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I took a step to the side. The unicorn did, too.
“What’s your beef, horsey?” I put my hands on my hips.
The unicorn stepped closer, its head high up above me. A flash of concern bounced around in my brain.
This was when I was supposed to run. I couldn’t seem to make myself do it. Instead, I squared my shoulders. “Step out of my way.”
It lowered its head, along with its twelve-inch stabbing horn. Why wasn’t I afraid? I should be terrified. Instead, I felt a sense of calm. The unicorn bumped me in the shoulder with its nose.
“Hey,” I said.
It flared its nostrils, took a step closer, and bumped me again.
I stared down the big beast, frustrated.
“You’re a male unicorn, aren’t you? Are all males of every species so infuriating?” That wasn’t fair. Fernando and Ambrose were both perfectly lovely. I tried to think of other examples, but none came to mind.
The unicorn gave me another nudge, knocking me a step back.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll humor you, but if you stab me with that horn, I’m going to end you. I’ll come back from my death, but you won’t.”
I could swear the unicorn stood a little taller after I said that, like he was pleased with himself. He was definitely a man horse.
The unicorn stepped up beside me, his eye watching me as we walked. I glanced back to see if Fernando was with us, but didn’t see him anywhere.
“I’m following this unicorn, Fernando,” I called. “Back soon.”
I admired the way the light caught on the unicorn’s coat. His horn was even prettier than the rest of him, like it was made of black pearl.
We walked and walked, and just as I thought I’d been silly for thinking a horse would lead me anywhere, I spotted it—the treefrom the amulet, the tree that was so like my mother’s. It was perched on top of a hill, and as soon as I saw it, I ran to reach it.
This was crazy. I couldn’t believe it!
A magical creature had led me tothe tree.This had to be connected to whatever the key opened. It had to be connected to “the goddess.”
Halfway there, I noticed two shapes on the ground. One appeared to be a pile of wood. The other was unclear. I slowed as recognition hit. The second shape was a person.
I reached the top of the hill. Edwina Aldea lay unmoving at the base of the tree. There was a whole in the center of her chest. Blood stained the grass. I knelt down beside her and checked her pulse. She was alive. Thank goodness she was breathing.
I used my cellular device to call for emergency services. Then I dug through my bag and pulled out my last healing scroll. I used my intention to cast the spell. The wound in her chest closed shut. She’d still need a transfusion, and thankfully help was on the way.
“It’s going to be all right,” I told her.
There was little else for me to do for her, so I took in the rest of the scene. There was a hole in the center of the tree, like an open door. Beside it, a silver chain hung from a circular shape set into the wood. I reached out and gave the chain a gentle tug.
An amulet fell. I captured it in my hands. On its face was the same tree I was standing in front of.I’d found the Trai Amulet.
My heart swelled with excitement. This was it. I’d won.
I glanced over at the other shape I had noticed on my way up here. It still appeared to be a bundle of sticks, but as I stepped closer, it became clear those sticks were shaped in the form of a person, a woman.A goddess?
I bent over to see if she, too, was all right? Her sticks were brittle, her leaves brown. There were no signs of life.
The air in front of me shimmered as a portal appeared from nowhere.
An arm reached out and ripped me inside.
CHAPTER 24
