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“Bell? What should be clear about a bell?” With a shake of the head, Upala-Dahns snorted. “No matter. While it may have seemed foolhardy for you to bring the horn of the Black Beast with you, it was actually a wise decision. The Black Unicorn himself awaits you in the forests of Thistlewyd Deep. He traveled up from his lair in Darkynwyrd and has sent for you.”
A cold chill raced down my spine. What the hell did the Black Beast want with me? It was an honor—and a pain in the ass—to be given his horn, but to actually meet him, a creature straight out of dark legend? Not fun . . . not fun at all. A vision of a huge stallion with a crystal horn, rearing up as he breathed flame from his nostrils, filled my mind.
“Crap.” The word was out of my mouth before I could help it. I blushed as everybody stared at me.
“Excuse me?” the King said.
Stammering, I tried to gracefully backpedal. “I mean, it’s just . . . the thought is rather intimidating.”
“It should be,” Upala-Dahns said, not helping matters any. “The Black Unicorn is the father of the Dahns Unicorns. For him to summon a mortal to meet him—one who is not of his race—is almost unheard of. Most think he’s legend, though the Dahns Unicorns know better. As far as I know, the only Fae or elf he’s had truck with in the past hundred years is Queen Asteria.”
On one hand, I felt flattered. How could I help but be? Big Black Beast wanted to see little ol’ me? On the other hand, I was scared spitless.
I glanced at Morio, who shrugged, keeping his mouth shut. He was more taciturn than I. Probably a good thing, considering how lacking in diplomacy I could be at times.
King Upala-Dahns waited as if he expected an answer, but when I didn’t speak, he added, “He not only wants to see you, Camille, but your mate Morio.”
Now Morio jumped. His eyes grew wide and he nervously glanced over at me. “Me? Why me?” Though his voice was steady, I could sense the rush of fear beneath it.
I repressed a smile and whispered, “Now you know how I feel.”
“Because you and Camille are working death magic together.”
The King had a gleam in his eye that told me he’d gotten the reaction he wanted. Yeah, Upala-Dahns liked to make people jump. He’d be a bear to work for, but fair.
Dreading any further explosive revelations, I jumped when something landed on my shoulder. I jerked to brush whatever it was away when a voice near my ear said, “Watch it!”
“Mistletoe!” I held out my hand and he stepped onto it. The pixie was nearly translucent and his wings glimmered in the daylight, but when he touched my palm, he was as solid as I was.
“My lady,” he said, bowing low. Mistletoe was far more courteous than other pixies. Most were a pain in the ass.
“Mistletoe,” Feddrah-Dahns said, “you will go with Rejah-Dahns and escort them to Thistlewyd Deep to meet the Black Beast.”
“Can we portal jump there?” I asked.
Mistletoe shook his head. “We can take the portal to the edge of the wood, but no portals ever have been able to penetrate the Deep, and so we will go on foot from the tree line. The place we seek isn’t far from the border and we will reach there before midnight tonight.”
I glanced at the sky. The full moon was tonight and I’d be caught up in the Hunt. But one look at the King told me arguing would be of no use, so I sucked it up. “Trillian will come with us. I’m not leaving him here.”
Upala-Dahns didn’t look happy, but all he said was, “As you wish. He will accompany you. From there, after you’ve spoken to the Black Beast, you may return Earthside.”
Feddrah-Dahns stepped up and nudged my shoulder with his muzzle. “I wish I could go with you, but Father forbids it.”
I gazed into those luminous eyes and once again felt teary. I always did around the unicorn and I had no idea why. “Feddrah-Dahns, you are a good friend, and I thank you for the guidance and trust you’ve shown us. We’ll try not to let you down.” I leaned my head against his downy nose.
A moment later, Trillian’s voice echoed through the chamber. “Camille? Is everything all right?”
I glanced over my shoulder. Mistletoe had ushered Trillian into the throne room. “For now,” I said, then quickly filled him in.
Trillian stared at the King. “You’re serious? You’re sending her to face the Black Beast?”
“Not alone,” Upala-Dahns said. “She goes with you. And the fox demon will face the Great Father by her side.”
By his reverent tone, it struck me that the Dahns Unicorns actually worshipped the Black Unicorn as a living god. After all, he was the father of their race, a living legend. He was the phoenix of their culture, shedding his horn and hide every thousand years to be reborn anew.
And the Black Beast had requested that I face him. He’d given me—a half-Fae, half-human woman—one of his horns and a cloak made from his hide in order to fight the demons. And it wasn’t every day that I got invited to pay a house visit to the home of the gods.
I rested my hand on Trillian’s arm. “This is an honor, love, and we should remember that.” And if we could get out of here without anybody making a scene, so much the better. The last thing I wanted to do was to offend the Dahns unicorns.
