Modern Magick

The Road to Farringale: 15

Alban took the stallion, of course, it being the only beast large enough to bear the baron's rather bulky frame. Twenty hands high if he was an inch, the stallion rippled with muscle, his hide almost as gleamingly bronze as the baron's hair. They made a handsome pair.

My own unicorn was white, though her coat and horn glinted silvery in the right light. She and I made friends years ago, and we've been on several adventures together. The second time we met I gave her a name: Adeline. 'Addie,' I greeted her warmly, as she nosed and lipped at my cardigan. I gave her a kiss, and a ball of sugar. She dipped a bit to permit me to spring up onto her back; I took hold of the silver rope she wears which more or less keeps me from falling off, and we were ready to go.

Rob, too, was mounted up, sitting competently astride a night-black unicorn I felt a bit envious of. What a majestic creature she was! Her tapering horn was indigo traced with silver, her mane black glittering with stars. I had never seen her before; a new friend of Addie's, obviously.

Jay, though, was in trouble. There was but one unicorn left for him to choose: a little mare of pale golden hide and rippling white tresses. She seemed friendly enough, but somehow they were not getting along. Jay stood several feet away from her, hands on hips, eyeing her with no friendly spirit, and the mare was dancing nervously from hoof to hoof.

'Up, Jay!' I called. 'No time to waste!'

'It may come as a surprise to you to learn that I have never ridden a unicorn.'

'No problem. It's much like riding a horse, only more... airborne.'

'What makes you think I'm capable of riding a horse?'

That did surprise me a little. Who didn't know how to ride a horse? But I suppose the arts of chair-riding, and related charmery, are more likely to appear on the university's curriculums these days. Winged horses and unicorns, like so many other magickal beasts, are becoming scarce.

'What do you think, Addie?' I whispered to her, patting her silky neck. 'Do you think you could carry two of us? We're both skinny and on the short side, nothing too burdensome.' That wasn't an altogether fair way of describing Jay when he was almost six feet tall. Compared to the baron, though, he was a lightweight.

My darling Adeline indicated her approval by trotting over to Jay and halting right beside him. She lowered her graceful form to the ground, and waited patiently for him to notice her.

Which he did, though with almost as much delight as he had greeted the rest. 'What's this?'

I patted Addie's back. 'Join me, and the world will be ours.'

Jay raised his brows.

'I'll keep you from falling off,' I translated. 'Not that Addie would ever drop us.'

Jay was not impressed, but he did not argue. Within a few moments Addie had both of us astride her elegant back, Jay sitting behind me as stiff as a board.

'Try to relax,' I told him. 'You only make it harder for yourself otherwise.'

He tried, with some success, but that was before Adeline rose to her feet again and began to walk. Jay clutched me so hard that it hurt, but I let it pass; he'd had a hard day already, and they don't issue unicorns with seatbelts. No wonder he was uneasy.

'Here we go,' I murmured, as Addie began to trot, then to canter. She launched herself into a tearing gallop, her glittering wings spreading wide and beating with long, powerful strokes. Her hooves left the ground and we were away, spiralling up into the sunlit sky.