The Darkest Unicorn Read online

  Sander stared at Thandie. This was not the way it usually worked. He had been willing to leave Essendor for a while in case she talked about him. He had certainly not expected to walk away from here with her.

  “I’m not sure… I don’t know if I can face the unicorn again.”

  “This is your one chance to redeem yourself,” said Thandie, pushing back her shoulders.“You can reunite these broken families. Wouldn’t that be worth something? You are supposed to be a brave adventurer – would that great reward to our society not be worth some small risk to your personal safety?”

  She was unique. He was almost convinced himself. But would he be able to put up with her constant questioning, arguing and spirited nature?

  “You put forward a good argument. And I may live to regret this, but yes, I will show you the way to the castle. We will face the unicorn together.”

  DON’T GO

  Thandie

  They agreed that Sander should wait where he was while Thandie went back to gather some belongings. She needed good boots on her feet and supplies of food for the long journey. She ran all the way back to Madam Tilbury’s through the woods. She arrived back breathless and full of excitement. Finch scrambled to meet her, putting out a hand to help haul her back up on to the roof.

  Hetty greeted her with a frown. “Where in the name of the Midnight Unicorn have you been?”

  Thandie shrugged. “I went to the city walls, just as I promised. You didn’t have to wait up. Where’s Tib?”

  “Tib fell asleep waiting for you. We put him to bed,” said Finch.

  “If you were trying to scare us then it’s not funny,” said Hetty. “We thought you weren’t coming back – that something terrible had happened.”

  Thandie shook her head frantically. She felt she had so much to tell them but no time in which to do it. “No, nothing terrible has happened and I am quite well, as you can see. But I have discovered something. I can’t tell you what, but I think I know where the stolen ones are. And I think I can be the one to save them.”

  “What are you talking about?” cried Hetty.

  “Come on, let’s go to bed,” said Finch. “We can talk about this tomorrow.”

  “You don’t understand. I am leaving tonight. I need to get some things, and I shall fill you in as much as I can, but I have to go. Wait here.”

  “What do you mean? Where are you going?” asked Hetty.

  Thandie didn’t reply, and Hetty and Finch shook their heads in bewilderment as she climbed through the window of the boys’ bedroom.

  Thandie tiptoed past Tib’s bed where he lay sleeping, out through the corridor and into her bedroom, leaving the creaking doors open so as not to disturb Madam Tilbury. She grabbed the big bag that she had used when she moved in three years ago, and stuffed it as full as she could with clothes and other personal possessions: a washcloth, a hairbrush. She patted her apron to check that she still had her diary and reading book, then she crept downstairs. She took as much food as she could from the pantry without feeling as though she were depriving the others. It was only what she would eat if she were here after all.

  Then she went back upstairs to face Hetty and Finch. They had climbed back inside and were waiting for her in the boys’ bedroom, Finch sitting on his bed and Hetty on the floor by the window. They both looked as if they were about to nod off.

  Hetty stared at her bag and shook her head. “Where exactly are you going?”

  “I can’t tell you. Just that I saw something out there by the city walls that gave me a clue to what has happened to the stolen ones,” Thandie whispered. She specifically didn’t tell them about Sander, or lead them to believe she had talked to anyone at all. If they thought she was going off with a stranger then they were sure to tell Madam Tilbury.

  Hetty shook her head in disbelief. “What? What did you see?”

  “I can’t tell you that either. Just that it has something to do with a unicorn.”

  “The Midnight Unicorn?” asked Finch.

  “No, another unicorn. A bad one. I can’t tell you any more but I have to go.”

  Finch didn’t say another thing but got up from the bed and walked towards her.

  Hetty pursed her lips. “What about Tib? Are you going without saying goodbye to him? He’ll be heartbroken.”

