.::Chapter Five :: An Unexpected Ally::.
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A/N: Alright, after months of Writer's Block, inspiration has finally struck, and I'm on a roll! This is my third chapter in a three-day period! Not many reviews though. –sigh-
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Emily bit her lip, strangling a distressed sob. In the stall stood a perfectly healthy black stallion. His sleek pelt was beautiful, seeming to shine, and its mane and tail were thick black hair. But the creature was not Lorelei. Emily glared at him, an irrational anger with this magnificent creature boiling inside her. "You're just a useless horse! You aren't Lorelei, you can't even tell us where she is!" she spat.
"Of course I'm not Lorelei!" the stallion scoffed.
Adriane smacked a hand over Kara's mouth, stifling her shriek. Emily's eyes widened. "Y-you...you just talked!" she gaped at the horse, who pranced irritably in his stall.
"Oh really? Did you expect me to be as dumb as these other creatures?" it retorted. "And I was made to believe the mages who defeated the Sorceress were intelligent!"
Kara, indignant, pushed Adriane's hand away and cried out, "We ARE intelligent!" she glared at the stallion. "We just didn't know that normal horses talked!"
The stallion snorted, a horsey laugh. "Wherever did you get the impression that these creatures," it pointed its velvety nose at the horses in the surrounding stalls, "could talk?"
"But, you're a normal horse," Emily pointed out, still in a state of shock.
"I am not! Anyone with eyes can see that I am Hakan, black unicorn, protector of the magic web!"
Adriane, Kara, Emily, and Ozzie exchanged puzzled glances. "Oh yeah?" the ferret scoffed. "Then where's your horn?"
Hakan lowered his head, his voice ashamed. "The Beast Hater took it," he explained. "He didn't get my magic, though!" the unicorn snorted defiantly. "I released it before he could."
"But, if you released your magic, how can you still speak? And how come you're not sick, like..." Emily's voice faltered. "Like Lorelei was when the Dark Sorceress took her horn?"
"Yeah, and who's this 'Beast Hater?'" Kara added
"I kept enough of my magic to remain a unicorn," Hakan replied. "And the Beast Hater captured me and the others."
Emily perked up. "Does that mean you know where Lorelei is? Is she safe? Has anyone tended to her? Did she escape?" she cried, grasping the door of the stall.
Hakan lowered his head again. "Lorelei," his voice quivered when he spoke. "Lorelei was here. But they took her away yesterday."
"Who took her away?" Emily's eyes flashed. "Tell me!"
Hakan snorted, nostrils flaring. "The Beast Hater knew a doctor was coming to inspect his animals. He paid the Greedy One to take Lorelei away, so no one would discover her. The Greedy One," he added, seeing the question in the eyes of the mages, "buys horses from the Beast Hater.
"I know where Lorelei is. I can take you to her," the stallion whickered.
Kara blinked, confusion on her face. 'This guy seems like the selfish type, though,' she mused. 'Why help us?' Aloud she said, "Why? What's in it for you if you help us?"
The unicorn's eyes flashed, and he reared. Emily rushed forward, afraid he would hurt himself in the small space. "I care about Lorelei, too!" he whinnied. "Her welfare matters to me! This girl shares that care. If I take the healer to Lorelei, she will help."
"Thank you," Emily whispered. "But how will we get past unnoticed? If this Beast Hater sees us apparently 'stealing' you, we'll get in an unbelievable amount of trouble. Anyone got any bright ideas?" she gazed around.
Kara's eyes gleamed. Her face broke out into a grin. "I'm the blazing star! I always come up with blazing ideas!"
"Oh, please," Adriane groaned. "Spare us the corny stuff."
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Ozzie, posted as sentry, peered around the stable door. "The doctor is talking to the stable owner!" he called, "They're watching the riders!"
"Okay, good," Kara said with a nod. "Keep watching, Ozzie," She turned to the others. "Now, do you all remember what to do?"
Adriane rolled her eyes. "There's no way this is going to work. There're trained people around here. They can't all be dumb enough to believe our story," she pointed out.
Kara glared icily at her. "Of course it'll work. Because you'll use your special...talent," she glanced meaningfully at Adriane's wolf stone, which pulsed with a soft golden glow, "to help us!" she smiled brightly. "Adriane, you'll use your magic to make it look like Hakan here went on a rampage. All he has to do is get away from the stable without being caught. Then, we'll meet up with him back at Ravenswood. While he slips away out the back and Adriane does her work, Emily and I will tell everyone that one of the horses broke free."
"I will not be called a horse!" Hakan snorted, raising his head proudly.
Kara cocked an eyebrow at him. "Whatever you say, big guy. Anyway, are we all clear on what to do?"
Adriane opened her mouth to protest, but Emily spoke up. "Adriane, we don't have any better ideas. We'll have to try. Right?" she gazed hopefully at her friend. With a sigh, the warrior nodded.
"Alright, Barbie, let's see if there're any brains under that oh-so-perfect golden hair." Kara's only response was to flip her blonde mane.
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Freed, Hakan reared, neighing joyfully, before turning and slipping out the back door, surprisingly silent. Emily followed to make sure he got away, then returned to Adriane and Kara. "Okay," Kara said to Adriane. "Do your thing."
"But don't hurt the horses," Emily added quickly. Adriane nodded, concentrating on Hakan's old stall. Suddenly, the wood splintered with a crack. Emily and Kara, taking their cue, raced from the stable.
"Mom!" Emily called out. "One of the horses broke out of the stable!" While Kara began to "explain" what had happened, Emily glanced around, catching the flick of a black tail as the unicorn disappeared into a cluster of trees. Turning back to the stable owner and Carolyn, she hid a relieved grin. Finally, they were going to find Lorelei!
