Page 37 of Used By the Unicorn

I step closer and thank the naiad. “Don’t mind him. Nerves.”

She smiles. “I understand. Please don’t worry. I can see from her aura that she’s doing fine.”

Another layer of tension evaporates. We unscrew our horn caps and leave them in the car. I look around for Jade. She’s hanging back. When I beckon to her, she frowns. “Will they let me in?”

“Of course.”

She still hesitates.

Sapphy twists in Knight’s arms and reaches for her. “Jade!”

She hurries forward. Then we all head for the place where the trees grow tallest, toward the very heart of the grove.

FIFTEEN

Jade

Sapphy calls my name and reaches for me, and that decides me. I’m surprised when the attendant doesn’t question a human following along with a herd of unicorns at a birth, but maybe monsters are less closed-minded than most humans.

Wouldn’t be hard.

I’m distracted for a moment when we walk through a dense clump of trees, their broad trunks clustered together almost like a doorway. On the other side, we’re suddenly in the middle of the strangest maternity ward I could imagine.

Six or seven monsters of all different types are being attended to by more of the nurses in white. One bird lady leans in a sort of hammock, rocking backward and forward while a nurse in white rubs her back. I don’t know what sort of monsters the nurses are. They have vibrant blue skin and short spiky hair. It’s hard to tell if they’re male or female. Maybe they’re neither.

Another monster with muscled shoulders and dark green skin is submerged in a hot tub.

We stop and Knight sets down Sapphy. I worry. I can’t see a bed or anything. Doesn’t she need to lie down?

A short nurse comes toward us. “Sapphy? How exciting. A few days early, I think.”

Sapphy nods.

“That’s not bad is it?” I love how protective Knight is.

The nurse smiles. “Of course not. This is the herd’s first foal?”

He nods.

Strange to hear it called that. And to have the nurse ask about their herd as if that’s perfectly normal. I mean, it is for unicorns. This is why I was worried they wouldn’t let me in, though. I’ll probably say or do something wildly inappropriate.

“Your early labor plan was movement, right?” the nurse asks Sapphy.

“Yessss.” The word ends on a hiss of pain as Sapphy doubles over.

My chest gets all tight. This is going to be me four or five months from now. Can I do this?

“Let’s start with a little circuit,” the nurse continues. “Can you walk by yourself?”

Sapphy hesitates.

“There’s some intake stuff I should go through with your herd mates.”

“Jade.” Sapphy reaches out and automatically, I go to her. She grips my arm. “Walk with me?”

I look around for Stirling. He looks worried, but he gives me a nod.

I lead Sapphy toward a little path worn in the dirt. It makes me anxious there are no sterile floors or antiseptics here. It’s not my place to say anything, though.

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