Karina's Quest Read online

  Chapter 8: The Unicorn

  The six women had been traveling west for eight days, and the terrain became more rugged the further they rode. Steep inclines, gorges, and cliffs impeded their progress. Karina was technically in charge, but she deferred to Octavia, Cendri, and Gedda, all of whom had more wilderness experience than her. Helga had even less experience and Ivin, raised in a city, kept her own counsel.

  "What do we have, another five or so days to reach Woodgate?" Karina asked Octavia.

  "Maybe a couple days more," replied Octavia. "That area where the path was washed out delayed us some."

  "It's a hard path, but beautiful terrain," commented Karina.

  Octavia looked over at her and smiled. "You must be an earth person."

  "An earth person?"

  "Yes," replied Octavia, "I believe that people have an affinity with one element. People with boundless energy or those that are rash are drawn from fire. You have a love of the earth."

  "What about everyone else?" asked Karina.

  "Cendri is earth, too, while Gedda is air. That's probably why there's a little friction between them. Air can move the earth, but can't change its nature. Earth resents air for being above it."

  "It couldn't be that Gedda keeps 'borrowing' things from Cendri?" asked Karina slyly.

  "It could be that," said Octavia with a smile. "Ivin is water. Helga, however, is a mixture. She seems to be mostly stone with a little fire thrown in."

  "Stone? Not earth?"

  "No insult intended, but she's much too hard and brittle to be just earth. She does show glimpses of fire, though."

  "Maybe she was originally fire, but she had to change to stone," said Karina.

  "I hope she can change back," said Octavia. "Stone is unchanging and inflexible. It can be shaped or pulverized by man. Fire, at least, has a life of its own."

  "Wouldn't she and Ivin be arguing all the time then?"

  "Fire and water are not mutually exclusive," said Octavia.

  "I think your theory has some holes in it," said Karina. "What about you?"

  Octavia put a hand to her chest and looked at Karina in mock astonishment. "Why I'm fire, of course."

  Karina laughed and moved back down to talk to Ivin and Helga as the trail narrowed ahead. Before she could say a word, three nets came flying out of the upper branches of the surrounding trees. Octavia, Cendri and Gedda were snared and pulled off their horses. Helga screamed and Ivin grabbed Helga's reins to wheel their horses back down the trail. The fourth net, which was thrown at them too late, hit the haunches of Helga's horse as it bolted down the trail.

  Unfortunately, Ivin's sudden turn caused Helga's horse to collide with Karina's. Karina's horse reared backward and slipped on the loose shale. Unable to regain control, Karina screamed as her horse went over the tall cliff. Branches tore at her as she fell. A blinding flash of pain and unconsciousness followed when her head collided with a large limb.

  The world swirled. Karina groaned and rolled over slowly because of the pain in her head. It felt like it was splitting open and she could not get her eyes to focus. Her entire body felt battered and bruised. She crawled over to a nearby tree and sat up with her back against the trunk. Two seconds later, she quickly leaned over and threw up.

  Karina leaned back against the tree again, a sharp, sour taste in her mouth. She felt a little better after being sick and by closing one eye she was able to view her surrounding without getting too nauseated. She was in a wooded valley about twenty feet from the cliff that she and her horse had gone over. Her horse was laying about thirty feet from where she was. Looking up made her head swim, but all Karina could see above her was a canopy of tree limbs and leaves.

  Groaning and staggering to her feet, she hobbled over to where her horse was. The impossible angle of its head plainly told her that the horse was dead. Karina managed to pull her saddlebags and canteen off the carcass and then started heading slowly down the valley.

  Loose rocks, tree roots and low hanging vines caused Karina to stumble as she made her way through the valley. Several times she tripped and only caught herself through sheer determination. Karina was sure that if she fell she would not be able to get back up. She was exhausted when she reached the bottom of the valley where a small stream, fed by mountain springs, gurgled through the area and went off down through the forest. With her limbs trembling, Karina collapsed on the ground next to it. She rinsed out her mouth and refilled her canteen with cold water. She flopped on her back, too hurt and tired to do anymore.

