Part One is here

Scarlet’s heart sank and she laughed. ‘Let me guess, does he live in a big castle in hell, really pale guy, bad taste in clothes?’

Elt gave her a look, which would have been enigmatic even had he not been a unicorn. ‘Yeah, maybe, not been all that bothered ‘bout visiting him, if I’m honest. Sneaky bastard traps people, offers them their wildest dreams.’

She’d have to ask Mum what he offered her. Or maybe not, it could quite easily be something completely gross. Scarlet turned to Martin, hands held up. ‘What are the chances, I mean, really?’

‘This is no coincidence. He is forbidden to become directly involved, but dreams and visions are fair game. I have no doubt the coven had this particular idea following our little visit. Dammit.’

He slammed his fist into an open palm. ‘They have power, and he will be providing them with more all the time. This will not be easy.’

‘Like it was ever gonna be easy. At least we know who we’re fighting, and I won’t mind the chance to stick my finger up at him again.’

Martin and Elt exchanged glances and Martin shrugged. ‘She’s my apprentice. I couldn’t be prouder.’

He was answered with that strange laughter from Elt and she folded her arms, waiting for them to finish having their little chum-in.

God, Lara was being held by those guys. Why hadn’t they expected something like this? He’d even warned them, told them they’d made an enemy, of course he was gonna get even. She turned on Martin. ‘Why weren’t you ready for this?’

‘I’m sorry.’

‘The guy’s a demon, of course he was gonna do something to us. Why weren’t you ready, why didn’t you warn me?’

‘Joanna, I’m sorry, it didn’t occur to me the two things could be linked.’

‘Didn’t occur to you? How bloody convenient, now Lara’s in their… clutches or whatever, god.’

Martin’s brow creased and his voice dropped so Elt couldn’t hear. ‘You’ve only known her a day or so, you seem very attached.’

‘She’s my girlfriend, of course I’m attached.’

‘But after only a few days?’

She punched him as hard as she could on the arm, to which he responded with a raised eyebrow. Had he ever been in love? Yes, he had, so surely he understood? ‘How do you not get it?’

‘I do, really, it just seems very sudden, that’s all.’

‘And what’s wrong with that? What, did you and your wife spend a year umming and ahhing before deciding you loved one another.’

She winced as soon as she said it and sure enough, his face clouded over, eyes looking past her at something she couldn’t see. She could imagine it though. ‘Stuff it, I’m sorry, really, I didn’t mean—’

‘It’s fine. Come on, we need to go.’

‘Didn’t you want to prepare and stuff?’

He looked at her and she turned away, not willing to meet the pain in his eyes. ‘I’ve got the spells, I’ve got the ingredients, there’s nothing left to prepare. Come on.’

He stomped past her toward the park entrance and she followed, head down, feet dragging through the damp grass. Elt trotted beside her, speaking quietly. ‘I might be imagining it, but did the two of you just had a tiff?’

‘Well aren’t you just bloody perceptive. Sod off.’

He raised his head, snorting, but moved away. The three of them made their separate ways to the exit and stood on the street outside. She didn’t want to ask him anything, but she didn’t have any choice.

‘So where’s the grave then?’

He was silent, and she thought for a minute he wasn’t going to talk to her. Mum did that sometimes, the silent treatment. It was great when she did it, but with Martin it really wasn’t.

‘Look, I’m sor—’

‘There is a graveyard, in Acton, just behind the main road. Apparently, the grave is there, unmarked and unnoticed.’

This was even worse, this lack of communication about stuff. She bit her lip, thought about punching him again, but opted not to. There was the chance he’d retaliate and she was just beginning to like her face. Well, Lara was, which was almost as good.

Just thinking about Lara made her stomach turn. What were they doing to her? She walked away from the others and pulled the necklace on. The voices started up straight away. It was like they were waiting for her to put it on, though she was getting the sense that the charm was just saving the bits about her.

‘We have her girlfriend.’

‘And you’re sure that will stop her?’

‘Either that, or she will search, pointlessly, for her. What it will do is keep her busy when she should be trying to stop us.’

‘Bring the girlfriend here. Brother Lost is struggling to find us another blood sacrifice, and she should do just perfectly.’

She yanked it off, wondering why she’d put it on in the first place. So now Lara was going to be sacrificed. She clenched her fists together, staring at Martin who was, she realised, watching her. He nodded at the necklace clutched in her hand.

‘Anything useful?’

She shook her head, biting her lip. They already knew what they had to do. He nodded and looked past her at the unicorn. That was communication, of a sort. At least he wasn’t trying to protect her, like he had in the market. At least he still had some     respec—

‘I don’t think you should come, Joanna. This is dangerous, far more dangerous than—’

‘Than what, going to hell? Facing the Council? Really? Stop it. You can’t protect me all the time and I need to learn, so just shut up.’

The slightest of smiles slipped across his face before he nodded, and turned to Elt. ‘Can you carry us?’

The unicorn lowered himself and they climbed on, Scarlet sitting behind and wrapping her arms around his waist. He broke into a trot, hooves loud on the cobbles of Harrow, but as he sped up the sound faded and the buildings blurred.

Moments later they slowed, and she blinked at the massive graveyard that lay the other side of a high, black, wrought-iron fence. How did he do that? Could he travel over water? She could be in New York before she knew it, meeting famous people and riding in yellow cabs. She had to check once this was over.

It was a huge place. A path of uneven stone, broken where grass had forced its way up through the gaps, ran straight from the entrance, until it reached a small wooden hut. The hut sat within a circle of stone, and bore a thatched roof. The path continued behind it to an ancient church, clinging to the ground like an alkie on his last legs, ready to collapse at any moment.

The graves were packed in tight and ran around both sides of the church. The cult people had to be behind it, or maybe not here yet. She checked her watch and did a double take. Time had passed whilst Elt was traveling, either that or they’d spent much longer in the park than she thought.

