Elowen Cask's Arc

Chapter 5 of 10

Elowen led the unicorn toward the river's edge, where the water road slid into the dark under the old tree. She kept a hand on its warm neck. The scorched map sat dry in her pocket. Petra's proof and this beast were all she had against the fae lord. Tonight she meant to ride down and collect the debt owed her mother. She swung a leg to mount. The unicorn screamed and reared. Its hooves cracked the stone. Elowen stumbled back. The horn swept past her cheek. The creature's amber eyes fixed on her coat, and its ears pinned flat. "Easy," she said. She reached again. It backed away, snorting, its whole body shaking. Then she understood. Her coat. Every pocket held a rolled contract. Names and years, taken from debtors, sewn against her chest. The beast had drunk beside the serpent in the fae lord's river. It knew stolen things when it smelled them. Her coat reeked of them. "You want me clean," Elowen said. Her hands went still on the buttons. A voice came from the dark beyond the water. "It won't carry a thief." Petra stepped into view, silk gown pale against the black stone. She had not gone far. She never went far when there was something to watch. "That thing drinks his water. It won't touch what he'd want back." Elowen did not turn. "You came to see me fail." "I came to see if you'd give up your pockets." Petra's smile held, neat as ever. "You won't. They're the only reason people fear you." Elowen looked at the unicorn. It stood trembling, ready to bolt down the road without her. She thought of her mother, whose name was still down there, unpaid. One creature knew the way. One coat kept it from her. She began pulling contracts from her pockets. She dropped them on the wet stone, one after another. Years she had collected. Secrets she had banked. The pile grew. The unicorn's ears lifted. Its breathing slowed. She kept only two. The scorched map with Petra's signature. And the one contract that named the fae lord's debt to her mother. Those she needed. The rest she left in a heap by the water. Petra's smile finally slipped. "You just made yourself poor." "I made myself light enough to ride." Elowen stepped forward. The unicorn dipped its head. She rested her hand on its neck, then climbed onto its back. It did not scream. It turned toward the water road and walked into the dark. Behind her, Petra crouched over the abandoned pile. Elowen heard paper rustle. She did not look back. She had traded her whole ledger for a single ride. Now the woman who trapped her held every debt she had ever collected. And the water road carried her down toward the fae lord at last.