The Unicorn Quest Read online

  The Unicorn Quest

  J. A. Culican

  J. A. Armitage

  Copyright © 2019 by J.A. Culican and J.A. Armitage

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Ebook cover by Covers by Juan

  Typography by Enchanted Quill Press

  Wrap by Enchanted Quill Press

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  About J.A. Culican

  Also by J.A. Culican

  About J.A. Armitage

  Also by J.A. Armitage

  Chapter 1

  The bright light penetrated my senses, making my heart pound. Balix’s stare burned my retinas and seared into my brain. I was on the verge of death, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. The Fae Lord had complete power over me. My body began to shake with the exertion of just breathing, and I felt my forehead dampen with sweat.

  “Freya!”

  “Huh?”

  The image fell away, and River looked at me, the bright tendrils of light of the early morning sun haloing his concerned face. Behind him, Blu and Ivy fluttered around, both pulling faces, mimicking my zoned out state. For some reason, they’d decided to come back to Anchor with us instead of going to their home, and nothing we did would convince them to leave.

  “Are you ok?” River’s pale brown eyes were filled with concern. “You looked lost for a moment.”

  I looked lost because I was lost. We’d fought Balix just over a month ago, but his face was imprinted in my mind and kept popping up when I least expected it. This time, it had been the light of the sun that had set off the panic attack; yesterday, it had been something else. Some other mundane thing that shouldn’t have triggered anything. I’d managed to keep my panic attacks from my ma, but there was no way I’d be able to keep it from River. He was just too perceptive.

  I nodded my head, but he pulled me into his arms, wrapping me tightly in a cocoon. Almost immediately, my shaking stopped, and my heart fell back into a normal rhythm.

  “He’s gone,” River soothed, guessing my problem. He ran his hand through my hair, stroking my head. “He’s dead. He can’t hurt you.”

  I choked back a sob and tried to wrestle my breathing back under control. River was right. It wasn’t his words that brought me back to reality, but the warmth of him wrapped around me. I’d come from the worst time of my life with battle scars, both emotional and literal, but I’d also come out of it with something I never expected and hadn’t even realized I wanted until I had it. River.

  Somewhere along the line, we’d become more than friends. We were far away from werewolves, and monsters, and the only excitement I had to worry about now was the touch of River’s hand as he held mine, and the way my heart jumped every time he glanced my way. It was excitement of the good kind.

  Blu landed on River’s shoulder with Ivy landing next to her. They mimed a hug, then both stuck their fingers in their mouth to mimic puking.

  I’d have swatted them away if my arms weren’t pinned to my side. “I’m fine,” I said eventually. “Come on, let’s keep walking.”

  River took my hand, and we continued our walk through the town of Anchor. A shopkeeper I barely knew gave us a cheery wave as we passed. Our newfound fame didn’t sit well with me, but River took to it like a duck to water. He waved back to the shopkeeper with a grin on his face.

  River had taken the coins he’d earned in our last adventure and bought himself some swanky new clothes. I knew it made him feel better about himself, but personally, I didn’t care. I was proud to be seen with him whatever he was wearing. As for me, I was more than a little excited about finally having someone to show off, and the fact he was easily the hottest guy in Anchor didn’t hurt either. His reputation, once tarnished by his father, had been given a major turnaround, probably more so than his attire had given him. Ever since he had brought me back alive, most people had softened to him, in spite of his huckster father’s reputation.

  River turned back from the shopkeeper to watch where he was going. “It’s weird to see people look at me without wrinkling their noses. I’m not sure I like how nice they’re being. I have to talk to people now. They used to leave me to myself.”

  I had a feeling our newfound fame had more to do with the two little pixies that fluttered around us everywhere we went, but I kept the thought to myself. Pixies were somewhat of a novelty in Anchor.

  “Where to now?” River asked his pale brown eyes swiveling in my direction with just a hint of mischief. The same hint of mischief that had attracted me to him in the first place.

  I shrugged my shoulders. As long as he was with me, I didn’t really care.

  “Bakery, it is then,” he said, answering for me. “I could go for an Anchorian Pastry right about now.”

  He’d already made me an amazing breakfast at my own home, and that was on top of his mother’s egg muffins he’d brought around. With the way this relationship was going, I was going to have to go on a diet.

  “Just one.” I grinned back up at him. Blu and Ivy cheered. The bakery had fast become their favorite place in Anchor.

  I thought back to everything we’d been through and all the times we’d had to survive on little to no food. A few weeks back, I would have ripped my right arm off for an Anchorian pastry.

  “My Grandfather went for a run this morning,” I said as we set off toward the bakery.

  River turned to me, walking into a wooden sign hanging outside the bakery in the process.

  Lifting his hand to his head, he felt for a bruise. Pulling him toward me, I kissed the spot where his skin was beginning to darken. A thrill ran through me as my lips touched his skin.

