I glance over at Ghaliya. “What is it?”
She reaches out and takes it from the griffon, still partially wrapped in the cloth cradling it gently as she turns to show it to me. I look down at the silver triangular piece with the square cut dark red ruby in the center, a unicorn head comes out the top with two wings.
‘It’s…an alicorn?’ I think as I reach out with a hoof, as I touch it I feel its energy. I faintly hear Ghaliya screaming, “KI!”
It feels like electricity shooting through my body, like I’m in another world, my magic seems to have done something. I suddenly feel like I’m floating, weightless. The bright light fades untill I can slowly I look around. I’m in some sort of throne room, a palace carved of a mix of dark rock and beautiful crystals. Two alicorns, a stallion and mare, sit on a throne atop a raised dais. I can’t seem to hear what they are talking about.
Other alicorns stand in a semicircle in front of the dais, facing and looking up at the pair, one mare sits holding a pair of foals in her forelegs looking to the elders, or leaders. I can’t hear her words, but I can feel her sadness. There is something else, someone else.
A cloaked form grabs my attention. He’s tall, even taller than the alicorns, as he stands on his hind legs. His head is covered with a dark brown hood, and a cloak of the same material flows down around his sides and back. The alicorns know he’s there, as one leans to the side to look at him but he doesn’t seem to fit in. He seems, wrong, some kind of unidentifiable creature. He is made up of all sorts of different animal parts with no symmetry to his being, even the horns on his head are mismatched. His head turns as he looks at me, yellow and red eyes that cause a chill to run through my body.
It is not time yet.
I blink. Ghaliya is still in the process of pulling it away from me. “Ki, are you okay? Your eyes went pure white for a moment.”
I shake my head. “I…I think so. I saw something, but I don’t know.”
She wraps it back up quickly, the fabric covering the dim glow of the ruby. “I think it’s called the alicorn amulet. I’ve heard tales of this, I think it helped bring about the fall of an ancient pony kingdom somewhere in the northern wastes nearly 1000 years ago. It's supposed to be lost, as nohorse, nopony, no being has seen it since.”
“This could be a sign that ancient enemies once lost are awaking,” Guerina chirps, her feathers puffing up in a show of nervousness. She has smelled the distinctive, valuely surphur-urine-charcoal scent of burning arquebus match.
“It was said this would allow the wearer to increase their abilities manyfold. An earth pony using it could have nearly unlimited strength, and their natural connection to the land would be magnified as well. A pegasus would become like a djinn of the wind, able to not only fly at speeds that would boggle the mind, but could make turns that would crush any other pegasus. And a unicorn would have nearly infinite magical abilities, able to cast any spell merely by thinking about the end effects or results. But it takes an alicorn to activate it, so the legend goes. Maybe it's best mere mortals can't use it.”
“Some king was planning on using it to challenge the very might of the Princess of the Sun herself. But no one knows what happened to him, or his kingdom,” Guerina says faintly, “I know some ponies have searched for it, but most have forgotten it even existed.”
“Irfan is my scholar, but I do a bit of reading myself, Ki. This increase in abilities comes at a price. The amulet corrupts you, it would steal a part of your soul, twist your mind to evil ends. It is said that the witch who created this wanted ultimate power. She sought to stay young and beautiful forever. She couldn’t control it, however, and it drove her mad. It would magnify your worst qualities. If you were a little vain, everything would be about serving your vanity. Please don’t touch it again, Ki.”
Guerina blinks and shivers again. “I haven’t heard that story, ugh now I’m worried about the fact that I had it in my possession.”
Ghaliya places the wrapped bundle in her travel bag and turns to the griffon. “Thank you for this, Guerina. I’ll give you fifty gold for it.”
“Crowns? Not marks?” That gets a nod. She glances between Ghaliya and me for several moments, then finally looks down. “Normally, I would haggle a bit on this, but when I was flying here, it made me feel…” She frowns a bit. “I don’t know. It wasn’t good. I didn’t like it. I’ll accept your offer.” She looks at me, clicking her beak for a moment. “But I also want to stay with your caravan for a few days. Rest a bit from the long flight. And maybe teach this clod how to use those wings of his.”
