Part 61 (1/2)

”My brethren and I have decided to dwell at the far side of what you humans call the Alien Plain. There is

336 t JOHN LEE

s.p.a.ce and grazing enough for ail and there is no reason why we cannot coexist in peace, but I have observed your doings, Emperor of Umbria, and I have seen into your heart. Keep within your proper bounds and all will be well between us. If you do not, you will rue the day.” Joscelyn paused, as if listening, and then his head came up. ”Thus speaks Astarus the unicorn,” he de- clared.

There was a frozen, shocked silence and then the boy turned and sprang lightly onto the unicorn's back. He bent forward and twined his hands into the mane. Both of them disappeared. One moment there, the next gone.

The crowd stirred, as if released anew, and a buzz of conversation rose- Varodias, who had, at first, gone deathly pale and then had progressively reddened with anger, turned to Arabella.

”What is the meaning of this?” he demanded, voice squeaking with pa.s.sion. ”And who was that young up- start? Is this some conspiracy by the Magical Kingdoms to publicly demean the Empire?” .

”We can a.s.sure you, cousin,” Arabella said shakily, ”that we have no knowledge of this. We are as amazed and affronted as you. You may rest a.s.sured that we shall inquire into these circ.u.mstances forthwith and will deal severely with the miscreant. We shall not tolerate this insult to an honored guest.” She drew a deep breath. ”In the meantime, we suggest that we return to the palace. The boy is gone. There is nothing that we can do here.”

She beckoned to a page. ”Do you go immediately to the Lady Marianna and the Mage Courtak and com- mand them to attend us in the private withdrawing room ” She turned to Varodias and said, ”If anyone knows about unicorns it will be those two.”

She held out her hand to the Emperor and, head high,

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moved out of the royal enclosure and back onto the road to Celador.

'Talk to me,' Jarrod pleaded as the procession re- formed.

'lam deeply ashamed,' Nastrus replied slowly as Mar- ianna and he walked away from the Burning Ground.

7 do not remember who his dam was, but there must be bad bloodlines [here. Perhaps I am getting old. I do not understand this new generation.'

'Yes. yes, yes,' Jarrod thought back with barely sup- pressed annoyance, 'but what was all that about my brethren and I living on the Alien Plain?'

There was a sigh in Nastrus' mind. 'You remember the coifs that I brought to help you build your castle?

Well, they went back and talked to their kin about the uncounted leagues of virgin gra.s.s here on Strand. You have seen our portion of the Island at the Center. It is cramped and every year our numbers grow. This Astarus.

it seems, has a position of leaders.h.i.+p among the younger unicorns and he convinced the others that they should move to Strand. It appears that this new breeding is more aggressive that we were. They talk of defending territory.'

His tone turned sarcastic. 'Some of them may have looked into the Memory, but they have not seen the de- struction of the cloudsteeds at first hand. This world has dangers that they cannot comprehend.'

'How many are coming? Where will they go? Where did Astarus and Joscelyn go?' The questions crowded forth.

T don't know,' Nastrus admitted. 'Astarus is arrogant.

fie would not submit to my authority. He told me very little.' The thought turned bitter. 'He considers me a spent force, an aging sire no longer capable of keeping other males away from my dams. His opinion of humans is none too high either. I fear that you will have trouble with him. As to where they have gone. I suppose to the

338 castle. Where else on the Plain would he have a homing point?'

They completed the journey back to Celador in trou- bled silence, each caught up in his thoughts, each gloomy for reasons that had nothing to do with Rag- nor's funeral.

Jarrod and Marianna regained their rooms quickly and set about changing their clothes. They exchanged what information they had, knowing that as the discov- erer of the unicorns and as Joscelyn's parents, they were doubly responsible.

”Why didn't you tell me about this castle before?”

Marianna asked.

”Because it was none of your business,” Jarrod said shortly. ”There are only a handful of people who know.

It was a Discipline project, but even Greylock doesn't know about it. Ragnor knew, of course, but he's dead.”