  "Well, girl, you've led us on a merry chase."

  Karina's eyes snapped open in fear and she tried to get to her feet at those words. Her head swam and she could barely focus her eyes. The only thing she managed to accomplish was to raise her shoulders up so she could see three men coming at her. They were unshaven and dirty, wearing leather vests and pants. Each one had a long knife in his belt and was carrying a short bow and quiver of arrows. Karina's hand slapped ineffectually at the hilt of her sword, unable to concentrate enough to draw it.

  "We expected to find you dead along with your horse," said one man. "Imagine our surprise when we climbed down and found your tracks. Course, it wouldn't been necessary if Hayden had thrown on time."

  "T'weren't my fault," yelped another man, obviously Hayden. "I wanted da t'ree of dem together. De others threw too son."

  Disgust showed on the first man's face. "Another excuse, Hayden? Two of them got away and this one was nearly killed. Dead meat brings no price on the block."

  "Slavers?" gasped Karina, who had been thinking all along that these were more assassins trying to capture her.

  "At your service, milady," said the first man with a bow. He then growled, "Let's go. It's gonna be a hard walk back up."

  "Shouldn't we search her?" whined Hayden, unable to take his eyes off Karina's huge breasts, which could not be hidden by her padded armor. "She's got a sword and we should take her 'fore we get back to de others."

  The first man's eyes gleamed wickedly. "Hayden, I knew there was a reason I keep you alive. You're right, we should search her for hidden weapons."

  Instead of touching her, his hand went to his belt buckle. Karina gasped as she realized that she was about to be raped. She struggled to her feet, despite the pain and fatigue. She managed to draw her sword and lunged at the third man, who was the closest. Her sword seemed to plunge through his chest, but Karina stumbled forward as it pierced only through the air. She shook her head and realized she was seeing double – she had completely missed her target. The man laughed harshly and kicked the sword out of her hand with relative ease. Karina stumbled backwards in fear and then stopped in shock as a huge black object suddenly appeared behind the men.

  The first man did not even get a chance to turn around as the black entity hit him from behind and Karina saw a horn punch six inches out of his chest. The man was lifted off the ground and tossed several feet to the side.

  It was a horse, but like no horse she had ever seen. It was coal-black and eighteen hands high. A long wavy mane hung down past its neck and the tail was also long and wavy. Hairy tufts covered the hooves, but what was most amazing was the silvery horn sticking out of its forehead.

  The two remaining men and Karina stood frozen at the sight of the unicorn. It turned and reared up on the third man who had disarmed Karina. His eyes widened as he stood petrified in fear and watched the two large hooves descend upon him. Hayden yelled, pulled out his knife and slashed the unicorn across its front shoulder as the other man's bones crunched and cracked. Hayden turned and ran, still screaming, as the unicorn spun around towards him. Hayden disappeared into the brush. Karina shook her head again because she could have sworn she saw the unicorn take a step in Hayden's direction and dematerialize. Hayden's screaming abruptly stopped.

  Karina stood there, swaying in the sudden silence. Relief and terror both flooded through her body and only sheer will kept her on her feet against her pain and exhaustion. She heard some
thing coming back toward to her. The unicorn's head poked out of a tall bush and seemed to regard her warily.

  Karina stumbled and almost fell when she tried to turn and face the unicorn. Her head was pounding more than ever before and she could not keep her attention focused on any one thing.

  The unicorn walked closer and seemed to look intently at Karina. Despite her dizziness and unfocused gaze, Karina still caught a look of extreme intelligence in the unicorn's eyes. It snorted and walked over to a fallen log. The unicorn tapped its back with the horn. When Karina did not move, it tapped again.

  She realized that the unicorn wanted her to climb onto its back. Closing her eyes to control her dizziness, she bent down, retrieved her sword, and sheathed it. She then stumbled over to the log and, by leaning heavily on the unicorn, managed to step on top of the log. She placed her saddlebags over the unicorn's shoulders and draped her canteen over her own. Bracing herself, Karina jumped up onto his back.

