She took in the sights of her beloved mountain meadow and forests. This sanctuary was where the Goddess had given her into the care of the fairies. Under Xyrie’s watchful eye and with the unicorn’s great wisdom, the fairies had entrusted her to the Emperor and Empress of the Isle of the Monsters. They had been loving parents. Their deaths within weeks of each other had taught her that life was fragile.
She dipped lower, flying into the forest. Moonlight streamed through the canopy, illuminating her way from above while bioluminescent plants and insects lit her way from below. Soft, golden lights moving through the forest told her that she had found what she was looking for. She was relieved to know that Xyrie and the other unicorns were farther inland from the cliffs.
She glided under the tree limbs until she came to a thinning section of trees where the unicorns rested among the high ferns, and she landed close to a young stallion. He tossed his head, sending his long mane flying back and forth, then he respectfully knelt before her.
“Empress, the night birds told us you were coming,” the stallion greeted.
She searched the area. “Where is Xyrie?” she asked, concerned when she didn’t see the elder unicorn.
“Under the Great Willow,” the stallion replied.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
Nali looked toward the Great Willow, the oldest tree on the Isle of the Monsters. She folded her wings and they disappeared. She remained in her gargoyle form. Until her Isle was safe, it was best to remain ready for the battle to come.
While she had visited the Great Willow many times over the centuries, there was something different about it tonight. She lifted her chin when a tingle of energy caressed her face. The long, draping limbs of the tree were encased in a delicate golden glow.
“Xyrie,” she called.
She swept aside the curtain of hanging limbs and stepped under the Willow’s canopy. The old unicorn was lying at the base of the tree with her eyes closed. Nearly a dozen unicorns, ranging in age from a few weeks to a year old, raised their heads to look at her.
“Empress,” Xyrie greeted.
She waved to Xyrie. “Don’t get up,” she said with a gentle smile.
Xyrie shook her head. “I don’t think I could if I wanted to at the moment,” the old unicorn replied with a soft snort.
It was true. Four juvenile unicorns snuggled close to Xyrie. Two of the foals rested their chins on her back while the other two lay in a tangled heap against her chest.
“Xyrie, I’m afraid. I need your guidance.”
Asahi jerked upright, suddenly wide awake. A sound on his left caused him to turn in that direction. He automatically reached for the dagger by his side. It was missing.
“Asahi, how do you feel?” Ashure asked, stepping out of the shadows.
“My dagger—Mr. Gryphon—where is it?” he forced past his dry throat.
The Pirate King walked over to a table and poured water from a pitcher into a crystal cup. Asahi took deep, calming breaths to quiet his thundering heart.
Twisting on the cot, he swung his legs to the ground, and gratefully accepted the cup, drinking all the water in one long gulp. Ashure raised his eyebrow before he turned and retrieved the pitcher. Ashure refilled his cup two more times before Asahi was sated.
“Here is your dagger,” Ashure said, holding it out to him.
“Thank you,” he replied.
“How are you feeling?” Ashure repeated.
Asahi noticed concern and wariness in Ashure’s eyes. He clutched the Gryphon dagger and stood up.
“I’m fine. Where is Nali?” he asked.
“She said she had some things to do. She will return shortly.”
He watched Ashure take the empty cup from his hand and place it back on the table along with the pitcher—and then suddenly the memories, dreams, or whatever in the hell he was having, returned, surging through his mind.
Visions, he realized.
His connection with the alien was stronger. Asahi closed his eyes and focused. He swayed with the movements of the creature. It was moving through the narrow, boulder-strewn section where he had almost fallen overboard.
“The alien is in the lake near the base of the mountain. It has taken a different shape,” he said in a voice devoid of emotion.
“What form?” Ashure quietly demanded.
“It’s massive. I see dozens of legs, protected by a segmented exoskeleton. It reminds me of the prehistoric trilobites from my world, only this one has flat armor. It has spikes along its legs and a tail with three long spines,” he described.
Ashure cursed loudly. “Well, that is fitting. It takes the lowest and smallest of life forms and turns it into a killing machine,” he muttered.
Asahi opened his eyes and looked at Ashure. “It also has two long fangs,” he added.
An expression of distaste crossed Ashure’s face. “And it has added its own modifications to the evolutionary design,” he interpreted.
“We need to warn Nali and the others. It will be here before dawn. The Water Sirens can no longer delay it—and, Ashure, it is mutating because of the imprisoned entity inside it. It has more strength now than we ever would have expected. I saw three, maybe four of the creatures functioning independently. The images blur together so it is hard to know for certain,” he said.
Ashure reached out and gripped his arm. “Do the best you can to let us know what it is doing. We need to warn the others,” he said.
He nodded. Looking down at the dagger, he rubbed his thumb over the hilt. He hadn’t told Ashure everything. The connection was so strong now that he had almost lost himself within the vision. If it hadn’t been for the fiery creature that had emerged out of nowhere… he wasn’t sure what would have happened to him—and he wasn’t quite sure what he had seen in those last few moments. He needed to make sense of the images before he tried to explain it.
Maybe it was another alien—drawn to