It was three in the afternoon and the sun would be gone soon. The thought of being in there, in the dark, made her shiver, which was plain stupid. It wasn’t like the dark was going to be worse than the creepy guys with knives.

Martin swung down, then offered her his hand. She tried to make eye contact, but he was still avoiding her gaze and she sniffed as she scrambled down. Elt went ahead, cramming himself through the gate, whilst she stared at the long rows of fir trees that ran down both sides of the graveyard.

She shivered again as she stepped in. It felt old, and where graveyards normally felt lonely, this one was busy, the sighs of the dead rising to greet her. God, it was like hell all over again. She needed to just write a horror story and get the cheesy crap out of her system. She couldn’t help shivering though. And she kept to the middle of the path.

They had nearly reached the wooden hut when three men, clad in black and bearing knives, stepped out from behind it. The nearest gave her a grin she recognised all too well, before turning to Martin.

‘I thought putting my knife in your back would have been warning enough, old man. Apparently not. Still, I’m happy to do it again.’

Next Installment Wednesday 19th March

Part One is here

Martin grabbed her hand as she pulled on her jacket. ‘Scarlet, stop, what’s going on?’

‘They’re going after Lara.’

‘Lara?’

‘My gir— the girl who brought us the book, remember?’

Martin nodded, frowning. ‘That seems a little strange. Why do they believe that will make the difference?’

Scarlet let out a long breath. ‘She’s my girlfriend.’

‘Your girlfriend? Oh.’

He sat back on the couch, nodding slowly. ‘Okay, well, that was unexpected.’ He paused another second, watching her drag her jacket on. He stood, straightened his trousers, and reached for the book. ‘Well, we better go and find her then.’

Scarlet wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened for a moment, before awkwardly returning the embrace. When she pulled away, he gave her an sheepish smile and she laughed. Then she remembered the voice and ran for the door.

He emerged seconds later, running to catch up. ‘Do you know where she lives?’

‘Not a clue.’

Everything in the last few days had been a reaction, chasing things some mysterious person had dangled before her, or running away. This was different. It was like the moment in the council when she’d realised how she was going to beat the apprentices.

They’d taken her computer and that was something she could never forgive, but if they hurt her girlfriend she’d help them end the world, and laugh at them whilst they burned.

Martin put a hand on her shoulder as she stomped, slowing her. ‘Do you have a plan?’

She shook her head, realised her jaw was clenched so tight her gums ached, and opened it, stretching it wide. She had no plan at all, no idea whatsoever. She stopped, swearing, chest heaving as she struggled to breathe.

God, what had possessed her to walk that fast? Martin came around and put his hands on her shoulders. She looked at him, blinking away the tears, and he nodded.

‘We have to plan, we have to approach this properly. It’s the twenty fourth of December, and in less than twenty four hours, they will be attempting the raising. We have to stop it. There’s no point in saving Lara if we all die a few hours later.’

She shoved his hands away, setting off again across the windblown concrete path that ran down between the tower blocks. ‘Scarlet, stop, listen to me. You know I’m right.’

She wouldn’t stop though, not a chance. It took him standing in front of her, grabbing her shoulders and holding on as she slammed her fists into his chest, for her to finally subside, arms aching and heart racing. ‘Yeah, alright, yeah, I’m okay, let go, LET GO.’

He let go, but he didn’t back away, not like when she shouted at mum. He didn’t scream at her either, so it was better in all ways. He put his hands back on her shoulders, gently this time. ‘We have to find her, I know, but we need to make sure we’re prepared as well.’

‘So why don’t you go get prepared and I’ll find her.’

Martin sighed. ‘Because I want to find her as well and with the best will in the world, I think you have a better chance of doing it with me here.’

She wasn’t sure whether to hug him or hit him again, so she just nodded and out stuck her lower lip. ‘So what do we do?’

‘I’m wary of doing a finding spell. If they’ve already got her, we could walk straight into a trap. If we could find out where she lives, even somewhere close, we could begin there and trace any aura they leave behind when they take her.’

‘Harrow, on the hill, she said, I think.’

They found a taxi a few minutes later and half an hour after that, they clambered out into Harrow, the taxi meter showing 00.00, despite the journey. The high street was busy, people rushing home after a morning at work, or grabbing last minute things from the shop.

Martin led her to the church that sat just back from the high street and they walked through the wet grass amongst the gravestones. The Christmas tree that dominated the front of the church was switched off, the clear blue skies colliding with both her mood and the season.

She hated Christmas, but at least this year she had something to do. Although, boredom? Not such a bad thing anymore.

Martin perched on a gravestone and closed his eyes, muttering in a thick voice. She recognised his casting and stayed quiet, listening. Everyone who did magic sounded different, and he had a wonderful, flowing way to his casting, like he was singing.

He opened his eyes and she gasped. They were covered in a golden film, like really fancy contacts. He spun slowly in a circle and stopped about two thirds of the way around, staring, eyes widening.

‘They’ve been here already and whoever they are, they carry serious power with them. Goodness, it’s quite something.’

He walked stiffly from the graveyard, Scarlet following close behind. They ambled down narrow streets, between old white houses, and stopped before one, three stories with flowers hanging at the windows.

Martin stared at it for a moment, before stepping away and continuing down the street. Lara lived there and Scarlet stayed, peeking in through the window for a minute, before following him.

Martin stopped on the corner, brow furrowed. ‘They got in a car here. The energy is there, but it heads off down the road. My guess is they’re going to the grave.’

‘So we follow, right?’

He blinked, and the gold film disappeared. He was staring into the distance, shaking his head almost imperceptibly.

‘What, what is it? What possible reason can there be now?’

He blinked, focusing on her and nodding. ‘No, you’re right, we need to go. I was just wondering, where is the unicorn?’

The gold film returned and he stared around again, seeing something that made him smile. ‘There we are. I thought so.’

