The Unicorn's Tale Read online

  A slow smile spread across Aunt Phil's face. "Precisely." She turned to the unicorn. "My dear, you are fine. Indeed, you are more than fine. You are foaling."

  "Foaling?" Nate asked blankly.

  "Foaling. It means she's going to have a baby."

  Nate's hand was still on the unicorn's horn, so he heard her joyful I am? Was it his imagination or was there a faint blush of pink on her white cheeks?

  "You are," Aunt Phil said. "And may I be the first to congratulate you, my dear. This is a very, very special occasion. Let's get you comfortable, and then I'll return tomorrow with a few things you'll need."

  A baby ... Nate felt Luminessa's hum of pleasure all the way down to his toes. Not wanting to eavesdrop on a private moment, he quickly let go of her horn.

  "Can I stops petting her now?" Greasle asked.

  "Yes, you can. And thank you for your help." Aunt Phil put all her things back in her pack and pushed to her feet. Nate stood up and brushed the bracken off his knees.

  Aunt Phil bade the unicorn farewell and repeated her promise to return in the morning. She smiled the entire way back to the clearing. "Well," she announced to Mr. Sylvan. "I have the answer to your great unicorn mystery."

  "What is it, then?" he asked, getting to his hooves and brushing off his hindquarters.

  "She's foaling."

  "Foaling?" he repeated, his eyes nearly goggling out of his head. "You mean she's going to have a young'un?"

  Aunt Phil beamed. "Yes. Which explains why you didn't recognize the symptoms."

  "Aye," the faun said, scratching his head behind one of his horns. "How long has it been since there's been a babe? I've been a caretaker for nearly thirty years and I've never seen it."

  "This is the first time in more than forty years we've had such an occasion. In fact, the last unicorn of record to give birth was Luminessa's mother."

  "Forty years?" Nate repeated. "I thought you said she was a young unicorn."

  "She is, Nate. In unicorn years she's only half that and has just entered adulthood. In all the time I've been a beastologist, this is only the second unicorn foal I've heard of." Aunt Phil turned back to Mr. Sylvan. "We'll have to alter her care a bit. When we get back to the cabin, I'll write you up a list of new instructions and make up a special mash for her."

  Aunt Phil and Mr. Sylvan started back down the path to his house, heads close together as they talked about the unicorn's care. Nate turned for one last look over his shoulder at the path that led to the unicorn's bower. It was so well protected, you'd never even know it was there. Both the mother and baby should be well hidden from any predators or other intruders.

  He turned back around and hurried to catch up to Aunt Phil, his feet crunching faintly over a thin layer of ice. He thought about mentioning it to Aunt Phil to prove he hadn't been wrong about last night's frost, but decided he didn't want to poke a hole in her good mood.

  Chapter Eight

  WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THE COTTAGE, Cornelius came waddling out to meet them. "Well?" he asked.

  Aunt Phil bent down, grasped the dodo under his wings, picked him up, and twirled him around. Cornelius gave a little squawk of surprise. "She's foaling, Cornelius! She's going to have a baby! In our lifetime, no less!" Aunt Phil set the dodo back down and beamed at him.

  Nate smiled. He had never see Aunt Phil giddy like this.

  "Well," said the dodo, adjusting his feathers. "That is good news."

  "It's wonderful news! Let's see. We'll need more blankets, and vitamin tonic, and extra apples, and an oat mash ... oh, and we should try to find her some quince. Unicorns are quite partial to quince, and since she is foaling, she could do with a few luxuries." Aunt Phil paused in making her list. "I think she's quite far along, but I'll have to check Justina Fludd's writings on the subject." She turned to Mr. Sylvan. "Have you seen any other unicorns here in Broceliande?"

  The faun shook his head. "Not a one. And with her acting so strangely and all, you can be certain I've been looking."

  "Is she the only unicorn in the forest?" Nate asked.

  "The only one. All unicorns have their own territory. They are such solitary creatures that even another unicorn is too much company for them." She ruffled his hair and smiled at him. "Except when they're foaling, of course. They will share their forest with their own offspring."

