Turning to me, he added, “I shall perform one last test, but I will need your Earth magic to aid me.”
“Are you sure you want me to?”
“Yes,” he answered. “Controlling your magic along with my help should not pose a threat. But,” he said, “the images we encounter may not be pleasant. Are you sure you wish to help?”
“I’m not sure I have a choice. I’ll do whatever I need to do if it means we find this monster.”
He nodded. “Very well. After I place the hairs in the water, touch them with your Earth magic, and we shall see what has tainted them.”
Fan’twar gently laid the hairs atop the water’s surface. As they floated, I readied my magic, praying I could control it long enough to enact the spell.
My Earth magic glowed inside, bubbling to the surface like a pot of boiling water, and I released it before it overpowered me. As the magic fused with the hairs, the moat’s water glowed bright blue.
Soon, an image of a mountain range appeared. I recognized it as the unicorns’ peaks. I’d only flown over them a few times, but the marble rock on the mountains made them look white and easily identifiable. Below the mountain spanned the unicorns’ forest, the dark green leaves of the closely growing trees crowding out the sunlight.
The image moved from the mountains to deep within the forest. A small pool of water sat in a clearing devoid of trees, allowing the sunlight to illuminate the open space. Above the pool floated a crystal-white gemstone. Its reflection was mirrored in the water, making tiny rainbows appear as sunbeams refracted off the gemstone’s surface.
Something moved within the pool. A humanoid hand with mottled, decomposing skin broke through the surface.
My insides knotted at the sight. Something felt wrong and unnatural.
The hand grabbed the stone in a swift motion, and then both the hand and the stone disappeared into the pool.
The image blurred and then faded completely.
“That was odd,” I said.
“Yes,” Fan’twar agreed. “It has been many years since I last visited the unicorns. After several mishaps involving my kind, they forbid dragons from wandering through their forest, and I have no other choice but to respect their privacy. Unicorns are rare to see anywhere outside their forest, but this brings up a greater question.” He turned his gaze on me. “When is the last time you saw a unicorn?”
I thought back. “It must have been a decade or more since I last saw one.”
Fan’twar nodded. “It has been many years since I have spotted one also. I fear we must travel to the unicorns’ forest. If what we saw in the vision is true, then their Arrubicus stone has been stolen as well.
“The unicorns’ forest is a unique place in Faythander,” Fan’twar continued. “Their magic protects it from anyone with ill intentions, but it also makes it impossible for me to use my clairvoyance to see inside their forest for more than a few moments. I am only able to do it now because I have the aid of the unicorn’s hair. The only way to confirm the stone is missing is by physically traveling there, and we must do so immediately. The destruction of the fair creatures’ starstones would bring great damage to not only their kind, but to all other races as well.”
“How so?” I asked.
“The fair creatures are unique. While all other races lost their Arrubicus stones early on, the fairies and unicorns continued wielding only light magic. Years passed—eons of time—and it shaped who they are now. If they no longer had the starstones to absorb dark energy, they would become creatures of the darkest magic. Their taint would spread throughout our world until it covered Faythander like a plague.
“We must make haste to the unicorns’ forest, and we need your companions to journey with us. Two of my best dragons will give them passage. Together, we shall learn what has happened to the unicorns.”
Chapter 13
“Are you sure we should enter?” Heidel asked as we stood on a hill overlooking the unicorns’ forest. Fan’twar and two other dragons waited behind Kull, Heidel, and me. It had taken us half a day to fly to the unicorns’ forest. During the flight, I’d nodded off a few times. But now, standing on the edge of the forest—with the vision of a decomposing hand fresh in my mind—adrenaline made my heart race.
“You must enter,” Fan’twar said behind us. “We must know the fate of the unicorns.”
The trees swayed slightly, causing their limbs to creak.
Kull crossed his arms. “I am still unsure as to how this will help us find the fairies’ stone.”
“We know that the fairies’ stone has been stolen,” Fan’twar replied, “and it is likely that the unicorns’ stone has also been stolen.”
“If we find out who took the unicorns’ stone,” I said, “we may find our thief.”
Kull eyed the forest, his expression dark and brooding. “I do not like this place. It feels wrong.”
“I agree,” Fan’twar answered. “The forest is not usually a foreboding place, but now, I suspect that with the stone’s power unable to absorb the negative energy, it is becoming a place of darkness.”
As if to emphasize his point, the tree limbs creaked in a stiff breeze. Something else moved, rustling the leaves nearby, though I couldn’t tell what had caused the noise.
“How do we find the stone’s location—assuming it’s still there?” I asked.
Fan’twar waved his claw, and green mist gathered over his open palm. A scroll formed, and he gave it to me.
“A map?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I quickly gave the rolled parchment to Kull. “Here,” I told him. “I’m lousy with directions.”
A hint of a smile crossed his face but quickly disappeared.
I turned back to my stepfather. “Isn’t there any way