He took her hand and pulled her up the road, until they stopped before the entrance to a park. They passed under the wrought iron gate and paced between oaks until a huge green expanse opened up before them.

Scarlet stepped away from Martin, shouting. ‘Elt, where are you, are you here?’

He emerged from between some trees, mane flicking in the wind as he galloped over. ‘Joanna. Who’s this?’

Martin stepped forward, holding out a hand which the unicorn sniffed. ‘I am Martin, and despite what Joanna has told me about her search for you, it is good to see you. You are to be our conduit?’

‘Yeah, s’pose.’

He paused, rubbing his nose against Scarlet’s chest, and she shoved him, stepping back. ‘Easy Fido, we ain’t friends, not yet.’

He stamped, but remained silent.

‘They took her, they took Lara.’

He looked up, one huge eye staring into hers. She bit her lip as her eyes became wet again. The unicorn nodded. ‘I felt them. They’re powerful, way better than you.’

‘That’s why we’ve got you, isn’t it?’

‘Yeah, I s’pose so. I’d rather not, though, that lot are never good news.’

Martin leapt forward, hand on Elt’s flank. ‘You know who they are?’

‘Of course. You don’t?’

‘Okay, that sort of smugness wins you no points, none at all.’

He whickered. ‘They’re the Coven of Azgarlirend. He’s a particularly nasty demon, prays on gullible women like a sort of bad genie.’

Next Installment Monday 17th March

Part One is here

She almost ran straight across the road to her house, forgetting the van-sized unicorn stood by her side. Almost. ‘Lara, could you sort of walk past, have a nosey?’

‘Won’t they be cross at me?’

Scarlet inclined her head at the crowd of onlookers, unashamedly gathered around to dig into their neighbour’s misfortune.

‘Oh, right, well, OK.’

She set off toward the house. Scarlet watched her go, one hand unconsciously patting Elt’s broad shoulder. Lara wandered slowly past, looped around and went back the other way, trying, and utterly failing, to look casual. She was almost back when Scarlet spotted mum being led from the house in tears.

‘What happened?’

‘The lounge is destroyed, you know, TV smashed apart and everything. I think your mum’s alright, just really upset.’

Scarlet fingered the necklace. Lucky the book was with Martin. What she didn’t have was her laptop. Her laptop. The world froze, everything reducing down to a tiny point of light that shrunk until she was staring at blackness, a gulf threatening to rise up and swallow her whole.

‘Scarlet? Scarlet, what’s wrong?’

The lights came back on, beginning in the middle of her vision and swimming slowly out, until she saw Lara’s face, brow furrowed with worry, peering down at her. She sat up, noticing the hard edges of the kerb beneath her. ‘What happened?’

‘You collapsed. God, are you alright?’

She sat up rubbing her neck. ‘My laptop. They’ve got my laptop.’

‘But they already know what we know, whoever they are, don’t they?’

‘Huh? Oh, yeah, course they do. It’s…’

Lara thought she was worried about the end of the world. Hah. They’d taken her laptop. How the hell was she supposed to use Tumblr on her phone? Or facebook, or pinterest for that matter?

Lara pulled her to her feet and she turned back to the house. ‘I’m not sure we want to go in. They’ll have questions and if anyone’s watching the house…’

Lara laughed. ‘Then there’s always the matter of the unicorn.’

Elt harrumphed. ‘I’m perfectly good at not being seen, thank you very much. But we should go, now.’

‘Why, what’s the hurry?’

Elt looked at her. ‘We’re in one of the crappier parts of west London, if my nose serves my right, so you tell me.’

Scarlet returned the look with interest, but she couldn’t argue. They took the roundabout route through the estate to Martin’s place. They reached the corner before Lara shook her head. ‘Look, I’m sorry, but I have to get home. If the police aren’t out looking for me yet, they will be soon.’

Scarlet nodded. Of course, she should have thought of that. They faced one another, hands brushing. ‘So, hey, good first date, huh?’

Lara giggled. ‘I’d always dreamed of walking romantically by a river, maybe having dinner somewhere.’

‘How old are you again?’

They both laughed and Scarlet stepped closer, pressing her lips to Lara’s, their noses brushing together. She closed her eyes, one hand cupping the back of Lara’s head. A snort from the unicorn made both of them jump and they broke apart, faces red.

‘Lara, if you’re in a hurry, I can probably help.’ Elt knelt and Lara climbed onto his back. Scarlet frowned for a second, seeing her unicorn about to disappear. Then she looked higher and realised he wasn’t going away with a stranger, but with her girlfriend. Girlfriend. Heh.

Lara gave a little wave without moving her arm and they were gone, moving so fast Scarlet could barely make them out beneath the street lamps.

She sighed and turned for Martin’s place.

He was asleep on the couch, book lying flat on his chest, and she removed it gently, pulling a cover over him before settling in his desk chair and looking at the page he’d been reading.

The picture was still just as horrible and her stomach turned over as she swallowed. The writing was spidery and made mum’s scrawl look like calligraphy. She deciphered it slowly, discovering in the process that the charms of Undoing were three objects, items or people, each integral to the spell that would banish the Undying.

The next three pages outlined the spell and by the time she reached the end, she felt exhausted. She put the book down, grabbed another blanket and covered herself as the night drifted slowly on. She was jerked awake by a grunt from Martin. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she watched him stand, stretch and look down at her, wry smile on his face.

‘Good morning, my apprentice. How was your night?’

Scarlet woke fully, twitching her head back and forth and rubbing her crick neck. ‘Like you wouldn’t believe. We found the horse.’

Martin’s eyes widened and he sat, leaning forward until he was way too close and way too alive. ‘Hey, just, chill for a second, please. I’ve just woken up. You shouldn’t actually be looking at me for at least an hour. God, I must look like crap.’

‘You look perfectly nice. Where is the horse?’

‘Perfectly nice? You might wanna work on your complimenting-women-skills sometime, sunshine.’

