Warrior Beautiful (19 page)

****

The sun wasn’t even high in the sky yet,, and already the day had been too emotional. Scout couldn’t handle any more, and since she was sure there would be fireworks of some sort when Kylin finally woke up, she escaped into the forest, grabbing her shoes this time. No one followed her, although she could feel the unicorns watching, waiting to see how she would betray them. She didn’t care. She just wanted to escape, and it didn’t matter how lost she got herself doing it. She wandered through the thick trees letting her fingers trace the moss covered bark, the silver flowers, the deep grass. She remembered very little from the night before, but somehow she ended up at the waterfall anyway. Even in the daylight, it glowed like there were tiny lights under the surface. But she’d been under that surface. She knew there were no lights. Tugging off her shoes, she sat on the edge and let her feet soak swinging them slowly back and forth while the water licked her toes. It was so beautiful here. Lil Bit would have loved it — no one to hurt her, no one to haunt her, and no one to tease her. Scout’s eyes went to the middle of the pond, where the wound was. If she could figure out a way through, Lil Bit was on the other side.

“
You
’
re insane. You realize that, right?
”
Ashra materialized across the pond, her long black tail sweeping the grass as she ambled slowly toward Scout. There was something different about her, though she tried to hide it. More pain than normal haunted the depths of her eyes.

“Maybe.” Scout stared again at the pond. “Hey, should we practice that jumping on to your back thing again?”

Ashra snorted. “
Why? If we go to battle, I
’
ll help you on. It
’
s not a big deal.
”

“Yeah,” Scout said slowly, “but it bugs me that I can’t do it.”

Ashra blew out a breath and tossed her head. Scout smiled. “You’re such a horse sometimes.”

Ashra snapped her wings in annoyance and motioned Scout with her ears. Scout left the side of the pond and backed away from Ashra several feet. “
Just run hard, and push off with your feet,
”
Ashra offered.

“Ya think? I thought maybe I’d skip and do a back handspring at the end.” Scout rolled her eyes. She dropped to the ground like a sprinter about to break from the blocks.

“
What are you doing?
”

“I thought this would help. Quiet, horse. Let me concentrate.” Scout dropped her head. She heard Ashra’s outraged snort and she allowed herself a wicked smile before she squinted hard at the ground, trying to focus. She pushed off hard and raced at Ashra, leaped with everything she had, and hit the top of Ashra’s back. But not high enough and she slid down and collapsed to the ground, squeaking in pain.

Ten tries later, Scout still hadn’t launched herself onto Ashra’s back the way Trey and Iros could, and she hurt too much to keep trying. “I give up. I need to grow like six inches.” Scout flopped to the ground, dipping her toes in the pond and staring up at the sky. Blue, like always. What was the sky like in Aptavaras? Was it dark? Scary?

Ashra shook her head and reached her long neck down to eat the grass next to Scout. “So, you really like that stuff, huh?” Scout wrinkled her nose dubiously.

Ashra snorted.

Scout returned her attention to the pond. “How deep do you think that is?”

Ashra jerked her head up. “
You
’
re serious with this?
”
Even in Scout’s head, she sounded dangerous. Scout glanced at the razor-sharp tip of her horn and inched away.

“Is there another way to Aptavaras?”

Ashra’s wings expanded and fluttered up and down restlessly. “
I
’
m not having this conversation with you.
”

“We have to go down there. There’s no other way to save my family. Or that girl lying in Iros’ hut.”

Now the wings burst into flames, and Ashra’s horn glittered furiously. “
Leave Aella out of this. Do you hear me? Do not drag Iros into this by telling him you want to save her. He hurts enough as it is.
”

Scout leaped to her feet. “Yeah, but if we go there and save her, he won’t hurt anymore.”

Unicorns materialized from the thick mists, watching silently. Ashra didn’t seem to notice them, but Scout did. Goosebumps rose on the back of her neck.

“
Don
’
t make this about him. This is about you. It
’
s always been about you.
”
Ashra stomped her big hooves, the silky black hair tangling in the thick grass. “
Always about Scout. Scout is hurt. Scout
’
s been betrayed. Scout has to rescue her sister.
”

“I never pretended I was doing this for anyone else but Lil Bit!” Scout exclaimed, throwing her hands up. The unicorns, black, green, blue, tightened their circle, snorting and stamping their hooves like Ashra. Scout hadn’t been around a lot of horses, but even she could tell this was angry-horse behavior.
Where
’
s a white unicorn when you need one?

“
Well, here
’
s some information, Princess
.
”
Sarcasm practically dripped from Ashra’s words and scalded Scout’s brain. “
Because of your little suggestion that we save Aella, Iros is closing the gate to Aptavaras. Today.
”

Scout gasped, stumbling back like she’d been punched in the face. “He wouldn’t. He told me he’d help me save Lil Bit.”

Ashra tossed her head in fury. “
Yeah. And then he realized that holding on to Aella when there
’
s no chance she could still be in Aptavaras was putting the entire world at risk. I told him hundreds of years ago to close the gate. He didn
’
t do it because he wanted to save her. Now he sees you doing the same thing and he
’
s putting a stop to it.
”

Scout stomped her foot, but it didn’t have the same effect as when Ashra did it. Pain shot through her leg and into her back but she refused to acknowledge it. “Iros is a good person. He won’t abandon Lil Bit.”

“
You really are that selfish, aren
’
t you? He can save the rest of the world if he closes that gate. And all you care about is your sister.
”

Scout stared at Ashra, breathing hard. She hurt, her heart hurt, her body hurt. They had betrayed her. “I’m not helping you fight this war.” She didn’t mean the words until they were out and Ashra’s beautiful eyes narrowed.

