A Tale That Never Was [Book 1 of Selvina's Tale series]

Chapter 22: The Last

Jack didn't know how long he sat on his heels and stared ahead. It may have been for a few minutes or a few hours; he didn't know. It didn't matter as he couldn't take his eyes off the sight anyhow. It was beautiful yet frightening. He had heard brief mentions of these creatures but had never seen one before. It was rumored that to gaze upon one meant certain death. At that moment, with Selvina's whereabouts unknown, he almost didn't care.

The unicorn stared back at him with its downturned blue eyes that glowed like stars. Its entire body gave off a white light, from the tip of its ears to the ends of its tail. The single spiraling horn protruding from its head extended over two feet in length and shimmered as if it was made of diamond. Its white mane flowed down its neck like foamy water and its strong legs were straight and unmoving. If it didn't blink its eyes every few seconds Jack would have thought it to be a statue. He was captivated by it completely yet after the initial shock, his mind began to recover and ponder on its purpose. Why was a unicorn, an animal renowned for its elusiveness, standing there watching him?

"Selvina lives, Jack," a woman's voice said in Jack's head.

He gasped and glanced about, bewildered and confused. Who had said that? That was the second time he had heard that voice and yet had seen no speaker. Before he could find an answer to his question, the unicorn slowly approached him. The air around it appeared to sparkle and glitter, like an aura of thousands of fireflies. The closer it got to him the calmer his heart and mind became. Jack felt at ease and hope returned to him. He even found the strength to stand again.

The unicorn stopped moving when it was a few paces away and its eyes looked him up and down, studiously. There was wisdom and power in those eyes, Jack noted. He didn't know what he should do thus he stood and waited. If it wanted to kill him there was little to be done about it. Unicorns were mysterious creatures and he didn't doubt that if it wanted to, it could end his life in an instant. For the moment, however, it examined him.

"You have a strong heart," the woman's voice said.

Jack's eyes stared back at the unicorn with great curiosity and after a moment he understood that it was the one speaking to him. It sounded so human it brought a slight chill to his spine. The voice was soft and wispy, like a spider web in the wind, and he found himself drawn to it.

"Why are you here?" he asked the unicorn aloud. "How do you know Selvina is alive? How do you know us?"

The unicorn's lower eyelids lifted slightly, as if it was smiling. "Your mind is too cluttered, Jack. You must clear it like a breeze brushing aside fog from a field."

"I can't. I'm worried for Selvina and Cindy. I don't know what happened to them or where they are. I need to find them!"

"They are alive, both of them. You needn't worry for them."

"How do you know that? How are you so sure?"

"There is much you do not know about me, Jack, and we haven't the time to discuss it all. I feel their spirits, however, and they are strong and still within their bodies."

"You can feel their spirits? How?"

"Mana flows through my veins just as blood flows through yours. I am attuned to the spiritual and mystical dimensions of this world. I can sense everyone's spirits if I focus on them."

"How do you know Selvina and Cindy's?"

"Cinderella's blood is infused with powerful magic and I can sense it even from this distance. In Selvina's case, we have met before."