Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 31

Harley staggered along behind Jim and Douxie, feeling incredibly useless and extremely guilty. He had never... done that before. The shadows, the skeleton... he knew it was possible, but he also knew it was dangerous. It was why he'd never tried. That, and summoning the dead back home was more just like calling down the hall for one of the zombie's assistance to get something off a high shelf. Not literally raising the dead to attack someone because he hadn't felt safe.

And calling the dead to attack Jim? A person he admired for all the things he had done to protect his people? That made Harley feel sick. He didn't want to be out of control, but he knew he was no good at controlling his god-magic. He'd never been able to. In the Underworld, it was easy for his father to distill his stress and fix whatever he'd damaged when his powers would lash out. And Harley hadn't had an episode like that in years. He thought it was finally waning. If he knew this would happen—that he would put people in real danger—he never would have thought to come.

But you can't run away from your own destiny, he thought to himself miserably. Fate wants you to be here.

"Come on kid, gotta keep up!" Jim called, stopping to wait for him.

"Where are we even going?" Harley complained. His feet hurt and his chest was starting to throb.

"Excellent question," Jim said, hooking his arm through Harley's so they could keep the same pace. "Douxie you wanna answer that?"

The wizard paused where he was several paces ahead. He stared into the distance, twitching nervously. "Something is calling me... I hear it. I think... whatever it is—" he paused, then gasped softly and stumbled back.

"What?" Jim asked, moving forward to place hand on Douxie's shoulder. Then he stopped and paused too when he saw what Douxie was staring at.

It was a unicorn. An honest to gods unicorn. The Great Beast eyed their motley little group with intelligence glistening in the sky blue of its eyes. Then it turned its attention to Jim and walked towards him.

***

Jim held perfectly still as the beast got closer. It was tall and built like a draft horse, tail whipping back and forth as it took careful steps towards him. It's soft muzzle twitched as it sniffed him. Jim didn't move even as it's whiskers brushed against his cheek, tickling his face. After a long second it took a step back, staring at him with intelligent blue eyes.

Then the unicorn dropped to one knee and bowed.

He heard Douxie gasp, and Harley whisper out a, "Wow."

"Um," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank you?"

The unicorn rose and nickered, turning its head to look at the wizard and half-blood. It lifted its head high, shook its mane, and galloped into the woods.

Douxie dropped to his knees, staring at where the magnificent animal had been moments before. Harley pat his back, grinning.

"So, that was something?" Jim offered awkwardly.

Douxie lifted his eyes to meet Jim's. There was a sort of reverence in his gaze that Jim hadn't seen in a long time. "Do you have any idea what just happened?"

Jim shrugged. "Honestly Doux? No."

Douxie let out a breath, closing his eyes. "Jim, do you even understand how rare it is to even get a unicorn to look at you?"

Jim pursed his lips. "Douxie—"

"He bowed to you," Douxie breathed. "Jim, he acknowledged you as a king."