Chapter 5 Part 3

"A unicorn?" Armegon asked.

"A unicorn, just as we suspected," Ultrecht confirmed. "According to the curator of the museum, there was a breed of unicorns called the prismatic unicorns. Remember Brandor's tale? The gods hunted them to the point of extinction. The curator said that the popular breed of unicorns are all that is left, that the prismatic unicorns were wiped out."

"If that’s true then we may be embarking on a useless journey," Armegon pointed out.

"What are the chances that the curator is wrong?" Avery asked. "If there are any prismatic unicorns left, and if they are intelligent, they certainly aren’t going to make their existence public knowledge."

"There just has to be some left alive," Calista pleaded. "For Sam."

"Well we can't just give up because of a rumor," Armegon agreed. "I say we continue."

"No argument," Ultrecht announced.

"So what other things did you learn," Avery asked as he fiddled with a device he and Armegon picked up in town. It was a set of lenses placed so that distant objects could be viewed. There had been such things on their homeworld. Apparently Armegon and Avery had gotten a local tinkerer to construct it for them.

"I found some more of Armegon's prophesies," he said. "Where did you get the spyglass?"

Armegon seemed interested. "We got a glass maker and jeweler to build it," he said quickly. "You mentioned a prophesy?"

Ultrecht opened his scroll tube and rifled through the pages within. He drew one forth and passed it to Armegon. "Did either the glass maker or the jeweler have any idea what you were making?" he asked.

"Not at all," Avery answered. "The jeweler wanted to put flat glass in for the lenses," he said. "He figured this would make a fine candle holder except for the curved glass."

"You know we might be able to market these," Ultrecht surmised.

"Careful," Avery warned. "You want to be careful about introducing advanced objects into a society."

"Advanced my foot," Ultrecht waved his hand. "They have the capability to make these already. It’s an invention waiting to happen. I see no reason why we shouldn't capitalize on it."

"Hey, where did you get this?" Armegon asked holding up the sheet.

"From a book called the Capellan Chronicles," Ultrecht replied.

"Is it important?" Avery asked.

Armegon shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Who can tell?"

"Well read it," the ranger urged.

Armegon read from the paper.
An elf who is not an elf
Brings a paradox to the world,
A rock to stand against the tide
A beacon in the blackest night.
Unbeknown by man and god
A trinity to stand beside one
As gods struggle for power
In realms beyond mortal men.
Silent is their cry of war
They hold and wield an ancient lore
A magic from before the gods
From before the Godking himself.
Behold now the shadow of the blade
And the hand of he who wields it.
The world will shake at his command.
Beware the rock, O son of gods!
Beware the fire of the sun!

"What’s that all about?" Avery asked.

"Well the first line is obvious," Armegon explained. "An 'elf who is not and elf' is a halfelf."

"So it’s about a halfelf," Ultrecht stated. "Big deal. There are probably tens of thousands of you guys in this world."

"Hold on," Armegon interrupted. "Look at the second line. 'Brings a paradox to the world.'"

Ultrecht shrugged. "So?"

Armegon rolled his eyes. "How many halfelves do you know who could bring anything 'to this world'?"

"Any inventive one?" Ultrecht guessed. What was Armegon getting at?

"That would be into this world, not to this world." Armegon was explaining carefully.

"You mean 'to' as in from another world?" Avery asked catching on.

"Exactly," Armegon said triumphantly.

"Whoa, now. Wait a minute." Ultrecht did not like where this was leading. "Are you trying to say that this prophesy is about one of you two?" he asked pointing to Armegon and Avery.

"Nah," Armegon brushed it off. "I just thought it was an amusing coincidence. You know how these things can be thrown off by a single word."

"What about the rest of it," Ultrecht asked.

"You mean that stuff about the tiny feet of the unborn and the parole stuff by that deaf fellow?"

"Yes."

Armegon shrugged. "It could just be some mad ravings, or it could be real prophesy." He rolled the paper back up and returned it to the scroll case. "Either way I agree that that’s the passage we were looking for. Maybe it really is the prophesy of the end of the Godking's reign. Maybe these people will be returned to the Creator in time."

