Chapter 1 Intruder #2
Please don’t let him be dead. Panic wrapped around every corner of her mind as she rushed to his side. His back rose and fell beneath her hand with each breath he took. “Thank the skies above.” At least he was alive. She gave his shoulder a small shake. “Clyde.”
He didn’t move. She shook him harder.
Still, he lay motionless.
Her throat bobbed. This couldn’t be happening. He had to be okay. Desperate, she leaned over him and yelled into his ear, “Clyde! Wake up!”
Again, he didn’t move.
Tears welled in her eyes. Her thoughts raced as she scrambled to think of some way to help him. She tried to roll him onto his back, but he was far too heavy. Under her breath, she cursed him for being built like a boulder.
She picked up her skirts and tore through the flowerbed, tiny thorns ripping the delicate fabric of her dress, but she did not care; saving Clyde was the only thought on her mind.
In between panting breaths, she called for help.
The one time in her life she actually wanted there to be a guard or a servant, there were none to be found.
Pain stabbed her ribs, and her legs trembled so violently she feared they’d buckle.
Never having run a day in her privileged life was not serving her well now.
When she reached the steps of the palace, her shoulders sagged with relief upon seeing dark navy uniforms. William, her other personal guard, stood at attention by the door with another shorter guard whom she did not know.
“I need your help!”
William’s forehead wrinkled. “What happened? Where is your escort?”
She could barely breathe as she said, “There was a horned beast . . . of shadows. I don’t know where he went . . .” The words rushed out of her mouth, panic evident in her voice. “Clyde’s hurt. He needs help.”
They exchanged a knowing look, but their feet didn’t move.
They don’t believe me. As if she’d been punched in the gut, air whooshed out of her lungs. Fools. Was it so impossible to imagine that the protective magic surrounding the Kingdom of Grythorn had been breached and a dangerous creature was running around? Apparently, according to these two, it was.
“If what you are saying is true,” the shorter guard drawled, rubbing his beard with his hand, “then Nina’s protective magic has failed, and the palace is in great danger.” He shook his head. “It’s simply not possible.”
Nina, a powerful woman within the king’s court, performed the protection ceremony twice a year, hiding the entire kingdom from anyone with the intention of causing harm.
If enemy forces tried to enter Grythorn, they simply wouldn’t be able to find it; all they would see were vast empty lands.
Nina’s magic was so powerful that even a violent thought against Grythorn would remove its location from the minds, and even maps, of their enemies.
William eyed her up and down, skepticism written all over his face. “What did you do to him?”
Luna’s mouth hung open. “What did I do to him? Look at me.” She raised her pale, thin arm in the air as proof. “What could I possibly do to him?”
The shorter guard sneered, finalizing Luna’s decision to call him Shorty. “Obviously something, so you could roll around in the flowers.” He made a gesture to her torn dress with random petals and leaves clinging to it.
She stared at him incredulously, lips pressing into a thin line as she tried to process the absurdity of what she’d heard.
Her eyes swept over him, from his too-confident smirk to the way his hand casually rested on his belt as if he’d solved some grand mystery. This is who’s supposed to protect the palace?
She plucked a stray petal from her dress, flicking it to the ground before her gaze shifted to William, brows arching as if to silently ask: Are you seriously going along with this?
William sighed and turned to Shorty. “I wouldn’t put it past Clyde to have tripped and knocked himself out.
It’s obvious Luna took advantage of his clumsiness and did something she is otherwise not allowed to do.
We may as well go find him. I, for one, would like to see what kind of trouble he’s gotten himself into by leaving Luna here unattended. ”
Shorty pressed his fingers to his temples. “It’s the only option that makes sense.”
Frustration flowed through Luna like her blood was made of it. “He didn’t trip,” she said between clenched teeth. “Haven’t you been listening to me?”
Shorty replied in the same condescending tone one would use to lecture a child, “I understand you are probably worried you are going to get in trouble for whatever rule you broke while Clyde was out, but we don’t want to cause mass panic throughout the kingdom by telling everyone there was an intruder here when there wasn’t.