  “All better now?”

  “I’d bang my head more often if I knew I’d get that in return,” he quipped. I tugged on his arm with a grin on my face and pulled him into the bakery.

  “Cassie was as good as her word then?” River continued as we joined the line for pastries. The bakery was the best around, and it’s quaint atmosphere combined with the small cafe and delicious scents, made it most popular.

  “She’s changed almost as much as he has. Remember what she looked like when we first saw her? How frail? A month of living with my ma’s cooking, and she’s as strong as an ox.”

  “I don't know how she healed him, but I'm glad she could, Freya. They make a cute couple, or at least, they would if they stopped pussyfooting around each other. Why can’t they both admit they want to be more than friends? Your grandfather never takes his eyes off the woman. How hard can it be to tell her how he feels? Not that she’s much better.”

  “I never knew Grandfa could be such a sly old dog,” I replied with a grin.

  River gripped my hand and shone his smile my way again. We shuffled forwar
d as people got their goodies and left. The closer we got to the counter, the more everything smelled so tempting. Blu and Ivy whizzed round our heads, eager for the line to move faster so they could get their tiny hands on a red velvet cupcake.

  “Mother is pretty happy that people visit me again,” River said, bobbing his head to the side to get a good look at what was on offer at the front of the line. “Some of my old friends, who haven't been by since my father left town, are helping me spruce up our house. She's so happy, she has made my special pemmican every day since we got back and hands it out like deer meat is free.”

  Talk of his mother made my heart sink. We’d been back a month, and I was yet to meet her. There was always an excuse why I couldn’t. Although, it sounded like plenty of other people were spending time with her. Why not me?

  “You should bring some of that by my house. I want Grandfa to try your mom's pemmican... and meet your mom.”

  River tensed, his stiffened muscles rising as he turned his attention back to me. “No way. Opal and Jet will devour it before anyone else gets a piece. Especially Jet. How he stays fit with as much as he eats, I’ll never know.”

  Another lame excuse. I sighed, trying not to let it bother me as much as it did.

  “Speaking of those two, they seem to be getting better at staying human for longer periods of time,” I said, changing the subject.

  River shrugged. “Practice, I guess.”

  He grabbed my waist and pulled me close to him, making me snort with laughter and eliciting a rude stare from the man in the line in front of us.

  I shot him a look that I hoped said I was sorry. He tutted loudly, then turned back.

  “You’re going to get us thrown out,” I whispered. “And then neither of us will get a pastry. Let’s keep to the discussion. We were talking about Jet and Opal.”

  River rolled his eyes, but I saw the humor in them. We’d talked about our unicorn friends a lot in the past few weeks.

  “It sure has been handy having a couple of extra pairs of hands to help with house repairs.”

  "They've been to your house?" I asked, cutting him off. "How come they have been to your house, but I haven't?"

  Beneath my hand, I felt him flinch.

  “My mother’s not feeling well, right now. Maybe some other time, okay? I want you to meet her. For now, let's just enjoy our morning, ok?”

  I felt his lie coming between us. He’d not mentioned his mother being sick. Only this morning, he’d shown up at my house with some egg muffins for breakfast that she’d baked. How sick could she be if she was baking?

  “Fine.” But it wasn’t fine. I knew it was childish, but it irked me that Jet and Opal had met her. Deep down, I wondered if River was ashamed of me.

  After a pastry each for River and I, and a red velvet cupcake for Blu and Ivy to share, we headed home. My home.

  I opened my front door, only to be blasted by the sound of my mother yelling.

  "Please, Father, don't go. You only just came back to us, and now you want to leave again?"

  It took a moment for me to realize what my ma meant. My grandfather hadn’t physically left us before, but his mind had been gone, lost to a stroke, and only brought back when we brought the fae, Cassiopeia, to the house. Now, he meant to leave, literally? An ember lit in my belly. How much had we gone through, only to save him, and his first reaction was to take off?

  I charged inside to find my ma trying to peel the coat off of my grandfa while Cassie looked on. Blu and Ivy flew upstairs to my bedroom where they’d made themselves a nest by ripping open a cushion. They often slept there when River was around; otherwise, they slept at River’s house.

  "What in faefire is going on here? Mom, stop, he's a grown man. Grandfather, Mom is right, you should sit back down. You haven't fully recovered; it's only been a month."

  All heads turned to face me, and though everyone else’s quickly looked back to my grandfa once they recognized the new voice’s source, his gaze locked onto mine and then stayed there.

  “Freya, I'm glad you're here. Your mother’s version lacks a few key details you’ll appreciate.”

  “Such as?”

  “Cassie sensed something.”

  I frowned and looked to Cassie. "What's so important that Grandfa needs to leave? He’s not yet fully recovered."

