Unicorn Quests - 3. Chapter 3

By day three Grif was completely sober and only the lure of the shiny stones we aimed to steal was keeping the harpy from flapping her wings for the closest tavern. Londe had pretended to ignore her the first few hours, but after she’d gone for his mane after one comment too many, and he’d tried to gouge her with his horn, they were both sworn to silence.

It made for quiet traveling, but boring afternoons. My stomach rumbled. This form required feeding, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not. The food was either wonderful and fresh or stale and terrible. Opening the flap of the bag on my hip, I sighed in relief. The charm on the wrapping held, and the bread was fresh.

“Grif? Bread?”

She flew overhead, her talons outstretched. They clenched shut, black razor curves catching the chunk of bread I sent skyward perfectly. She transferred the crust to her hand and tore into it.

“Hey!” Londe shook his head, his ears flicking frantically. “Crumbs! Stupid human food. Ughs.” His voice faded, but he kept grumbling in my head. He’d taken to talking less and less, not wanting to get caught unaware by humans who might hear him speaking. It was a closely guarded secret that some Beings had speech, much less spoke the common tongue.

So much easier to overhear plans or escape when those holding you captive assumed you were dumb, or just a beast, or simply unable to understand their motives.

Then again, many pure beings fell prey to them for just that reason. Dryads were often lured from their trees and springs by handsome lads and lasses, then cruelly captured and drained for their ability to fertilize fallow ground.

Never mind what that did to their tree, or stream, or pond…

Londe’s skin shivered under my thighs, and I was abruptly brought back to attention. We crested a hill, and spread out below us was a town. Walls surrounded it, though half the walls shimmered and glittered.

A mixer town. There were some, places where humans and Beings lived—if not in harmony—in uneasy peace. Typically there was a tribute paid.

But who ruled this town? The humans or the Beings?

“Grif?” She’d been tight-beaked about the owners of the gems, unusual for her. “Tell me you have an in past those gates?” Any place with walls like that, and gates that stood open on the road, would have guards.

“What need I for gates?” she cawed. She tilted her wings side to side. “Land-bound creatures, bah.”

“Don’t tell me they don’t have archers.” I didn’t fall into her schemes. “The agreement was entry, theft, and safe escape. I will help you in exchange for a fair split.”

“Thieving is never safe!” She was wheeling now, diving toward me. She jabbed a finger in my direction. “Never.”

“Okay, okay, fine. But you still better have a plan for those gates.”

“Tales as old as time… It’s good enough for swine…”

‘Would you shut her up?’ Londe huffed. He was horrified, high-stepping in the muck, and breathing shallowly. Even if they weren’t about to enter the heavily-fortified town, he refused to breathe deep enough to talk.

Of course Grif’s plan had been to get in through the muck sewers. She’d pulled out a bag from her cowl filled with a fizzing powder that dissolved the bars in mere moments of waiting. She’d barely waited before she trundled in, her awkward gait rocking side to side as she had to walk instead of fly by the stones arching just a few spans overhead.

I’d removed my breeches, unwilling to dirty them and my footwear were tied around my neck. I nearly added to the filth when something semisolid squished beneath and up through my toes, oozing and nearly making me slip. If I hadn’t had one hand gripped in Londe’s mane, I’d have fallen.

There was no shape I could have taken that I would be able to get clean enough after that.

We crept from the sewers into the evening glimmer. Lights were beginning to appear in the small window panes, the heavy lead breaking up the illumination. People and Beings scurried to and fro, the boards and stones keeping their feet clean. Grif, at least, knew enough of the city to bring us up near a well and a handy trough to clean up so we could dress discretely.

Still, what appeared to be a human, a harpy, and a unicorn walking down the street? Yeah, that caught eyes and would soon set tongues wagging as well.

“Time to take those red diamonds,” I hissed. Grif was eyeing a human’s long set of pearls draped around her neck and shoulders to rest right above her pert rear.

“Fine. Fine. Red sparklies it is. Don’t know why white wouldn’t work as well.”

“They won’t. Just… help us. You said it would take my kind of magic to get them. I refused before, but now I need them. Tell me where and how, and I’ll share. Fifty-fifty split.”

“We need to sneak into the owner’s home, take the gems, and get out.”

“And why do I have to do it if we’re going out at night?” I echoed the question Londe asked in my head. “Why can’t you just fly in and snatch them?”

“One, the windows are barred. Two, they are barred and shuttered during the day. Three, they are shuttered with solid wood shutters because the Being who owns this home is a vampire.”

“You plan to steal diamonds from a vampire!” Londe exclaimed, forgetting himself.

“No, you do. I’m just helping.”

“How the hell shall I fool a vampire?” They fed on humans, sure, but one whiff and my disguise wouldn’t crumble. I didn’t smell human.

“You aren’t fooling her. You’re fooling her staff. Hell-ooo, stupid heads.” Grif cawed out her obnoxious laugh, claws on stone less abrasive.

“Nothing could go wrong there,” Londe muttered.