Martin smiled broadly. ‘Is that your sass showing, Scarlet?’

She stared and he smiled blithely back. She grumbled, rubbing her face with her hands, then staring in horror at the foundation now clinging to her palms. She sighed, shook her head, and stood, peering fearfully into the mirror that hung above his desk.

Once she’d recovered from the shock she sat back down, despairing of ever having anything approaching a normal life. Martin was still waiting.

‘Fine, OK, it’s not a horse, it’s a unicorn.’

He stood, hands clapping together, then sat again. ‘You brought a unicorn here?’

‘Didn’t have much choice, did we? And by the way, did you know that unicorns are, like, really unpleasant, and kill people and stuff?’

‘Of course I did. Why do think they’re all kept as far north as possible without them actually freezing?’

Scarlet almost punched him. Almost. Instead, she looked at her hands, at the veins pulsing beneath the foundation, and sighed. ‘So all this time, you’ve had a sixteen year old girl for an apprentice, and you’ve never thought to mention that unicorns are real, and live in England—’

‘Scotland, actually, and Russia.’

‘Yeah, whatever, please, I’m trying to make you feel bad. How could you not tell me?’

Martin spread his hands apart. ‘It just didn’t come up. You brought one here? Where is it?’

‘It’s taking Lara home.’

‘Taking Lara home? Like a taxi?’

‘Uh, yeah, I guess so.’

There was silence for a moment as her self-righteous anger was squeezed from her by his glare. Finally he let out a sigh and stood, actually wringing his hands.

‘So, hey, how was your night?’

He paused, apparently deciding whether to answer, or throttle her. Fortunately he settled on the former.

‘Well, I confirmed that the charms are the necklace, the book and the unicorn.’

He said the last one whilst staring at her. ‘The unicorn, that must remain safe and secret and not in any way be seen galloping the streets of London.’

‘Uh, yeah, right. OK, so we’ve got the charms then. What next?’

‘Well. We also have the location of the grave. However, there is one thing missing. I called a few people I know, trying to obtain a clearer picture of who is attempting the raising.’

‘And?’

He shook his head. ‘No one knows. All we have to go on is the man who stabbed me, and all I remember about him is that he wore black. Beyond that, we have nothing.’

‘Actually, we might have more. My house got trashed last night. I mean, completely destroyed. Maybe they left something behind, some sort of clue?’

Martin looked shocked for all of two seconds, before excitement took over. ‘Good, great, we’ll start there then.’

She stared at him, eyebrows raised, and he had the decency to look ashamed. ‘That’s terrible. Is your mother alright?’

‘Yeah, think so. Didn’t go in, too much to do…’

It was his turn to give her a look and she grinned sheepishly. Then it struck her. ‘Hang on, there is something else I can do.’

She pulled the necklace out of her pocket and took a deep breath. ‘When I put this on, in the market, I heard voices. They were threatening to kill me.’

‘You are sure it was you?’ He didn’t seem all that surprised. Or worried about the death threats. She nodded. ‘They called me the Slater girl.’

‘OK, so they know about you, which we already know.’ He stared at her, expectantly. ‘Well, put it on, then.’

She hesitated. ‘Not sure I wanna listen to people talking about killing me.’

He sighed, folding his arms, and she stuck her tongue out at him, then slipped it over her head. They came straight back.

‘She has all the charms.’

‘How did she find them?’

‘She is more resourceful than we thought. We must take action now, this cannot be allowed to interfere with the raising.’

‘They didn’t take your warning to heart, brother, that is most odd. Are you sure you made your point effectively.’

She recognised the next voice, and shivered.

‘I made my point very well indeed. She is stubborn and more than a little stupid, I fear.’

‘Hey, I am not stupid. Maths is just a stupid subject, it’s not my fault they put letters in it, I mean, letters don’t belong in maths, everyone knows that.’

Martin couldn’t hear anything through the necklace, but he had his finger to his lips anyway and she stopped. The voices went on, as though they’d paused when she started speaking. This thing was cool.

‘So what do suggest next, brother?’

When the man who stabbed Martin replied, his voice made her want to take a shower.

‘Well, brother Errant, how about we take away her new girlfriend?’

She yanked the necklace off, and reached for her jacket.

Next Installment Friday 14th March

Part One is here

Lara squeaked and ran out of the shadows to cling to Scarlet. The magician pulled back his robes and she realised that he was a she. She had the kind of voice one expected from a guy called Dave who wore dresses at weekends and tried to cover his adam’s apple with foundation, but there was no doubt what sex she was.

She was gorgeous, in a posh sort of way, and had the most amazing hair. She could feel Lara thinking exactly the same thing, as they stared at the jet-black wall that flowed free of the hood and drifted down to her waist. Yeah, she sounded like a man, but she looked great.

She was also smiling. ‘Don’t worry, my dear. Had the king wanted you imprisoned, you certainly would be, do not doubt it.’

She swayed over, gaze flicking between them. ‘It is essential that we maintain the semblance of strict governance. It enables us to rule effectively, without ever having to use force on our people.’

Our? ‘So why didn’t he want us imprisoned? I mean, Elt did try and kill him.’

She sighed, resting her hand against the unicorn’s nose. ‘Elt tries every now and then. The loss of his horn drove him mad, a little, I fear. Not one of our better decisions, but it had to be done.’

‘Why?’ Lara almost shouted and Scarlet was surprised to see her eyes were damp. She stepped past Scarlet, chin thrust out and she grinned, enjoying the fire.

‘He was killing people. Most unicorns do, once they reach maturity. A young unicorn is a pleasure to have around, magical in everything they do. Once they flower, everything changes. It becomes about territory and establishing the next generation. Had we not settled here, perhaps he could have flourished, but we needed land and lord knows, there’s plenty of space.’