  Nate tried to smile back, but thinking about foaling made him think about families, and that made him miss his own family. But he didn't want to spoil Aunt Phil's happiness. "I think I'll go read up on unicorns, if you don't mind," he said.

  "That's an excellent idea, Nate."

  He and Greasle retired to the living room, where he carefully lifted the ancient, worn copy of The Book of Beasts from Aunt Phil's pack, then stretched out in front of the fire. There was a tiny grunt as Greasle came and stretched out next to him, propping her chin in her hands. "You lookin' up unicorns?"

  "Yep."

  "Check and see if it says anything about their spit," she said, wiping at her face.

  He hid a smile and, scooting the book closer to her, began to turn the pages. It was easy to forget what he was looking for as he thumbed through the book. Tantalizing pictures of strange beasts, both beautiful and terrifying, covered its pages. Basilisks, Bonnacons, Centaurs, Chimeras, Dragons, Griffins, Hippocampus, Kraakens, Manticores...

  "Hey!" Greasle said, sitting up with a scowl. "Does it say anything about dodos in there?"

  Nate put his finger on the page to hold his place, then thumbed back through the book. "Nope. No dodos."

  "Ha!" Greasle said. "And he thinks he's so special." Smiling contentedly, she snuggled back down.

  Nate went back to the book. Selkies, Trolls, Uldras, Unicorns ...

  There it was! Right after Uldras and just before Wyverns. He began to read:

  Unicornis europus

  Also known as the Western unicorn, this creature is the size of a large stag or a horse, white in color, with a tufted tail, cloven hooves, and a horn two cubits long protruding from its brow, The Unicornis europus also includes the German eichorn, which has a shaggier mane and coarser coat and whose horn has slightly raised ridges.

  It is said that the unicorn is so ferocious it cannot be taken alive, This, however, is not true, Justina Fludd, beloved joung daughter of Sir Mungo Fludd, was the first to capture a unicorn without injury, No one was more surprised than she when the wild creature walked up to her, gentle as a lamb, and laid its head in her lap, Unfortunately, many unscrupulous hunters quickly learned of this weakness, many a poor maiden was tricked into luring unicorns to greedy hunters.

  Nate spent the rest of the evening drawing and trying not to think about his parents or Obediah. He fell asleep next to Greasle, with visions of ferocious unicorns and evil hunters prancing through his head.

  ***

  Early the next morning, Aunt Phil, Nate, Greasle, and Mr. Sylvan left for the unicorn's bower just as the first rays of sunlight filtered down through the trees. It had grown even colder during the night and Nate had to stomp his feet to keep them warm.

  On the way up to the meadow, Nate kept a careful lookout for carrier pigeons. Now that they knew there was nothing seriously wrong with Luminessa, it was time to turn their attention back to the problem of Obediah. Surely he wasn't going to disappear forever. He'd pretty much promised they'd hear from him again.

  Nate's greatest fear was that they'd miss that message. Unable to locate either his parents' lawyer or Miss Lumpton, his former governess, Nate knew Obediah was the only possible link to his missing family.

  Mr. Sylvan decided to wait for them in the meadow, even though the unicorn wasn't having a personal examination that morning. Something about needing to maintain territories and boundaries. They left him lying in the grass, staring up at the fluffy white clouds, playing his reed pipes.

  They found Luminessa waiting for them just outside her bower. When she saw Greasle, she pranced excitedly and dipped her horn up and down a few times, then whinnied.<
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  "Go on." Aunt Phil nudged the gremlin forward. "She's eager to see you."

  "Oh, brother," Greasle muttered. She put her hands on her hips and glared at the unicorn. "But no licking!"

  Once the unicorn had sniffed Greasle all over (and sneaked in one loud slurp), Aunt Phil settled down to the business of giving her some instructions.

  "You're to have a spoonful of this each day. Mr. Sylvan will come up to administer it and you must let him, do you understand me?"

  Luminessa nodded.

  "And no sneaking any nips of his hide, either. If you need extra fluffing, we've brought you two more blankets and a pillow."

  The unicorn whuffled and snorted.

  "See what she's saying, Nate. It's good practice for you."

