Unicorn's Unease Page 2

  The herds gathered as one after the other appeared. They would do their duty even though none truly wanted the fight. Everyone knew what was at stake and all intended to do their part. He felt pride at the size of the army he would lead to Herk. The directions to where they would wait for the others were in his hands and he quickly had the word spread so all would accompany him to the exact spot.

  In a flash, everyone went from here to there. Now they would dig in and wait, but not for long. He sent word to Herk letting him know they were there. It wasn’t long before word came that Herk wanted him and two of the leaders to meet with the others that were commanding troops. That would be Jespers and Apollo their seconds.

  Julio didn’t want to go, but he knew he needed to follow orders so he and the seconds arrived minutes later at Herk’s command center and home. Pru stood at his side sending glares Julio’s way. It took a few moments before thoughts of Janel came to mind. The problem was he didn’t want to think of her.

  His mate was beautiful and he desired her, but they wanted different lives and had to go their separate ways. Between his responsibilities as leader of the unicorns and the pledge to support the war Ram was leading, he needed the peace of the plains to keep thoughts in his head from making it explode.

  It was the only place he could escape and feel free, but his mate had no desire to be there at all. Julio was a leader, but the responsibility often left him on the edge of depression. That was something he fought against and wild, free open spaces helped him keep it in check. While he’d tried to explain his need to Janel, she hadn’t tried to understand which left them at an impasse.

  Now he was near her again and he didn’t know what would happen if they came face to face. The feelings were there inside, but so was the fear of seeing her again. The three of them appeared in the court yard of Herk’s stronghold. A servant stood there waiting for them to appear and motioned for them to follow him as he led them to Herk.

  The other leaders and their seconds would be there. That meant Janel would be too and he didn’t want to face her. It wasn’t fear, oh no. He just didn’t like drama or awkward situations. No one did or so they said and yet they set them up as they had now.

  It was no surprise the second he walked in the door his eyes were drawn to Janel who was the most beautiful female in the room. She didn’t look at him, but he was certain she was purposely avoiding him. For a while, he had thought they would mate and be together forever. That was until they’d disagreed on all the basics of life.

  Julio would admit he wasn’t the best at compromising, but neither was she. No one gave an inch so they both went their separate ways. The surprise was how much it hurt whenever he thought of her. Even now it hurt that she wouldn’t even look at him. Herk spoke, but he heard almost none of it as his mind was on Janel and how much he’d missed her. As he’d tried not to think about her, he realized now she’d always been in the back of his mind.

  Now with her in front of him, there was no way to ignore the feelings he had for her. Looking at her lush curves and her hair swinging over her back, need hit him hard. Her eyes were light brown and her hair a mix of colors in the brown range. Julio loved her hair, it was soft and strands of it glowed in the sun. When he saw her, it was easy to forget their difference of opinion and the lack of common ground when it came to their lifestyles. Still, he could admit to himself if no one else that he loved that witch.

  “Does everyone understand the plan?” Herk asked.

  There was a chorus of yes throughout the room. It seemed everyone but him had listened carefully. “You didn’t hear a word, did you?” Jespers whispered in his ear.

  “No, but that’s why you’re here.” Julio confirmed.

  They popped back to their group to get ready to head to the battle. The others joined them and soon they were on their way. The village wasn’t large, its population probably matched the number of their warriors gathered nearby. Herk took him with him as he approached the leader of the group of Hubolla’s followers. They were heavily entrenched within the village like pests that didn’t want to leave.

  “You have a chance to save your loved ones. Give up this fight and surrender.” Herk encouraged.

  “We will never give up. We fight to the death. Will your warrior’s do the same?” The leader who refused to give his name said.

  “You’ll see soon enough.” Herk replied.

  They returned to their warriors as their enemies gathered in the streets. It was their hope the civilians would stay in their houses so they would remain safe. Many had no desire to fight and the children needed to be safeguarded as much as possible. Now that negotiations had failed, they would have to fight.

  Herk moved them closer as the enemy grew in number and came closer. It was obvious many were hesitant to battle, but felt they had no choice. Perhaps they feared their families would be harmed. Maybe the threat was to their own welfare. Julio didn’t know, he only knew he had no choice but to take out the adversaries before they took out him or his people.

  He felt a tingle run over him and saw the witches sending a protective spell over their army. It would help, but they could still be harmed. After living so long, he didn’t want to die but he knew his duty and he would fulfill it.

  Screams and battle cries came from both sides as the armies clashed. The sound echoed through the valley they were in as bodies slammed together, swords hit each other, and guns went off. Most of the bullets shot against his side rolled to the ground, but a few made it through. As much as most supes feared witches, they were glad to have them on their side at times like these.

  “She’s almost as powerful as Herk’s witch.” Jespers observed.

  “They are cousins.” Julio informed.

  “That explains it. I’m glad to have their protection. Damn! Did you see that?” Jespers asked.

  He was referring to the lightning Pru sent into the oncoming enemy knocking down a large section of them. They writhed on the ground and the scent of burning hair and skin spread everywhere. It was an unpleasant odor.