Scarlet shook her head. ‘Unicorns don’t kill people, they’re lovely and friendly and—’

‘Yes, for the first twenty or so years of their lives, they are exactly that. But beyond that time, they become aggressive, violent creatures, utterly unwilling to listen to reason and grumpy to boot. And, as in the case of Elt, they may also become deceptive and manipulative.’

She looked away. ‘Anyway, we are paying for our crime many times over, and I didn’t wait around to be lectured by a pair of schoolgirls.’

She folded her arms over her chest and looked down her nose at them. Scarlet gave her a sheepish grin. ‘Yeah, sorry, fair enough. So, will you free him?’

‘I will, but there is something you should know. The king’s decision is simple and fair and it is that Elt’s banishment will now be absolute. He will travel with you to Earth and he will stay there. He will no longer be welcome in Illest. Is that understood?’

They both nodded. Scarlet stared at the beast beside her. She was getting her own unicorn. Admittedly, it was a mad, violent unicorn without a horn, but still. Cool.

‘Are you going to tell him?’

The magician shook her head. ‘No I am not. I think it best for me to be some distance away when I let the spell finish. It will be up to you to explain to him what has been decided. Please, make it clear. If he returns, we will kill him.’

Scarlet nodded and the magician faded back into the darkness before disappearing altogether. She had to get Martin to show her that one. Scarlet jumped as Elt’s hooves came crashing down on the dais. He shouted, loud, wordless, shaking his entire body, then set off galloping around the throne room.

His hooves slammed into the throne, sending it crashing to the floor. He caught chairs and they flew across the space, one striking the wall and shattering. Scarlet shouted at him. ‘Elt, stop it, please, cut it out. Come on, COME ON.’

Lara shouted. Scarlet winced, moving to one side.

‘ELT, THAT IS ENOUGH. STOP THIS INSTANT.’

To Scarlet’s, and apparently Lara’s, amazement, it worked. The unicorn dropped to all fours, snorting and stamping, flanks heaving. Scarlet took a step, but Lara came past, putting her hand on his side and patting him vigorously, stroking his neck as he calmed.

She turned and gave Scarlet a look, eyebrows raised, and she gave her the thumbs up. After a while the unicorn turned its eyes to them, head lifting slowly. ‘Sorry, s’pose.’

‘You should be. But I get it. I don’t have a, you know, horn, but if someone took my magic away, I’d be, like, really pissed.’

He shook his long head. ‘It’s not just my magic, it’s my people. When they chopped my horn off, they stole my ability to have children. The unicorn’s are finished on this planet.’ He snorted, flicking his head toward the ceiling. ‘The End of Days? That is here because of what they did. A magical world cannot exist without unicorns.’

Scarlet raised her eyebrows, trying not to smirk. ‘Is it me, or have we just stepped into a really bad fairy tale?’

The unicorn went for her, lips pulled back from his yellowing teeth. Lara got between them and he stopped, snorting, head shaking from side to side. His eyes were rolling and she was reminded of what the magician said. He was young no longer, no longer the friendly creature of myth.

‘Whoah, easy fella. You’re the one who betrayed us, remember, you don’t have the right to get grouchy.’

‘My people are dead and when I die, another world is left empty. Don’t tell me what I can or can’t be.’

Lara flapped her hands, voice high and just a little shrill. ‘Stop it, both of you, please? This is no good. We have to go home and we have to do it now and you have to get along. Please.’

Scarlet looked at the floor, face reddening, and Elt did something similar, only without the redness. Lara opened her mouth and turned to Scarlet, then stopped, frowning. She turned back to Elt.

‘Hang on. If a magical world can’t exist and Earth has magic… Why are there no unicorns on earth?’

Elt whickered and shook his head. ‘How sure are you about that?’

Scarlet and Lara looked at one another, wide-eyed, and laughed. ‘Yeah, OK, that’s pretty cool. I wonder where they are?’

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if Homeland Security have them locked up somewhere.’

Scarlet nodded, keeping the smile. She wasn’t entirely sure what Homeland security was, but she was certain it featured in the Avengers movie somewhere. So the Avengers had them. Bastards.

Lara pulled at her arm. ‘Can we go home now, please?’

Scarlet pulled the spell book out, set out the ingredients, and chanted slowly. The light appeared and holding Lara’s hand, she rested her other hand on Elt’s back and guided them through.

She imagined the street in front of her house and they appeared there, beneath the light of the street lamp. She sighed, the familiar smell of west London making her eyes go damp. Then she froze.

There were two police cars pulled up in front of her house, lights flashing, and she could see the wreckage of the lounge window, shattered glass flickering in the blue.

Next Installment Wednesday 12th March

Part One is here

Scarlet froze, staring in horror as the unicorn smashed through the soldiers, sending them flying to either side as it mounted the stairs to the throne. Then the paralysis broke and she pulled out her spell book, flicking desperately through the pages.

Pandemonium broke out around them, the courtiers screaming and running for the exits. More guards came charging out of hiding and Lara grabbed her arm. ‘What’s happening?’

She managed to mumble. ‘What do you think? We’ve been lied to. Not the first time,’ before diving back into the spell book. But she had no time to find anything and silence struck the hall. The assembled throng stared, open mouthed, and Scarlet looked up at the throne.

Elt was frozen, rearing up, his forelegs kicking out toward where the king still sat apparently unruffled by the entire thing. The unicorn looked magnificent, every muscle bunched and ready to strike, but his eyes were still moving, frenziedly flicking this way and that.

A cowled figure stepped out from behind the throne, one hand held out toward the unicorn. Hmm, poser or just having to work really hard? Elt was big, it couldn’t be an easy spell. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Considering what would have happened to her and Lara if Elt had been successful, it was the least she could do.

The magician strode around the dais to stand near Scarlet and Lara, then bowed to the king, who nodded in return.

He leaned forward again, hands now gripping the arms of his throne. ‘This is most unfortunate. Did you think I would leave myself helpless?’

