Put the Knights of Alcea on my back, fairy, and be quick about it. We do not have much time.
Twerp and Thrip moved immediately. They levitated Wylan and Sheri onto Sinora’s back and then looked up at the roof of the tent.
“How am I to get Wesik out of here?” asked Twerp.
I will cut a hole in the roof, promised Sinora. Start levitating now.
The fairies darted to Wesik and hovered over him. They raised the large unicorn off the floor and winced as Wesik screamed in pain.
Listen not to his cries, Sinora said as she bared her horn and sprouted wings. Just carry him away from here.
Sinora leaped into the air, and her horn sliced open the roof of the tent. Soldiers shouted and pointed at her, but she refused to fly away until Wesik was safe. She hovered over the tent as Twerp and Thrip slowly raised Wesik through the roof. Federation soldiers tore their attention away from the stampeding horses and aimed their bows skyward. Sinora dipped down and slid under Wesik, protecting him from the archers below.
Hurry, fairy. This is going to be painful.
Twerp swallowed hard as he looked down. If they lost their grip on Wesik, the large unicorn would smash into Sinora and the Knights of Alcea, dooming them all to death. He grunted with exertion as he tried to rise faster. He heard the snap of bowstrings and saw arrows streaking skyward, but he didn’t see any of the arrows hit anything. A few moments later, the dark sky had swallowed up the escapees, and Twerp set his mind to thinking about where he should take the wounded unicorn. If he set down too close to the camp, they might send searchers out and find them. If he took everyone back to Caldar, the Federation soldiers might also look there. In the end, it came down to exhaustion.
“I cannot continue,” groaned Thrip. “I have not rested all day. My energy is spent.”
Twerp nodded to the other fairy, and Thrip settled onto Wesik’s body. Twerp felt the sudden strain of carrying the large unicorn alone, and he let the weight slowly drag him lower. As he passed below Sinora, he grimaced. Three arrows stuck out of Sinora’s belly, and blood dripped freely down two of the shafts. The unicorn continued flying level, seemingly unaware that Twerp was landing.
“Sinora!” shouted Twerp. “We need to set down now. Follow me.”
Sinora didn’t answer, but she altered her course and started angling downward. Moments later, Twerp gently set Wesik on the ground in a clearing far from the road. Sinora landed a moment later, but her legs would not hold her upright. She toppled to the ground, spilling the bodies of the Knights of Alcea.
You have done well, little unicorn. Rest while Sinora goes for a healer.
“Sinora is not going anywhere,” Twerp said hesitantly. “She took three arrows escaping. I will go for help.”
The fairy didn’t wait for a response. He leaped into the air, but he was weak with exhaustion. Knowing that he could not travel any great distance, he headed for the Rider’s Rest in Caldar. He barely made it.
“Twerp!” greeted the female fairy. “What are you doing back here?”
“You must go to Tagaret,” Twerp said weakly. “Tell them that two Knights of Alcea are dead, and their unicorns are dying. We need the best healers they can send and we need them now.”
“Who is dead?” gasped the blue fairy.
Twerp bit his lip. What if others were in need of healing at the same time? If he told Tagaret that the Knights of Alcea were dead, might the Bringer send the healers where he thought they could do more good? Twerp was not going to allow any more deaths within his group. The unicorns were worth saving as much as anyone else.
“Tell the Bringer that Two Knights of Alcea need a healer immediately to survive,” revised Twerp. “Also tell him that both of their unicorns are also close to death, and they cannot travel. We need help desperately.”
“But I am tasked to keep watch here,” frowned the female fairy.
“Go!” snapped Twerp. “I will wait here in your stead. Hurry, or I will clip your wings.”
“Ogre!” The female fairy glared at Twerp, but she quickly sped off.
Twerp sighed deeply and closed his eyes. In seconds, he was fast asleep.
* * * *
General Omirro woke to the thunderous noise and shaking tent. He bolted to his feet and raced to the flap, throwing it back. The first thing he noticed was the lack of guards outside his tent. His anger rose, but the emotion soon faded to confusion. The thunder grew louder and the quaking more severe. He stepped out of the tent and his eyes were immediately drawn to the approaching stampede.
General Omirro’s command tent stood in the middle of the Coastal Highway. Just to its south stood General Barbone’s smaller tent, and beyond that the tent for the black-cloaks. The mage tent was burning, but what caught the general’s attention was the massive herd of horses bearing down on all three tents. He watched in awe as the stampeding herd split in two, as if the three tents were a large rock island in the middle of a swiftly flowing river. He silently prayed that the rest of the herd followed the leaders’ actions. If they did not, none of the tents would survive, and General Omirro was not yet ready to lose his life.
As he stood frozen and stared in awe, movement above the mage tent caught his eye. He gawked in disbelief as he saw a winged-horse fly upward from the tent with two bodies draped over it. The magnificent beast halted its ascent and hovered over the tent. Within seconds, the prone body of a horse also rose out of the tent, but it did not appear as if the creature was alive. It had no wings and it mysteriously floated upward rather than flew. As General Omirro tried to make sense out of what he was seeing, the winged-horse moved directly under the floating one, and they seemed to rise together. Arrows suddenly streaked skyward, and the general watched several of them imbed into the winged-horse’s underside. Before another volley could be sent skyward, the creatures vanished beyond the glow of the flames and disappeared.
“Did you see that?” General Barbone asked as he appeared before General Omirro. “What do you make of it?”
General Omirro stared up into the darkness for a moment before tearing his eyes away and focusing on the subordinate officer. “I do not know what to make of it, but I will have answers before the sun rises. Are your tent guards on station?”
“No,” answered General Barbone. “I thought they might be here, but I can see that they are not. Have we been infiltrated?”
General Omirro glanced at the tail end of the stampede and shook his head in confusion. He saw Colonel Verle racing towards him, and he turned to face the approaching officer. The colonel halted before the general and saluted.
“Are you safe?” asked the colonel.
“Safe and unguarded,” replied General Omirro. “I have tasks for you. First, post guards at my tent and General Barbone’s. Second, find the missing guards and have them arrested. Third, have the fire at the mages tent extinguished. Fourth, send out men to recover our mounts. Fifth, find out what has happened here tonight and report back to me. This army is not moving until I have satisfactory answers.”
The colonel saluted, but General Omirro had already turned to retreat inside his tent. General Barbone followed.
“Close the flap,” ordered General Omirro. “The dust raised by the horses is enough to gag on.” General Barbone dutifully closed the flap and General Omirro continued. “You were closer to the mage tent than I was, Barbone. What did you make of that winged-horse?”
General Omirro sat down and poured two mugs of cold tea. He placed one on the table and raised the other to his lips. General Barbone also took a seat and grabbed the other mug.