  “No, of course not,” said Thandie, who hadn’t exactly been thinking about Tib at that minute, but would never forget about him all together. She put down the bag and went to Tib’s bedside. He was sleeping on his side with one loosely curled fist resting under his chin. He hadn’t bothered with bedsheets as the night was still so hot. His little body was curled carefully around a wooden straw-filled box. Thandie didn’t need to investigate it to know that it contained his precious duck’s egg.

  She kneeled down next to the bed and put a hand gently on his back. He stirred and his dark eyelashes fluttered open.

  “Thank you for the catapult,” said Thandie. “It came in very handy. I have to go away for a little while. May I take it with me?”

  Tib frowned and put his arms around her neck. She didn’t know if he was properly awake but he spoke clearly, clinging on to her. “Don’t go, Thandie!”

  His voice – his little voice and its pleading tone – stirred a memory.

  “Don’t go!” That’s what she had said to her mother. And her mother had laughed. “Just go to sleep. Dream sweet dreams. I’ll be back before the cockerel crows.”

  Maybe she shouldn’t go. She was Tib’s closest friend. He trusted her. She knew how it felt to be abandoned by the person you trusted the most. But this was different. She would return: she would make sure of that. And she would find the missing people. All of them.

  She unwound Tib’s arms from her neck, settled him back on his pillow and looked him straight in the eyes.

  “I will come back, I promise.”

  He closed his eyes, smiling, and she made sure that his egg box was safely nestled next to him. Then he was asleep. He might not even remember their conversation in the morning.

  She turned to face Hetty and Finch. This goodbye would not be as easy.

  “What did you mean about the catapult coming in handy? Did you use it?” asked Finch.

  “Let me guess … you can’t tell us?” said Hetty.

  Thandie shrugged.

  “So you really are going?”

  “Yes.” Thandie narrowed her eyes. “Promise me you won’t tell. You won’t wake Madam Tilbury?”

  Hetty shook her head slowly from side to side as if she couldn’t quite believe what was happening. “No, Thandie. If this is what you mean to do, then I won’t turn you in. It is obviously something that, for whatever reason, you feel the need to do. I will say to Ma Tilbury that your bed was empty in the morning. But, in case my opinion is of any interest to you, I think you are being incredibly selfish.”

  “Thank you.” Thandie ignored the last part. “Finch?”

  Finch shrugged. “The same as Hetty said.”

  They both stared at Thandie as if the world had come to an end.

  “I wish we had never played this ridiculous game,” said Finch.

  Thandie smiled. “It might be the most important game we ever played. I promise I’ll be back soon.”

  Hetty was still shaking her head. “People will all think that you have been taken, you know. They will be so worried. What do we tell them?”

  Thandie pulled out her diary, scrawled a message on one of the back pages, then ripped it out and handed it to Hetty. “It says that I’ve gone to find the missing people.”

  “You’re breaking curfew. You’ll be in big trouble.”

  “No one will care about that when I’ve found the stolen ones.”

  “You won’t find the stolen ones. I don’t believe you’re even looking for them. You’re looking for someone else, but you won’t find her,” said Hetty, eyes flashing.

  “Who?”

  “Your mother. If she was going to come back, she would have returned wi
th the others when Zelos died, five years ago.”

  Anger burned in Thandie’s core but she refused to show Hetty. She kept her voice calm. “This has nothing to do with my mother.”

  Hetty began to raise her voice. “ You may be lying to us – lying to yourself even – but it’s obvious it has everything to do with your mother. You won’t find her, though, Thandie. When will you realize that other people care about you? We are your real family now – you just have to let us in.”

  “Shhh,” whispered Finch, touching Hetty’s arm and pointing downstairs. “You’ll get us all into trouble. Speaking of which, what are we supposed to tell Ma Tilbury when she asks? Or the guards?”

  She climbed out of the window and leaned back in. “Give them the note. Tell them you don’t know any more. Tell them that I just walked out of here and that was the last you ever saw of me. Tell them anything you want. But I’m going.”

