Total pages in book: 208
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
They shifted closer, closer, Cass’s body getting more and more taut, his arms around Elena, holding her tight to him, but ready to toss her away if need be.
And then he saw Elena’s arm drift out.
“Ellie,” he clipped.
“It’s all right. I promise.”
She held her hand low, palm up.
The front unicorn got closer, dropping his head lower, and Cassius got stiffer.
And then he gripped her tight as the unicorn bent even lower.
Only to snuffle her hand.
“That’s it, boy. Get a good sniff in. Hullo,” she cooed.
The unicorn jerked his head back.
Cass braced to lift her into his arms and run.
Then he realized he’d lost track of the other one and therefore started when he felt a delicate snort in his neck on the other side.
His head whipped around, and the other unicorn took a step back.
“She’s flirting with you,” Ellie said happily. “Put your hand out. Let her get used to you.”
Gods, the mare was beautiful.
That thick white mane. Her intelligent black eyes. The dove gray fur that shadowed her nose.
He did as Elena had and reached out, slowly, his hand low, palm up.
The mare bent to it, sniffled, then drew her lips back and nipped.
The stallion butted her with his head, almost like he was jealous.
“Definitely flirting,” Ellie decreed.
The mare butted back, then nuzzled under the stallion’s neck.
He whinnied softly.
“By the gods,” Cassius murmured.
“Hand me my tunic, Cass, but I don’t think they’re used to us yet, so continue to move slow.”
He saw her tunic in the grass, and moving carefully, he reached to it.
He gave it to Elena and then found his trousers.
By the time he had them up and fastened, Ellie was on her feet, close to the stallion, holding his stately neck in her arms and stroking him.
The mare whinnied and stepped to him and Cass mimicked Elena, cautiously moving close then stroking her neck as she leaned into his touch.
It was then he noticed her horn, and he must have exuded his emotion, for she reared a bit, the stallion’s head came around and he brayed his warning at Cassius.
Cass forced himself to relax, but did it stating, “Her horn has been shorn.”
“No, sweetheart. The mare has a shorter one than the stallion. As it seems is nature’s wont,” she joked.
The stallion left Ellie, butted the mare from Cass, but they didn’t go far, perhaps a few feet, before they both bent and started tugging at the grass with their teeth.
They finished dressing, and when they were clothed, Elena pulled him down to their arses on the blanket, falling into him and resting her head on his shoulder after they were seated.
Cass dislodged her to reach for the free blanket and wrap it around them, the chill pervading now that their activities no longer produced heat.
Once they were in their cocoon, Elena replaced her head to his shoulder, but this time also reached out to take control of his hand. When she had it, she fiddled with is fingers absently as she watched the creatures.
She had never done this, for they had never done this, sat together with nothing to do but just…
Be together.
And Cass realized he felt more at peace than he had in longer than he could remember.
Elena broke their quiet, but she did it in a tone that sustained the serenity.
“Earlier, you granted me a gift that was terrible, but beautiful, for the trust behind the giving of it is most dear to me. And now, I’ll return that.”
Cassius said nothing.
Elena linked her fingers with his, and her gaze on the unicorns, she spoke again.
“It was centuries ago that the realms agreed that the taking of a unicorn horn was forbidden. Sadly, it was not the maiming of these magnificent creatures, and the terrible pain it caused them to have it removed, that was behind this accord. It was that the magic that could be extracted from a horn was thought too much for any witch or sorcerer of any given realm to possess.”
When she paused for a lengthy time, Cassius murmured, “I learned this from my tutors, lamb.”
“Did you learn why most of the charmed folk left Airen?”
“No,” he muttered.
“Can you guess?” she asked gently.
“Yes,” he sighed.
“There is a reason naught but the trolls and yeti, griffin and gogmagoggs reside in Airen while Wodell and The Enchantments are rife with pixies, sprites, gnomes, fairies, and as for The Enchantments, unicorns.”
Cassius stared at the animals, wondering what would possess someone to mutilate that beauty.
His attention was taken when Elena’s fingers tightened around his.
“My many-times great grandmother learned to speak with a goodly number of creatures. And this she did with the unicorns. When it came close to the time the sisters would take action against their masters, she made a pact with them. The unicorns would forever be safe in her land of female warriors. And in return, they would give us that land.”