*Just a heads up: I know it's probably obvious, but I won't be updating daily anymore. Sorry, but school has started again. I will try to update weekly, but I can't guarantee anything as I am at a new school with new classes and such. I do hope you stick with me because there is still so much more to this story. I also want to thank those of you who have stuck by me. You guys are the best!
Chapter 120
Willie frowned as he looked at the humans around him. Chuck had an especially goofy grin on his face as he stared at the unicorn, and Cam's look told him that he wasn't sure if he could believe his own eyes or not. Willie looked at his maker. "I don't understand. I've never heard of a unicorn revealing itself to humans before."
When Kahlan saw the look that Christian shot to Sebastian, she frowned. "Really?"
"Maybe it's because she's so weak," Rossi offered as he studied the vampires.
"Maybe," Christian offered, and then shook his head. "That in itself doesn't make sense. I've never seen one in this kind of shape."
Chuck snorted in disgust. "That asshole is starving her just like the rest of them. How could she not look like this?"
"Because, Charles, normally a unicorn's magic sustains them when needed. There are those in the northern climates who survive really harsh winters without eating once," Sebastian explained.
"Well, you can see that he's been trimming pieces off her horn, maybe she has lost too much magic," Willie suggested.
Cam huffed. "I can't believe he hasn't taken it completely."
Christian shook his head. "He can't. Well, he can, but taking a unicorn's horn is a death sentence for it, and it's a long, painful death."
Sebastian frowned. "But he would take it the second she revealed it." He sighed. "It doesn't make sense."
"Then let's ask him about it," Kahlan suggested.
"Yes. This is very curios," Sebastian agreed and looked at Willie. He nodded and darted off to retrieve the harvester whom they had left in one of his own cells.
Chuck looked at Kahlan. "You think she'd let me touch it?"
Kahlan's eyes narrowed. "You want to touch her horn?"
He nodded as he grinned from ear to ear. When she looked at him like he was crazy, he shrugged. "You mean to tell me you didn't?"
She licked her lips as she looked away from him. "Maybe."
Rossi laughed. "Ask her. She seems to understand us."
Chuck ran a hand through his hair as he took a step towards the thin animal. He stopped just out of reach and looked at the vampires. "She's not going to flip me, is she?"
Christian laughed. "No, if she wants to hurt you, she's just run you through."
Chuck nodded. "Well, at least I'd see that coming."
Rossi shook his head.
Chuck stepped up to the unicorn. "Hey, girl," he drew out as he held out his hand to her. She stared at him, and he smiled. "I'm Chuck, and. . ." he leaned in closer to her, "just between you and me, I've always loved unicorns," he whispered.
She niffed at his hand as it moved towards her nose.
After a second, he reached even further, and she leaned out to let him touch her. He smiled as he looked back at Kahlan. "See, she's got good taste."
"Yeah, she can sense a brony when one's near," Cam told him and then laughed.
Chuck shot him a look. "Shut up, Cameron! Cass picked out that stuffed animal, and you know it!"
They all laughed, but quickly quieted down as Willie brought Brian back. As soon as he saw Chuck rubbing the unicorn's long nose, his eyes grew wide.
Sebastian looked at him. "Did you know this is a unicorn?"
"Yes, that's why its here."
"Have you seen her horn?"
"No, stupid beast wouldn't show it to me, but I'd get a horn eventually," Brian told him.
"By starving her?" Rossi asked him.
"No. Damn bitch doesn't have to eat."
Kahlan frowned. "Then how would you get her horn?"
"I'd get it off the whelp."
Sebastian's brows shot to his hairline. "She's pregnant?"
Brian nodded.
"You caught a pregnant unicorn?" Willie asked in shock.
Brian shook his head. "No. Had her inseminated. Cost me a load, but it'll be wroth it when I cut that damn thing off its fucking little head!"
The unicorn whinnied and backed up in fear, and Chuck's eyes narrowed in anger. Before anyone could stop him, he lunged out and landed a powerful fist on Brian's jaw knocking him to his ass.
Christian placed a hand on Chuck's shoulder as his chest heaved in hatred. With the way he was still looking at the man on the ground, Christian knew he wanted to do a lot more. "I think you should give her some more hay, Chuck."
Chuck's eyes snapped to his, and then he nodded as he went back to the unicorn. Once he had an armful of hay and leaned down to put it on the ground, the unicorn nuzzled his neck making him laugh and flinch away. He stood up and looked her in the eyes. "I figured you'd want to do that, and since you couldn't, I did it for you."
She let out a happy noise, as Willie grabbed Brian's shirt and got him standing again.
"You better take him back," Rossi suggested because he tell by the look on Kahlan's face that she wanted to hit the man, too.
