Saturday Short: The Unicorn’s Augury (Part 2)
Title: The Unicorn’s Augury (Part 2)
Author: Aspen Lee
Twitter: @razorthinstudios
Website: Razor Thin Studios (Aspen Lee)
This is a continuation from last week. Read the first part HERE.
The rustle of shrubbery stirred her and the louder than allowable thud upon the delicate terrain took Talia from her sleep. At first when she raised her head she saw nothing. Her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the darkness, but soon she saw what drew whatever comfort she still held from deep within.
She watched silently, the creature that skulked about the large trunk trees. Its beady eyes bore confusion and grandeur all at once. It was large, gangly and not of her world. Repulsive and hairy she thought too as it moved in mechanical motions, drawing closer to her.
Talia stood. Her long mane fell over her neck like virgin snow over a snow-capped mountain. As she rose her coat absorbed the moon dust and drew the creature’s attention. She remained erect, proud as a unicorn should in the gaze of the … human.
“Oh my Lord,” it spoke.
“I am not your Lord, nor would I care to meet such a Creator as you in the heavens.” Talia replied.
The human covered its mouth as if to stifle a scream. “It speaks, the unicorn speaks.” It said as if the fact were some unknown revelation.
Talia moved forward. She did not flee as she imagined she might. Perhaps it was the anger the brood inside her, as the prophecy was wrong and because of it she lost her dearest friend.
The two stood near face to face. The human reached out for the alicorn. “It is even more marvelous that spoken of.” It remarked as it ran a hand over the healing ivory.
“And it is nothing a mere human will possess.”
The human stepped back. “I beg to differ. It shall be mine.”
Talia lowered her alicorn and stepped forward. The human stepped back until it was parked against a tree. “It is not for you.” She said.
Without a word the human reached out and grabbed her alicorn. It yanked back and forth and twisted as best it could. While it did the Talia moved forward, the tip of her alicorn rested a mere inch from the human’s face, still it did not yield.
“It is not for you,” she warned.
The human did not yield. The gaze upon its face told her of his lust and careless ways. In it as well she could see the small Fae that died upon the tip of her alicorn. Raisie died to prevent such creatures from passing through to her world, a prevention that failed. “She died because of you.” She said.
For a moment, if that, the human stopped and looked into Talia’s eyes and gave her remark little more then a brief furrow of the brow. It continued, harder this time trying to break the alicorn from her head.
“For Raisie,” Talia said, before she slowly stepped forward.
The wail that ejected from the human rolled down the knoll through the glen. The stark cry startled Talia causing her to plunge her alicorn into the human much faster than she would have liked.
She watched, not as she would have done with Raisie, the gore displayed by the dying human. Her alicorn pierced the eye and continued through out the back of the skull. The human dangled from her alicorn, held upright and clearly in view as the moon moved from behind the clouds.
“The prophecy was wrong. You still came and for that you must pay with your blood as Raisie did with hers.” Talia spoke. The blood from the human ran the length of her alicorn and was now running down her snowy snout.
Talia gave a snort, sending small pellets of blood across the humans face. Dotting along side the wide stream that had built beneath its eye. She stepped back, lowered her head as she did allowing the human to fall to the soft carpet.
She toyed with the corpse, nudging it with her alicorn. It was heavier that she imagined, as she held it up with such ease. “Is this the best of you?”
She impaled the human again, this time in the chest. Her alicorn moved in swiftly. She moved her head about to widen the wound, so that she might peer inside her enemy. “You are no more than flesh and blood. Easily removed, I see my dearest Raisie passed in vain.”
It was after a few more stabs that she realized another was in her midst. She spotted the human from the corner of her eyes as she thrashed about the open torso. She turned to see an arrow launched at her. It pierced her shoulder but hardly slowed her charge.
“Die you beast,” the human cried as it reached for another dart.
Talia bowed her head, but kept a stern eye on the human as it fumbled with its bow. As it raised his weapon she plunged her alicorn through the chest, sending its bow and arrow over its head and its mangled arms flaying outward.
“I should die? You cretin should die and you will.” Talia threw the human to the ground, trampled, and gored it. The sound of cracking bone moved through the glen. Blood poured from the human and washed the emerald carpet beneath its gore.
She stepped back to admire her accomplishment. “If the prophecy will not stop you, then I will.”
“You are supposed to heal!”
Talia turned to face yet another. “Your kind is not allowed in Atunia.”
“We only came for…”
“The alicorn?”
The human looked away as if it were ashamed and for a moment, Talia took pity. “This is no place for your kind,” she said.
“Our people are dying from illness.” It stopped and looked over at the dead. “Why?” it asked.
“You wouldn’t understand.”
“More will come.”
“Raisie, my dearest Raisie.” Talia approached the human.
“Please,” it said, backing off into the woods.
“I cannot allow you to leave.”
“I will not leave.”
Talia pushed her alicorn into the shadows. “I agree.”
She stopped short of the human, once she realized they were not alone. Like a waterfall of flames the arrows lit the sky. There was no shelter and not enough time to flee. Talia braced herself and buckled under the pain.
The humans were on her before she had a chance to react. The one she spoke with knelt beside her. It seemed to be trying to comfort her. Its hand was warm against her pelt.
“All we wanted was the horn, unicorn.”
“You will overrun our world.”
“No, just the horn,” he repeated. “We heard of such a prophecy that the horn of a unicorn can heal worlds.”
Talia felt a hand as it held her alicorn roughly. The human was not gentle as the other. It held a object which it laid against her horn.
“As I said, our people are dying. Our world is overrun by disease and you hold the key to our survival. The horn was all we wanted, but you…” The human’s world trailed as another placed a hand on its shoulder.
“Help gather the dead.” It said.
Talia watched behind dimming shades the humans as they removed themselves. She felt the touch of Raisie brush against her, as darkness fell.
