Mire of Corruption
"We're going to get some action soon," Ebontyne said in a grim voice. She straightened from examining some tracks in the mud and followed them east, sword ready.
"Looks like a horse's hooves, only cleft," Rynn observed.
"Right. And it's not a horse. Unless I'm mistaken..." the War Mage's voice trailed off as the tracks led to a thicket of bushes and vanished. She carefully parted a few branches and tried to look through. With a smile of satisfaction, she gestured for Rynn to look.
Beyond the swamp plants was a small bog with cloudy blue water. Standing in the muck, its magnificent head bowed to drink the water, was a creature Rynn had never thought existed. "A unicorn," she whispered in wonder.
The black creature's head lifted suddenly, ears twitching as if it had heard something. It stood perfectly still for a minute, then tossed its single horn and returned to its drink.
Rynn forced herself to breathe again. "I think it heard me," she said as softly as she could.
Ebontyne nodded. "Good ears, unicorns. Good fighters, too. Ready?"
Rynn looked at her quickly. "What? Why are we going to fight it?"
"It's a black unicorn, Rynn," Ebontyne said, as if that explained everything. When Rynn continued to stare at her, Ebontyne looked irritated. "White unicorns are good and pure, black unicorns are evil and corrupt. Does that answer your question?" She shook her head and muttered, "It's like you're asking why you should fight a scavenger."
"Oh." Rynn looked into the swamp again. "But it's so beautiful."
"Many evil things are beautiful."
"Why should you care about killing evil things?" Rynn asked suddenly. She quickly lowered her voice again as she saw the unicorn's ears twitch. "One would think-"
"Because I'm evil?" Ebontyne's eyes narrowed. "I'm not evil. I simply had different views to the Order of the Flame." Seeing Rynn wasn't convinced, she shrugged. "We can discuss it later."
"Why not now?" Rynn suggested suspiciously.
"Because there's a bloody black unicorn right next to us," Ebontyne hissed. "Would you stop for a chit-chat next to a sleeping blade dragon?"
A snort came from the black unicorn. Raising its head again, it looked directly at their bushes and swished its tail. "Blade dragons hardly compare to us," it said in a thickly accented voice.
Ebontyne shot Rynn a dangerous look before pushing through the bushes to face the unicorn. Rynn stayed behind to watch, still slightly stunned that the creature could talk. She'd gotten used to most of her enemies being unintelligible.
"Oh, it's you, Ebontyne," the unicorn said with a dismissive toss of its mane. "Like my new abode? Better than the Blasted Lands. A unicorn needs water to fuel his powers."
"Vakailan. It's been too long." Glaring, she started forward with her sword, but the unicorn gave a neigh of laughter.
"Haven't you learned from the last times? You can't hurt a black unicorn with a shadowshiv." Rynn saw the malice whirling in the dark thing's eyes this time, and suddenly understood what Ebontyne had said about black unicorns. "Evil cannot destroy evil," Vakailan said. Its horse-like face drew into an unmistakable grin. "But I can still destroy you. Morghus isn't here to save you this time." It lowered its head, the pointed horn gleaming silver, and scraped the mud with a front hoof like a bull preparing to charge.
Ebontyne waited, falling into a half-crouch with her weapon extended before her in both hands. "I have someone else this time."
"No doubt." Vakailan bared his teeth at Rynn's hiding place. "Humans usually travel in herds. It makes it easier to skewer one when they stand clumped together."
Rynn set her jaw and pushed through the bushes, Runeblade gleaming in her hands.
Vakailan laughed and stamped his hooves in the mud. "Just the one, Ebontyne? And with a pretty sword, too." He gave Rynn an appraising look, lingering over Runeblade. A tendril of fear curled in his eyes. "Hm. It appears I'll be at a disadvantage here. What must a black unicorn do to escape a confrontation with Heron's heiress?"
"Why do you call me that?" Rynn demanded.
Oozing with eagerness to please, Vakailan said, "You're bonded to Arokh, and you carry Runeblade. Who else could you be?"
"We're looking for some things," Ebontyne said, apparently unsurprised at Vakailan's sudden chance of attitude. "Same as last time, and a mirror that views the rift."
"Ah well, as for the Jewels of Eternity, I have no idea." Vakailan cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I know I told you that I knew where they were, but..."
"I suspected as much," Ebontyne said. "You better be able to tell us something useful, or my friend here will-"
"All right, all right." Vakailan's nostrils flared nervously. "The mirror you describe isn't that uncommon an item in the Eastern Wilds. What's more, a few magical races can evil conjure such mirror-images in water or other liquids."
"What races?" Rynn asked, and the unicorn jumped when she spoke.
"Er, uh... Ogre magi, kobold shamans..."
"Try a race that will actually speak with humans, Vakailan," Ebontyne suggested.
"Um, I don't think there is... no, wait, wait!" he squealed as Rynn took a menacing step forwards. "East past these swamps is Nowhere. A creature lives in the middle of Nowhere (heh, see that coming?) who has the power to see into the Rift. I don't know if it'll help you, though..."
"What is it?" Rynn asked.
"It calls itself an angel. A fallen angel."
Ebontyne let out a growl.
"Can I... er... go?" Vakailan said, though he was already edging backwards.
Rynn looked to Ebontyne, who nodded curtly. The black unicorn didn't need a second gesture. He turned tail and galloped from the swampy clearing to vanish in the mists.
Ebontyne stood still, frowning, so Rynn waited, pondering her strange new title. Heron's heiress? Didn't sound too bad. Not exactly fearsome, though Vakailan had seemed frightened enough.
"It's worth a try," Ebontyne said at last. She took off a black gauntlet, put her fingers to her lips and whistled shrilly. "You better call Arokh, Rynn. We're going further east."
"What makes you think the unicorn was trustworthy?"
"Because he thinks you'll come back and cut his head off if he plays you false," she said with a faint smile.
Rynn whistled for Arokh. "What's this fallen angel?"
"Navaros mentioned it. It's what - or who - he learned that Word of Power from." The War Mage frowned again. "I'm sure Vakailan spoke the truth - the fallen angel will have the power to tell us what we want to know. Morghus and I would have sought it long ago, but we had no idea where to look. What concerns me now is the price it will ask for what we seek."
Despite the humidity, Rynn felt a chill course through her. "What did it ask of Navaros?" Ebontyne shook her head and didn't answer, instead watching the skies for the two dragons. Her brow furrowing slightly, Rynn could only guess that she either didn't know, or didn't want to speak of it.
From what little she knew of Navaros, she was willing to bet it was the second. And what value had anything to an angel, save perhaps a soul?