Victim of Fate by Jason Halstead Page B

unicorn’s neck as it raced
through the forest. It had been running for ages without pause, a
sign that the forest was greater than he’d thought and that the
unicorn was truly a mystical beast. Even his stallion, Sebas,
couldn't hope to hold out a steady gallop for so long without
showing signs of exhaustion. He'd heard of riders running their
horses so hard their hearts gave out but he couldn't imagine doing
such a thing. Not only that, but the unicorn showed no signs of
faltering.
    Alto had glimpsed shapes in the darkness many
times. Shapes of creatures that meant him harm had it not been for
the protection of the unicorn. His mount was intelligent beyond
anything he'd ever seen in an animal, which excited and scared
him.
    The unicorn leapt over a fallen tree and
passed into a different part of the woods. Alto sat up and gasped,
and then cried out as the unicorn twisted. He felt a moment of
weightless terror and then crashed into the ground and rolled along
a ground padded with fallen leaves. Alto sat up and groaned. He
tested his limbs and found nothing broken, but everything seemed
bruised. A snort and the thud of a stamping hoof made him turn
around.
    The unicorn shook its head, making its mane
fly about. "Yeah, I know," Alto muttered. "Keep my eye on where
you're going."
    The unicorn stamped its foot again, and then
lowered its head and pushed him with its nose.
    Alto climbed to his feet and looked around.
"The forest looks different here. Healthier."
    Alto received another nod and a poke from the
unicorn. He turned his side to Alto and offered his back to
him.
    Alto smirked. "Okay, I get it. We can't stay
here. I have a horse, you know. If Sebas knew I was riding you, he
might get upset."
    The unicorn blew its nose and stamped a foot
again. Alto got the message and climbed onto its back. He realized
he could see it better and lifted his head up. The trees had more
leaves here, but in spite of that the air was lighter. He suspected
dawn was breaking. And that meant he'd spent the night in the
forest. His friends had several hours’ head start on him. Would
they wait or fear the worst and come looking for him?
    "We need to hurry," Alto said. "My friends
will rush back in looking for me if I don't show up." Alto frowned.
When Gerald had disappeared, they hadn't looked for him. They had
no idea where he'd gone to, but they still hadn't looked beyond
guessing. Their guesses had been confirmed; Gerald had fallen prey
to a dragon named Sarya. A dragon that was behind the creatures of
the mountains rising up and seizing Highpeak. The same dragon was
still alive and, for all they knew, scheming up more ways to
disrupt the Kingdom.
    The unicorn was off like a shot from a bow,
making Alto grunt as he clung to the beast’s mane. He lowered
himself to its neck and took better care to watch where the unicorn
ran to keep himself from falling off again.
    The forest grew brighter as they ran. Alto
glimpsed other creatures in the forest, creatures that looked more
like he was accustomed to. He saw a massive brown bear rise up and
watch them race past, and then a bull elk and other animals that
looked like they belonged in a hunter's dream. He saw figures in
the trees that looked like small people, but they ducked behind the
trees and bushes before he could get a good look at them. Other
shapes flitted through the air, moving so fast that he couldn't
identify what sort of birds they were.
    Alto and his magical steed rounded a thorny
pile of brush and came upon a small grove with a pool in it. Four
unicorns stood on the far side of the pool and turned to look at
them. The unicorn Alto rode came to a halt and whinnied what
sounded like a greeting.
    The unicorns stared at him and Alto could
sense the intelligence in their eyes. Three of them turned away
while a fourth dropped his gaze to the beautiful creature beneath
Alto. The unicorns stared at one another until the one near the
pool dragged its foot across the ground and then