Lara stepped forward and knelt. ‘King Ilest, please believe me, we had no idea he intended to attack you. Had we known we would never have come here. He told us you had stopped anyone using magic and that we had to speak to you.’

The king sat back, chin resting in his cupped hands. ‘So you are as much his victims as I. That doesn’t surprise me. Shameful, though, that two resourceful young women such as yourselves wouldn’t check before coming here.’

Scarlet couldn’t stop herself. ‘Look, we’ve never been here before. How were we supposed to check? And why shouldn’t we believe him, he’s going to help save our world.’

The king chuckled, turning his sharp eyes toward her. ‘Your voice is odd. Are you lacking, perhaps, the character and breeding of your friend.’

Scarlet ground her teeth together, but stayed silent. She was aware of the hundreds of people surrounding them, watching them, and sweat formed on her neck. She didn’t like this guy anymore.

The king was still staring at her and his left eyelid drooped, just a little. It could have been a wink. Or he could just be bored or tired or too lazy to keep it open. Had he nodded as well?

His next gesture was all too clear. The king shook his head. ‘I understand your point, but alas, it is incumbent upon you to have discerned the nature of your companion before choosing to travel with him.’

He sat back and waved a hand. Lara had just enough time to explain to Scarlet what he meant before the guards descended, grabbed their arms and hauled them from the throne room. Elt was where they had left him, frozen solid halfway up the dais. She heard the king musing before the door slammed closed.

‘Perhaps we should keep him here, as a warning. Can you keep him in this state for ever—’

They were in a narrow corridor, the way lit by more lamps, but these were different, dripping burning bits of straw or something on them as they were pushed along. They went down a set of stairs and through a set of doors, each thicker than any sensible door had the need to be.

The corridor they entered next made the city smell like daisies and she gagged. Lara was in front of her, shoulders hunched, head hanging down. Scarlet had the overwhelming urge to hold her and when they were tossed into a cell, it was the first thing she did.

Lara shook, burying her face in Scarlet’s top and she soon felt the tears as they soaked through it.

‘Hey, it’s gonna be fine, don’t worry.’

Lara looked up, red-rimmed eyes and pale face. ‘How is it going to be fine? They’ve put us in p-p-prison.’

This was clearly the worst thing that could possibly have happened. Scarlet shook her head and put her hands on Lara’s cheeks. ‘Hey, calm down, it’s fine, really. Look, they’ve left us our clothes, which means I’ve got my spell book and ingredients. There’s nothing to worry about. If they really wanted to keep us here, they’d have chained us up or something.’

She stepped back and the unmistakable clink of chains striking her heel made them both jump, before Lara whimpered and buried her face again. Scarlet stared at the wall. When did she become the cool and calm one? She should be taking photos, this would make an amazing background for Facebook.

She couldn’t let go of Lara, though, nor did she want to. Instead, she pushed her gently away, just enough for her face to leave her t-shirt and their eyes to meet. Then she kissed her. This time it was more. Of everything. She had to stop when she realised she was breathing heavy and at risk of sounding like a creepy stalker type.

Lara’s chest was rising and falling fast, her cheeks flushed, and Scarlet realised her girlfriend felt the same way. Girlfriend. Heh.

They found a spot on the floor, just large enough for them both to sit and cuddle together and ignore the sounds from down the corridor. The groans were bearable, like the smell, but the screams made her shudder every time.

Some time passed. Then some more. They tried to talk, but the circumstances made for a pretty awkward first date and every time Scarlet thought they were getting somewhere, another scream would have them hugging, conversation forgotten. Which wasn’t all bad.

After what felt like days, but was probably closer to hours, Scarlet stood, stretched, and went to the door of the cell. The iron was rusted and damp and she pulled her sleeve up to cover her hand before grabbing it and pulling hard.

She nearly fell over as the door swung easily open. Lara gasped and jumped up, stepping to the door and peering out into the corridor. Scarlet joined her and they waited, taking tiny quiet breaths, expecting at any moment someone to leap out and attack. Or, you know, tell them off.

Finally, Scarlet stepped out and pulled Lara along with her. They headed through the doors and up the stairs, her heart rate increasing with every step she took. There were no doors, nowhere to hide if someone appeared at the top and she was bathed in sweat long before they reached the door.

Reach it they did, though and she cracked it slowly open, peering round it. The corridor that ran down to the throne room was dark, only one lantern left at the far end. She was about to step through when Lara pulled her sleeve, whispering in a voice that seemed far too loud.

‘What are we doing? I mean, we have to take Elt with us, correct?’

Scarlet nodded.

‘So if he’s still in the throne room, how do we rescue him, if he’s, you know, all frozen still?’

Scarlet leaned back against the wall, pulling her spell book out and flipping through it. The last fifty or so pages were covered in her own, bizarrely neat hand writing. It bore no resemblance to the inside of her brain whatsoever.

She knew there was nothing in there that would help, so she returned to earlier, to mum’s shopping-list scrawl and flicked page after page.

For the freeing of objects stuck in time.

She showed it to Lara, who shrugged. ‘Is he stuck in time?’

‘I don’t know. It’s the best thing in here, it’s the only thing in here that looks anywhere close to good. How else might he be stuck?’

Lara shrugged again. ‘Like, physically frozen?’

‘He wasn’t cold though. Didn’t look cold, anyway. We don’t have anything else, so let’s try it at least. If it doesn’t work we can think of something else.’

Lara nodded reluctantly. ‘You’re assuming we’re going to get into the throne room without getting killed, maimed, or imprisoned.’

‘I consider myself an optimist.’

Lara smiled and pecked her on the lips and she stayed right where she was, grinning like an idiot. Lara nodded toward the throne room, expectant look on her face, and Scarlet sighed and pushed herself away from the wall. There was a lot to be said for being locked in a small room with your girlfriend. No interruptions, no reason to go anywhere else. Girlfriend. Heh.