  The smell brought home the fact that people were dying. That made this war all the more real not only to him, but to them all. Pru’s face was covered with tears as she did her duty despite the fact that it was tearing her apart. Janel kept the shields on their own making sure they took the least damage possible.

  Meanwhile they moved forward faster in the center of their lines cutting a swathe through the enemy lines. The battle was one sided, but even so they lost some people. The enemy was falling fast, but the lives lost on their side hurt his soul too. A fiery hate built inside him that a creature could cause all this death while insulated from it himself. This village would never be the same.

  The death toll rose until few were left and those were trying to get away. They tracked them down and took them into custody. Letting them go wasn’t an option. The escapees would just go undercover and rebuild their army. A few hundred prisoners and piles of dead bodies to be burned on pyres were what was left. Their own dead would get a funeral and be honored. The enemy’s dead would be burned to remove the bodies so the human authorities wouldn’t find them. If a dragon had been handy they could have incinerated them. Too bad grumpy Knossos was nowhere to be seen.

  Now Julio stood near Herk and Pru at the edge of a town that no longer existed. The first true battle in the war had now been fought and the enemy had truly risked or lost nothing. The town was in ashes, smoke, blood and death stained the breeze that blew remnants of these people’s lives around. Many females had lost husbands, but even the males that were left alive had lost their wives and some parents had lost their children.

  None of them had asked for this nor had they wanted a part in this battle. The choice had been taken from them. Those that had refused to fight when they saw what was happening, had been killed by their neighbors or possibly even their family members. What would any parent do to protect the lives of their children? These children who were now orphans, at least a large number of th
em were. His soldiers had done all they could to preserve the lives of the innocent.

  Now it was time to help them heal and pull together what remained for them into some type of life. Watching Janel on the edge of the battle throwing spells that either saved the lives of the innocent or their soldiers or that took the lives of those fighting against them had been hard. Not only was she at risk, but she was a distraction he couldn’t afford.

  “The witches have now left with most of the civilians who were hiding.” Jespers observed.

  “They need to be protected. Pru is with child.” Julio informed.

  “It will soon be time for us to leave as well. The witches spelled the fires to burn hotter. Once they are down to coals, we can go.” Jespers said.

  The soldiers left behind to clean up settled down taking turns throwing things on the fire that needed to be disposed of. It was a couple hours later before they were able to leave. Herk had instructed them to take up residence in a barracks he’d had built for troops. Several of the leaders including Julio would have a late supper with Herk.

  Their troops would have food delivered to them in the form of a feast with a limited amount of ale since not all supes could handle their drink. Julio did a quick walk through of the village looking for anything that might draw the eye of someone that could get an investigation going. While several homes had been torn down, there were only empty spaces there now. Nothing was there that would suggest the violence that had caused them to be ripped apart.

  No bodies were left behind or any sign that thousands of people had lost their lives and been burned to ash here. A few people had remained behind refusing to leave the place that had been their home all their life. Rebuilding would be no easy job and many of the crops and gardens nearby had been burned.

  The sadness of this place would stick with all of them for years to come. It was time to leave and move on to the next battle, because he was sure it wouldn’t be long.

  Chapter 3

  The Way of War

  Once they arrived back at headquarters, Herk sent Pru and the other females to clean up and deal with those that they’d brought back with them. Those that weren’t prisoners, at any rate. The war had truly begun and it was an ugly thing.

  It was painful, but even more so because his sweet mate Pru was dragged into the middle of it. While he knew she and the other females had seen death before, what had happened today was as bad as anything he’d seen in his long life. This was the kind of thing that ate at the soul and took away hope.

  The leaders would be here soon for the meeting and he had a suspicion many of the female leaders like his own sweet mate would be back for that meeting. Both Pru and Janel would insist they be part of it even though Julio would be present. Talk about awkward and uncomfortable.

  Everyone took a brief time to clean up and change into something more casual while the staff set up the meeting room. A buffet went along one wall and staff would serve drinks to all as needed. Once the meal was underway, the staff would leave until they were summoned back after the talks concluded.

  Herk was in the shower with hot water running over him. The dirt and blood ran down to the shower floor and finally down the drain. If only his pain at taking so many lives could go down the drain with it. Such loss in a short time was more than he’d experienced even in his long life. Those witches were unbelievable in a battle and much more effective than he’d anticipated.

  Clean, he exited the shower and dried off vigorously. He wished his witch was here with him so he could take her and relive the need and stress that rolled over his body. It made him wonder where she was, but he would see her soon enough. Maybe she was avoiding him so he couldn’t tell her not to attend the meeting. His mate had her ways of doing as she wished.

  Dressed and ready, he headed to the meeting room. “Julio! You got here fast.” He greeted.

  “I had nothing to do but shower and dress.” Julio admitted.

  “Jespers and Apollo, come sit by us.” Herk called out as they stepped inside the room. They took their seats with Apollo a seat down from Herk leaving a seat for Pru. “Apollo, know something I don’t?”

  “No, you know she’ll be here with Janel. Don’t pretend you don’t.” Apollo accused.