“
We don
’
t need a weakling like you to help us win this war.
”

It was true, and Scout knew it, had known it all along, but Ashra’s words still tore her heart apart. Gritting her teeth, she refused to give Ashra the satisfaction of seeing her cry. She spun away, only to find herself faced with several glittering, fiery horns. They were all just waiting to see her fail, to see her prove them right. “Move,” she snarled. She wasn’t sure what she would do if they didn’t — it wasn’t like she could shove them out of her way. Even the Leerhas outweighed her by several hundred pounds.

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. “You want me gone? Fine. Move. Out. Of. My. Way.”

Several seconds passed before the Leerha, whom Scout recognized as the one who had healed her the day before, stepped back, lowering her head. Scout didn’t hesitate. She sprinted through the gap and ran back through the forest, toward her hut. She had to find Iros. He would tell her Ashra was lying. He
had
to tell her Ashra was lying.

It took her hours. They watched her — she felt them watching her, but none of them helped her find her way. Her stomach growled and her body screamed in pain, but all she could do was wander through an infinite space and pray she’d eventually find her way out.

“
Scout?
”

Scout screamed. She hadn’t heard another sound in so long that when Havik’s voice entered her head she nearly collapsed. “Havik?” she spun, searching, but didn’t see the mighty leader until he materialized right in front of her.

“
They tell me you
’
re leaving us.
”
His voice was deceptively mild.

“They tell me you are refusing to help me save my sister.” She wanted to sound angry, but her voice came out small and pitiful.

Havik lowered his head in acknowledgement. “
Scout, you have to understand, billions of lives are at stake. The soul stealers are further along in building their army and if they succeed, we can
’
t fight them. They
’
ll come for Paradesos and then the world — your world, will be lost.
”

“Just—just let me go down there.” Scout brushed the tears angrily away from her cheeks. “Just let me go after her before Iros shuts the gate.”

“
And do what?
”
Havik asked gently. “
You can
’
t fight the soul stealers. Not without a unicorn
’
s magic.
”

And Ashra wouldn
’
t help me if her life depended on it.
“I’ll figure out something. Please, Havik. Please let me go to Aptavaras.” Her voice broke pitifully.

“
Scout, to do that would be suicide. And it will give them one more soul for their army.
”

Scout lost control, sobs escaping despite her efforts to hold them in. “Please, Havik. I can’t let her go. She’s waiting for me. I—I told her I would protect her.”

His eyes were kind, but she could see the answer there. “
I
’
m sorry, Scout.
”

Scout sucked in a breath, trying to stop her sobs. “Then take me home. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“
Scout—
”

“No, Havik. Iros told me he would help me if I helped him. So I helped. And he lied. Now I want to go home.”

“
Talk to Iros first, Scout. You won
’
t be safe there. And we can
’
t stay to protect you.
”

Scout hugged herself tight, feeling small and lost. “I can’t find Iros.”

Havik backed away, his tail sweeping the grass. “
Come with me. I
’
ll take you to him.
”
She hesitated, but what choice did she have? Scrubbing her eyes with her fists, she climbed up the fiery stairs and settled on his back. He set off through the forest at an easy lope, somehow managing to miss the giant roots and low hanging branches. Scout closed her eyes, not wanting to see the beauty of this place any longer. Not if Lil Bit was lost in a place of darkness and terror.

When he slowed, she opened her eyes. The huts stood in front of them. Trey sat outside his, watching their approach silently. Scout looked away from him. She had to find Iros. That was all that mattered. She slid off Havik’s back. “Thank you,” she murmured quietly, but couldn’t look at him, either. She straightened her spine and marched into Iros’ hut.

He wasn’t there. The beautiful girl — Aella? — still slept silently, her chest rising and falling in her glowing sphere. What would Iros do with her once the gate was closed? Would he just let her die? Scout thought of Lil Bit’s body, small in the big hospital bed, covered in tubes. Would she stay like that forever? Or would her body give up if the soul didn’t return?

“Havik, he isn’t here,” Scout whispered, but she knew he could hear her. She glanced out the window in time to see him loping across the valley to a bright green Ekse waiting near the forest. Seconds later the Ekse darted into the sky and disappeared through the trees.

“
We
’
ll find him,
”
she heard Havik whisper in her mind, and then he, too, escaped into the darkness of the forest. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, standing in Iros’ hut with a comatose ancient girl, so she left.

Trey stood up when she approached, but she shook her head. “Don’t, Trey. I don’t want to get you in trouble again.”

He opened his mouth and shut it before he nodded slowly. Watching him turn away nearly broke what was left of her heart and she had to hold tight to the anger that had been so easy to find before. Where had it gone? When had it deteriorated into practically nothing? If she didn’t have that anger, she had nothing but pain. Because without the anger, she would love him, and loving him would crush her.

He went into his hut. She stared at her own doorway and wished for home. Homesickness nearly overwhelmed her and she sank to the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest. She didn’t see the bright green unicorn coming until he landed in front of her, tucking his fiery wings close to his side. Without looking at her, he sent her his thoughts, “
You want to go home?
”

She raised her head, watching him suspiciously. “Yes. But Havik just went to find Iros—”

“
Who will never let you leave because it isn
’
t safe.
”
Now the unicorn faced her, fury racing through his eyes, “
You are the single biggest threat we
’
ve ever faced in Paradesos. Iros nearly gave up everything for you and your single-minded pursuit of your sister.
”
He tossed his head. “
You. Must. Leave.
”