  And Thandie launched herself off the roof and down into the darkness.

  ONE IN A HUNDRED

  Sander

  Sander waited, making a bet with himself as to whether or not she would return. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people would not return. They would reach the comfort of their home and try to forget the encounter with the stranger in the dark. But Sander strongly suspected that Thandie was that one in a hundred. That is why he’d taken the risk and let her go. His bet was that she would return.

  He played a complicated, haunting tune on his pipe, to distract himself from the waiting.

  And then there she was, walking through the moonlit clearing as if she were strolling along the side of the river after a picnic luncheon. Here was someone who was not frightened of the dark. Here was someone who was not frightened of being alone. Here was someone who was fiercely independent with a thirst for adventure and who kept their true emotions deeply buried.

  Here was someone just like him.

  THE JOURNEY BEGINS

  Thandie

  The first few miles that night were the strangest. Despite all their talking outside the city walls, they made their way in silence. Thandie had decided to save her energy for the long journey ahead. Anyway, she didn’t have any particular desire to befriend this stranger. He had information that was useful to her – that was all.

  It was getting very late and Thandie wondered when they would rest. She wasn’t going to mention that to Sander, though. He might think her weak. He had said that he wandered at night and slept in the day, so she would fit in with him.

  She wasn’t sure if she would be able to sleep now anyway, with the adrenaline rushing through her veins. She had never been on a journey like this, not knowing where she was going or how long she would be gone. Everything seemed new and fresh to her, as if there could be a hidden surprise around any corner. Thandie was beginning to wonder if she had been a little too impulsive in walking out into the night with this stranger, but then she had been the one to suggest it to him, not the other way around. He had looked ready to disappear into the night.

  Perhaps it was an impossible undertaking. Perhaps they should be facing up to the unicorn with a whole army, or at least a sorcerer, rather than just the two of them. She had no idea where they were going or what they were going to do when they got there.

  “So, where are we going to travel first?” She broke the silence.

  “Why, to the castle in the clouds of course.”

  “I know that but how do we reach it?”

  Sander scratched his head, under his hat. “There are various ways—”

  “—And what do we do when we get there?” asked Thandie.

  “That I do not know. I hoped you had a plan.”

  Thandie stopped walking. “Of course I have a plan. It just needs some refinement.”

  “May I ask what it is? I know I need to lead us to the castle, but how we will free the people when we get there?”

  “The unicorn has taken away their memories, correct?”

  Sander nodded. “Well, he took that first girl’s memories so I can only assume he did the same to the others.”

  “Why does he want their memories?”

  “How would I know? I barely spoke to the unicorn. He just threatened me – told me that he had spies and he would know if I told anyone.”

  “So the unicorn speaks?”

  Sander sighed. “Why the interrogation? I have told you everything I know.”

  There was a pause and Thandie started walking again. Sander followed alongside her. Thandie wanted to know more but he seemed very defensive. He was probably frightened. She tried to imagine what it must have been like to stumble upon something like that. She wouldn’t push him any further on the subject.

  She glanced in his direction again. “Well, whatever he uses them for … we need to give them back. Remind them of what they have lost: their families, their lives.”

  “How do we do that?”

  Thandie pondered this. A real plan suddenly sprang to mind.

  “That girl you saw: Linnell Redfern, wasn’t it?”

  “Yes.” Sander didn’t look at her and it was difficult to judge what he was thinking.

  “She was from the village of Arvale, wasn’t she?”

  Sander sighed. “A small hamlet just outside.”

  “I think we should go there. Before we find the unicorn. Her family and friends may be able to tell us something about her. Something that will help bring her back.”

  “But what good will that do? She is just one girl out of many.”

  “Still, hers is the only name I know, apart from those who went missing from Essendor, and we can’t go back there now.”

  Sander looked unconvinced, but Thandie continued.