She slipped through the door, Lara on her heels, and they ran down to the next door. She was running, actual real running. No wonder she felt so weird.

She opened the door to the throne room the tiniest amount and peered around it. Pools of dim, fluttering light were cast by occasional lamps, but the place was empty and silent. Holding her breath, she slipped out of the door and stood in the darkness, waiting for Lara to join her.

They waited some more, alternating shallow breaths, eyes trying to pierce the shadows cast across the throne room. The one thing they were sure of was Elt, still frozen and standing in the centre of the room. His eyes were vacant, not able to close, not able to even blink.

She stared for another second, then nipped quickly across to stand beside him. She stared up into the huge eye, her fists curling into balls.

‘Why did you lie to us? Was it just so you could get in here and attack him? Man, that’s lame, that’s totally lame.’

‘But not surprising, once you know him. Elt comes from a long line of animals grossly misrepresented by mythology, both here and on your native planet.’

She jumped as the robed magician emerged from the shadows.

Next Installment Monday 10th March

Part One is here

Scarlet stared at the guard, deciding how to react. In the end, Lara made the choice for her. ‘So if he’s a murderer, how come he’s allowed back in the city?’

The guard shrugged, nonchalant. ‘He’s done his punishment, ain’t he? He’s banished out there, lost his horn. That’s enough for anyone to deal with. The king’s a fair man. He’s welcome to come and go, just can’t stay here, you understand.’

They exchanged glances and Scarlet shrugged as well. They needed him, if not here, then back home, to stop the Undying. After what happened in the Underworld she could believe that anyone might be a killer. She squeezed her eyes closed and Lara took her arm, whispering to her. ‘Are you alright?’

She blinked. ‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, just… we get him in, yeah?’

She nodded. ‘We need him, we have to get home.’

Scarlet turned to the guard. ‘Thanks for the warning. Can he come in now please?’

The guard grunted, but waved a hand and behind him the gates creaked slowly open. A gap appeared, large enough for Elt to slip through. He bucked his head, snorting, and as soon as his tail was through the gates closed up again.

The guards made no effort to disguise their hatred as they stared at Elt, but the unicorn didn’t stop, trotting straight past them and down the street. Scarlet and Lara scampered after him, waving their thanks to the guards.

Lara tugged at her arm. ‘Do we trust him?’

Scarlet realised that Lara was deferring to her in all sorts of things. Was it because she could do magic? It had to be cos there was no way she was more responsible. ‘I dunno. Do we have any choice?’

They caught Elt as he paused for a moment. Scarlet fixed both eyes on one of his, clearing her throat. ‘So, the guards mentioned you may have killed someone, you know, before…’

She nodded at the stump and the unicorn dropped his head, snorting. ‘Course they told you that, that’s what the sod up in the castle told ‘em. The city was told a story bout me so they wouldn’t rebel when I was mutilated. I was cast out so they didn’t have to be reminded of what they’d done. Bloody humans, present comp’ny excepted course.’

He shook his head, forcing her to take a step back. Fair enough. She was, oddly, more inclined to believe the talking horse than the perfectly nice people at the gate, which said a lot about how her world had changed in the last six months. Actually, she’d always have believed the talking horse, I mean come on, a talking horse.

‘Will you take us to the king now please?’

He went down to his knees again and they scrambled up. The city was filthy and loud and in many other ways, much like London. There were fewer shops but more stalls, rickety wooden things attached to the sides of buildings, offering every kind of food and weapon known to man.

There were also all sorts of people, men in tight-fitting outfits with skin the colour of ink, women wearing next to nothing parading themselves and shouting out prices. Scarlet could feel the heat from Lara’s cheeks as she buried them in her back.

Everyone was carrying a weapon of some sort, be it a sword, or a knife, or an axe. A number of the smartly dressed types carried these tiny axes with thin handles. She wasn’t convinced they’d be all that handy in a fight, but the handles were engraved and inset with all sorts of beautiful symbols, which was probably the point. Some things never change, no matter where you are.

She lost herself, keeping no track of where they were going as the city swallowed her up. The reality of their situation was beginning to sink in and she found herself blinking a lot and waiting for the horse and carts to become cars and the real world to come back into focus.

But this was entirely real, there was no denying that. They passed what could only be a pub in time to see two men come flying out the door, arms swinging. They hit the road before them and as Elt circled around, she saw one man laying blow after blow on the other’s face, blood spraying as his nose exploded.

She swallowed, seeing instead the blood flowing from underneath Martin, and turned away. This world was all too real and all too similar to back home. What was wrong with loving one another, or at the least, doing what she did and hating from a distance?

The buildings fell away as they emerged from the streets into a huge open space. Before them lay the castle. The front door looked more like a cathedral, huge pointy things sticking up to the sky like the architect was really compensating. There were hundreds of carvings and sculptures lining every edge.

The space was awash with people, some heading into the castle, others using it as a thoroughfare. Elt demanded room in a loud, piercing voice and the crowds parted. She thought the sight of a grumpy unicorn the size of an elephant, with no horn, would probably have done the trick. Now they were staring at her, and that was never a good thing.

Soon, though, they arrived at the castle gates. The guards here were considerably more alert and stood to bar the way.

‘State your business.’

Scarlet cleared her throat, then nudged Lara. ‘You’re much better at this.’

Lara tried to hide behind her for a moment, before sighing and sitting up. ‘We request an audience with the king.’

‘Upon what matter do you wish to see him?’

‘We have come to your world through error, and wish to leave.’

‘So leave.’

‘We can only do so through magical means, and require his permission.’

The guard looked at her funny, but nodded and stepped aside. ‘If you say so. You’ll need to speak to the clerk. He’s at the desk, other end of the courtyard.’

His eyes moved to the unicorn and as they went to pass through the gate, he put his hand on Elt’s chest. ‘No trouble, you understand?’