  Nate put his hand on her horn and asked her to repeat what she'd just said. When will the baby arrive? Luminessa asked. Nate repeated the question for Aunt Phil.

  "Sooner rather than later, I think," Aunt Phil said. "But it happens so rarely that I'm not as up on unicorn pregnancy as I should be. I will research the matter as soon as we get home and should have an answer when we return in a week."

  Luminessa was sad to see Greasle go and consoled herself by shredding the pillow and blankets into nesting fluff.

  Feeling kindly toward the unicorn now that she was no longer keeping them from the matter of Obediah, Nate wished her good luck, then followed Aunt Phil back toward the meadow. He had to hurry to catch up to her—she was so happy, she was practically skipping.

  Nate skipped, too, but not because of the unicorn. He skipped because he was eager to get back to hunting for information about his parents.

  When Aunt Phil saw that he was struggling to keep up with her, she slowed down and gave him a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry. It's just so rare in our field to have such good news," she said. "We're often dealing with illness or injuries or the stupidity of man. But this, well, this is one of those rare moments that erase all the hard work and disappointments." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. They were still smiling when they reached the meadow.

  "Mr. Sylvan! We're done," Nate called out. He hurried around the last tree blocking the path into the clearing, then stumbled to a halt. Mr. Sylvan sat on a boulder with his hands and feet bound by rope and a gag stuffed into his mouth. He struggled against the restraints, making squeaking noises and motioning with his head.

  Before Nate could react or call out a warning, a barrel-shaped figure with ginger hair stepped out from behind the trees next to the boulder. Nate's jaw dropped open and a sick feeling flooded his stomach. Behind him, he felt Aunt Phil stiffen.

  "Hello, cousins," Obediah Fludd said. "Long time no see, eh?"

  Chapter Nine

  NATE BLINKED TWICE. He'd been wanting desperately to find Obediah, but now, faced with the slippery, dishonest man, he felt ill.

  "How very thoughtful of you to lead me straight to the unicorn. You've saved me a great deal of trouble, you know. I was so wanting a unicorn horn of my own—the promise of long life, you see—and you've brought me straight to it! I didn't have to break into anyone's house to steal a map this time. All I had to do was follow you."

  Aunt Phil looked thunderstruck. "B-but how? Mr. Sylvan, at least, should have been able to sense you, even if I couldn't."

  "Oh, I didn't follow you myself! Oh dear, no. Much too risky. I had Frozndorf here do it."

  For the first time, Nate noticed a stocky little man standing in Obediah's shadow. He was quite short, only coming up to Obediah's hip. He looked a lot like a small dwarf out of a fairy tale, with leathery skin and long white hair that reached well past his back. He was dressed all in dingy white, from his trousers to his fur cape. He looked uncomfortably hot, and sweat was dripping off his face. Where it hit the ground, small patches of frost formed. The grass under his feet was frozen and stiff with ice.

  "An uldra!" Aunt Phil said. "This far south! Are you insane? The poor thing will catch his death in this climate. It's much too warm for him."

  Obediah waved his hand dismissively. "He lives to serve me, don't you, Frozndorf?"

  Frozndorf cringed and wrung his hands, then looked down at his feet. "Yes, master," he said, his words bringing a chill breeze into the air of the meadow.

  Seeing the pitiful uldra seemed to restore Aunt Phil's spirits. "What do you want from us?" she asked.

  "Why, many things, dear cousin. Mostly, I want wealth and fame and recognition, the sort you and your side of the family have received for centuries."

  "Well, you'll have to do more than follow in my footsteps and harass the beasts. You'll need to work for those things."

  "Oh, I think not. I find that working is so overrated. Your side of the family may have done things the hard way, but I assure you that I do not intend to go that route. I have another plan in mind." Obediah rubbed his hands together.

  Aunt Phil strode over to Obediah and leaned forward so that

  they were practically nose to nose. "You will not touch a single hair on that unicorn, do you hear me? Not. One. Hair."

