Page 16 of Must Love Scones and Secrets
“Let her know if you need anything,” Elder Thornberry added with a grin. “And good luck to you.”
With that, the elder left, leaving me alone with the unicorns and Emmalyn’s curious gaze. I stepped into the stall, moving slowly and deliberately. The mare watched me cautiously, herears swiveling in my direction. The foal, however, was more curious about Smoke. He poked his head over the stall gate and his nostrils flared as he tried to determine what, exactly, Smoke was.
I whispered softly as I moved close to the mare, keeping my voice calm and steady. Rather than rushing to touch them, I let them sniff my hands and observe me from a safe distance. I knew trust was built slowly and caution was paramount with their magic acting unpredictably.
“Any signs of injury?” Emmalyn asked, leaning against a beam as she watched.
“None that I can see,” I replied, glancing over the foal’s coat. “No swelling, no strange markings, no obvious sources of pain. Whatever’s affecting them seems...deeper. I’ll need time to understand it.”
Her expression turned serious. “The dryad who came to examine them thought the same. He tried giving them a draught of moonshine to stabilize their magic, but it didn’t help. Poor creatures. They look so unsettled. It’s heartbreaking to see them like this.”
I nodded, taking note of the foal’s restless movements.
Emmalyn reached into her pocket and pulled out a small cloth sack. The unicorns’ ears perked up instantly. “This will help make friends,” she told me. “Sugar blossom cubes never fail.” She handed the bag to me.
Within, I found cubes glowing faintly with a soft pink shimmer and giving off a faintly floral scent. The mare and foal eyed the sack eagerly, their noses twitching. I chuckled then offered one cube to the foal and another to the mare. They accepted eagerly, chewing contentedly before nudging me for more.
“See? Works every time,” Emmalyn said with a knowing smile.
I smiled, gave each unicorn another cube, and gently stroked their necks. Their tension seemed to ease, if only slightly. “Thank you,” I said, turning back to her. “These are remarkably effective.”
“I imbue them with calming herbs. Keep them,” she said lightly.
“Thank you.”
“I’m four stalls down if you need anything. Try not to get impaled. It would look badly on my family if we killed a visiting representative from King Ramr’s court.”
I chuckled. “I’ll try my best. I’m Bjorn, by the way.”
“Emmalyn,” she replied. “Yell if you need me.”
I returned my focus to the unicorns. The mare and foal were watching me, their eyes flicking toward the bag in my hand. Smiling, I offered them another cube each, then gently stroked their silky necks.
“You see, my friends,” I murmured, “I’m here to help you. And, in your own way, you’re helping me too. You just don’t know it.”
The mare nickered softly. As the sunlight streamed into the stall, warming the space with golden light, I felt a quiet sense of purpose settle over me. Whatever was happening here, I would do everything in my power to set it right. No one needed to call mePrinceBjorn, dress me in an uncomfortable doublet, force me to sing royal songs, or make me dance with women I was not interested in to make that happen. Here, I wasjustBjorn. AndjustBjorn would solve the riddle of the ailing unicorns.
I spentthe rest of the morning and into the late afternoon tending to and observing the unicorns. On two occasions, the mare evoked cold weather. Once, a flurry swept through the barn, covering everything in snow. On the second occasion, she sneezed, filling her stall with a foot of powdery white snow. On both occasions, her horn had lit up before the blustery weather. The same was true for the foal. But his magic was far more random. It went from making rose vines appear and disappear to a sneeze that refilled everyone’s buckets with oats. There was no rhyme or reason for his affliction, and from what I could see, there was no stimulus for it either. Nothing had changed. Nothing had excited them. In fact, the foal had been dozing when the oats incident happened. I talked with the grooms, inspected the unicorns’ feed, and looked for possible allergens but found nothing. I felt that the answer I was looking for would be found in the fields beyond where the rest of the herd roamed.
Smoke was the first to alert me to how much time had passed with his usual hungry dances.
“Hungry, eh?” I asked the wolf. “Shall we see what Moonshine Hollow has to offer?”
The wolf, sensing a meal was coming, wagged his tail and jumped excitedly.
Chuckling, I pulled out the compass bird the gnome child had given me.
“My wolf companion and I need some dinner. Will you kindly lead the way?”
The paper bird shook itself like a real bird and then set off, leading us off Elder Thornberry’s property and back toward Moonshine Hollow. We wove down the winding streets, passing many quaint shops where people paused to chat with one another. The bird led me on meandering loops, down alleys and streets with crooked little two-story houses, gardens, and magical window displays. Enchantments had been set on manyof the goods for sale, including a loom weaving a design on its own accord and a paintbrush painting, and then magically erasing, images as people passed. When I paused to watch, the brush considered me and then quickly painted a picture of a gray, tossing sea filled with icebergs.
“Very well done,” I told the paintbrush, giving it a smile and nod.
Happy sparks effervesced around it before it erased my image and moved on to the next design.
The little paper bird led me down one lane and then another. Soon, the scent of freshly baked bread filled the air.
My stomach growled hungrily.