  Pain shot through her body and she felt as if her eyes were going to burst from her head. White lights sparkled in her vision and only her grip in the black mane kept her from falling off the other side. The unicorn moved away slowly as Karina entwined her fingers in his mane and slumped forward. Everything went dark again.

  She awoke to the sound of birds chirping in the trees above her. She sat up and looked around at the sunlit glen she found herself in, disoriented and unable to comprehend how she got there. Realization came crashing back to her as she remembered the cliff, the men and the unicorn. She looked around carefully, but did not see the unicorn. Karina licked her parched lips and tried to swallow past her dry throat. There was a stream running through the glen and she gingerly made her way over to it. Her dizziness and pain had subsided.

  Karina sat back after she had finished drinking and looked at her skin. There were numerous bruises that had faded to a sickly purplish-brown. Judging her healing rate against the color of the bruises, Karina was certain she had been here for at least a day, possibly longer. Her skin began to itch and she took off her armor and clothing. The cold water made her shiver as she bathed in the stream, but it was refreshing and invigorating. Instead of putting her armor back on, Karina pulled a robe out of her saddlebags, which she found close to where she had been unconscious. She washed out the clothes she had been wearing and laid them out to dry. There were berry bushes and apple trees nearby, which supplemented her rations in the saddlebags.

  Approaching hoofbeats resounded through the forest. Karina turned and saw the unicorn come into view about two hundred yards away. Its mane and tail billowed out as it ran through the forest and was even more magnificent than when Karina had first seen it. It stopped about twenty-five feet away from Karina and regarded her with intelligent eyes.

  "Thank you for saving me," said Karina, a little unsure if the unicorn understood her. She knelt on one knee and added, "I owe you my life."

  The unicorn stared at her for several seconds before slowly closing its eyes and nodding its head once to her. Karina felt a thrill of excitement as she was communicating with it. "Do you understand me? Can you comprehend this language?"

  The unicorn snorted and blew out through his lips as he shook his head and mane. Karina felt a twinge of disappointment. She closed her eyes and nodded once to the unicorn. He, in turn, stomped both front hooves on the ground and pranced a little to the side. Karina was sure he was laughing at her. She then saw the wound on his shoulder.

  The wound was obviously a couple of days old. It was oozing and looked nasty. Karina raised her hands and stepped closer to look at it. She stopped when the unicorn lowered its head and pointed its horn threateningly dead center of her chest. Undaunted, she walked right up to the sharp point and looked at the wound. After examining it, Karina stepped back and began searching around for herb and plants. The unicorn gazed at her activities quizzically.

  Karina mashed the plants she found between two rocks and made a poultice. Then she ripped one of her spare shirts into long strips for bandages and approached the unicorn again. "I can help you, if you'll let me," she said with bandages on one hand and the poultice in the other. She closed her eyes and nodded her head once.

  The unicorn closed its eyes and nodded in return. Karina took a step closer and the unicorn held its horn up high. Releasing the breath she had not realized she had been holding, Karina stepped closer and knelt down beside his leg.

  The wound was inflated and inflamed. Karina put down her items as she crooned softly and stroked the unicorn's neck and side. She then put her hands on either side of the wound and squeezed.

  The unicorn whinnied and snorted, but did not move as pus flew out of the wound. Karina knew he was in pain, but kept squeezing until the pus stopped and clear liquid ran out. She washed out the wound and bandaged the poultice onto it. When she was done, the poultice was in place and the unicorn looked funny with bandages wound around its body and leg.

  Karina got up and stepped in front of the unicorn. She knelt down on one knee as before. The unicorn, trembling and with pain, closed his eyes and nodded once. Karina smiled at him and was sure he was smiling back at her.

  Karina washed her hands in the stream and looked up when she heard the unicorn whinny. The unicorn had taken several steps off to one side, glanced back at Karina, and shook his head as if to say, "This way." Karina got up and followed him.

  The unicorn led her for several hundred yards until they came upon a huge pine tree standing alone on a ridge. The lower limbs of the tree covered the ground in a fifty-foot diameter and the tree itself was easily over a hundred feet tall. The unicorn walked up to the tree and pointed at the base of it with his horn.

