The Glass Unicorn, Part 11 (Quest Wars)
Chapter 61 An Important Decision
The smells of home may be different for everyone, but all loving homes seem similar in that safe, protected feel. I could feel it the moment I stepped through Magdala’s front door. I relaxed, and even though I tried to stay on constant alert, I felt my shoulders slide and my breath ease up.
The aroma of all sorts of good things mingled to create a hodgepodge: fresh bread and roasting meat, cinnamon and sugar, apples and some sort of berry, and the scent of evergreen boughs—freshly cut.
As we entered the living room, garlands covered the mantle, and there was a crackle of excitement.
We were nearing the winter solstice, though in Abarria they celebrated a holiday called the Ice Festival.
It was like the solstice—celebrating the return of the sun—but it also celebrated Yoshitar, an Ice Goddess of Abarrian mythology.
She was a goddess of sparkling beauty, of absolute neutrality, who commanded that minor grievances be settled on the day of High Winter, so the new year didn’t start off with bad vibes.
The living room was decked out in garlands and charms, pomanders and trays of nuts and pastries. Packages wrapped in cloth sat to one side—mostly small, but beribboned and pretty. A piano sat to one side with a candelabra on it.
“Do you play?” I asked Alina.
She nodded. “Mother taught me how. Mavis can also play.”
“I’d love to hear if you don’t mind,” I said, wanting something to feel like home.
“Maybe after dinner,” Alina said, but Mavis ran over, smiled at me, then took my hand and pulled me toward the piano. I carefully settled on the footstool near the instrument, waiting.
She took her place at the piano and began to play.
The music that spread through the room sounded vaguely familiar—a mystical journey in sound that was so rhythmic that it immediately pulled me in.
I closed my eyes and found myself drifting, images of the snowcapped mountains passing by like pictures from an old slideshow.
Within minutes, as she drew the song to a close, I opened my eyes again, feeling as if I’d been walked into another world.
But foremost in my mind was Otsiano’s face, and the image of the Glass Unicorn.
I felt pulled to contact them, to summon them somehow.
The urge was so strong I almost said it aloud right there, but then I hesitated.
Magdala and her crew seemed nice enough, but we really didn’t know them.
And we didn’t know if they knew about Otsiano and—if so—how they felt about him.
“That was beautiful,” was all I said.
Mavis beamed, her eyes sparkling. She was magical—I could see it inside her, hiding.
“Isn’t she a wonder?” Magdala said, giving the girl a hug. “Run on and set the table, please.”
Mavis crossed through a doorway into another room.
“Poor thing, but she’s a keeper,” Magdala said. “I can tell you felt it.”
I knew immediately what she was talking about. “Do you know what kind of magic she possesses?”
Magdala shook her head. “It’s been with her since Aisling rescued her, but we’ve never figured it out. I think it’s latent, but so far, she hasn’t shown any signs of coming into her power.”
“Well, she’s special, I’ll say that,” Brynn said. “That music took me away.”
“Me too,” I said. “Maybe she’ll end up a bard.”
“She can’t speak, so she can’t sing,” Magdala said. “Perhaps the magic comes out through her music since she can’t verbalize anything. Anyway, Alina will show you to your rooms—we only have one spare, so if the men don’t mind camping in front of the fire, you and Brynn can take the bed.”
“That’s fine with us, if you don’t mind,” Thornhold said. “It’s warm, we won’t be sleeping on snow, so the floor’s a luxury as far as I’m concerned.”
After we got washed up and changed, dinner was ready. We ate a late meal of pot roast, fresh bread, and pie, after which Brynn volunteered to help Mavis clean up.
“She takes over the kitchen when I’m gone,” Magdala said. “And that’s just as well. We’re all too busy making our wares to sell in Tyrnis on the three treks we make every year. We also sell to the occasional traveler who finds their way to our village. So Mavis cooks and cleans.”
Part of me flashed to Cinderella, but one look at Mavis told me she wasn’t overburdened, and it was clear how much a part of the family she had become.
“You say there’s another way through the mountains to the Summer Kingdom?” I said, bringing my thoughts back to our journey.
“There is, yes,” Magdala said. “There are a series of tunnels through the mountains, and one of the entrances is near our village. The lycanthroids keep it secret, so you can’t tell anybody how you found your way into the tunnels.
We’d have too many people trekking through here, and we’re not all that popular among a number of communities. ”
I nodded. “We promise to keep quiet about how we found the tunnels. Can you tell us more about them? Are they dangerous?”
“Yes,” Aisling said. “They are, but so is the pass. Not only will you find the ice giants and the elementals, and the trolls, but one bad storm could kill you. Or an avalanche could send you down the mountainside. Or—”
“Yeah, we get the picture,” Ray said. “What kind of dangers live within the tunnels?”
“Goblins, knockies, ghyders, fire bats, vampires, and other fell creatures. The tunnels are long and dangerous, but at least they’re not going to freeze you to death,” Rupert said.
“We can give you a map, and you’ll reach the other side quicker than going over the rest of the pass.
You may think you’ve come a long way, but I tell you now, the most treacherous parts of the journey still lie in front of you, and you’ll wish you had opted for the tunnels before it ends. ”
I nodded, taking in what he was saying. “Let us talk tonight, and we’ll decide by morning. Will that be acceptable? Don’t think for one minute we don’t appreciate your help, by the way.”
“Sleep on it,” Magdala said. “You’re safe within this house, as to all the protection we can provide you.”
And so, we settled in for the night, with Brynn and me up in the spare room, and the men downstairs in front of the fireplace. For the first time in a while, I slept without having to keep watch and without worry.