Sebastian nodded his agreement and Willie led the man down the passage.
"Well, that explains it," Christian told them. "She wouldn't let him see it, so he got her pregnant knowing that a baby unicorn doesn't have the ability to hide its horn."
"And what, since he wasn't feeding her, she couldn't use her magic to sustain herself because she was using it to nurture the baby?" Kahlan asked as she moved to pet the unicorn's neck.
Sebastian nodded. "I would think so. I've never seen a pregnant one."
"And that's why her horn looks that way; her magic was slowly dwindling away as the fetus grew," Christian reasoned.
Chuck shook his head as he looked into the unicorn's eyes. "You don't have to worry, girl. We're going to get you out of here, and your little one will be safe."
Rossi looked at Kahlan. "Well, there goes the idea of taking her to a horse rescue. Even if she can keep her horn hidden from humans, there's no way we can allow a baby of hers to be born at a sanctuary."
Kahlan winced. "May Nate knows where she's from. Maybe we can get her back to where she belongs. Maybe. . ."
"I'll take her," Cam put in.
They all looked at him, and he shrugged. "What? I have more than enough land, and with the high security fences, no one would ever see the baby." He nodded as he thought about it some more. "In fact, I could even have a covered paddock built if needed."
"Or she could go to my place like Nate," Sebastian said.
"But she's going to need someone to take care of her," Chuck put in.
"And won't you be here, or wherever, until we find Hotch?" Cam asked him.
"Nate could. . ." Christian started.
"He can hardly stand! He needs to focus on taking care of himself," Rossi told him.
Kahlan studied the vampires. "Is there a reason you don't want Cam to take her?" Her brows rose. "A reason you don't want humans taking a unicorn?"
Sabastian took a deep breath. "Unicorns are magical, legendary. . ." He shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same as taking care of a horse. That baby, when its born, will be beyond what you can imagine, and it will take some very special care."
"So you've been around a baby unicorn?" she pushed.
"Well, no," Sebastian admitted.
"But I would think that he would better suited for it than you all," Christian put in.
Kahlan turned discerning eyes to him. "So he's giving up the search for Aaron? You all are going back to Colorado?"
Christian's eyes shot to Sebastian's for a second, and then he wilted. "Of course not."
Kahlan nodded. "I would think Cam, who normally stays at home with his computers anyways, could be more readily available to take care of her and her baby."
"And Penny, too," Cam added with a grin. "You know she would love the chance."
Chuck laughed. "She going to ecstatic!"
"And no matter how much joy she will get out of it, she would do it discreetly," Rossi added.
"If we take her back to Virginia, we could help them with the unicorn when our search allows," Willie put in.
Sebastian looked at all them.
"Why don't we just ask her?" Kahlan asked. "She seems to know exactly what's going on, so let her decide."
"While she may be magical, she cannot speak," Christian told them.
Kahlan huffed, moved to the unicorn, placed her hands on her nose, and looked her in the eyes. "How about it, girl, would you like to go live with a couple humans until you and your baby are strong enough to go back to your home?"
The unicorn stared back into Kahlan's eyes for a few seconds and then whinnied as her horn started glowing, and Kahlan smiled as she nodded. "I take that's as a yes."
Chuck rubbed his hands down the unicorn's neck. "You're gonna love it, girl."
Willie nodded. "I'll contact a guy I know, he'll be able to tell us what she needs and everything."
Sebastian finally nodded. "Then it's settled."
Christian looked at Cam. "Are you going to take the little ones, too? Is your place and this Penny able to accommodate taking care of them, too, until they are strong enough to go back into the wild?"
Cam looked at the others and then nodded. "Sure."
"Little ones?" Rossi asked.
Chuck laughed. "That's right, you and Kay haven't seen them yet." He looked at Kahlan. "You're gonna love them."
Her interest was piqued. "Then let's go see them."
Chuck nodded, took a step, and then turned back to the unicorn. "You keep eating girl, and we'll be back in a little bit. I promise."
She looked up from her hay and whinnied, and then her horn started glowing again.
His eyes got as wide as his smile and his hand moved to it, but he froze and looked at Kahlan.
She smiled. "I think that means she's going to let you touch it, Chuck."
His smile grew beyond goofy, and his hand shook as he reached up and then ran gentle fingers down the side of her horn. Once done, he nodded his thanks to her and went to his best friend, and they all started back for the cellar.
Chuck frowned at Kahlan as they walked. "It didn't feel like gold."
Christian put his arm around Chuck's shoulders. "They're not made out of gold; they are made out of a specific kind of magic that glows gold." He sighed. "That's the common misconception that humans and hunters have. They think it's real gold, and their greed for the gold is what leads to a lot of unicorns being killed."
