“Visitors on the way,” Ariadne said.
With a patter of tiny hooves, two more unicorns came cantering in from the downhill direction, past the two mares. They wheeled around between the trees for a moment and then came to a stop in a clearing by the roadway, puffing.
Shetland unicorns? They were white and they had short horns that looked as sharp as needles, but they were tiny, child size. Yet these could not be the younger versions, for there was an undoubted foal to compare. They must be another species, then, the dwarf unicorn. Very rare.
“Compact models?” someone muttered farther along the tree, but Jerry had gone back to pick up a thought— child size.
He waited to see if anyone else had seen the connection, but when no one spoke he said, “Ariadne, Graham? We do have a couple of virgins with us.”
“No!” they snapped simultaneously. But Gillis studied the two newcomers carefully— they were twitching their tails and studying him in turn from a safe distance— and then looked at Jerry.
“Say what you’re thinking,” he said.
“I think it’s a rescue,” Jerry said. “It may be a trap, but unicorns do have a good reputation. And I think we have to try it.”
“No!
” Ariadne repeated.
Jerry waited, but no one else would speak. “It seems pretty evident that they can’t go to Mera,” he said. “I don’t know why, but there must be some rule— even faerie has its rules. Perhaps this is a way to get them out, and then— perhaps— there will be an attempt to get us out. Heck, it’s worth a try!” Stubborn silence. He tried again. “Perhaps we have a long way to go, and this is transportation for us? That stallion doesn’t look as though he would let himself be ridden across a street for all the oats in Texas, but there are five mares and five of us adults… and two of the little ones.”
“Little pony for me!” Alan said, starting forward. Maisie grabbed him, and he exploded into screams, kicking and punching.
“Stop that!” Gillis barked and took him from Maisie. Alan’s bellows became incandescent, and he turned purple, thrashing madly. “Cut that out!” his father roared. “Oh! Little bastard!” His hand was streaming blood; Alan had bitten his thumb. Then he had squirmed from his father’s weakened grip and was running towards the unicorns.
Ariadne and Maisie went after him, and the stallion roared his warning, dropped his horn, and started to move.
“Ariadne!” Jerry yelled. He rose also, and the huge white bulk rolled forward menacingly. “Come back! The stallion!” Maisie and Ariadne stopped, looked at the obvious menace, then at Alan, and reluctantly retraced their steps. The stallion stopped and tossed his head angrily.
Alan reached the miniature unicorns and threw his arms around the smaller. The other nuzzled him, and he screamed with laughter, enthusiastically thumping the smaller on the ribs, probably to indicate affection. The unicorn was putting up with it, although its ears were flickering. He tried to mount and could not. The stallion whinnied, and the little beast reluctantly knelt down— head first like a cow, not as a horse would— and Alan scrambled onto its back.
Then the unicorn rose gently and started to pace around, while Alan kicked its ribs wildly and giggled with joy. The adults watched in astonishment.
“He’s a born horseman,” Gillis said proudly, sucking his thumb. The stallion whinnied again, impatiently.
“Now Lacey?” Gillis asked.
“No!” Ariadne said, clutching at Jerry’s arm. “May I?” Lacey whispered.
“Be very careful,” her father said. “If they point their horns at you, come back. They’re not just ponies and they may not like you going close. Go slowly.” So it was slowly Lacey rose and slowly she stepped forward. All the unicorns watched her cautiously, but made no threatening move. Jerry kept his eyes mostly on the stallion, who was obviously in charge of this operation, and the stallion seemed to be more interested in watching the adults, which was a good sign. Then he heard a sigh of relief from his companions and turned his head, to see that Lacey had reached the two Shetland unicorns and had an arm over the larger’s neck and was being in turn sniffed and nuzzled. Love at first sight. Virginity— try it some time!
Having established friendship, Lacey expertly leaned over, swung one leg up and jumped with the other, and was on the creature’s back, squeaking with joy and excitement. The stallion kept his head up, merely uttering a brief snort, either approval or sympathy for a unicorn being so degraded. Lacey kicked her heels gently and was treated to a small circular journey. Yet it seemed to Jerry that the animal was making the decisions, not Lacey.” This is incredible!” Ariadne said, but she had released Jerry’s arm and seemed to be relaxing.
“Let me see if the mares will accept us,” Jerry suggested. He took two steps, and the stallion dropped his horn again.
Alan and Lacey were still being shown how to ride unicorns. The two animals were performing a dance, trotting lightly around in a complicated circle and figure eight routine, their tiny hooves flashing like diamonds. Alan was red-faced with excitement, Lacey more nervous, beginning to cast longing looks towards her father and Maisie. The children were clearly passengers now, not riders, and the ponies were training them.
“Totally incredible,” Ariadne said. “Compared to this, even last night was plausible.” Trumpets again— the stallion issued a long and imperious whinny and flashed into motion, flowing off through the trees toward the foal and mare, his speed incredible and the ground trembling with the beat of his hooves. The mare spun around to move before he reached her, the foal cavorting after in a flurry of legs. Jerry turned his head to see the mares behind him starting a canter.
“No!” Ariadne and Graham shouted together. The unicorns were all moving now, even the two miniatures, with Alan and Lacey uttering loud screams and clinging fiercely to the manes. The herd left the roadway and thundered away through the trees, led by the stallion, with the two pony unicorns at the rear and the five adult humans in very cold pursuit, Maisie shouting vainly for Alan and Lacey to come back.
Jerry was fastest and led the pack, but the unicorns were traveling at many times his speed, and even so it was probably the ponies who were setting the pace. He knew that it was a ridiculous chase, but he had to try, panting along after the sound of hooves as the white shapes became indistinct in the wood, leaping and bounding over tussocks and fallen branches. Then the hoofbeats became fewer and stopped altogether. He reached the edge of the trees and a long grassy slope falling away before him to an edge that could be a steepening hillside or even the top of a cliff— and saw the whole herd in flight. They had not followed the land as it dropped; they had spread enormous white feathered wings and gone straight forward, out into the sky.
Beyond the edge lay distant blue sea, and high above it, gradually gaining height with the great stallion in the lead, outward and upward went the string of white winged horses, closely followed by the two winged ponies. And Lacey. And Alan.
Eleven
And then there were five…
And then there was also a stupendous row. Ariadne blamed Graham, Graham blamed Jerry, Maisie blamed all of them. Carlo sat down on the grass and waited, thin brown arms on knees, until they settled it all. Jerry said almost nothing. He just stood there, his unshaven face weary and drawn, arms folded under his cape. Finally it began to penetrate to Ariadne that rage would accomplish nothing. She had been up and down too often— weeks of planning and scheming and then the escape with the children, and lately too many hours of hopes being raised and hopes being dashed— good brainwashing technique. She didn’t think she could take any more. So she fell silent, choked back a temptation to burst into tears, and waited until Graham and Maisie came to their senses also.