“You mean not from the palace. There are others, like the sons of prominent landowners in other parts of Gavalon, you idiot,” Jeffrid told him.
“I heard they were bringing in outsiders from other six kingdoms,” Kyler added.
“That’s rubbish. No way would the princess marry from outside the kingdom. Right, Arion?” Garron asked.
He shrugged. “How would I know?”
“I’m sure she’ll give you an invitation the next time you see her.”
Arion laughed. “Garron, I barely know the princess. I highly doubt that, I mean why would she?”
“Why wouldn’t she? You’re the apprentice,” Kyler said again. “Who better in all of Gavalon to be our next prince and future king?”
Arion scowled and shook his head. “It’s not like that. The High Keeper must do without many things. Unfortunately, a family is one of them.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Garron said.
“You’d really give up the chance of a family of your own someday, a woman you love, to be the High Keeper?” Kyler asked.
Arion shrugged. “I’ve never had a family. Wouldn’t even know what I was missing.” He grinned trying to put a positive face on, even while they attacked his deepest concern with accepting the apprenticeship.
“Sorry, mate, we didn’t realize. I mean we knew you were chosen at a young age, but not that,” Jeffrid stopped unsure of what to say next.
“Not that I was an orphan?” Arion asked as they all nodded. “It’s okay. You can’t really miss something you never had. Besides, it’s safer for the kingdom this way.”
“How is you being celibate your whole life safer for the kingdom?” Jeffrid snorted.
“Well, you know, if it ever came down to having to save Gavalon, I wouldn’t have to choose between what I needed to do and what my heart told me to do if I had a family to protect too. This way my only focus will be to protect this kingdom.”
Kyler and Jeffrid both started laughing.
“No offense, Arion, I mean the High Keeper is a very important position, but when was the last time there was a threat of any kind to Gavalon?” Kyler asked.
Garron and Arion shared a knowing look just as they crested a hill that looked down into a part of the valley that was littered with at least a dozen fallen unicorns.
The four of them feel silent.
Jeffrid shook his head. “They’re just sick, right?”
“Come on, we have work to do,” Arion said neither confirming nor denying the validity of his question.
They worked quickly to heal each and every unicorn they found. By the time they reached the Forest of Prosperity, there were only ten vials remaining.
“It’s going to be harder to find them in the forest,” Arion said. “Perhaps we should spread out to cover more ground.”
Kyler went with Arion as Garron and Jeffrid headed in the opposite direction.
“The unicorns aren’t sick, are they?” Kyler asked. “I saw the look Garron gave you when Jeffrid asked.”
Arion shrugged not wanting to commit to an answer. Before the silence between them became awkward, it was broken by an ear-piercing scream. Both boys froze, then turned and ran in the direction of the noise.
Kyler came to a fast halt at the top of a hill, but Arion couldn’t slow his pace and ran smack into him sending them both tumbling downward and landing at the bottom with a thump.
“Are you okay?” Arion quickly asked cursing himself for having two left feet.
“I’m fine. Look,” he said point in the distance. “I think I see something over there.”
There was an eerie silence that had fallen around them. It gave Arion goosebumps.
“What do you think made that scream?” Arion whispered as they walked on.
Kyler snorted even though he was terrified. “That was Jeffrid.”
Arion halted. “They could have found trouble. We need to arm ourselves and be on the lookout for anything suspicious.”
Kyler nodded solemnly. They both looked around finding sturdy sticks to carry. Kyler picked up a few rocks and put in his pocket too.
“Okay. I think the noise came from this direction. We should loop around and come in from the other side just in case they’re in danger,” Arion said softly pointing towards the west.
Kyler nodded and they slowly started walking again cautious of every little noise in the forest.
“Did you hear that?” Kyler whispered.
Arion pointed in the direction a rustling sound came from and Kyler nodded his confirmation. He signaled Arion of follow him as they crept towards a clearing.
“Stay low,” Arion mouthed to Kyler just before he tripped over a log and went skidding into the clearing on his stomach. Frantic, he looked up and all around seeing only Garron and Jeffrid. “We’re good,” he told Kyler in a normal voice. “Are you two okay?” he asked the others, as he rose and dusted off his clothes.
“Look,” Jeffrid said, pointing with shaky hands.
Arion’s heart began to pound in his chest as he slowly walked over to see what he was pointing at. There was a bloody mess everywhere and a large unicorn laid in the midst of it all. He fell to his knees before the once magical creature now mutilated before him.
“Where’s his horn?” Kyler asked. “I think I’m going to be sick.” He ran to the edge of the clearing to vomit.
Arion’s anger flared. How could anyone mutilate another creature in that way? Not just any creature, one created to magically protect the kingdom. He had to walk away and just breathe. Questions were flying through his head; questions he knew he wouldn’t find answers for.
“Arion?” Garron asked. “Why would someone take the unicorn’s horn?”
“It’s called the alicorn and it contains the highest concentration of magic that the druids once gave the royal horses to create the unicorns for the magical protection of Gavalon.”
“Wait, that’s the story Valaria told you,” he challenged.
Arion nodded. “But I went back and did some research in the archives and her story wasn’t that different from what the ancient scrolls say. There were speculations written on the powers contained n the alicorn, but no concrete evidence saying whether the magic contained there would sustain after the animal was dead or not.”
“So there’s a chance it’s just a worthless horn with no powers at all,” Garron said.
Arion nodded. “We can hope, because I don’t want to even think of the possible alternative.”
They shared a look that left Arion with an unsettled stomach.
“You mean you’ve actually looked through the old scrolls?” Kyler said seemingly oblivious to the dread hanging in the air around them. “That’s so cool!”
Ignoring his excitement, Arion turned to Garron and Jeffrid. “I can’t just leave him here like this. Can the two of you run to the royal stables and get some shovels? We can at least give him a proper burial.”
“Yeah. It’s not far from here,” Garron said. “Come on Jeffrid.”
When they left, Arion sank to his knees next to the dead unicorn. He ran his hand over his mane. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you from this,” he said aloud. As he let his hand roam across him, he quickly realized the alicorn wasn’t the only thing the murderer stole from the creature. Arion found the majority of the blood came from a gapping hole in his chest. He had a suspicion, but to be certain, he held his breath and shoved his hand into the cavity beyond the hole and confirmed whoever did this had also taken the unicorn’s heart. Why?