Seriously, it was like she was born for this. I exhaled, finally feeling like she wasn’t about to die at any moment. I was beyond impressed.
“She might survive,” Lucus said quietly beside me, his words loud in my chest because of the bond’s occasional flare. “But the true test will rise if the unicorns see fit to use their magic.”
I didn’t even want to ask. But, of course, I did.
Chapter 20
“What can they do?” I asked Lucus, feeling clammy as Hekla adjusted her hold on the lance.
Lucus crossed his arms. “They can take sight or addle their minds.”
“Why do the unicorns allow themselves to be used in this kind of thing anyway?” If I were a unicorn of darkness, I’d be off in the magical forest being magical, away from all this drama.
“They do it for fae flesh.”
Bile rose up my throat. “One of Arleigh’s people offered themselves up as a reward meal?”
“Most likely just an arm or hand. Fae flesh is imbued with magic that feeds their unicorn powers.”
Hekla rode at Aella again. As they met, the fae’s lance struck Hekla dead on. My heart stopped as she was flung onto the ground, dangerously close to her mount’s stamping hooves. The unicorn smashed the churned, wet earth near Hekla’s head, spraying her with mud. Hekla tried to roll away, but accidentally found herself further under the unicorn.
Whispering prayers, I pulled at my hair.
The trainer who’d outfitted her rushed over, grabbed the creature’s reins, and helped Hekla remount.
In the next run, Hekla’s lance hit the tip of Aella’s weapon, and the unicorns thrashed. Hekla held on, white-faced as her mount stabbed the fae’s beast in the chest with his horn.
“Ah!” Arleigh flew over the jousting area, her long dress fluttering against her tight trousers and her dainty slippers. “Do we have a kill?”
The fae’s unicorn stumbled and fell to its knees, the fae rider nimbly dismounting. Was it over? Hekla’s trainer hurried over to take her reins, but they remained at the center of the run, watching the dying unicorn across the stone wall.
Arleigh clapped her hands three times. “The joust is finished! The human and her powerful mount have defeated our own Aella and her unicorn!” The queen eyed Hekla like she was anything but a winner. “Ready yourselves for our next event,” Arleigh said as she landed on the far end of the clearing. Her gaze shot spears at Lucus. “It promises to be the best entertainment yet.”
It was time for the alpha duel.
Lucus stared back at Arleigh, his stance relaxed as if he were certain of victory. But his color had faded again, his lips pale and dark circles around his eyes. The curse was dragging him toward death slowly but surely. He needed to feed on a tree or two before this fight.
“Will you unbind me for our duel, Queen Arleigh?” he asked.
She laughed huskily. “Of course, Lord Lucus. I don’t want a weak opponent. I want you at your best. Well, as best as you can be considering the twisted curse that’s eating away at you.” Chuckling to herself, she flew into the woods.
My magic surged inside me, electric and sharp, and as I used the ley lines to steady me, a voice trickled through my head. “Dip your hands in the blood.”
I had zero idea who was telling me this. One of the mages of my bloodline? It sounded male though, and all the voices I’d heard had been female.
“Lucus.”
He turned, gaze touching my forehead and cheeks as if he were checking to see if I was okay. “What is it?”
“I just heard a voice.”
“Like you did before when your magic woke?”
“But this one was male.”
“From what I’ve learned of mages, your kind tend to only hear those of the same gender.”
That was lame, but whatever. “Okay, so who could be telling me to dip my hands in the blood?”
Lucus looked toward Hekla’s unicorn, who was staring at us. “I believe it’s him.”
Whoa. “Hold up. The unicorn of darkness is speaking telepathically with me?”
“It’s rare, but I’ve read stories that mention such occurrences. Does the voice feel trustworthy?”
I snorted. “I can’t tell.”
“If you listen to your magic, you should be able to distinguish his intent.”
Closing my eyes, I listened for the music of my magic and envisioned the golden shimmer of my aura. The unicorn spoke again. “Dip your palms in the blood of my opponent. Arleigh is my foe.” The words rang like a song, combining with my magic’s notes, and they made me feel…good. I opened my eyes to see Lucus watching me, his lips parted. “I think the unicorn is on our team. I’m going for it.”
I left Lucus and strode quickly for the wall. The dying unicorn lay still on the ground, its glowing blood bright on the grass. Aella walked away, raising a hand to her trainer—the fae had brought her a bowl of some liquid that was splashing over the rim.
“Coren?” Hekla dismounted as her unicorn kept its red eyes focused on me.
I gave her a quick smile, hoping she’d leave me to it and not bring too much attention to what I was up to. I didn’t know if the fae would care about me gathering up unicorn blood, but I had to assume they wouldn’t love it, since the unicorn seemed to think it was valuable. I hopped over the wall and knelt beside the dying creature. It inhaled shallowly, its massive body inert.
Wasting no time looking around, I put my hands in the luminous blood, and the scent of rotting roses filled my nose. I tried not to gag.
“Step away, mage!” Aella stared, face contorted in irritation. But she was looking over my head like I was standing instead of kneeling. The bowl her trainer had brought over sat in her hands, the liquid shimmering. “This is fae
