Shadow of the Unicorn

Brother: Chapter 1

Word quickly spread of Jace's miraculous recovery, and near miss, and of the tragic death of a certain longstanding servant. None knew exactly what it was the man intended, but none could fathom Jared as a murderer, especially of a moribund boy. With the lad's recovery, it was whispered about that Jared had some secret knowledge as to the boy's malady and its cure, which he effected but at the cost of his own life. So strangely, the servant went from murderer to martyr in a very short span of time, which Jaire found vastly amusing. There was some talk of a grand funeral, but the Lady said he would be buried in the usual manner of the Brethren, having no living kith or kin to argue the fact, as he had served them long and faithfully and died in the course of his duties. So it was that the swordmaster and Jace carried their dead captain quietly out into the forest surrounding the city, but rather than burying him, they simply woke him up.

"A hero, huh?" he said with a wry grin, "strange how these tales get started." Jace hoped he would gape with his next revelation, but he only nodded, a knowing smile on his face, "no surprise there lad, you've proved yourself time and again to be ready, at least as far as the Brethren are concerned, but you still have much to learn of the Shadow." He caught the swordmaster's eye, who nodded his agreement. Continued he, "so you will still be under Baye's tutelage for a little while at least." He grinned, "speaking of which, I believe you have your orders, if you have finished with all those pesky funereal details that is."

The boy nodded, summoned his mount, bid them both a fond farewell, and raced back to the keep to make his preparations for departure. They exchanged a grin at his youthful exuberance and settled on a more leisurely pace, said Jared as they set forth, "I might need your help getting back into the castle, the Lady has offered me a position but I am not yet known to the guards." The swordmaster grinned, promising to see what he could do. Jared assumed the visage and name of Jaire and settled easily into his new position, as if he had been doing just that for years beyond count.

With all of his friends, and most of his former acquaintances, gone from Astoria or occupied elsewhere within it, Jace really had no one but his mother to see before he set off. It was not yet midday and he hoped to share a quick meal with her before taking his leave. Said she, in some concern and no little surprise as he entered the kitchens in the uniform of a full Brother, "is this a joke?"

Jace shook his head, "the Lady would kill me if she knew I had donned this uniform in jest."

Juliene smiled grimly, "your sister will kill you if she finds out you have been promoted so soon."

Jace grinned, "I would like to see her try." He sobered, "I have come to bid you farewell, I am off right after lunch."

She gaped, "but you are just out of a sickbed!"

He nodded in understanding, "and I have never felt better. Care to dine with me?"

She gave him that patient but exasperated look mothers reserve for their grown children when they think them making foolish decisions but must respect their supposed independence and maturity. She said at last, "of course, but is this not a questionable time of year to be traveling?" She shook her head at his impish smile and declined giving any more sensible advice.

She sat beside him in a quiet corner of the pantry and they talked of this and that, a far cry from his one-sided conversations with Ella. Afterwards, she bid him a quiet farewell and he set off just as the sun reached its peak, eager to find his comrades but knowing he would miss his mother keenly and she him. He smiled broadly at this unfamiliar sensation of having someone to miss and to be missed by. The unicorn picked up his jovial mood and frisked his own joy as they rode off into the broad, bright world.

Night came early and suddenly this late in the year in the northern half of the world, and this was no warm, genial summer evening when one rejoiced at being caught abroad at such an hour but a chill, dark, and lonely time without even a solitary star for company. The only sound was the wind moaning forlornly in a hollow tree; Jace wondered how he had ever thought the world so broad and wonderful only hours before. He huddled beside his pitiable fire, cloak and blankets doing little to keep out the morose wind with a bite as cold as the forsaken soul it sounded. The unicorn stood within the ring of light, suddenly tossing his head and snorting in amusement, for it seemed he was untouched by the dark, the solitude, or the cold.