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A/N: Okay, there's chapter five. Please, please, review! :'-(
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A/N: Alright, after months of Writer's Block, inspiration has finally struck, and I'm on a roll! This is my third chapter in a three-day period! Not many reviews though. –sigh-
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Emily bit her lip, strangling a distressed sob. In the stall stood a perfectly healthy black stallion. His sleek pelt was beautiful, seeming to shine, and its mane and tail were thick black hair. But the creature was not Lorelei. Emily glared at him, an irrational anger with this magnificent creature boiling inside her. "You're just a useless horse! You aren't Lorelei, you can't even tell us where she is!" she spat.
"Of course I'm not Lorelei!" the stallion scoffed.
Adriane smacked a hand over Kara's mouth, stifling her shriek. Emily's eyes widened. "Y-you...you just talked!" she gaped at the horse, who pranced irritably in his stall.
"Oh really? Did you expect me to be as dumb as these other creatures?" it retorted. "And I was made to believe the mages who defeated the Sorceress were intelligent!"
Kara, indignant, pushed Adriane's hand away and cried out, "We ARE intelligent!" she glared at the stallion. "We just didn't know that normal horses talked!"
The stallion snorted, a horsey laugh. "Wherever did you get the impression that these creatures," it pointed its velvety nose at the horses in the surrounding stalls, "could talk?"
"But, you're a normal horse," Emily pointed out, still in a state of shock.
"I am not! Anyone with eyes can see that I am Hakan, black unicorn, protector of the magic web!"
Adriane, Kara, Emily, and Ozzie exchanged puzzled glances. "Oh yeah?" the ferret scoffed. "Then where's your horn?"
Hakan lowered his head, his voice ashamed. "The Beast Hater took it," he explained. "He didn't get my magic, though!" the unicorn snorted defiantly. "I released it before he could."
"But, if you released your magic, how can you still speak? And how come you're not sick, like..." Emily's voice faltered. "Like Lorelei was when the Dark Sorceress took her horn?"
"Yeah, and who's this 'Beast Hater?'" Kara added
"I kept enough of my magic to remain a unicorn," Hakan replied. "And the Beast Hater captured me and the others."
Emily perked up. "Does that mean you know where Lorelei is? Is she safe? Has anyone tended to her? Did she escape?" she cried, grasping the door of the stall.
Hakan lowered his head again. "Lorelei," his voice quivered when he spoke. "Lorelei was here. But they took her away yesterday."
"Who took her away?" Emily's eyes flashed. "Tell me!"
Hakan snorted, nostrils flaring. "The Beast Hater knew a doctor was coming to inspect his animals. He paid the Greedy One to take Lorelei away, so no one would discover her. The Greedy One," he added, seeing the question in the eyes of the mages, "buys horses from the Beast Hater.
"I know where Lorelei is. I can take you to her," the stallion whickered.
Kara blinked, confusion on her face. 'This guy seems like the selfish type, though,' she mused. 'Why help us?' Aloud she said, "Why? What's in it for you if you help us?"
The unicorn's eyes flashed, and he reared. Emily rushed forward, afraid he would hurt himself in the small space. "I care about Lorelei, too!" he whinnied. "Her welfare matters to me! This girl shares that care. If I take the healer to Lorelei, she will help."
"Thank you," Emily whispered. "But how will we get past unnoticed? If this Beast Hater sees us apparently 'stealing' you, we'll get in an unbelievable amount of trouble. Anyone got any bright ideas?" she gazed around.
Kara's eyes gleamed. Her face broke out into a grin. "I'm the blazing star! I always come up with blazing ideas!"
"Oh, please," Adriane groaned. "Spare us the corny stuff."
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Ozzie, posted as sentry, peered around the stable door. "The doctor is talking to the stable owner!" he called, "They're watching the riders!"
"Okay, good," Kara said with a nod. "Keep watching, Ozzie," She turned to the others. "Now, do you all remember what to do?"
Adriane rolled her eyes. "There's no way this is going to work. There're trained people around here. They can't all be dumb enough to believe our story," she pointed out.
Kara glared icily at her. "Of course it'll work. Because you'll use your special...talent," she glanced meaningfully at Adriane's wolf stone, which pulsed with a soft golden glow, "to help us!" she smiled brightly. "Adriane, you'll use your magic to make it look like Hakan here went on a rampage. All he has to do is get away from the stable without being caught. Then, we'll meet up with him back at Ravenswood. While he slips away out the back and Adriane does her work, Emily and I will tell everyone that one of the horses broke free."
"I will not be called a horse!" Hakan snorted, raising his head proudly.
Kara cocked an eyebrow at him. "Whatever you say, big guy. Anyway, are we all clear on what to do?"
Adriane opened her mouth to protest, but Emily spoke up. "Adriane, we don't have any better ideas. We'll have to try. Right?" she gazed hopefully at her friend. With a sigh, the warrior nodded.
"Alright, Barbie, let's see if there're any brains under that oh-so-perfect golden hair." Kara's only response was to flip her blonde mane.
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Freed, Hakan reared, neighing joyfully, before turning and slipping out the back door, surprisingly silent. Emily followed to make sure he got away, then returned to Adriane and Kara. "Okay," Kara said to Adriane. "Do your thing."
"But don't hurt the horses," Emily added quickly. Adriane nodded, concentrating on Hakan's old stall. Suddenly, the wood splintered with a crack. Emily and Kara, taking their cue, raced from the stable.
"Mom!" Emily called out. "One of the horses broke out of the stable!" While Kara began to "explain" what had happened, Emily glanced around, catching the flick of a black tail as the unicorn disappeared into a cluster of trees. Turning back to the stable owner and Carolyn, she hid a relieved grin. Finally, they were going to find Lorelei!
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A/N: Okay, there's chapter five. Please, please, review! :'-(