"You mean to tell me that damn harvester didn't know it's not real gold?" Cam asked with wide eyes.
Sebastian huffed. "I'm sure he knew. He seems to know way too much."
"But if they use the magic for themselves and for their babies, what good would it do for anyone else?" Kahlan asked. "Why do they take the horn?"
"The horn's magic can be used by others for a variety of things. They are a very strong and very sought-after magical item," Sebastian explained.
XXXXX
When Hotch realized they were taking them back towards the holding cell, he was relieved. While he really didn't want to spend any more time in it, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what else they would be facing after leaving it permanently.
The skeleton guard led them to the door, opened it, and then gestured into it. Tucker went in quickly and made his way to the back as the dwarves followed. Copper sighed, and was about to say something, when the leprechaun grabbed Hotch's arm.
"Not ye, git."
Hotch frowned, but Copper spoke up first, "Why not?"
Red stared at him. "That's none of ye's business, goat!" he told him and pulled Hotch away from him.
Hotch winced as the rough handling jostled his leg, but he didn't say anything because the leprechaun's hand had gone to the holy whip.
Red looked at the being with the demented dogs. "They need some 'elp in the processing room. Take this git but muzzle em first."
The male laughed. "My pleasure," he told him and then started for Hotch as his canines lunged and growled.
Hotch mentally cringed. Muzzle? The only ones who need a muzzle are those damn four-legged things! His eyes found Copper's and then fear in the faun's eyes made Hotch even more nervous.
The being moved both leashes to one hand and grabbed Hotch's arm with the other. "Right this way," he uttered as he turned Hotch towards another passage, and the scratchy bass of his tone sent a shiver down Hotch's spine.
"Get in there, git!" Red yelled as he shoved Copper toward the door.
Once he got to it, he grabbed the side of it. "Where is he taking him?" Copper wanted to know.
Red giggled. "Someplace ye definitely don't want to go. Now get back or I'll slam this and chopped off all ye's fingers!"
Copper sighed and went into the cell, but his eyes followed Hotch.
Processing room? What the hell are they processing? A yelp escaped Hotch as one of the dog-like creatures went around its handler and nipped at Hotch's calf. The being did nothing but laugh.
Hotch tried to keep in step with him, but his pace was hurting his leg, but if he got too far behind then the dogs would get him. So much for thinking that I'd be able to rest a little more and let my leg heal.
They went down the passage then took a couple turns. At one-point Hotch could hear a lot of screaming, and he wasn't sure if he was hearing the fighting or something more sinister. After taking another turn, his stomach clenched. He could smell blood, and a lot of it. Oh shit!
The thing pulled Hotch to a stop, grabbed something off the wall, and then held it out to Hotch. "Put this on."
Hotch looked at it. Is this my muzzle? He'd been expecting a muzzle either like a dog muzzle or a mask like Hannibal Lecter's, so the soft silicone blob in the being's hand surprised him.
"Either take it and put it on yourself, or I will put it on you. Believe me, you really don't want that," the skulled man told him.
Hotch took it, felt it, and then frowned. I won't be able to breathe with this thing on. He looked at the man with the dogs. "Exactly how do I put it on?" There weren't any straps or anything on it.
The man huffed. "Hold it up to your face, dumbass, and if you don't want to be blind, you better keep it away from your eyes. Just make sure it covers your mouth and nose."
Hotch held the blob in both his hands, took one more look at the man, took a deep breath, and then held it up to his face. And screamed as he dropped to his knees. It felt like it was burning into his skin as it moved around on his face of its own volition. When it finally settled into the position it wanted to be in, the burning stop, and Hotch was surprised that he could breathe. It had sealed itself to the whole bottom half of his face like a ski mask – from under his chin, up over his nose, under his eyes, and around his whole cheeks. When he ran his hands over it, it felt like it had turned into soft leather, but there weren't any holes in it, so he still didn't know how he was getting any air.
The man snatched him back up and looked him in the eyes. "And don't even think about taking that off. If you do, it will peel you down to the bone and be the most horrific thing you have ever experienced."
Hotch swallowed and nodded.
"You can speak."
Hotch frowned even more. With as tight as it was, he didn't think it would give enough for him to move his jaw to speak. "What is the processing room?"
"Come," he demanded as he grabbed Hotch's arm again and led him to an opened door. He gestured into it. "This is where the food for certain occupants of the pits is processed," he told him and then chuckled.
Hotch's eyes grew wide. Son of a bitch! Everywhere he looked, bodies of different species and animals were being butchered, and there was so much blood that it ran in little rivers along the uneven floor.
His stomach growled and tightened, and the being laughed. "And now you know why you had to be muzzled," he told him and then shoved him through the door completely.