Let William escort you back to your house and I will go take care of Clyde. ”
She almost wished the shadow unicorn would show up just to prove how very wrong they were. Almost.
“I’m going with you,” she said firmly. Being stuck at home worrying if Clyde was okay or not sounded like torture.
William shrugged. “As you wish, m’lady, I see no reason why not.” He then shouted for servants, who emerged from the palace, each with an umbrella in hand.
She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. She’d been gone for longer than intended. What if the unicorn had returned to finish him off? They needed to hurry.
Servants hovered over her, shading her, until they reached the naturally shaded garden. Time seemed to rush by and stand still simultaneously. A numbness engulfed Luna, and she was hardly conscious, her body going through the motions all on its own.
Clyde was in the same position she had left him in. After several attempts to wake him, William and Shorty agreed that he needed to be carried to the infirmary. How they made their way out of the gardens was a haze Luna barely registered.
Before she knew it, Clyde was placed on a bed and a healer named Tyrina was assessing him.
Wrinkles lined her middle-aged face, and her dark brown hair was braided and pinned into a bun at the back of her head.
She wasn’t from these parts, but years of tireless dedication and unmatched skill had earned her the position as the palace’s royal healer.
After a while of tsking and muttering under her breath, Tyrina finally turned to Luna and the guards. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen unicorn magic. He’s lucky he was only knocked unconscious.”
“Unicorn?” Shorty asked with a tremble in his voice. “You’re sure?”
Unicorns were feared throughout the entire realm of Ghelvina, renowned for their soullessness.
They rampaged through villages, either killing everyone in their wake or, worse, kidnapping them.
In the last couple of decades, the attacks have become worse with increased frequency.
Meeting one was as good as a death sentence.
Nina was the rare exception to the norm, who used her magic to protect humans.
“Of course, I’m sure.” Tyrina’s voice dripped with disdain, clearly irritated that he dared to question her. She let out a huff before refocusing her attention on Clyde.
The guards exchanged a panicked look before Shorty dashed out of the infirmary, likely to sound the alarms and begin a search for the shadow unicorn.
Tyrina shuffled to the back of the room and pulled out a jar filled with a dried herb.
“We can awaken him with unicornbane dust. It’s been years since I last used this herb to treat someone, but I’m a bit of a hoarder and always keep some on hand.
” She plucked off several leaves, crushed them into a fine white powder and added it to a cup of cold water.
The healer then placed an empty bucket on the floor beside the bed and began sprinkling the herb mixture over Clyde’s face and body.
Luna was going to ask what the bucket was for when the smell of burnt hair and wet dog suddenly hit her.
Luna pinched her nose closed to keep her lunch down and watched as Clyde’s chest continued to rise and fall slowly. The seconds ticked on. She brushed her fingers through her hair before dropping her hand, clenching and unclenching her fist.
How she wished she could hold his hands, at the very least stroke his head.
A small smile rose to her lips. His hair was as stubborn as he was; short, a shade of dark blond, with a slight curl to it that no amount of brushing could tame.
Sadly, with William and Tyrina here, she couldn’t do anything but stare at him and wait.
Alarms blared through the room a few minutes later, bringing Luna out of her thoughts.
They would ring throughout the entire kingdom, echoing for miles from one tower to another, warning everyone to seek safety.
Luna could only hope that the unicorn hadn’t hurt anyone else with how long it took to sound the bells.
If only the guards had listened to her earlier, everyone else would have been ushered to safety sooner.
Time dragged like the passing of days, and a few seconds turned into twenty agonizing minutes, but Clyde began to stir.
Slowly, and with great difficulty, he pulled himself upright, only to immediately vomit into the bucket the healer had placed by the bed.
When all the contents of his stomach were emptied, he rolled onto his back and groaned.
Luna suppressed the urge to comfort him. “Are you feeling alright?”
He dipped his chin but then bolted upright, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. His large hands gripped her arms, pinning them to her body. “Who cares how I’m doing?” he blurted out, his eyes draping over her body. “The more important question is, are you alright?”
Even though she hid her smile, she couldn’t help the rush of blood to her cheeks. “I’m fine.” How sweet that his first thought back to consciousness was concern for her.