  Herk knew he was right, but he’d hoped Pru would keep Janel away to make things easier. Looking up, he saw the two of them enter the room. Just his luck they had arrived early. Almost like Apollo’s comment conjured them, Pru and Janel appeared in the doorway. Looking at Janel, Herk felt cold hit him like an artic wind.

  There was no warmth in her as she looked at Julio. On the other hand Julio felt like a tropical breeze as he stared back at her. The heat manufactured from his friend’s need obviously ran only one way. Julio’s eyes were lit with flames while icicles showed in Janel’s. Herk found it hard to blame her because as bad as he had been himself, Julio was worse.

  Janel moved to sit next to Apollo even as Pru sat next to him. Others began to trickle in sitting wherever they chose to. Many spoke to those sitting near them until there was a dull roar of background noise. Pru poked him in the side.

  “Don’t tell Julio a thing. She’ll have her say in due time.”

  “He’s not asked and I’ve not said.”

  “And you won’t say.” Pru insisted.

  Herk nodded. He didn’t expect it to be a problem. Why would Julio ask about something he knew nothing about? Did females always worry about such unlikely things? Standing, Herk looked over the group of leaders collected for this meeting. As they noticed he was standing, the talk began to die down until you could hear a pin drop.

  “Welcome everyone. I wish to thank each and every one of you for your commitment in the war that is now upon us. War is never something we seek, but now it has been thrust upon us and we must stand firm and do our duty. We had a victory and our losses weren’t heavy, but losing even one warrior is painful and their sacrifice must be acknowledged.”

  The gathered leaders cheered and Herk held up a glass to toast the fallen and celebrate the victory. “To our fallen brothers!” They all shouted as they took a drink. “To victory!” was the next toast. “To Hubolla’s defeat and the freedom of our lands.”

  “Now that the toasts are done, let us feast.” Herk said happy to have the speaking part over. He didn’t mind leading, but speeches were not one of his better talents nor did he enjoy giving them.

  Everyone lined up at the buffet saving the front spots for Herk and Pru. There was a good variety of the best foods with meats being the largest selection available. They moved through the line quickly piling their plates high. Once the edge was taken off everyone’s appetites, discussions began again around the room.

  “You witches did an amazing job.” Jespers praised. “I didn’t know much about your talents.”

  “None of those are abilities used in everyday life. We’ve been lucky in the supernatural community to be at peace for many centuries. Now we are forced to adapt our skills to fighting.” Pru replied.

  “It is sad that it was necessary, but lucky for us you were able to adjust so quickly.” Jespers admitted.

  Herk saw the admiration the young male had for both his mate and Janel. The look of aggravation Jespers sent his brother, Julio, told a lot too. Julio had no support in the decision he had made to set his mate aside. That decision would be even harder to understand once Janel began to show.

  Shifter babies generally were born in five months. Witches carried like humans unless mated to another with a shorter carry like shifters. It would be hard to estimate a due date then. The healer had told him and Pru that it could be anywhere from five to nine months. Herk had thought that prediction unhelpful. He suspected it would be closer to five than nine for both Pru and Janel. Already he thought he saw a slight thickening of their waists.

  That was no surprise since if they birthed at five months, Pru was halfway there and Janel nearly so. He hoped she would tell his friend about the baby soon. A witch came up to talk to Pru
and Janel including Apollo since he sat between them. Herk couldn’t hear the conversation but was sure it was about offspring. Many knew Pru was expecting even though she barely showed.

  “Ready to be a father?” Julio asked.

  “I can’t wait even though it scares me as much as it excites me.” Herk admitted.

  “I can’t even begin to imagine what being a father will be like for you.” Julio declared. “It’s too soon for me unless he was a unicorn who could run beside me on the plains.”

  “Someday you’ll wish for the little ones. They are a true joy. Your life will be dull without them.” Herk informed.

  “Right now it is filled with enough excitement.”

  “And your mate? Is that too much excitement too?”

  Julio looked away and didn’t answer. It seemed he hadn’t decided anything or he planned to leave things as they were. Herk thought his friend a big fool. When he finally realized what he had, it might be too late to reclaim it. Glancing at Janel, he saw her looking everywhere but at Julio.

  The meal was over and everyone went back to their rooms. Herk escorted Pru and Janel to the upstairs hallway where their suites were. He waited as Pru hugged Janel and tried to reassure her that things would work out for the best. Hopefully she was right, but he wasn’t so sure. So far in Julio’s and Janel’s personal life nothing seemed to go right.

  He wished he could say how Julio would react if he found out his offspring rested under Janel’s heart. The problem was unpredictable was the only way to describe how his friend had been acting lately. Most of their kind was thrilled to find their true mate and would do anything to keep them. He’d thought his mate’s sister, Gertie and her true mate the unbelievable exception. Now he knew that wasn’t true.

  It seemed when true mates became rare, those who found them no longer realized what a gift they’d been given. Even he had needed help to see that a gift like that couldn’t wait. They made love as they did most nights and as they lay together, he gently stroked the belly where his offspring lay.