in the direction of his camp, leading us through the narrow pathways and steep recesses of the cliff’s coastal paths
His face is filled with disgust as I tell him what happened today. His mouth remains agape and a deep frown is etched on his brow as we walk.
I admit, retelling it brings bile to my throat.
Finally, we emerge on a flat bit of land, shielded from view by the thick overgrowth and jutting rocks from the high cliffs.
He’s made it very homely, but then, he was a Nomad and spent many years of his life living on the road.
He has a sizeable canvas tent and a large canopy attached to protect himself from rain and sun. There’s a little fold-out table holding stacks of books and a campfire burning with a black pot suspended over the flames. The smell of soup welcomes us. He has a couple of logs placed close to it with some blankets folded neatly on top.
He gestures to the logs.
‘Sit,’ he says, still in shock from my words. ‘You look ready to drop. I’ll… I’ll get you some… erm… some food.’
He busies himself, ladling soup into a bowl, and then he joins me at the fire.
‘Are you certain he took something from the unicorn?’ he asks, spooning soup into his mouth but unable to focus on anything else but me.
‘Positive.’
‘And he took it from this part of her body?’ he runs his finger along his side.
‘If you were a unicorn, then yeah, that’s where he took it from.’
‘Well, that’s not good,’ he murmurs, looking deep into the flames. ‘Not good at all.’
State the obvious.
‘What do you know about unicorns?’
‘Well, it’s not so much what I know about unicorns as what I know about the dark transition of stealing magic from another creature through blood.’ He swallows another mouthful and carries on. ‘Take Vampires, for example. They existed by stealing energy, life, and blood from others. It turned them into blood-thirsty fuckers with little to no conscience or sense of humanity. It’s unnatural and screws with the balance of nature. Of light and dark. And if someone is taking from a creature as pure and as light as a unicorn, that only makes it worse.’ He lowers the bowl and rests his elbows on his knees. We both scoot closer to each other. ‘If a witch is stealing from other magical creatures, then they are either making a potion or working up to performing a spell. Either way, whatever it is for, it’s Dark Magic. Very dark.’
‘But who? The only people around back when spells and potions were even a thing were Gabriel, Bias and Collins. And no one has been teaching Dark Magic.’
‘Well, there was Rebecca,’ he offers with a shrug.
‘Rebecca Hooper died,’ I remind him, as a sadness fills my chest. ‘And there is no way she would have passed on anything dangerous to anyone else. Her most dangerous spells are in the journal, which I have safely hidden. Not that anyone could read it even if they tried. Only me.’
It was a matter of weeks since I returned home when Rebecca came to me in the middle of the night and told me of her wish to end her immortality spell. She had lived long enough and wanted to join her family in whatever counts as the beyond.
I tried to change her mind. I pleaded with her not to end it. But her heart had been broken for far too long. She had lived alone for five centuries and was no longer interested in prolonging her time in this world without the people she loved.
That, and she had learned the horrific truth of what had happened to her daughter at the hands of Grayson and Theo. She could not live with it and told me she believed her daughter Rose was in the afterlife and that all she could think about was seeing her again.
She told me the world had its Arcane now that I was here. That she was no longer needed. That she was tired.
So I helped her end her immortality. Gabriel discovered her back at her cottage the following day. She had taken a poison and fell into her next life peacefully, holding one of the many pictures she had drawn of her family close to her chest.
‘Rebecca shared her knowledge with the others whilst I was away,’ I tell Connor. ‘She helped teach control and understanding of magic and the responsibility that comes with it. She shared a few spells and potions and wrote many of them down in a journal anyone could read. Not just me. But I have seen those books. There is nothing dark in them.’
‘And when we got here, we knew nothing of the creatures that inhabited this realm. But in my studies, I have discovered over fifty magical species. That the hair of a sprite mixed with a cat’s saliva can cure the hiccups and that ingesting a specific mushroom under the full moon can help you recall memories from infancy.’
‘How did you even figure that out?’ I ask, struggling to imagine a scenario where that would possibly arise.
‘Don’t ask. My point is that you learn a lot if you study something enough. And most of what you learn is something you had no intention of discovering.’ He drags his fingers through his hair. ‘This is Dark Magic. Vampires stole blood, giving them immortal life and a never-ending hunger. In the dark ages, witches would eat the brains of the recently dead to learn the locations of their hidden wealth.’
‘Gross…’
‘Yeah. If someone stole something from the unicorn, it could point to what they want. Taking blood usually gives some kind of life. Stealing eyes can help people to see hidden truths. A tongue can give the ability to control.’
‘It can?’
‘I’m talking Dark Magic here, Lilly. This stuff takes years to learn. Decades to prepare your body for. You know yourself; you know how to do magic. The knowledge is in your head. But your body isn’t as caught up, which is why your eyes are bloodshot, and you’re so pale, you look a little corpse-like.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Anytime,’ he smirks. ‘If we discover what they took from the unicorn, it might tell us what they want to achieve. Why the missing are missing. I’m sure you’re right. It must be connected. Nothing good happens when you take magic from another creature’s life source.’
‘What do you think they are trying to do?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine. Dark Magic ranges from poison, to necromancy, to soul-stealing, to curses and hexes, to death and-’
‘I get the idea. Any guesses as to what kind of Dark Magic would need something from a unicorn?’
‘Well, considering that the unicorn is the purest creature in this realm, I can only guess at something highly unnatural. Something we don’t want to happen.’ He scratches the back of his neck, deep in thought. ‘Will you take me to the creature tomorrow? You should rest first, but I’d like to find out what was taken from her as soon as possible. That might give me an indication of what they’re planning.’
‘Of course.’
There’s a slight moan from his tent. We both spin around to look at it.
‘You’re here with a guy?’ I ask in a whisper. ‘Who?’
‘Erm…’ Connor gets to his feet, looking extremely uncomfortable.
‘You were aware that someone is in your tent, right?’ I ask. ‘Because you look surprised.’
‘Yeah… yeah, of course, it’s just-’
The man in the tent lets out a violent cry and I scream as the flames in the fire pit swell to triple their size and change colour, throwing Connor and me to the ground. As I fumble my way back to my feet, Connor has already started sprinting towards the tent and is throwing open the door.
‘It’s okay,’ he soothes. ‘You’re okay. Hey, look at me! You’re okay, I promise.’
Just out of sight in the tent’s darkness, the man is desperately sobbing with panicked breathing. Their trembling hands grip Connor’s shoulders, their fingertips digging into him.
I stand and slowly make my way closer.
‘Am I? he wails. ‘Am I still okay? Am I still me?’
‘You’re still you,’ Connor insists. ‘I promise. You’re right here. Look at me. You’re not going anywhere.’
The man throws his arms around Connor and buries his face into his neck, sobbing desperately. As he does, the fire calms and returns to normal.
My footsteps make the leaves rustle, and his head shoots up.
Our eyes meet.
‘Lilly?’ he whispers, tears streaming down his face. ‘W-what are you doing here?’ His dark brown hair is cut short and his equally dark brown eyes swim with tears.
‘Bias?’ I reply, just as taken aback. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’ I rush towards him and wrap him in a hug. ‘I’ve been worried sick about you.’
