Page 12 of Legends of Sorcery
It broke his heart to see his old friend laying there on a bed of hay barely able to lift her head. She moved and tried to stand as he approached.
“Don’t Callia. It’s okay. I’m here,” he told her as he sat beside her.
Arion rubbed Callia down and nuzzled against her. The darkness surrounding her made his skin prickle, but it seemed to help soothe her some, so he stayed close to her.
When the stable master returned to check on him, Arion gave a weak smile. He wanted to cry, but he knew better. Besides it wasn’t going to help Callia any.
“Sir, could I trouble you with a little food?” Arion asked.
“Certainly, Arion. And you may call me Theod. Would you like a bit of ham? I have a little extra from my lunch.”
Arion shook his head. “No sir, uh, Theod. I meant for Callia. I want to try to get her to eat a little before I leave her.
“Oh, of course. I’ll send something over right away.”
“Thank you, Theod.”
The first guard he’d encountered surprised Arion by delivering the food himself. He watched Arion curiously as he took the food and offered it to the unicorn. Callia immediately pulled away.
“Please girl. I need you to eat to buy me some time to find a cure for this. Please, Callia.”
The unicorn sighed and tried to obey. It was quickly observed that the act of eating physically hurt her.
“Can you get Theod?” Arion asked.
The guard nodded and left to fetch the stable master.
When they returned, Arion again got Callia to eat a little food.
“She’s in pain,” Theod commented before sending for a vet.
The veterinarian was able to observe her and then carefully checked her mouth and throat. He sucked in a sharp breath as he did. “Her throat is covered in boils. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Perhaps Zallon can make a potion to combat the boils,” Arion said aloud. “If we can get them to just eat, that will at least buy us time while we search for answers. As it is now, they’ll all die within days.”
“What would come of Gavalon without the unicorns?” the guard asked.
Arion shook his head. “I do not know. I’ve heard their magic helps protect our land, but from what it didn’t say.”
“Go, quickly,” Theod told Arion. “See if Zallon can help.”
The vet nodded. “There’s not much we can do otherwise. Treating her symptoms may give us more time though.”
Arion nodded and nuzzled against Callia’s face. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can, girl. You did great,” he praised.
He ran the entire way back to the Hall of Magic and burst through the doors breathlessly startling Zallon.
“What is it, boy?” Zallon demanded.
“It’s Callia, sir,” he said between gasping breaths. “She’s not eating because her mouth and throat are coated in boils.”
“Boils?” he asked.
“Yes sir. I had the stable vet check her when I noticed she appeared to be in pain trying to eat.”
“Well, we can certainly try a boil antidote. Don’t get your hopes up that it will work. Magic such as this is quite sinister, but if it is merely a side affect of it, perhaps a potion will do the trick. Come, we must get to work on it immediately.”
It took three hours to ready the boil antidote. Arion had never been more focused and diligent as he carefully handled each ingredient and paid close attention in case he needed to make more to help the other unicorns.