Ghaliya looks thoughtful. “I understand the desire to rest and enjoy our hospitality. I will extend shade and water.” She turns to join the head of the caravan. “I won’t even charge you for it if you can help Ki get off the ground.”
Guerina looks at me, then at the retreating Ghaliya. She tilts her head to the side and clicks her beak a few times, “I don’t see a problem getting him off the ground. I probably won’t even need a catapult this time.”
“You do know I’m right here,” I growl to delighted laughs from both females. I shake my head as I canter off to catch up with the griffon and the horse. Blinking, I look at the griffin. “Wait, this time?”
In that short time, Guerina has brought her wings into play, she’s hovering slowly rocking slightly side to side to keep pace with the caravan, next to Ghaliya. “Some pegasi need a boost to get into the air, usually a slingshot works, but for you, I’d go catapult.”
“Oh, har de har-har.” I shake my head, picking up my pace a bit to catch up. As I pull up near Ghaliya, I feel claws catch on my clothing, right at my withers, getting me to rear up in fear. Ghaliya giggles at my discomfiture as my entire set of robes is pulled off. I look up, wings spread in shock.
Guerina is holding my outfit, laughing, “First things first, dude, you may want to wear all of that while you are ground bound, but for training, you’ll need to go au naturale.”
I drop my head, I know exactly how red my face is now. Though both females, the griffon and the horse, seem to find my actions funny. Guerina plops down in the sand, walking next to me. She reaches a claw over and pushes me gently. “So, dude, have you even tried to get in the air?”
I shake my head. “No.”
She shakes her head, clicking her beak softly. “While that is good, you haven’t learned any bad habits that I’d have to help you unlearn, but we need to work on strength before we get your hooves off the ground. Extend your wings.”
I unfold my wings and hold them out to the sides. She raises one eyebrow. “Wow, big wings..."
Ghaliya reaches a hoof over, closing the griffon’s beak. “He’s not yours."
Guerina looks back, her wings are up and vibrating. She folds them to her sides with a blush. “Stupid ponies.” She mutters. She shakes her head. “Alright, lift those wings to the top of the stroke.”
I glance back as I slowly try to figure out the muscle commands to raise the wings. Finally, as they are raised fully, she snaps, “Level with the body.” I lower them to where they are level with each other. She calls out, “Now have the tips barely brush the ground, keep them flat though.” Only working my wing's shoulder joint, I get them to where the stiff primaries are barely touching the sand as we walk. Then the griffon leaps into the air, landing on my back, she reaches and runs a claw along my back between my wings. “I’m going to help you feel your flight muscles. Feel where my claw is?”
“Yeah," I’m able to struggle out, her claws are a very pleasant feeling as with those muscles extended.
She backs down to where she’s standing on my croup. “Okay, lift your wings, Ki.” I comply, glancing back at her. She reaches forward, running a claw along my barrel, “These muscles are for the downstroke.” She leaps off, her wings flapping as she lands in front of me. Walking backwards, she reaches up and runs her hoof along my chest. “They connect to your keel bone. They are the thickest muscles in your body. While you, like all flying creatures, have magic to help you. Those wings are just as important as your magic. You must keep them strong. There may be times when your magic isn’t enough, and the strength of your wings will be all that’s keeping you flying. Believe me on this, Ki. this strength, will have see you through what you would never believe possible. Understand?”
“So, I need magic to fly, but the wing strength is necessary?”
“Yes.”
"It's not a bottomless resevoir?"
"Indeed that well has a bottom."
I look at the griffon as she turns around and resumes walking next to me. For the next several hours, all I do is raise my wings, hold them level, then lower them. I practice it as I go about on the ground; this will be my full time preoccupation. Well after the midday peak, we head into our wagon. Guerina keeps at me, once we are inside, she introduces me to the next level of hell. Wing-up’s where I support my weight with my wingtips, and I have to lower my body to where my snout touches the wooden floor of the wagon, then I lift my body, with my wings, back to full extension. For over two hours, I’m dutifully lowering and raising my body, then she decides to hop on my back and get me to continue. Plaintive looks at Ghaliya only get a stern look where it's clear that she won't let me be anything but my best. When a halt is called for the night, I finally am able to regain my hooves.