"To the Seven Hells with your prophesies and papers. I just want to get Sam back," Calista jumped in. She felt it was important to remind them of why they were there.

Ultrecht sensed her anxiety. "Of course my dear," he said. "We’ll move onward tomorrow morning."

Armegon gave her a worried look. "I know that it’s hard," he said, "but try to go and get some sleep. The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner you’ll wake and the sooner we’ll be back underway." Calista was about to say something else but held her tongue and marched off to bed.

Promptly at sunrise, they passed through the city gates and into the northern wilderness. There was still some white showing on the ground and in the shadows where the snow of the long winter had not quite completely melted. The land was fairly quiet and as they rode, Calista snoozed in the back of the wagon. She awoke around lunch time and helped herself to a cup of water. She then took some bread and cheese from the picnic basket she had purchased during their stay in town. She shared her supplies with a grateful Armegon and Ultrecht. Avery was no where to be seen and she inquired as to his whereabouts. "Where’s Avery?"

"He is off somewhere with Mirfak," Armegon told her. He was riding the horse, and was behind the wagon. "You may not see him again until late this evening. Rangers are like that."

"What’s he doing?" she asked.

Ultrecht passed the reigns to her and dipped himself some water. "Well," he said, "we have traveled with Avery for a long time so I figure either he’s about a kilometer in front of us checking for dangerous animals and bandits or he’s behind us checking to see if we are being followed."

Armegon had his own theory. "I think he probably is behind us," he said. "Mirfak’s probably ahead of us. His scent will drive off any wild animals that might be dangerous."

"Do you think there might be something that he can't scare away?" Calista asked.

"Can you think of anything that would not be scared of a coyodiak?" Ultrecht returned.

"How about a dragon?"

"Have you ever seen a dragon before?" Armegon asked.

"Would you two give me a straight answer for once?" Calista complained.

"Sorry," Armegon apologized. "No, a dragon probably wouldn’t be afraid of Mirfak. But have you ever seen a dragon?"

"No," she admitted.

"Well, when this is all over, remind me and I’ll introduce you to one."

Calista beamed. "You’re going to introduce me to a dragon?"

"Sure," Armegon assured her. "I know a really nice one who would be very pleased to meet you. His name’s Brandor and he’s a silver dragon."

"Are they mean?"

"Only when it comes to money," Ultrecht mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

About sunset they rounded a bend to find Avery tending a fire. Mirfak was huddled near a tree looking like a small mountain of fur. Over the fire was a spit with two rabbit carcasses roasting.

"Mmmm!" Calista exclaimed when she caught the aroma of supper. She disembarked the wagon and trotted over to the fire. Avery cut a slice of meat and passed it to her. She gracefully accepted the gift and munched it soundly. "This is good," she complimented him.

"That’s because you haven't eaten all day," Ultrecht advised. "If you had had lunch you would be of a different mind."

"You don't have to eat it if you don't want it," Avery replied.

"Complaint withdrawn," Ultrecht conceded.

"Well I think it would taste good even if I had had lunch," Calista insisted.

Armegon tethered the horse and wagon to a nearby tree, amused by the conversation. "Are we going to have any visitors tonight?"

"Not unless that merchant breaks camp and moves on south," Avery said.

"What merchant?" Armegon asked as he unpacked a bowl and knife.

"There is a merchant and his two servants camped about two kilometers ahead of us," Avery replied. "I watched them for a few hours, and they don't seem to be any danger, so I left them alone."

"Did you talk to them?" Calista asked. She cut herself another slice of meat.

"No," Avery said. "If they knew we were out here, they’d be worried about us all night, so I left them in ignorance."

"Do you think they might have a guide or tracker of their own?" Ultrecht asked.

"They do have a guide," Avery replied. "He looks to be about fifteen years old and this is probably his first contract."

"He didn't see you," Armegon surmised.

"Completely clueless," Avery confirmed. He chuckled. "Greenhorn."

The next morning Avery invited Calista to spend the day with him. She accepted and he presented her with a package he had picked up in town. Like a child, she tore into the wrapping to find a set of clothes tailored to her size. She ran into the brush to change into her new outfit.

