Shadow of the Unicorn

Chapter 4

A unicorn stepped out of the mist and nuzzled the murdered prince gently, a pulse of light passing from one to the other. Jace groaned and sat up, smiling gratefully at his old friend. He gained his feet, glanced sadly at the carnage Farns and his men had wrought, and then climbed into his saddle, in silent pursuit.

The company had secreted themselves for the night in a forested dell, cloaked in mist and darkness. The apparition arrived during the darkest watch of the night, the sentries drew back in terror, too frightened to raise the alarm as something ghosted into the hidden camp, something wrought of shadow and moonlight. Jace dismounted, pausing to study the unicorn's impressive visage, wondering if he appeared half so unearthly; the creature's amused snort assured him that it was so. The unicorn seemed wrought of dark mist, but an eerie blue light suffused him from within, as if errant moonbeams had become forever trapped within a smoky veil. Jace studied his own person and smiled grimly, knowing this was an audience that would not be soon forgotten. The watchmen hid themselves and begged the earth to consume them utterly while their sleeping comrades slept on unawares.

Jace approached the tent of the slumbering Farns, or what should have been the slumbering Farns, but the man sat on his cot and seemed to be waiting for the ethereal messenger. He scoffed, "come for my soul then?"

Jace frowned, "your soul?"

The man growled impatiently, "is that not what all you specters and phantoms are after?"

Jace shook his head, "you alone are answerable for the fate of your own soul, sir, I am here simply as a servant of justice. Will you come willingly and face a fair trial for your actions this night, among others, or must I mete it out here and now?"

Farns mocked, "have at me boy! The results will be the same, enough blood stains my hands that you cannot but help finding me guilty of murder and worse. Be done with it, quietly, rather than cause a public spectacle, that is, if you are capable?"

Jace said quietly, "would you make peace with the Master?"

The man barked a bitter laugh, "what need have I of mercy! Strike true or be gone fell specter, I will not come begging at the last, come what may!"

Jace bowed his head, "so be it." He reached out a tentative hand and touched it firmly to the scowling man's chest; he vanished in a sudden flare of light. Jace inhaled sharply and took a horrified step back, his mind reeling from what he had just done. For some reason taking a life in this manner was far different than dealing out death with a sword.

The magpie suddenly perched on Jace's misty shoulder and said gravely, "you must remember that it is not you who are dispensing justice, but rather Me through you, whether by the sword or in this fashion, I will use you to accomplish what I must in this broken world." Jace bowed his head solemnly as the bird vanished in a flash of light. The boy withdrew silently from the tent, returned to his saddle, and they vanished like mist in the morning, leaving the terrified minions to find their master spirited away in the dead of night. Jace rode on towards Umboria, thoughtful with the revelation of the gravity of his new occupation. It was not all adventure and crossing swords, but rather there were moments, such as last night, that were fit to break one's heart, and suddenly he realized the sorrow the Master had borne on his behalf and that of all the world. He bowed his head in grateful thanks as he rode on.

Umboria was a quiet land, almost too quiet. The folk went about their business, never looking too closely at one another or any passersby, speaking only when absolutely necessary. The villages and farmsteads were simple, functional, with no decoration or ostentation; the peasants were clad as simply as their habitations, with ever a look of worry or fear haunting every gaze Jace managed to catch in passing. He arrived in the capital city without incident, wondering how much Baye had accomplished in the interim. Two out of the three tyrannical lords had been accounted for, that meant only one remained; there was also the question of who was to assume the throne. Jace wondered if the current King was even fit to rule, as trampled upon as he had been by his greatest lords, who had formed a brutal triumvirate to rule through him.