Before long, I’m sitting before a veritable feast. Guerina glances at the amount of food being served and looks over at me. “Don’t overeat, Ki. You need energy, but heavy foods will mess with your stomach when you get into the air. And may make life on the ground difficult...”
Ghaliya picks up a stuffed grape leaf. “And when will that be?” She delicately takes a bite.
Guerina swallows her mouthful of dried meat. She eyes me for a few moments, considering. “Hes got good strength to start. Though you could help him with wing-ups by crawling on his withers when he’s doing them.”
At my blush, she laughs, though Ghaliya blushes as heavily as I did. Guerina continues, “I think we can get him doing short hops tomorrow.”
“So quickly?”
She nods, “I don’t know all that much about alicorns, but they have the flight aspects of pegasi. And he’s not untalanted. But that’s simply from being an alicorn, they have the same aspect, but usually a lot more strength.” She looks at me consideringly, “I would bet gold he’s not a speedster, but he could probably carry loads that most pegasi would be unable to get off the ground with.”
“That is quite impressive.”
She nods. “He’s got good muscle mass, and the exercises that I have put him through today would put almost every pegasus and griffon on their back, signaling defeat.”
“You know, I’m right here,” I growl, sputtering a bit through the couscous in my mouth. I chew angrily as both of them look at me, then bend their heads together and giggle.
I levitate my fork into a piece of green pepper. I glance back and forth at then grumpily as I slowly eat my food. They eat as well, though the griffon mainly eats the meat she brought in her saddlebags, and she refused to eat the greens the horses like to eat. However, she does seem to enjoy the baked goods brought to us from the simple stone hearth oven set up. Before long, I stumble through the camp site and find my tent, set up next to Ghaliya. Hadi runs over and nuzzles me happily before heading into his tent to wait for Ghaliya. I’m asleep before my head hits the pillows.
***
“Wake up, sleepy head.” Guerina's voice snaps me from my slumber. A quick glance out my tent flap reveals the blue pre-dawn.
I roll over. “Give me an hour," I grumble.
I’m grabbed roughly by a pair of claws and deposited on the carpeted ground. The griffon moves so we are face to face. “I’m here to get your sorry tail in the air, not negotiable!"
“Okay, okay!” I lever myself to my hooves and look around. “It’s early.”
She nods. “Yeah, it’s early. So it won't be hot yet, and you can get some exercise in before we go."
I suppress a groan. “More wing-up’s?”
She grins. “How did you guess?”
I simply sigh as I follow the demonic griffon out into the hazy dark. As the rest of the camp starts to wake up, she flies behind me as she chivies me along at a full gallop until she is satisfied. Then I again have to endure her weight on my withers as I dutifully raise and lower my body with my wings. She completes the exercise with me holding my wings straight as boards as I have to stay at the top, middle, and bottom of the stroke. As the sun peeks over the eastern horizon, I am running along the edge of the camp with my wings outstretched. My goal, according to Guerina, is to feel the air on my wings. Though I must admit, processing this new sensory information is a bit overwhelming. Back at the City of Gardens, Irfan had taught me the basics of wing care. I knew the theory, but actually getting them to do something, I actually find myself laughing gleefully as I make another circuit around the camp as most of the horses are packing up the tents and getting ready to move for the day.
“Okay, Ki, time to get you in the air,” Guerina announces. Getting me to angle towards her. I skid to a stop before the griffon with a big smile. She cocks her head to the side. “You like?”
I flap my wings a couple of times before folding them at my sides. “Yeah, actually.”
“You aren’t worn out?”
I shake my head, getting a smile from both her and Ghaliya. Guerina looks up at the mare with a smile. “Looks like he’s ready to get going.”
Ghaliya nods and turns to look at me. “Alright, Ki, let’s see you get those hooves off the ground.”
I nod, glancing at Guerina. She starts giving instructions. How to hold my wings, how to cup the air with them. Then she looks serious. “Now you have to access your magic. You’ve noticed that simply flapping your wings isn’t enough to fly.” I nod. She continues, “A pegasus’ magic, just like a griffon’s, is in the wings. Close your eyes, Ki.” I dutifully close my eyes. “Extend your wings.” I do so. “Now feel them. Feel the magic within you.”
