Page 18 of Queen Takes More
And a child laughed. “Look at me! I’m a unicorn!”
Xochitl?My heart leaped up into my throat. “Stand down, everyone! Xochitl? How did you get here?”
Rik set me down in front of him, and I stepped around my grizzly’s massive bulk so I could see. Like Daire, I couldn’t believe my eyes. A rhinoceros did indeed run toward us, along with a white pony. Her mane and tail were pink and purple. Sparks flew up from the ground every time she took a step. And yes, a large crystal horn sprouted from her forehead.
Laughing, she stomped a merry circle around me, casting rainbows glittering up into the air. “Through the tree, silly.”
Through the tree…
I looked out toward the ancient trees that surrounded my manor house. The central heart tree’s limbs spread low to the ground, dotted with wicked thorns and roses, even in dead of winter. I’d died on that tree to power my grove, and my blood flowed through its roots. After admiring the Zaniyah grotto in Mexico, I’d returned home to find a similar hot spring bubbling up from the roots of the heart tree. Its trunk had split open into a dark hole, but the tree seemed fine otherwise.
I’d seen quetzals from Mexico flying in and out of my tree, so it was certainly a possibility that she’d traveled through some kind of portal. She’d almost been taken through a cenote portal in Mexico, and we’d used portals in Egypt to reach Heliopolis so I could face Ra. Evidently, we now had a portal between my nest and Zaniyah’s, which I had to admit, could come in handy. If I ever needed my sibling queen…
:Mayte, Xochitl is paying me a visit.:
Her bond jolted with alarm.:What? How?:
:She’s here. She said she came through the tree. And she brought a… rhinoceros with her.:
:He’s her Blood.:
Now it was my turn to ask,:What? How? She’s only a child.:
:I mentioned we’d had some excitement around here, but I haven’t had time to tell you the details. I’m going to try the tree myself and see if I can reach you.:
Xochitl bumped me with her nose to get my attention. “This is my friend, Keras. He’s a king rhino.”
“Hello, Keras.” He snorted and ducked his head, but evidently he couldn't speak like Xochitl. “So you came through the tree?”
“Uh huh,” she replied. “Just like when Isis came to take me to rescue him.”
Ah, that would explain much. I cupped her head in my hands and searched her gleaming eyes that shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow. “The goddess came to you?”
“We went to get Keras and then She made me a unicorn. Look at my horn! I can stab the bad guys with it! When I’m older, She said I could have wings too.”
“I'm so glad that you came to see me, but you should always let your mother know first. That way my mean dragon doesn't try to roast your Blood.”
She hung her head and sighed. “I wanted to surprise you. Mama’s real mad.”
Indeed, Mayte’s bond buzzed like a nest of angry hornets. “She loves you very much, and she almost lost you just a few weeks ago.”
“I know. But it's soboring.” She heaved a sigh like boredom was a fate worse than death. “Mama won't let me go anywhere or do anything.”
“Well, the good news is that the sun god is dead, so he won’t try to steal you again. I’m sure your mother will be more comfortable letting you explore outside the nest now.”
:My sister has exited the tree along with Tepeyollotl, my queen,:Tlacel reported in the bond.
In a few moments, I could see them myself. Xochitl took one look at their faces and stepped behind me. Mayte’s bond still simmered with a mother’s worry, and a thunderstorm brewed in her jaguar god’s dark eyes.
“Xochitl, come here,” Mayte said firmly.
Hanging her head, the unicorn did as she was asked, though each step dragged with reluctance.
“What were you thinking?” Tepeyollotl’s voice rolled with the power of an earthquake.
Xochitl sniffed and tears dripped from her eyes. “I’m sorry, Papa. I wanted to see Queen Shara and show her my gift from her goddess.”
Mayte looped her arm around her daughter’s neck and gave her a hug. “But you should have told us first. You can’t just pop into our queen’s nest without asking. It’s rude and dangerous.”
