“You would really trust me with the ancient scrolls?” Arion asked Zallon once they were finally alone.
Zallon smiled affectionately. “Arion, these scrolls will be yours to protect and study soon. I think it’s time you get started.”
He led Arion to the room housed in an old dungeon in the basement. It should have been creepy, but the musty smell of old paper appealed greatly to him. Zallon unlocked a thick iron gate and escorted him into a room Arion had never seen before, only heard of.
The walls were lined with shelves and two large tables sat in the middle of the room. There were openings to three other rooms that Arion could see were lined with bookshelves.
“They are sorted uniquely, and it takes some time to figure it all out, but I will teach over time. Right now, we need to act quickly, so follow me.”
To Arion it felt like they were lost in a series of tunnels before Zallon finally stopped and unlocked a thick wooden door. It was the only room they had seen since entering the room of scrolls that was locked.
A chill ran down Arion’s spine and he halted even as Zallon entered the room.
“What is this place?” he whispered. The uncomfortable feeling it gave him had stopped him in his tracks.
“This room contains everything we know about dark magic,” Zallon said.
“It’s more than that,” Arion insisted.
Zallon paused and turned to look at the boy. He was pale as a ghost and his arms had crossed over his chest in a defensive way.
“Interesting,” Zallon observed.
“What?”
“You appear to have a physical response to this room that I cannot understand.”
“You’re the High Keeper of Magic. How can you not feel the evil darkness within that room?” Arion blurted out.
Zallon sighed. “Yes, I am the High Keeper of Magic. I have studied magic my entire life. I can use it to a certain degree. Anyone with the proper knowledge can. I’m called a mage, or a magic user. I’ve been trained to feel the affects of dark magic like that used against your unicorn, but I am not of magic. Do you understand?”
“Yes of course,” Arion said, hesitantly walking into the room. The lingering unanswered question was gnawing at him. If Zallon can’t feel the evil in the room, why can I?
Chapter 5
Arion pushed down his unease for the sake of his friend and worked tirelessly alongside the Keeper in search of answers, but there were none to be found.
Feeling defeated, he left to go to the stables and visit Callia.
As he walked, he noticed even more unicorns lying in the field. Two more stumbled out of the woods and collapsed to the ground in front of him. He ran to them. The dark magic was strong. Arion could feel it before he reached them.
Checking each creature carefully, he found no outward signs of problems, just like Callia.
“Be still, boys. Zallon will find a cure for this,” he said out loud trying to reassure himself as much as them.
He hated leaving them there, but he couldn’t very well take them with him by himself.
Once at the stables he was surprised to find many people there.
“What’s going on?” he stopped a guard to ask. It was not uncommon to see guards at the King’s stables, but Arion thought it was odd to see so many of them.
“I’m not at liberty to say. You need to leave now. The stables are closed today.”
The head stable master saw Arion and came rushing over.
“Arion, have you any word from Zallon?”
“I’m afraid not, sir. I just came by to check on Callia.”
The guard glared down at him. “Arion? The High Keeper’s apprentice?”
“Yes,” Arion confirmed, not wanting to argue the logistics of how he wasn’t technically an apprentice yet. If it helped him to get passed to see Callia, then he would agree to almost anything.
“Why didn’t you say so? You can head in,” the guard said.
Since he was walking with the stable master, no one else questioned his presence, though he did get many questionable stares.
“How is she, sir?” Arion finally asked.
“No change. She’s refusing to eat, but she is drinking normally. Perhaps you could get her to eat.”
Arion shrugged. “I can try.”
It broke his heart to see his old friend laying there on a bed of hay barely able to lift her head. She moved and tried to stand as he approached.
“Don’t Callia. It’s okay. I’m here,” he told her as he sat beside her.
Arion rubbed Callia down and nuzzled against her. The darkness surrounding her made his skin prickle, but it seemed to help soothe her some, so he stayed close to her.
When the stable master returned to check on him, Arion gave a weak smile. He wanted to cry, but he knew better. Besides it wasn’t going to help Callia any.
“Sir, could I trouble you with a little food?” Arion asked.
“Certainly, Arion. And you may call me Theod. Would you like a bit of ham? I have a little extra from my lunch.”
Arion shook his head. “No sir, uh, Theod. I meant for Callia. I want to try to get her to eat a little before I leave her.
“Oh, of course. I’ll send something over right away.”
“Thank you, Theod.”
The first guard he’d encountered surprised Arion by delivering the food himself. He watched Arion curiously as he took the food and offered it to the unicorn. Callia immediately pulled away.
“Please girl. I need you to eat to buy me some time to find a cure for this. Please, Callia.”
The unicorn sighed and tried to obey. It was quickly observed that the act of eating physically hurt her.
“Can you get Theod?” Arion asked.
The guard nodded and left to fetch the stable master.
When they returned, Arion again got Callia to eat a little food.
“She’s in pain,” Theod commented before sending for a vet.
The veterinarian was able to observe her and then carefully checked her mouth and throat. He sucked in a sharp breath as he did. “Her throat is covered in boils. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Perhaps Zallon can make a potion to combat the boils,” Arion said aloud. “If we can get them to just eat, that will at least buy us time while we search for answers. As it is now, they’ll all die within days.”
“What would come of Gavalon without the unicorns?” the guard asked.
Arion shook his head. “I do not know. I’ve heard their magic helps protect our land, but from what it didn’t say.”
“Go, quickly,” Theod told Arion. “See if Zallon can help.”
The vet nodded. “There’s not much we can do otherwise. Treating her symptoms may give us more time though.”
Arion nodded and nuzzled against Callia’s face. “I’ll be back as quickly as I can, girl. You did great,” he praised.
He ran the entire way back to the Hall of Magic and burst through the doors breathlessly startling Zallon.
“What is it, boy?” Zallon demanded.
“It’s Callia, sir,” he said between gasping breaths. “She’s not eating because her mouth and throat are coated in boils.”
“Boils?” he asked.
“Yes sir. I had the stable vet check her when I noticed she appeared to be in pain trying to eat.”