"What gives?" Armegon asked.

"Those bright colors she’s so fond of," Avery pointed out the red and orange blouse she had washed the night before and hung out to dry, "are too much of a flag for moving through the woodlands unseen. Many animals can sense color."

A moment later and Calista returned wearing her new outfit. The breeches were snug, but comfortable and were tie dyed various shades of green and brown. The blouse was loose fitting across the chest, but clung well to the arms. It was shaded in alternating irregular stripes of green and black. She also carried a hooded cloak which was stone gray on the outside, and white on the inside. On her feet she wore a set of calf high soft leather black boots. The last item she had been given was a belt with a large pouch attached to the side so that it rested on her hip.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful," she told Avery, "but it isn't very pretty."

"On the contrary," the ranger countered. "It’s very beautiful. You simply haven’t learned yet how to appreciate it."

Armegon and Ultrecht rode alone in silence for the most part. The only conversation was the inevitable curiosity as to how Calista and Avery were getting along and where they were. Once or twice, Ultrecht though he heard something in the surrounding woods, but he ignored it as the inexperienced foot of the girl--young woman, he reminded himself.

At midday, they rounded a bend in the road in time to see Avery and Calista inspecting the road ahead of them in the distance. Avery knelt and showed the young woman something then waved towards Ultrecht and Armegon. Calista hesitated a moment as if making a decision, then bounded into the forest to her left leaving Avery standing alone in the road.
Armegon and Ultrecht rode on and soon came to the point where Avery was standing. He smiled and waved playfully.

Ultrecht peered into the forest. "Where is she?" Avery didn't answer but pointed back down the road from which they had come. Ultrecht turned around and found Calista sitting on the back of the wagon.

"That was very good," Ultrecht praised. "I never heard a thing. Did you?" he asked Armegon.

"I didn’t hear anything, but I felt the wagon shift when she climbed aboard," he smiled reassuringly. "Just put your weight on the wagon more slowly next time," he advised. "But I didn’t hear you get behind us."

Calista accepted her praise gracefully. She hopped off the wagon and joined her teacher as they examined the road where the wagon had passed. As Ultrecht and Armegon continued on they could hear Avery explaining how to tell which tracks are most recent versus which ones are older. Calista might make a fine huntress after all, Armegon thought to himself.

That evening Calista excitedly described the day's happenings as they ate a stew of roots and berries. "I couldn't believe it," she was saying. "I have never been so close to a deer in all my life. Avery told me to be very still and he rubbed some leaves on my clothes and arms and hair and then the doe came and she ate some berries from my hand and a fawn nibbled at my fingers and they even let me pet them just a little before the doe got scared and ran a way. Then I caught a rabbit and fed him some leaves and then I played tug of war with a skunk and he didn't spray me." She babbled on about her adventures for several hours telling of how Avery had taught her about blending in with the surroundings and covering her human scent.

"What do you think of your new clothes now?" Ultrecht asked.

Calista felt ashamed somewhat for her remark earlier, and felt a bit of resentment toward Ultrecht for reminding her of it. "I see now what Avery meant by their beauty," she admitted. "It wasn't the beauty of the clothes themselves, but the beauty of the things I experienced while wearing them that mattered."

"She’s learning very quickly," Armegon noted.

Avery simply smiled and placed his bowl of stew on the ground. Sitting down, he unrolled his sleeping pallet and took a blanket from the wagon. When he was ready to settle down, he turned to retrieve his bowl. It was empty. The evidence in the crime was plain. The drops of broth lead straight to the drooling tongue of Mirfak.

Without warning Avery tossed the bowl aside and attacked the huge creature. They rolled out of the illumination of the fire tumbling and tussling with Avery laughing in between gasps for breath. "Steal my food, will you?" Avery and Mirfak bumped around in the darkness for several minutes. Armegon, Ultrecht and Calista listened to the wrestling match amused until the tussling settled down and the two emerged from the dark filthy from rolling in the dirt. There was no clear indication as to whom had won.

Mirfak settled down on his haunches and immediately began to snooze while Avery rinsed out the bowl and refilled it. Then he sat on his blanket and ate quietly.
"That was quite a display," Armegon observed. "Do you two do that often?"

