Arion fought not to cry. He knew Kyler was watching him closely, but it was such a gruesome and emotional scene that he was struggling to control his emotions. He needed to get the mutilated beast buried and check back in with Zallon.
Arion sighed. Zallon may want to see it for himself first just to make certain he hadn’t missed anything important.
“Kyler, I need you to do something very important. Do you think you’re up for it?” Arion asked.
“Yes, of course,” he readily agreed.
“I need you to return to the Hall of Magic quickly and tell Zallon of what has happened here. He may wish to visit to examine the unicorn himself before I bury him. I’ll stay here and wait for Garron to return with the shovels. We’ll prepare the burial grave and wait until you return with Zallon or approval from him to proceed.”
“You’d trust me with something this important?” Kyler asked.
“Of course. I know you’re up for it.”
Kyler stood a little taller. “You can count on me, Arion. I’ll return as quickly as possible. I won’t let you down.”
Without another word, he turned and ran off.
Arion took the time to himself to look around the crime scene and make mental notes for any clues as to who could have done something so heinous.
When Garron and Jeffrid finally returned they were not alone. Two guards accompanied them. After hearing the story of why they required the shovels, the guards had insisted on coming to see the site for themselves.
The guard that had given Arion grief when he had come by the stables was the first on the scene. He took in the sight and promptly ran to throw up in the woods.
“I’ve never seen anything so gruesome in my entire life,” the other said reverently.
“I sent Kyler to get Zallon just to make sure he didn’t need to check anything I missed. The unicorn’s heart and alicorn are both missing, but he otherwise seems intact. We’re going to start digging the grave as you do your investigation. I still have doses of potion to administer to the other, uh, sick unicorns,” Arion said shifting his eyes towards Jeffrid to let the guards know he was not aware of the dark magic that plagued the unicorns.
The guard nodded solemnly. “We’ll help you dig as soon as we finish our investigation.”
“Thank you,” Arion said. Without another word he took one of the shovels from Garron and walked a short distance away from the crime scene to begin the grueling process of digging a hole big enough to bury a large unicorn.
It wasn’t long before sweat dripped down his forehead stinging his eyes. His muscles burned with each scoop, but he didn’t falter for even a second as the others took turns giving each other breaks.
“I’ll give it a go, Arion. You need to take a break,” Garron said.
He shook his head adamantly and kept shoveling.
The sun had passed its peak of day and Arion shed his shirt to cool his skin in the heat of the day. His stomach growled in protest long after the lunch hour as he continued to dig when Zallon finally arrived.
Arion continued to ignore them all and press on until he heard a gasp and looked up meeting big blue eyes staring at his bare chest.
Zallon picked up the disposed shirt and threw it at Arion distracting him from the feelings that were bubbling up within him. New feelings that he didn’t fully understand.
The King and four more guards accompanied them, he stopped at the hole and observed the situation. “Valaria,” he scolded.
“Yes father?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from Arion and trying to calm her racing heart. She had thought he was cute in a geeky kind of way. Never could she have suspected the rippling muscles glistening with sweat in the sunlight as he worked. How had he hidden that body under the baggy tunic he most often wore?
“I would like for you to please stay back. This isn’t a place for a princess.”
“As you’ve mentioned every few minutes since we left the Hall of Magic,” she said, definitely earning herself a stern look. No one spoke to the King in that way. She bit her lip and tried to reign in her frustrations.
“He’s right,” Arion said as he pulled his tunic over his head transforming back into the gangly looking boy she knew instead of the man-body he was hiding behind it. She wasn’t sure she could ever look at him the same again.
Valaria glared at him, hurt that Arion would side with her father. “I’m old enough to take over as queen of Gavalon, then I’m old enough to deal with this situation,” she said not certain if she was referring to the dead unicorn or the new feelings she had for the man before her.
Arion jumped out of the hole he had dug and took her by the arm. “Come on, let’s go for a walk while they do what they need to.”
The King nodded in thanks to him. Arion didn’t let go of her arm despite her protests until they were safely away from the scene.
Any fleeting feelings she may have imagined having for him were quickly diffused by the way he manhandled her. “Let me go,” she demanded. Much to her surprise, he obeyed. “Why did you do that? You think you’re the only one around here that has something to prove?”
“I wasn’t trying to prove anything, Valaria. That scene is so horrific it makes grown men throw up. I don’t want you dealing with the nightmares that will come from this for everyone in witness.” He knew that included himself. Closing his eyes only seemed to make the image grow stronger. It was something he would never forget.
She sighed sensing his sincerity. “It’s really that bad?”
He sat down on a large rock. “Worse than you can possibly imagine. Someone out there, in this kingdom, killed a unicorn in cold blood. That’s bad enough, but then he sawed off its alicorn and mutilated its body, cutting up its chest and removing its heart. I don’t want you to have to see that, Valaria.”
Her stubborn heart softened, and she hugged him. “I’m sorry you had to see it,” she whispered.
He nodded against her chest, still feeling overly emotional and fighting his desire to take comfort in her arms. No one had ever held him the way she was, and it generated all sorts of new emotions he had never experienced before and didn’t think he was equipped to deal with after the sadness of the day.
Garron cleared his throat as he came into view of Valaria and Arion embracing.
“Hey man. How are you holding up?” Arion asked him in no hurry to break away from Valaria.
To his disappointment she pulled away from him and straightened but stayed close enough for their bodies to touch.
“I’m okay,” Garron said honestly. “I was worried about you. I think everyone is. You’ve been digging for hours.”
Arion fisted his hands allowing the sharp pain to shoot up his arms. He wasn’t about to admit the bloodied broken blisters covering his palms and fingertips. The pain helped to keep him grounded and his emotions in check.
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “We should look around the area for any more fallen unicorns while they investigate. I have a few more vials on me still.”
“Yeah, sure,” Garron said. It was clear he was worried about his friend.
Valaria stood and looked back towards the clearing they had come from.
Arion was unable to stop himself as he reached out and took her hand. She stared down at their conjoined hands before looking up into his eyes. He shook his head, his eyes begging her not to return there.