Page 40 of Sweetling
Now what’s she yelling about?
Allarion frowned, now doubly confused.She was yelling before?
All last night,his steed confirmed,it kept all of us awake.
Dread began to trickle through his veins. Goddesses, what trap had he left for himself?
“Your overgrown guard pony wouldn’t let me leave! He would have made me rot in here. There’s only food enough for another day or two. After that—after—” Emotion clogged her voice, and Allarion’s chest lurched seeing the obvious pain in Molly’s face.
Pony?Bellarand repeated, offended.
Never mind that, she’s upset.
The moment you were asleep, she looked to leave. If it wasn’t for me, she’d be a hundred miles from here.
Bellarand—
The unicorn shook his mane.She will not speak of me so. I am a dread-mount of the northern—
Molly gasped. “It’s here—it’s here again!” She looked around wildly, a hand on her head.
Allarion approached her, hands up in placation. She was truly beginning to worry him with her anger and raving, having never seen this from her, never even suspected it.
“Sweetling, please be calm. There’s no one—”
“In my head,” she moaned, grinding her palm into her temple, “a voice, not yours and not mine. It taunted me last night, and I…”
Allarion’s brows rose in surprise.Think something to her,he instructed Bellarand.
He knew it was possible, but to happen so soon…
Bellarand huffed, never liking being bossed about.
Finally, after a moment of agitated ear flicks, Bellarand thought loudly,You are a very loud creature, stomping here and there. The birds hide their faces under their wings to get some peace. The trees shake as you clomp down the stairs.
Allarion glared at his steed, but the unicorn was unrepentant.
Molly gaped at them. “It’s…it’s the unicorn?”
“It would seem so, yes. Bellarand and I share a bond—every fae warrior and his mount can communicate in their minds. It is the way of the magic and the bond. Sometimes bonded mates can hear the unicorn speaking, too.”
He stared in wonder at her.It’s working. Her just being here—she’s bonding to the estate, the magic. It’s working!
But just as the elation began to expand his chest, Molly let out another vicious shriek. Grabbing the bunch of abused sunflowers, she flew at the kitchen door.
Bellarand was quick enough to pull his head away and retreat, but Molly charged after him. Allarion watched in stunned astonishment as she hurled sunflowers at the unicorn, catching him on the flank.
“Don’t you ever threaten me again, pony!” Molly cried. “I didn’t ask to be here!”
Bellarand reared around in affront. He pawed the earth menacingly, shaking his mane and swiping his horn through the air, only to catch another sunflower in the face.
His red eyes narrowed.
Don’t—!
The unicorn didn’t heed the warning, a great war whinny ringing through the air before he charged.
Allarion raced out the door.