“But I can feel my magic. It’s in my horn.” Without thinking I’m floating in emptiness and my horn is lit. A hard impact to my horn has me flinching back and stumbling to sit on my rear, a hoof going up to comfort my horn. “Owwwwwww.”
“We aren’t talking about your unicorn magic. We are talking about the pegasus aspects of what makes you a flier. It isn’t in your head, it’s in your body, your barrel, and most of all, your wings. You should feel it as a faint tingle, starting in your shoulders, extending down the bones of the wing. It’s almost a vibration. All the running you’ve done, all the wing-ups. All of that has been to attune yourself to feel your wings. Now feel for that magic, Ki.”
I close my eyes, ignoring the desire to assume that void and use my horn. I focus on my body, several long minutes pass. I can hear the calls of the horses as they prepare to move, the baying of the camels. Finally I can feel it, a soft tingle, exactly as Guerina had said. “Okay, I think I’ve got it.”
“Lift your wings for a strong downstroke.” A small delay. “Now push that feeling out and down your wings as you push the air with your wings.”
A matter of seconds later, a few horses cringe as I lift a wing out of the sand then let it fall back to the ground. “Petewie… Ouch.”
“So that’s how ponies till their fields,” I hear one mare say with a giggle. “And here we thought you needed to pull actual plows around.”
“I just wanna know how he ended up on his back like that,” another says.
Guerina takes a moment to regain her claws, then she trots over to me. “Balance, Ki. I can’t believe you weren’t even taught balance! Remember, you are lifting all of your weight on a single rotational point. Too far forward, and you do a forward flip and land on your back, eating dirt. Too far back, same result, except you do a backflip.” Glancing over at the horses she feigns a scowl before looking down. “And wow, that was an epic backflip, Ki.”
I grumble for a few moments, taking that time to straighten out a few feathers with my teeth. She could have warned me. With one last full body shake to get the last shake to get the last of the dust off me I’m finally ready to give it another try. Her voice becomes a drone as she guides me.
“Again, Ki. Watch the balance, you felt that power, the magic, and you were able to focus it into your wings. Now do it again, but this time, straight up. Okay?”
I nod. Glancing back at my wings as I bring them up for a downstroke. I look down at her. “Ready.”
“Go for it.”
I bring my wings down hard, and suddenly I’m twenty feet in the air. “Keep flapping, Ki!” It's Ghaliy! I inhale the rich air into my flaring nostrils and flap again, now I’m even higher. My next flap has me still higher, though not as much as the previous flaps. I slowly bring my wings into a slow cadence, keeping me at a single altitude. I look down as the forward part of the caravan is moving slowly off.
“Good. You didn’t panic.” Guerina’s voice comes from right next to me. I look over and the griffon is hovering next to me. “Most griffs freak out when every downbeat gets them further and further away, then they lose their balance, and they have their first crash.”
I look at her, then at the ground, adjusting my wings for the wind a couple hundred feet above. “Didn’t I already crash?”
She laughs, “No, that was just eating dirt. Everypony and everygriff does that at least once. No, I’m talking an actual crash.”
I look back at my wings, crashing doesn’t sound like fun. “Can they get injured in the crash?”
She clicks her beak a few times. “It’s happened. But remember, we are fliers, dude. We can recover quickly, especially damage to our wings. A broken bone can put an earth pony or unicorn down for the count for weeks, or even months. A pegasus or a griffon will be back in the air in a matter of days. And since you are an alicorn, and you have the other tribe’s attributes but on adrenaline. You could likely break your wing at sunrise and be flying by sunset."
“Why do you think that?”
“You remember what I told Ghaliya? The exercises I had you do would have worn out even high level speedsters. And you just shrugged them off. And yes, I was accounting for earth pony durability. Then you have that extra magic in you. Considering you are making life with a magic surge.”
I find myself blushing, thinking of the new oasis I had created. “The building blocks were there, I just…”
“You just brought them from nothing to full bloom. That’s not a little thing, Ki.” She stops for a moment, looking down. “Ghaliya is heading up to the head of the caravan. I don’t want you touching the ground until it’s time to retreat into the wagon.”
I look back at my wings, keeping an easy cadence at hover. “I can do that.”
