The Balinor Chronicles: The Celestial Herd
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Arioch
This Chapter is dedicated to The Silver Traveler.
Arioch had to admit he was a tad surprised to see the Elemental Stallions still in the Valley. After all, the Elementals were only half immortals like himself, and he was the third generation after the mighty Diablo. He was also somewhat surprised to see the Elemental so ready to fight him. But there was no doubt about it: The sharpened horn and shortened mane and tail were quick giveaways.
But, Arioch noticed as he walked behind the fiery red stallion, not all the unicorns in the valley were so ready to fight. Most were round around the middle and had extravagantly long manes and tails. Even the brown stallion that came up to walk alongside Mulciber had mane too long and horn too dull to be of any use in a fight.
Arioch jumped nearly a foot in the air when the third Elemental appeared from no where. There was just a slight breeze and then, suddenly, the blue-white Stallion was at Arioch's side. This one was ready for a fight too. Arioch was just beginning to think that he bit off more than he could chew when the other three Elements came into sight. The massive Golden One and the dark blue were grazing like any other unicorn, but the bronze one that clacked horns with Mulciber looked prepared to fight if the need should come to it. It actually looked like they were going to fight. The three war-ready stallions were tense, pawing the ground as if they were going to charge.
Which, in fact, they were.
Mulciber ran, his hooves digging into the ground. Visitor or not, Mulciber just didn't trust this stranger, and his instincts were rarely wrong. Now, at charging speed, few things could stop him now and almost all were impossible to happen in the Valley…
……except for the Mare. A sudden loss of traction, and Mulciber went skittering out of control. "In the name of the Ruler!" Mulciber was sliding out of control, his legs almost in a sitting position as he tried to stop. His eyes sparked up with fire, and his breath was hotter than ever. As he regained his footing, he whirled…and found himself horn to horn with the Mare.
"Mulciber." She just said it, not accusatory, not angry: she just said it. The mighty Fire Stallion bowed his head sheepishly. The Mare merely turned to the monster that was disgracing the Valley, "Please, Arioch, come. I believe it is I whom you seek."
Arioch's breath quickened slightly. He hadn't known that the Mare could work Earth Magic. If she had that much unknown power, who knew what else she could do. Perhaps this was a bad idea…