Page 15 of Legends of Sorcery
“Not that I was an orphan?” Arion asked as they all nodded. “It’s okay. You can’t really miss something you never had. Besides, it’s safer for the kingdom this way.”
“How is you being celibate your whole life safer for the kingdom?” Jeffrid snorted.
“Well, you know, if it ever came down to having to save Gavalon, I wouldn’t have to choose between what I needed to do and what my heart told me to do if I had a family to protect too. This way my only focus will be to protect this kingdom.”
Kyler and Jeffrid both started laughing.
“No offense, Arion, I mean the High Keeper is a very important position, but when was the last time there was a threat of any kind to Gavalon?” Kyler asked.
Garron and Arion shared a knowing look just as they crested a hill that looked down into a part of the valley that was littered with at least a dozen fallen unicorns.
The four of them feel silent.
Jeffrid shook his head. “They’re just sick, right?”
“Come on, we have work to do,” Arion said neither confirming nor denying the validity of his question.
They worked quickly to heal each and every unicorn they found. By the time they reached the Forest of Prosperity, there were only ten vials remaining.
“It’s going to be harder to find them in the forest,” Arion said. “Perhaps we should spread out to cover more ground.”
Kyler went with Arion as Garron and Jeffrid headed in the opposite direction.
“The unicorns aren’t sick, are they?” Kyler asked. “I saw the look Garron gave you when Jeffrid asked.”
Arion shrugged not wanting to commit to an answer. Before the silence between them became awkward, it was broken by an ear-piercing scream. Both boys froze, then turned and ran in the direction of the noise.
Kyler came to a fast halt at the top of a hill, but Arion couldn’t slow his pace and ran smack into him sending them both tumbling downward and landing at the bottom with a thump.
“Are you okay?” Arion quickly asked cursing himself for having two left feet.
“I’m fine. Look,” he said point in the distance. “I think I see something over there.”
There was an eerie silence that had fallen around them. It gave Arion goosebumps.
“What do you think made that scream?” Arion whispered as they walked on.
Kyler snorted even though he was terrified. “That was Jeffrid.”
Arion halted. “They could have found trouble. We need to arm ourselves and be on the lookout for anything suspicious.”
Kyler nodded solemnly. They both looked around finding sturdy sticks to carry. Kyler picked up a few rocks and put in his pocket too.
“Okay. I think the noise came from this direction. We should loop around and come in from the other side just in case they’re in danger,” Arion said softly pointing towards the west.
Kyler nodded and they slowly started walking again cautious of every little noise in the forest.
“Did you hear that?” Kyler whispered.
Arion pointed in the direction a rustling sound came from and Kyler nodded his confirmation. He signaled Arion of follow him as they crept towards a clearing.
“Stay low,” Arion mouthed to Kyler just before he tripped over a log and went skidding into the clearing on his stomach. Frantic, he looked up and all around seeing only Garron and Jeffrid. “We’re good,” he told Kyler in a normal voice. “Are you two okay?” he asked the others, as he rose and dusted off his clothes.
“Look,” Jeffrid said, pointing with shaky hands.
Arion’s heart began to pound in his chest as he slowly walked over to see what he was pointing at. There was a bloody mess everywhere and a large unicorn laid in the midst of it all. He fell to his knees before the once magical creature now mutilated before him.
“Where’s his horn?” Kyler asked. “I think I’m going to be sick.” He ran to the edge of the clearing to vomit.