“You say that now, but remember, Ki, I’m a courier. I will sometimes spend days in the air at a time. A lot of it gliding very high and finding thermals, but a lot of flapping. You could say I'm gifted with endurance and have cultivated that talent. I nod. “You still aren’t understanding, Ki. You aren’t going to be floating along at the walking speed of the horses today. They might cover thirty to fifty miles a day based on the terrain. You are going to do at least two hundred with me today.”
“Two…two…two hundred?” I’m able to stammer out.
"Let’s get started!” She streaks off. I glance down at the caravan, I can see Ghaliya at the head. She’s looking at me as she walks.”
“Hey, Ki. move that plot!”
With a grumble I follow the griffon. She can certainly move.
***
Ten days of travel, for me in the air mostly. Though after the third day, Guerina had decided to let me wear my robes in the air, getting used to the encumbrance of the folds of cloth, though the cut allows for free movement of my wings. And she wasn’t lying, for every mile the horses walked, I’ve traveled four or five. She’s shown me how to navigate in the desert, how to feel the magnetic field to where no matter what, I could point to north. I can spot how weather patterns traverse the globe, tell direction by the sun's position in the sky, spot for the moon, and navigate by stars. I see the shoreline in the distance and know it's running northwest. She’s guided me to some high level clouds and shown me the ground from so high. In the rarified air, and the low temperature, she’s delighted in having another flier to spend time with. Guerina is actually turning into a friend. When the day grows warm, she joins Hadi, Ghaliya and myself in the lead wagon for the rest of the day.
My flying endurance has increased in these few days in the air. Though every time I land in preparation of a comfortable afternoon, I can not only feel the ache of tired muscles, I can feel the effort of magical exertion. And while clouds are rare here in the desert, Guerina and I have been able to lounge for a while on some wispy high level clouds as well. They fly fast, so sometimes we can just ride them and then glide down. After most of a day of flying, we’ve ended up in the wagon, enjoying tea and friendly conversation. Guerina has been playing in the evening with Hadi. She seems to like the colt a lot, especially once she had found out that Ghaliya had been taking care of him. When we are in the wagon, he’ll either curl up with Ghaliya, or roughhouse with Guerina.
The laughs from both of them tend to be infectious. I tend to curl up in a corner, keeping up the conversation as I rest my body. Though a couple of hours reclining in the wagon tends to have me feeling a bit energetic when we stop for the night.
As we are talking, the wagon shifts a bit more than usual, though Ghaliya doesn’t even pause in her animated conversation with the griffon as the wagon shifts again. After a few moments, the wagon stops, then reverses a bit. The ladies still seem to be unconcerned, so I lever myself to my hooves and walk past them, sticking my head out the door as the wagon cones to rest, I look around in wonder.
“Its an oasis,” I murmur softly as I alight from the wagon. Farris is directing the horses to replenish our water. The large water wagon is being pulled up close to the deep blue pool. As Guerina comes out with Hadi riding on her back, some of the horses have set up pumps and are dutifully filling the large wagon. The pool is maybe fifty paces wide, and short grass surrounds it, along with several hardy trees.
“This is the last guaranteed until we get to our destination,” Ghaliya says as she moves up next to me. “We will rest for two days."
I smile, a day of rest sounds pretty good, though Guerina punches my shoulder, “Don’t think I’m going easy on you, Ki. You are going to be in the air most of the day tomorrow.”
I almost groan, but Ghaliya comes to my rescue. “Leave over. When I want everyhorse to rest tomorrow, Ki is included in that.”
I look at the griffon as she kicks the sand. “He’s just getting good in the air.”
Ghaliya smiles knowingly as she moves off to where our dinner is being prepared. And soon after eating, as usual, I stumble into my tent and fall into my blankets, asleep before I’ve hit them.
“Huh? What?” something has jerked me out of a dead sleep. I life my head with a snort, looking around. The lamp has been turned down to an absolute minimum, giving flickering half light, I reach out with my magic, twisting the wheel to expose more of the wick, the flame leaps up eagerly, lighting the interior of my tent.