  “I really think it would help. If we find out everything we can, then that would be one person who we stand a chance of saving. And even if we just save Linnell – bring back one person – people would believe us. They would trust you and we could go back to the castle with more people, to fight the unicorn.”

  Sander seemed to be considering this. “Linnell lived with her father, I believe. It was just the two of them and he was an old man. He would be easy enough to track down.”

  “Then let’s go there.”

  Sander looked resigned and turned in a different direction. “Very well. We will head in the direction of Arvale. But we will have to walk between the mountains. It won’t be easy and it will make our journey much longer.”

  “It will be worth it,” said Thandie.

  THE NEXT STOP

  Sander

  Sander did not want to go to Linnell’s home. He didn’t want to meet her father or see her home. He wanted no reminder of the day he led her away or what she’d left behind. But any excuse he gave would only arouse Thandie’s suspicion. Linnell’s father was an old man, anyway. Perhaps he had died or moved away: it was possible that Sander would not have to see him. So he would go along with Thandie’s idea and pretend that he had never set foot near Linnell’s home.

  “We will go via Arvale, but there will be no more walking tonight,” he said. I haven’t slept all night and as soon as we are far enough from the main road, I want to get my head down.”

  “Where will we camp?”

  “Somewhere off the beaten track,” said Sander, suddenly veering off the road into the fields. “We need to be hidden away in case someone comes looking for you.”

  CAMP

  Thandie

  “Looking for me? I don’t think anyone is likely to do that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, Madam Tilbury and Berwick both have their hands full with other things at the moment, and the guards are hardly likely to waste much time looking for a poor orphan. It’s not as if I am a member of the royal court. They’ll be happy to quickly forget about me.”

  As soon as Thandie had said this she regretted it. It probably wasn’t a good idea for Sander to think no one would miss her, so she quickly added, “On the other hand, my foster brothers and sisters are very protective of me. I
told them what I was doing. They can be trusted not to tell the authorities for a time but will no doubt change their minds if I don’t return soon.” She didn’t usually refer to Hetty, Tib and Finch as her foster siblings, but it seemed more apt than, “the people I share a house with.”

  “Oh yes, of course. I see what you mean,” said Sander, then he pointed into the distance. “I think if we head in this direction we should find the perfect place to camp.”

  They only had to walk for a few more minutes before finding a sheltered spot near running water. They stopped and threw down their bags. A suggestion of the sun appeared at the horizon.

  “Are we going to build a fire?” asked Thandie.

  “No,” said Sander, rolling out his blanket on the ground right away. “The nights are so warm at the moment that we don’t need one, and it would only draw attention to our whereabouts.”

  “We don’t need one to scare off wild animals?”

  “There’s nothing very fearsome around these parts – just the odd choker snake.”

  “Choker snake?”

  “It’s just a name. They rarely choke anyone and anyway, I am always alert to any threat, even in my sleep. I have my pipe. I could charm any creature that ventured too close.”

  “Great,” muttered Thandie sarcastically. “Our most fearsome weapon is a seven-inch fipple pipe.”

  Sander grinned. “It works, I promise. A shelter is unnecessary as well,” he said, removing his worn leather boots and sitting on top of the blanket. “I do hope that you won’t make a fuss about sleeping out in the open air.”

  Thandie unrolled her own blanket some distance away. She had camped like this down by the river with Hetty, Finch and Tib on a few occasions before the curfew had been imposed on them. “Sleeping outside doesn’t trouble me. I’m not afraid of much.”

  “Nor am I. Nothing, in fact.”

  “There must be something.” She thought of the unicorn – Sander’s defensiveness earlier and his tears back in Essendor. But it seemed a little unfair to bring that up now when he was chatting away with such breezy confidence.

  “I have tamed wild bears and battled the elements,” he said. “I have seen great sorcerers cast terrible spells. If I had been the fearful type then these things might have given me cause for alarm, yet they did not. I think I can safely say that I am scared of nothing.”