  He snorted. “Oh, nonsense. I feel better than I have in half a decade. I’m alive again, thanks to you and Cassie here. Don’t you think I deserve to enjoy it?”

  Cassie interposed herself between my Grandfather and Ma. She calmly took the coat from my mother’s hands and helped my grandfather get into it. He didn’t need help with such a simple task. Not anymore, but I could see how happy he was to have it.

  “I don't know what it is yet,” Cassie said, looking my way, “But it's bad, whatever it is. All I know for sure is that it involves Diamond. She is in danger... again. You might want to come too. The unicorn village isn’t far. A couple of hours walk, at most.”

  My ma brought her fists to her hips and hissed. “You most certainly are not going, young lady. I just got you back, too. You have no idea what I went through, the last time you wandered off with these people. “She waved her arm vaguely in Cassie’s direction. “I’m not losing you both again and at the same time.” She practically spit out the last words like something bitter. It wasn’t like her at all. She was usually such a calm soul, but since I’d almost been killed by Balix, she’d taken on a hard edge. Not that I could blame her. My grandfa and I were all she had. I moved to her and gave her a hug.

  “Mom,” I whispered in her ear. “Grandfa is going. I can either let him go alone, or I can go with him to make sure he's okay and nothing happens to him.”

  “I can’t lose you, Freya.” Her body trembled as she spoke. I couldn’t see her face, but I imagined tears running down it.

  “We'll be with Cassie. Nothing can hurt us with her around. I’ve been to the unicorn village before, remember.”

  “When you were really young.” My ma pulled back and confirmed I was right about the tears. She pulled a handkerchief from her breast pocket and dabbed at her eyes. “And if you remember, I didn’t know that’s where you were going.” She shot a look toward Grandfa. A lot had come to light about him recently. Cassie hadn’t been the only shock. We’d recently found out that he’d been a protector of a unicorn compound at the other side of the hill, north of Anchor. He’d taken me to visit as a small child. I barely remembered it, and if I was going to be honest, I was looking forward to seeing it again.

  Ma bit her lip.

  “I'll be back sometime after supper, no longer. I swear it.”

  “There are houses there,” Cassie interjected. “We were thinking of staying for a couple of days.”

  I sucked in a deep breath and offered my mother an apologetic look. “Ok, we’ll be back in a couple of days.”

  My mother rolled her eyes, but I knew she’d relented. “Just stay safe. No fighting any Fae.”

  “I don’t think there are any faeries in Anchor beside Cassie, Ma,” I said, kissing her cheek. “And I don’t expect her to attack.”

  My Grandfa grumbled, just loud enough to be heard, “I don't need looking after.” Louder, he said, “If you're coming, Freya, get your coat, and let's go.”

  He headed toward the door.

  “I have to pack some clothes.”

  Cassie walked by. “Everything you need will already be there. We need to set off before the evening draws in.”

  “I guess we are going then.” I gave my ma one last hug and followed Cassie out of the house. My grandfa held the garden gate open for us.

  “Are you coming?” I asked River.

  “To a mythical unicorn village surrounded by magic? Try stopping me!”

  From the open window of my bedroom, the two pixies followed. Wherever there was a hint of adventure, Blu and Ivy just had to be there.

  Chapter 2

  I walked beside River as we followed Cassie and Seth ove
r the hills behind my home. Just watching my grandfather chatting so animatedly brought a smile to my face. Seeing him walking and talking was more than I could ever have hoped for, and yet, here he was, strolling up the hills, not a care in the world.

  Blu and Ivy fluttered in front of my face and waved their tiny hands in front of my eyes, bringing me back to what River was saying.

  "Oh, come on. It was funnier than that."

  “What?” I blinked twice as I looked up into his eyes. “Oh, sorry. I was distracted. It's just good to see Grandfa doing so well. And Cassie doesn't seem to mind all the attention he's been giving her.”

  My Grandfather was acting like a lovesick puppy. On the one hand, it was wonderful to see him so happy, but on the other hand, I couldn’t quite suppress that small pang of jealousy that squeezed at my heart. I’d helped my ma look after my grandfa for years when he wasn’t able to do much more than stare out of the window. I’d spoon-fed him his meals, helped dress him, and read him stories. I’d done it for years, and to top it all off, I was the one who had gone on a life-threatening adventure to save him. But since he’d woken up, we’d barely spoken to each other. He was so caught up in Cassie that there wasn’t much room for me anymore.

  River nudged my arm. "Poignant, I imagine, watching those two."

  I sighed. He was right, of course. He always seemed to know what I was feeling or thinking, which was occasionally a mixed blessing.

  "I feel bad that part of me wants him to spend more time with me instead of her. I should just be happy for him, right?"

  “You can’t fight love,” River said, pulling me into his arms and landing a light kiss on my nose. My heart began the now-familiar flip as I leaned into his embrace.