“He’s awake!” comes a whisper, my ears barely catch the voice. I shrug into my robes, it gets cold at night in the desert without any real moisture in the air. My hooves are silent on the carpets layering the floor of my tent as I nose my way though the entrance. For a moment, nothing seems amiss. Then looking at Ghaliya's tent, the tent flap moves as though someone had gone through it moments before. My ears perked forward curiously, I step over to the tent flap.
“Ghaliya?”
Silence answers me. The few times I’ve woken in the middle of the night, either Ghaliya or Hadi would respond to my soft call. This time…nothing. I step forward, nosing the tent flap aside.
“Oh, Buck!” I hear a voice. Then I’m suddenly crashing through Farris' tent. I snort as I get to my hooves. Farris' body is limp, sprawled on the ground. I watch him breathe steady and deep before I move towards Ghaliya's. Though her tent isn’t there anymore. My tent and every tent around has been flattened. Some kind of explosion? Though where her tent was is a half dozen…horses? Ponies? They are heavily cloaked. But they are quadrupeds. One of them, in a dark gray cloak turns to me. Their head tosses a bit, and I find myself enveloped in a magical field. So, a pony, a unicorn. I’m lifted and tossed, though as the field let’s me go, I unfurl my wings and bank hard to head back towards the interlopers.
“Scatter!” comes a loud, feminine voice. Was it the unicorn that had tossed me so easily. I light my horn, one of these invaders is a horse, quick as a thought I’ve got the horse's legs entangled in a spell. The unicorn's horn lights and I’m stumbling, did they just cut the flow of my magic to the spell? That hurt. With a snarl, I make a club of air to knock the unicorn as hard as they had hit me. As I start to swing that mass of air, the unicorn moves, and my magic is disrupted. The mass of air dissipating instantly.
“You are strong.” The unicorn growls.
“I’m an alicorn.”
She shifts a bit, and I can see her face, bright blue fur, with large cerise eyes and a mustard yellow mane. Her horn lights a magenta as she smiles. “I know,” she growls. She tosses her head, knocking her hood back, her horn lights and a bright ball of light forms and flashes towards me. My time practicing reflex magic with Bijan pays off as I flash a shield into existence, though the spell she had used pushes me back a good pace. I can see Ghaliya lying on her cot behind the unicorn. The fact she’s still unconscious has a chill running down my back. But I can’t send heavy duty magic towards the unicorn with Ghaliya there. Where are the guards? They should have seen them, and when not answered satisfactorily, greeted with guns. I unlimber my wings and take to the air. I reach out with my magic as I move to get Ghaliya out of direct danger from me, spinning threads of air and fire together, with just a touch of earth. A lightning bolt strikes from the clear sky at the unicorn. Only to stop dead at her own shield. She smiles as she drops the shield. Then something passes inches from muzzle. I look down, another pony is pulling a second arrow from a quiver and fitting to a bow. With a snarl, I repeat the same spell. Again lightning bursts from the clear sky. Only to stop at a glowing dome over the earth pony. I glance back, the unicorn's horn is lit and she looks at me with a smirk.
A loud roar gets the attention of everyone around. Guerina is galloping towards the earth pony with the bow. With a snarl, she leaps on him with a kinjal dagger His screams become pained shrieks as I again focus on the unicorn. I mentally curse that I haven’t been taught combat magic as I send spell after spell at the unicorn. Snarling, I watch one of her compatriots pick up a small form and toss it on her back.
""Yo, sahaba! Men dusmanro didan!!" That's Farris! And the company... BANG! Ba bang bang bang bang! There's the staccato booming of muskets being discharged. I duck low under the balls.
“Hadi!” I scream as I send another lightning bolt. The other pony is protected by the unicorn, I quickly send a second bolt at her directly, and she dances back as she dissipates her shield. I fold my wings and dive at the pony with Hadi on his back. As I land, I get to a gallop and shoulder check the smaller pony, she goes sprawling as my magic snatches the colt.
“Hadi, are you okay?” I call, cradling him in my magic. He’s unresponsive, though I can feel that he’s breathing. I glance up, Ghaliya is suspended in the unicorn’s magic. She smirks as she turns and gallops off.
