all of them at once but one at a time, it was they that didn’t have a chance. I didn’t want to risk the others not accepting the single-combat challenge, so I made the duel last. I figured when you two showed up we’d be able to work together and kill them all. That part of the plan worked well enough. Getting them to retreat is a win, for now. They may come back.”
“They may not,” Diten said. “Heather is frightening, and though a Unicorn horn would be a prestigious hunting trophy, they’re not dumb enough to attack one in open combat.”
“Aren’t we in the nation of Melnith, one of the Abvi Kingdoms?” Kehet asked. “Why are there Vulak here?”
“Vulak are everywhere that other people are not,” Jonah said. “They live in the mountains, the swamps, and even the untamed forests. They do occasionally raid the civilized folk nearby. But it is odd they were here. There are no such places within thirty leagues of here. Our winter camp is occasionally subject to raids, but this is a first for our summer camp. That was a very large group for a raiding party.”
“They didn’t attack anyone but the three of us,” Kehet said.
Jonah explained that Vulak didn’t fight people who didn’t fight back; they just enslaved them and plundered their possessions, after they killed anything that did resist. “The Gypsies have never seen Vulak as more than a nuisance since the Gypsies of the Wandering Rose are extremely pacifistic. Still, two seasons of slavery and having to rebuild the camp is enough for me to fight to defend them.”
“And Diten?” Kehet asked.
“No living creature can see her as something to harm,” Jonah said. “I’m sure there’s a story behind that. I just don’t know it.”
“There is a good long story,” Diten said. “For another day, however. We should know what the Vulak are up to. I think someone needs to track them back to where they came from.”
“I’ll go,” Jonah said. “I know how to read tracks.”
“You should stay,” Kehet said. “The Unicorns here should be able to sprint out, gather some details and get back before the Vulak have time so set Unicorn traps.”
“Then go, quickly,” Jonah said. “Be careful.”
Kehet summoned all the Unicorns from among the gypsies and asked them to fan out of the camp and see where the Vulak were camped. He told them not to engage any, to which everyone laughed.
“We’re all of the Wandering Rose,” Silon said. “We won’t fight.”
The Unicorns all changed forms and ran out into the forest.
Diten looked puzzled.
“You didn’t know?” Kehet asked.
“That some of the gypsies were Unicorns, no,” She said.
She walked towards one of the fallen Vulak calling Kehet to join her. “I can’t save this one, you should kill it.”
The Vulak was charred over most of his body. Kehet had assumed it was dead. Cracking gasps came from the Vulak’s mouth.
“How?” Kehet asked.
“Your sword. Either cut off the head or pierce its heart,” Diten said. “I cannot kill, and Jonah cannot fight except to defend. “
Kehet drew his sword and took a deep breath then pushed it into the Vulak’s chest. It stopped gasping. “You would heal him if he weren’t dying?”
“I will make the ones who will live able to walk away,” Diten said. “I don’t like anything about the Vulak. I won’t kill one, however, either through action or inaction. If I have the ability to prevent death or even just prevent suffering, I will.”
“They wouldn’t do the same for us,” Kehet said.
“No,” Diten said. “They would not. We are not they.” She walked to the next Vulak and checked its condition. It was dead; she moved on. She only found one that was too wounded to flee with the others but not burned too badly to save. It was one Kehet had knocked over and kicked. She knelt by the Vulak put her hands on the creature’s ribs. A turquoise glow enveloped her and the Vulak.
A moment later the Vulak pushed Diten away then stood and ran off into the forest.
“I guess you don’t do what you do for the gratitude,” Kehet said.
“I do what I do because I can,” Diten said. “And it give me a reason to touch people. I like to touch people; it’s a little connection that brings us all a little closer.” She put her hand on his blood covered arm. “Are you hurt?” she asked.
“I was,” Kehet said. “I got better.”
When Diten didn’t remove her hand, Kehet found himself glancing around for Heather.
“Jonah took her off, away from camp, to burn the dead Vulak,” she said. “She’s not here, so I get to touch you without bothering her. Does it bother you?”
“It’s just a touch,” Kehet said, but he was bothered in a way he didn’t mind so much.
“When you find yourself alone, come to me,” Diten said. “I don’t invite men to seek me out, normally. They do on their own and I seek out those that interest me, but you are different, and not just because you’re a god or a Unicorn. When you find yourself alone, find me. I’d stay with you until your heart heals.”
“I don’t see anything coming between Heather and I,” Kehet said. “I’m the only one she knows she can’t kill.”
Diten pulled her hand off his arm and turned away. As she walked off she looked back over her shoulder and said, “If I’m not here when you come looking, I won’t be too hard for you to find, I promise.”
Each Unicorn reported the same things as they returned. There were no raiding camps; the Vulak were just moving through. There were a lot of Vulak, however, not just those that raided the Gypsy camp.
“We need to take the Gypsies east across the river and camp outside Fork. The Vulak won’t get close to that city,” Jonah said.
“We still need to go to Melnith,” Heather said. “I seem to be doing okay with the wizardry, but I’m still basically just playing with fire. It may not be safe.”
Jonah nodded. “The road is too dangerous, but there may be another way.” He turned to Diten, “Do you think Beldithe would be willing to do a favor for Kehet?”
Kehet wasn’t sure what happened. Suddenly he was standing by a pool, one of several in a temple, in a city. Dozens of women, mostly naked, swam around in the pools. Heather and Diten stood beside him. Heather looked as confused as he did. On the other hand, Diten seemed like she expected nothing else. Not only did she appear comfortable in the surroundings, she slipped out of her dress and dove into the pool.
Diten swam to another woman and embraced her. Kehet didn’t have to guess who the other woman was. He knew it was Beldithe, the goddess of love. Even if he didn’t have the instinctive knowledge, her near- luminescent blonde tresses and far too alluring smile would have been enough to tell him she could be no one else. Both women then swam back over to where he and Heather stood and climbed out of the pool. Other women rushed over to the goddess and her chosen and patted them with towels until they were dry.
Beldithe stepped close to Kehet, and placed a hand on his chest then leaned even closer and kissed his cheek. “Welcome back, my love,” she said. She then stepped away and embraced Heather, kissing her cheek as well. She also whispered something to Heather, but Kehet couldn’t hear it.
When Beldithe stepped back, Heather asked the goddess, in slightly shaky voice, “Are you and he lovers?”
“Jealous?” Beldithe said, her voice lilting, clearly teasing.
“How could I not be?” Heather asked. “I mean, look at you and your perfect body, your perfect beauty and your intoxicating voice. Diten is only a shadow of everything that you are and even I, a woman, wanted to be with her. With you, only knowing that you are a goddess and so far beyond a mortal like me, prevents me from pursuing the same with you. I can’t see how Kehet could see you differently, except, being a god, he doesn’t have the same reason to be inhibited.”
Beldithe laughed. “Should I dress? Would that help you feel better?” Without waiting for an answer, a gown appeared on Beldithe and a similar one on Diten. Neither gown did much to hide their bodies and if anything, it accented them making them more appealing.
