Wednesday Briefs: Unicorn Quests Chapter 41

 

The smoke enveloped me. Gray lightened to white then faded to an opaque background. My breath caught in my chest.

“What is this?”

No one had said there would be magic during the release. My heart thundered in my chest and my breath sawed in and out. “No, no, no…”

I’d barely held it together when I changed form. It was only the need to keep the ceremony going, and knowing exactly what to do that kept me focused.

Not on me, but what I had to do for Wenn’s spirit.

“And I thank you for that.”

I spun and gaped. Wenn stood behind me, looking the same as the last time I’d seen him, well, before we’d confronted Balasamar and his warlock. “What’s going on?”

“You know the world is made up of many magics and different Beings.”

“Yes.” I nodded.

“Does it not make sense they are all interconnected?” He spread his small hands. “Otherwise, how could a locus act as a conduit?”

I blinked.

He went on. “You have suffered so much, all in the quest to protect those who looked to you in their need.”

“I failed,” I whispered.

“You never gave up.” Wenn shook his head gently. “That isn’t failing. Sometimes, good wins. Other times, evil prospers. Balance is in all things. For you, that balance was upset. So the magic has brought it back. You have your family, you new magic, and your natural form. As long as you have your horn, you will always be able to become your unicorn self.”

A heavy dread I had pushed back unconsciously slipped away, and I sagged in relief. “But why?” I glanced at the white space around us, the magical nothingness that seemed to be a go between where magic could let anything be possible. “Why give me this? Why let me see you?”

“My family calls for me, but your guilt held me to my mortal form. I gave up my life willingly, knowing what your future holds for you, Chasen. The magic I wielded, that the warlock had…” Wenn paused. “I cannot say more. But know that I am at peace.”

The pain he’d been in, the strain, it was all gone. The unspoken sorrow in his voice when he did speak had turned to join when he spoke of his family calling for him. He truly was happy, even though he had left mortal life behind.

“You are a great Being, pure of soul and destined for a long, happy life. But… balance.” He began to fade, the edges of my vision growing tattered. “Remember that, Chasen. Balance.”

 

When I came out of my trance, I was still fanning the fire mechanically. The water left between the branches had evaporated, pale steam rising away to dissipate on the breeze, and then the heat rose before the flames danced away to nothingness.

Ash was all that remained.

“Papa?” Colette nudged me. “Are you okay?”

My arms sank to my sides, muscles aching. I sank down to crouch, nodding, but the aching lump in my throat kept me from speaking.

The locus drifted away then, slowly, family groups tightly clumped together until only the elder and Tinn’s family remained.

I watched the coals, unable to leave quite yet. Londe was a silent wall of support behind me, unmoving, his love a pillar in my mind. Colette and Marces waited patiently as they could. I barely blinked, thinking about everything Wenn said.

The guilt had tied him to this form. I had to let it go. Could I? Balance he said. Death was just so… final. And a death to save me.

The fur brushing against my hands startled me, and I fell onto my backside. Tinn’il crept into my arms and chittered, touching my cheek where tears had leaked out. “No cry. Safe. I safe. You safe. We safe together.” He snuggled against my chest, humming and squeaking like he used to.

Huh. A little huff rocked me, and a small smile curved my lips. Balance, Wenn had said. Yes, he’d died for me, but I’d risked my life for this young locus. He was safe, and we were safe.

And so was my family. We were all together.

‘What do you think about staying here for a while?’ I asked Londe. I didn’t know what Wenn’s words had meant for our future, but it was here where my family could recover, where we could spend time with this tiny Being who’d also become a part of us, and I could help those who needed me.

I’d look to our present with my heart and mind at peace, thankful for those who loved me and let me love them in return. The future, whatever it held, would come soon enough.

Want more flash?

J Alan Veerkamp

Julie Lynn Hayes