He was talking to Elt, but she answered for him. ‘Yeah, of course, we just want to get home.’

The guard transferred his gaze up to her and stared for a good long while. She could felt Elt shifting beneath her, like he was itching to run and she dug her knees in, hoping that was right thing to do. He steadied as the guard nodded. ‘On your head, young lady.’

They trotted through and into a courtyard as big as her school, and once again filled with people. Was nothing small and cosy here? They wound their slow way through the crowds until they reached the clerk, who, following a great deal of sniffing and jotting of things into a book, waved them on.

The next door was large enough for them to pass through riding, but once they were inside, two guards demanded they climb down and led them forward into a huge chamber. She used the word chamber, because it just felt right. Everything was made of stone and rich dark wood; even the chairs fancy like they were from Harrods. Room just wouldn’t have cut it.

They were bade to wait and she and Lara settled themselves onto one of the benches, Elt standing close to the wall, whickering quietly. There were lots of other people in here and most of them looked nervous, clutching bags or hats, fidgeting. Every now and then a man would come in and say someone’s name in an overloud voice and one of the waiting would jump up, wide-eyed, and rush over to the door.

Lara nudged Scarlet and nodded at Elt. ‘How are we supposed to hide him, when we get home?’

Excellent question. ‘Good question, no idea. Let’s get home first.’

‘My parents are going to be so angry.’

‘Couldn’t you just blame me?’

Lara laughed and shook her head. ‘Let me think. Hi mum and dad, so sorry I’m a day late. On the plus side, I’m gay and I have a new girlfriend, and she made me a day late, but we didn’t do anything wrong. Um, would you like to meet her?’

Scarlet blushed. ‘Yeah, fair point. Do they really have no idea?’

‘Why would they know? We only talk about school stuff, and dad keeps trying to get me to talk about current affairs, and that’s cool, I suppose, but that’s it. They don’t really know me, not like that.’

Scarlet shook her head. Mum was stupid and annoying and try hard and a whole bunch of other stuff, but she knew the important things. She knew Scarlet was gay and that she missed dad and that Disney was what the world was supposed to be like, before all the boring normal people ruined it. And she did magic, though not so much anymore.

Scarlet took Lara’s hand and squeezed it. ‘I’m sorry, that actually sucks.’

‘It’s okay, really, I mean, it’s not the end of the world. I can’t complain, they love me and everything and they do care, they just aren’t very good at talking about it.’

She didn’t pull her hand away and Scarlet was happy just to sit and feel her fingers wrapped around hers, until the voice of the announcer made her jump by saying her name and Lara’s and Elt’s.

They stood, more calmly she was pleased to note, than the others and headed for the door. They were led down a long passageway and the announcer man talked the entire way.

‘You are about to meet King Ilest, ruler of Illest—’

‘Snappy name for the country. Did he come up with that on his own?’

The man continued as though she hadn’t spoken. ‘He is a just and noble king, and it is expected that you show him the proper obeisance—’

‘Huh?’

Lara hissed in her ear. ‘He means you have to bow.’

‘Oh.’

‘At all times, listen, be respectful, and do not interrupt him.’ He glared daggers at Scarlet when he said that. Oops.

‘His word is law, literally, so if he says something you don’t like, nod, smile and leave the chamber. Do not argue. Do not question. Accept what you are told, and leave. I have seen people beheaded for disagreeing with his view of the weather. He is in a good mood today, and I would thank you to keep him there.’

They reached another door, which swung open as they approached. Through the gap, Scarlet could see flaming torches and women clad in those long, shapeless dresses they wore in dodgy period dramas. Man, who the hell invented them? She couldn’t believe any man or woman ever truly wanted a woman to look that bad.

She could also see a dirty red strip of carpet running along the flag stone floor and at the end, set up on a dais, was the throne. On the throne sat the largest man she’d ever seen in her life.

They stepped through the door, taking in the high ceiling, the sconces eerily like the ones they had in hell, and the hundreds of people lining the walls, chattering and laughing. As Elt came in behind them, the chatter ceased completely, every eye fixed on the unicorn.

‘Nothing like making an entrance.’

The man led them up the carpet until they stood before the throne. Guards emerged from the shadows around them to close ranks before the king, who, with a supreme effort, sat forward.

Every part of him wobbled. It was like watching ‘diet camp’, one of those nasty American reality shows where people who had clearly eaten other people were made to wobble for the amusement of others. Scarlet knew she was overweight, but in the shadow of the king, she felt remarkably slim.

His voice was impressive however, booming out to fill the hall and silence the voices that had risen again to discuss the newcomers.

‘Welcome to my hall. You have arrived in the presence of a murderer, which it would be fair to say, is never the best way to make an impression.’

Lara stepped forward and Scarlet held her hands together in front of her, swelling with pride.

‘King Ilest.’

She curtseyed, just like in the movies, and Scarlet giggled. She thought about doing the same, but realised she would almost certainly fall on her arse and settled for bowing instead. It felt right.

‘I apologise, truly, for bringing one so out of favour into your hall. However, we came here in search of him and will, with your permission, be taking him away from Illest, at least for a time. Can I also say that until we arrived in your fair city, we were unaware of his history.’

Elt twitched, his flanks moving constantly, rolling back and forth as he shifted position. She patted him and rubbed a hand down his side. It felt more than a little intrusive, but he seemed to calm slightly.

The king inclined his head. ‘We accept your apology. What permission is it you seek?’

‘We need to leave here, through magical means, and for that, of course, we need your permission.’

The king frowned, shaking his head. ‘You need no permission for that. The magical laws extend only as far as magical weapons, and other items that may be deemed dangerous, but I have extended exemptions for plows and pitchforks in recent times. You may leave when you want.’

Lara turned, her eyes wide, looking first at Scarlet, then joining her in staring at Elt. The unicorn looked sheepish, which would have been funny had he not turned from them and leaped at the king.

Next Installment Friday 7th March