How Not to Poach a Unicorn

Twenty-Four

"Should we give chase, sir?" asked the sergeant as he surveyed the damage.

"No. That mutt isn't a threat on his own." Mercutian dissipated the glimmering shield he'd chosen to hide behind instead of engaging the enemy. "Strap the broken Reaper to the horse and get moving."

"What about my men?" scowled the sergeant. "They deserve a proper burial."

They paused to take stock of the loss of life. The boy had killed two men and two hounds, and one of Prag's wounded guards had somehow managed to fall beneath the hooves of the horse and had been trampled to death. This earned Prag a good hard kicking, despite still being tightly bound. He grinned madly under his gag.

Mercutian was quick to decide the fate of their bodies. "The cliff cats will deal with them just as well as the worms would underground."

"And what of your science experiment?" added the sergeant, trying to suppress his ire for both the old wizard and the monster that had felled two of his best.

"Bundle him up and add him to the horse," Mercutian said dispassionately. "His body may still be worth studying." He walked over to the boy and dug the sand away from the sword of Lord Cailo. "This, though, this is worth all of the effort. What a glorious prize." The mage focused for a long time and a clear river of rippling reality flowed from his young follower into him. Cariolta was nearly deafened by the overwhelming scent of stars that poured out of the young man that mindlessly followed the old wizard. Finally, with some effort, Mercutian lifted the blade high above his head and laughed maniacally.

It was clear that there was mutiny in the eyes of the soldiers, but a wizard and two Reapers were more than the beleaguered squad was capable of facing. It did not help matters that the kid the wizard kept around was a force of nature all his own. They were stuck doing his dirty work whether they liked it or not.

The prisoners were becoming more troublesome as well. The death of the boy hit hit the women pretty hard and just getting them to walk was a royal pain in the ass. They abandoned their fallen comrades and trudged on through the sandy chasm floor. It was going to be another two full days until they found a road and another three to the capital once they commandeered a cart.

Kazé tracked them from above for some time, but the wizard was right. He was no threat on his own. He'd seen the machines move and he was certain that they'd have him cut to ribbons before he could touch a living soldier. He decided that he would need allies and those were in short number. In earnest, he began a very long run, silently praying that his young, two-legged friends had enough time left for him to make the return trip. By day it would be slow and tiring, but under light of the waxing moon he would be able to move like a streak of lightning across the land and in that there was hope.