Rowan Ash's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Rowan Ash led the unicorn down a dusty road, hunting for any sign of a cure. Seven years of walking had hollowed him out. He wanted the curse lifted. He wanted to stop. A cloth tent stood ahead, draped in hanging herbs. A low fence marked the path, each post tied with bundles that listed her prices in silent code. A woman watched him from the workbench inside. She held up a small unicorn figurine, white and gold, twin to the creature at his side. "I know what rides with you," she said. "And I know what binds you. That beast can lead you to the one who breaks your curse." Rowan's breath caught. He read the fence again. Silver. Blood. A name given freely. He had none of these. "I cannot pay," he said flatly. "I have nothing left to trade." The witch lowered the figurine and closed her fist around it. "Then you leave with nothing." She turned her back. Rowan stood in the road, the unicorn breathing soft beside him, knowing now what it was — and knowing he could not afford to learn how to use it.