  He smiled, unaffected by her temper. "And who will stop me this time? You have no ferocious dragons to call upon to enforce your demands. No, dear cousin, I think you are a bit out of luck on this one." He looked down to examine his hand, then polished his fingernails on his jacket. "However, if you are willing to make a trade, we might have something to talk about."

  "Trade? Trade what?"

  "I will leave the unicorn be, if you will give me The Book of Beasts."

  "You are out of your mind!" Aunt Phil exclaimed. "Hand you the secret locations of every one of the world's most rare and wondrous beasts? I think not."

  "Not even to save the unicorn? You know what I will need to do to get that horn."

  Aunt Phil's face turned deathly white. Kill her, thought Nate. He has to kill her to get the horn. Nate glared at Obediah, hatred roiling in his gut.

  "You're asking me to condemn all the other beasts to death in order to save this one. I can't do that."

  "You don't know that I want them all dead," Obediah pointed out.

  "I don't know that you don't. What do you want them for, anyway?"

  He smiled again, an oily thing that reminded Nate of an eel. "Ah, ah, ah! That would be telling. You'll just have to wait and see along with the rest of the world." His smile disappeared and his face became twisted with bitterness and hate. "Now hand it over."

  "I will not hand over The Book of Beasts. And you will have to get through me to get to the unicorn. So give it your best shot."

  Instead of getting mad, Obediah smiled again. Something in his expression made Nate feel as if a cold snake were slithering around inside his stomach. "Oh, I think you'll give me what I want."

  "You're daft if you think that."

  "Really? You won't give me The Book of Beasts? Not even if I promise to tell you where the boy's parents are?"

  Chapter Ten

  ALL OF THE AIR WHOOSHED OUT of Nate's lungs, and black spots danced in front of his eyes. They were quickly replaced with a haze of red fury. Without even thinking, Nate launched himself at Obediah, only to have Aunt Phil grasp him firmly by the collar. "Steady, Nate," she said in a low voice. Then, louder, she asked, "Are they alive?"

  "Yes. And quite ready to come home, if only you'll give me the book. I'm sure they won't understand that a handful of beasts are more important to you than they are. I know the boy won't."

  "Do you have proof?"

  Still smiling, Obediah reached into his waistcoat and pulled something from an inside pocket. He held it out to Aunt Phil.

  Glaring at him, she took what he offered. Nate stepped closer so he could see.

  It was a photograph. Of his parents. There was a wrecked airship in the background, with pieces and debris strewn onto the ice behind them. They sat, huddled together for warmth, wrapped in blankets and furs. Nate's heart leaped so high, it nearly flew out of his chest. They were alive! He knew it! Nate looked up at Aunt Phil.

&nbs
p; "How do you come to have this?" she asked. "And if they're still alive, why have they been declared dead?"

  Obediah spread his hands wide. "Spitsbergen is very close to my territory, cousin, so you can be sure that I take a great interest in any exploration that goes on in that area.

  "Imagine my joy at discovering that my very own flesh and blood were onboard that historic flight! When news of the crash arrived"—he clucked his tongue and shook his head—"of course I had to offer any assistance I could."

  Aunt Phil snorted. "You hurried forward hoping you could get your hands on Horatio's copy of The Geographica, you mean."

  Obediah smiled again. "Really, this suspicious streak of yours is most unbecoming. Because of my extensive knowledge of the area and my local contacts, I reached the boy's parents well before the official rescue party and offered them my hospitality."

  Alive, alive, Nate's heart kept singing. His parents were alive!

  "How do we know nothing has happened to them since this photograph was taken?" she asked.

  Obediah shrugged. "You don't. But there needs to be trust between cousins, don't you think? You'll simply have to take my word for it."

  "Where are you holding them?"

  "Close enough that once the book is in my possession, I have only to send a message and they will be released immediately. They should arrive at Batting-at-the-Flies in a matter of hours." He thrust his big hand forward and wiggled his fingers greedily.

  Aunt Phil stared at his hand for a long moment while Nate held his breath. What was she waiting for, anyway?

  "You don't think I have it on me, do you?" she said at last. Nate barely managed to keep from gasping at the lie. "Surely you understand that I don't carry something as valuable as that around with me?" Aunt Phil said.