurtured my love of books right from the get-go. I still remember sitting in my room with you, while you read books like
Owls in the Family
and
The Great Brain
. I never knew your secret plan to get me to read more until I was much older, but it definitely made a difference. Even now, when I’m twenty-six, we’re still reading books together.
To Tamara, KT, Elisabeth and Naomi: Thank you for battling through this book when it was in its earliest stages and for giving me such useful feedback. This book is much better because of your work. KT, you have supported me at every stage of the publishing process. You’ve become an amazing friend and my virtual shoulder to cry, rage and fret on.
To Cam, Rue, Zan, Erin, Jenny and the rest of my Edinburgh-based family by choice: Thank you for being so supportive of me when I was going through a genuinely rough time, and for getting so excited with me at the announcement of this book’s publication!
To Megan Moss, my amazing cover artist: You created a cover that is truly a work of art in itself. Your renderings perfectly capture the girls as I always imagined them. Thank you!
To Dawn, my senior editor at Harmony Ink: This manuscript took a bit of patience and perseverance on your part! I remain amazed at your attention to detail and ability to remember so many things about the book at once! Sorry about all the comma splices! Thanks to your hard work, I’m feeling so much more confident about letting this book go out into the world.
To the amazing team at Harmony Ink: Thank you for all your amazing work on the book, and always answering all my questions so promptly. You’ve been an amazing publisher to work with, and I’ve met so many supportive authors in the community through you (special shout out to Nina Rossing!).
Originally from Chicago,
JULIA EMBER
now resides in sunny Scotland, where she has learned to enjoy both haggis and black pudding. She spends her days working as a professional Book Nerd and her nights writing YA Romantic Fantasy novels. She also spends an inordinate amount of time managing her growing city-based menagerie of pets with Harry Potter–themed names. Presently, she is the haggard slave of the cats Sirius Black and Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Le Snake. A lifelong horse-lover, she also owns a freakishly adorable cob pony called Africa. Her animals tend to make cameo appearances in her writing.
A world traveler since childhood, Julia has now visited over sixty countries. Her travels inspire the fictional worlds she writes about, and she populates those worlds with magic and monsters.
When she isn’t working or writing, Julia enjoys exploring the magical city of Edinburgh, riding horses, reading too many books, and trying out new restaurants!
Readers can contact Julia via her website: www.julia-ember.com
Or connect with her through Twitter: @jules_chronicle
Published by
Harmony Ink Press
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
[email protected] • harmonyinkpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Unicorn Tracks
© 2016 Julia Ember.
Cover Art
© 2016 Meghan Moss.
http://meaghz.deviantart.com/gallery/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected].
ISBN: 978-1-63476-878-8
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-879-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015914165
Published April 2016
v 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
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