Avery elbowed the huge creature's ribs. "Only when he steals my dinner or my blanket." Mirfak opened an eye and looked irritatingly at Avery then snorted and went back to sleep.

"Don't you feed him?" Calista asked.

Avery looked critically at the sleeping behemoth. "I see no reason why he can't hunt his own food," he said. "If I started feeding him, he would get fat and lazy." He eyed her and realized she did not completely understand. "Tomorrow's lesson," he announced, "will be on nature's laws."

The next several days were spent in much the same fashion. They passed through several villages, but elected not to stay at any of them. Instead they pressed steadily onward and each day Calista learned a little more about survival in the wild and getting along with wild animals.

It had taken her longer to grasp some ideals than others. The worst was survival of the fittest. Avery had trouble getting through to her that it was not right to kill the strong for food and be compassionate to the weak and injured. He and Ultrecht spent half of one night explaining natural selection and evolutionary processes. In the end, she finally gave up and just took them at their word. She did very well in stalking and trapping, and by the end of the week she was putting the food on the table, so to speak.

Avery, for his part, was pleased with her progress, and told her so very often. He was especially proud of how she had independently noticed the change in flora from deciduous to evergreen trees and related it to how far north they had traveled. Frame of mind was one thing she had yet to learn to control. Animals could often sense fear, or anxiety and Calista needed to be confident in her abilities in order to control her emotions in the wild.

When Avery declared her competent in evasion and trapping, Armegon decided that it was time she learned to use a weapon. He suggested a longbow would best serve her physical build. Avery agreed, and he and Armegon spent a whole morning searching out the materials to construct a good bow and half dozen arrows for her. They found what they needed for the arrow's, but they could not find the bow, so Ultrecht suggested a whip bow instead. That they did find and Armegon took an ash limb and fastened a stout cord to the end by night he had constructed a whip bow.

Calista was a poor shot with the whip and four arrows were lost in the darkness within the first hour. She was none too happy with her lack of success, but Armegon assured her that it was perfectly normal for beginners to be a little erratic. They decided to halt for the night, however, when an arrow ricocheted from a tree trunk and smacked Mirfak in the hind quarters. Apparently it smarted because the coyodiak bellowed forth with a howl that rattled Calista's eardrums. The arrow had done no real damage, but the huge wolf's pride was hurt and it made its confidence in her aim known by walking around behind the wagon and returning to its slumber in the relative safety behind the wagon.

Avery and Armegon decided it would be best to get her a bow when they arrived at the Twin Cities. That would be four days later. They traveled long and hard on one day not stopping at what appeared to Calista to be a natural camping spot, but the three men insisted on not stopping there. When she pressed the question Armegon told her that a very bad thing had happened to them in that spot before. She wanted the whole story, so Armegon explained how they had all been traveling together when they were suddenly ambushed at that place. "That was the first time Tyson betrayed us," Armegon said angrily, "though we didn’t know it at the time."

"We still aren't sure that he betrayed us that time," Ultrecht pointed out, "but there’s a strong probability that he did."

At that point it was obvious to Calista that this subject was very delicate and she dropped it altogether. "They traveled until midnight. Then they made a quick camp and settled down for a short rest. When morning came, Avery asked Calista to cover the trail behind by herself. Calista was eager to prove herself to her companions and she soon was out of their midst. Avery sent Mirfak ahead to scout the trail ahead, and after a moment he too entered the woods.

"What’s that all about," Ultrecht asked from the wagon seat.
Armegon drew his horse in and walked alongside. "Avery’s going to let her cover the trail by herself, but he’s going to watch her to make sure she does it right and to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble," he said.

By the time they reached the Twin Cities, Avery was confident that Calista was capable of operating on her own in the wild and that she could do so at a level superior to the common guide or hunter. He had shadowed her for three days and had confided in Armegon and Ultrecht that she had not missed anything significant. He was ready to proclaim her a huntress, and register her at the Brotherhood of Trackers, but true to her gender, when civilization came into view, she was back in her colorful and stylish attire. Avery accepted defeat gracefully. "Give her time," Armegon advised laughingly.