Page 20 of Thief of Dreams
It could escape, but to do so would mean forcing its way through those inch-long thorns. Nobody else has arrived, which means it's not quite panicked enough to risk it, though I expect it will bolt the second they do. And while it's clearly uncertain of my intentions, it's not precisely afraid.
I have this one chance.
Easing the bridle forward, I watch its hindquarters tense. Nostrils flare, as if it's scenting the hair.
"See?" I take a slow step forward. "I mean you no harm. And while this might not have come from my head, you can smell the innocence on it, can't you?"
Another slow, stealthy step.
The unicorn's muzzle trembles.
I can't believe I'm about to touch it.
Then my fingers are stroking down that velvety muzzle.
"Aren't you a beautiful boy?" I whisper.
Horns blare.
The unicorn snorts and dances away from me. Suddenly, it's rushing at me, and I'm two seconds away from being trampled when I Sift.
Just a second.
Just a moment in the shadows.
Then I'm locking a fist in its tangled mane and sweeping onto its broad back. The thought occurs: I am riding a fucking unicorn.
And then it goes ballistic beneath me.
A furious, spine-bending rage that threatens to jettison me straight into the thorns. I've never felt such uncontained fury, such rage. Knotting my hands in its mane, I'm forced to ride it out, knees and thighs squeezing around its barrel-like chest.
Fuck. The bridle!
I swiftly lean forward to loop it over the creature's horn. It's barely tangled around the unicorn's muzzle, but the second the virgin's hair touches its flesh, it calms.
"That's it, big fellow." I can hear other horses crashing through the trees now. We're about to have company, and a new thought occurs.
Why not have some fun?
There's only one way into this trap, after all.
I wheel the unicorn around, and to my delight, Princess Ismena is the first to come crashing through the glade.
She screams as we charge, forced to blunder sideways. I catch a glimpse of her face as I bow mockingly. Then we're past, and this time, it's my turn to lead the hunt.
7
"And here I thought you were uninterested in winning my company," Prince Keir murmurs with the faintest of smiles as he shows me to my seat.
We're at the top of the tallest tower in the castle, overlooking the sea far below.
Someone's set up a small table with a pair of chairs, and candles weep fat globules of wax on every surface. If I close my eyes and focus, I can hear the crashing of the surf.
"I am... uncertain, as I said. But I cannot abide losing, either."
Especially not to spoiled princesses.
"Ah." He eases my chair in as I sit. "A conundrum indeed. Now you're trapped with me for the next few hours."