“Oh no you don’t.” I growl as I gallop after her. I get a dozen strides before a feathered missile smacks into me. We both roll, I get a glimpse of a sharp beak and claws. “Guerina!” I shout, then I stop, this one is male, his beak flashes towards me as I yell and roll back.
I quickly gather myself to leap back at this griffon, when a roar gets both of our attention. Guerina is diving at this interloper. I leap to the side as she slams into him, her white feathers and beak already stained red. I don’t think that’s her blood as I turn back towards where the unicorn had run off to. She’s heading to the edge of the camp, I bring my wings into play as I flap and get off the ground. I’m quickly well above the camp. In the darkness I scan around, looking for the faint glow of a horse being held in a magical field. Hoofbeats -- more of us are coming, and they have the glittering steel of saifs, takouba, killij, and kaskara. The smoke of guns rise.
After a near eternity, which likely lasted all of five seconds, I see the movement of the unicorn. With a scream I’m in a dive, powering towards the ground with everything I’ve got. She stops and drops Ghaliya as she erects a shield. I’m ready for that trick, I slam into the shield as I pulse my magic into it. A few instants of resistance then the shield shatters. I drop heavily to the ground, thankfully between the unicorn and Ghaliya. I struggle to my hooves, grinning savagely as the unicorn puts a hoof to her head, shaking it.
“Give yourself up.”
She rolls her eyes, “You think you’ve won?”
I saw the ground, “I’ve got Ghaliya back. You are exhausted.”
She takes a moment to wipe her nose, a trickle of blood continues down her muzzle from her nostril. She's dripping blood from her chest; some ball had found its mark. She looks at the trickle of blood. “You won’t admit defeat, neither will I.”
The sound of galloping hooves gets me to gasp. The horse that I had entangled earlier is galloping for all he’s worth. Then I see what’s on his back. I reach out with my magic to grab Hadi off of his back, only to have the flows snap back to me, getting a pulse of pain. I shoot a dirty look at the mare, who grins. I’m not letting them make off with Hadi. I lash out with my magic, vines growing from the ground and binding the unicorn in place. I turn and extend my wings as I gallop after the horse, aiding my speed with my flying magic. I push hard and tackle the horse, my magic finally able to work as I yank the colt from him. I deposit Hadi somewhat smoothly as the stallion and I collide. A short but savage scuffle ensues, this damned horse is sharp hooves and hard kicks. It's all I can do to keep her wicked sickle-curved shotel off me.
I am flailing at this point, but finally I get a good hit on him and his body relaxes. It takes a moment for me to extricate myself from the horse, I float the colt onto my back. Through all of this, he hasn’t woken up, she must have used one hell of a spell on them. That’s a problem for later. I trot back over to the crumpled form of Ghaliya. I nuzzle her quickly before turning to the unicorn. “You have a lot of explaining…” I trail off, the vines are still there, but they seem to be not much more than char now. Where did she go?
My unasked question is answered as something impacts the side of my head. My eyes cross as I fall to my knees. I look up as the unicorn walks slowly to me, her horn lit, and Ghaliya firmly in her magic again. She leans forward. “I wasn’t paid to kill you.” With that, she whirls around and I can’t do anything as I watch her set her forehooves firmly on the ground. Her rear hooves seem mired in jelly as they seem to slowly float towards my face. I can’t even make myself flinch as they finally impact. My body is airborne, my last thought as darkness claims me is the sand doesn’t look like a good place to land.
***
“Ki.”
I come to with a short scream as I jerk my head off the pallet I’m laying in. I look around. “Irfan.”
He nods, “nearly the entire camp was affected by an exceedingly powerful somnolence spell. We all woke up to absolute carnage. What happened?” He's right. There's the reek of burnt sulfur and something a bit like spoiling meat. Piss, too. Over us come some solemn prayers.
I shake my head, “there were some horses and ponies, they attacked us.”
Irfan nods. “We gathered that, apparently Guerina had trouble sleeping, so she was lounging on a cloud when it happened. And your nature seemed to resist being put into a forced sleep.”
I look down, Hadi is curled up against my barrel. I nuzzle the colt, then I look around. “Where is Ghaliya?”
The look on Irfan's face gets my heart to drop. “I’m sorry, Ki, but it seems Sayyadina Ghaliya has been abducted.”