to the floor beneath them, a valley covered in green mossy grass and thick trees. “Call the Leerhas!” Iros bellowed, and several dark green unicorns shot through the trees and disappeared. They hadn’t even gotten Ashra safely on the ground yet when the green unicorns returned, followed more slowly by metallic blue, even smaller unicorns — the size of ponies, maybe. They galloped closer, horns already bright and shooting sparks as the magic swirled ready inside them. “ Move out of the way, let us— ” The unicorn leading them threw her head back with a very horse-like whinny as she caught sight of Trey. “ Humans! You brought humans to Paradesos? ” she shrieked. Trey’s skull felt like it might explode.
“They’re riders. This is Trey, and that’s Scout. She needs your help.” Iros motioned toward them, but the unicorn backed away.
“ No. ”
“She’ll die if you don’t,” Trey exclaimed, sliding off Torz, still cradling Scout in his arms.
“ I don ’ t care. What ’ s another human life? Move out of the way so I can heal Ashra. ” The unicorn tossed her head, sparks dangerously close to scalding Trey’s already burned, bruised arms. The other unicorns cleared a path to Ashra. Her side barely rose and fell in shallow breaths as she lay on the forest floor.
“Iros, if they won’t help we have to get her to a hospital—” Trey swung toward Iros, who was glaring fiercely at the unicorn in the front. She ignored him and leaned toward Ashra, the flames from her horn sweeping toward the bloody gashes in the sleek black unicorn’s side.
“ No, ” Ashra wheezed. The blue unicorn jerked her head up. The others who had appeared behind her also jerked like they’d all been slapped simultaneously.
“ Ashra, I can ’ t heal you without your permission, ” the Leerha whispered.
“ Then don ’ t. Not until you— ” Ashra stopped, her huge eyes rolling in pain. “ —heal the human first. ”
“ What? Havik! Make her see — ”
Havik lowered his head. “ The human tried to help us. She risked her life to fight beside us. Will you really not do your best to save her? ”
“ But Ashra is— ”
“ No one… ” Ashra sucked in air, fighting to keep her eyes open, “ is allowed… to touch me… until she will live. ”
The sapphire unicorn swung toward Trey, her horn glowing red-hot. “ Set her down and get out of my way. ”
Trey wanted to argue. How could he be sure they wouldn’t just burn Scout to death or impale her or something?
From behind him, Torz nudged him gently. “ I ’ ll protect her. ”
Trey had no choice. Scout was barely breathing herself, and if he waited, they’d lose her and Ashra, too.
He couldn’t lose Scout. Not again.
He laid her gently on the ground, grateful that it was soft and cool beneath his hands. She didn’t make a sound, but the grass under her was soaked with her blood almost immediately. Trey’s hands shook. “Help her, please. Please help her.”
The unicorn glared at him for several seconds before she flicked her tail. The others came to her side, and as one they lowered their horns. Soft blue light swept over Scout, and the bleeding stopped. “ This one… is difficult, ” The sapphire one murmured. Another joined her, lowering its glowing horn to Scout’s lifeless body, and then a third. They stood like that for several minutes while Trey felt his heart breaking a little more every second. Finally, the first one raised her head, eyeing Trey with hostile distrust. “ That is all we can do. She will live. ” They left Scout and whirled on Ashra, going to work without another word.
Iros knelt on Scout’s other side. “She’ll be okay.”
“Why’d they say she’s difficult to heal?” Trey traced his knuckle along her forehead and down her cheekbone. The color was returning. She wasn’t deathly gray anymore.
“She holds on to her pain as a shield. They can’t take away what she’s unwilling to let go,” Iros
“They’re riders. This is Trey, and that’s Scout. She needs your help.” Iros motioned toward them, but the unicorn backed away.
“ No. ”
“She’ll die if you don’t,” Trey exclaimed, sliding off Torz, still cradling Scout in his arms.
“ I don ’ t care. What ’ s another human life? Move out of the way so I can heal Ashra. ” The unicorn tossed her head, sparks dangerously close to scalding Trey’s already burned, bruised arms. The other unicorns cleared a path to Ashra. Her side barely rose and fell in shallow breaths as she lay on the forest floor.
“Iros, if they won’t help we have to get her to a hospital—” Trey swung toward Iros, who was glaring fiercely at the unicorn in the front. She ignored him and leaned toward Ashra, the flames from her horn sweeping toward the bloody gashes in the sleek black unicorn’s side.
“ No, ” Ashra wheezed. The blue unicorn jerked her head up. The others who had appeared behind her also jerked like they’d all been slapped simultaneously.
“ Ashra, I can ’ t heal you without your permission, ” the Leerha whispered.
“ Then don ’ t. Not until you— ” Ashra stopped, her huge eyes rolling in pain. “ —heal the human first. ”
“ What? Havik! Make her see — ”
Havik lowered his head. “ The human tried to help us. She risked her life to fight beside us. Will you really not do your best to save her? ”
“ But Ashra is— ”
“ No one… ” Ashra sucked in air, fighting to keep her eyes open, “ is allowed… to touch me… until she will live. ”
The sapphire unicorn swung toward Trey, her horn glowing red-hot. “ Set her down and get out of my way. ”
Trey wanted to argue. How could he be sure they wouldn’t just burn Scout to death or impale her or something?
From behind him, Torz nudged him gently. “ I ’ ll protect her. ”
Trey had no choice. Scout was barely breathing herself, and if he waited, they’d lose her and Ashra, too.
He couldn’t lose Scout. Not again.
He laid her gently on the ground, grateful that it was soft and cool beneath his hands. She didn’t make a sound, but the grass under her was soaked with her blood almost immediately. Trey’s hands shook. “Help her, please. Please help her.”
The unicorn glared at him for several seconds before she flicked her tail. The others came to her side, and as one they lowered their horns. Soft blue light swept over Scout, and the bleeding stopped. “ This one… is difficult, ” The sapphire one murmured. Another joined her, lowering its glowing horn to Scout’s lifeless body, and then a third. They stood like that for several minutes while Trey felt his heart breaking a little more every second. Finally, the first one raised her head, eyeing Trey with hostile distrust. “ That is all we can do. She will live. ” They left Scout and whirled on Ashra, going to work without another word.
Iros knelt on Scout’s other side. “She’ll be okay.”
“Why’d they say she’s difficult to heal?” Trey traced his knuckle along her forehead and down her cheekbone. The color was returning. She wasn’t deathly gray anymore.
“She holds on to her pain as a shield. They can’t take away what she’s unwilling to let go,” Iros
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