  Karina pushed aside the thick, springy branches and stepped into the protective shelter of the foliage. She gasped as she saw two unicorn skeletons. One was full-sized, but the other was the size of a foal, which Karina estimated to be only a couple of weeks old. She touched the small, two-inch long horn and felt tears streaming down her face. She knew that the mother unicorn had died and then the foal because it was too young to sustain itself.

  "I'm so sorry," she sniffled to the unicorn before bursting into tears and throwing her arms around its neck. The unicorn nickered softly and led her back to the glen. Karina wiped away her tears and found that her clothes had dried in the warm sun. She laid out the things she would need for tomorrow as she thought about what to do. She agonized on whether to go to Woodgate or to go after her friends. She finally decided to travel to Woodgate and get help. Chasing experienced slavers in unfamiliar territory was not only foolish, but also suicidal.

  The unicorn had moved off into the brush and Karina could hear him thrashing around. Fearing that the bandages had become caught on something, she went over and looked through the bushes. The unicorn was standing sideways to her with its long, thick dick hanging out of its sheath as he pissed a yellow stream of urine onto the ground.

  The rational and coherent part of Karina's mind snapped off as she stared at the long prick. A fire ignited in her pussy and intensified. Karina licked her suddenly dry lips and began to breathe heavily. She mustered up all of her strength and managed to turn away from the scene. Karina was able to take only a few steps before she had to lie on the ground.

  Visions of cock flooded her brain as the desire in her pussy burned brightly. Karina spread her legs apart, her only desire to quench the fire of her passion. Her robe slid away, exposing her stomach and legs. Her hand reached down and she sighed in contentment as her fingers settled down on her clitoris. Karina moaned as she started to rub her clit and her juices began to flow.

  Karina closed her eyes and visions of the large unicorn prick floated in front of her. Her desire climbed, as all she could think about was cocks. Moaning, she sank two fingers into her wet cunt and started pumpimg them in and out. The fire burned even brighter and she responded by shoving two more fingers and then her thumb into her pussy. She pushed them up as fast as she could reach, writhing and moaning on the ground.
She growled in frustration, as she could not get her hand past the wrist up into her because of the angle of her arm.

  Karina gasped and her eyes flew open as she felt warm, moist air blow over her cunt. Trembling in lust, Karina saw the unicorn with its head bent down, sniffing at her. Its long, soft tongue licked out, lapping her from the base of her hot pussy to up and over her hand. She nearly swooned in delight.

  Karina pulled her hand out of her cunt just in time for the next lick. She groaned in ecstasy as the unicorn's tongue traveled up the entire length of her pussy. She reached up gently and stroked the unicorn's horn as if it was a cock.

  The unicorn continued to lap at Karina's drenched cunt, but it was not enough. Her passion burned and her need to orgasm was overpowering. Visions of the unicorn's cock still swam in her brain and her peak was not going to happen this way. Karina groaned in frustration and looked around. A small earth outcropping about three feet high caught her eye. Karina jumped up, causing the unicorn to dance back in surprise. Ripping off her robe, she threw it over the outcropping before laying facedown on it. Her legs hung down on either side and were spread apart by the bulge in the earth.

  "Come on!" she said, her voice thick with passion and lust. Looking behind her, Karina could see the unicorn's hard dick sticking out under his belly. It had to be two feet long. He looked at her with his head tilted to the side as if to question what she was doing. "Please, come on," she pleaded and tossed her head for him to come forward.

  The unicorn moved forward and Karina sighed in pleasure as she felt his massive bulk loom over her. The unicorn reared up so that its front hooves were on the outcropping and Karina began panting heavily as she felt his cock hit against her legs and ass. Hiking her hips up, Karina reached down between her legs and grasped his cock. She then positioned it at the entrance to her pussy.

  "C'mon! C'mon!" she gasped as the unicorn's prick tapped ineffectually against the wet outer lip of her cunt. It was as if the unicorn was trying to insert his cock into her gently, but all he was doing was increasing her sexual frustration.