And Will turned his horse.
Jacob screamed his name.
One of the Goyl had nearly reached Will. It was a female, amethyst on brown jasper. She drew her saber as Clara steered her horse protectively in front of Will's. But Jacob's bullet was faster. The Milk-Eye uttered a hoarse howl as the She-Goyl fell, and drove his horse even harder toward Will. Just a few more yards. The Dwarf was staring, wide-eyed, toward the Goyl. But Clara had gotten hold of Will's reins, and the horse she had ridden so many times yielded as she pulled it toward the Unicorns.
The herd had watched the hunt as indifferently as humans would watch a group of squabbling sparrows. Jacob forgot to breathe as Clara rode toward them, but this time the Dwarf really had told the truth. The Unicorns let Will and Clara pass.
It was only when the Goyl rode toward them that they attacked.
The valley was filled with shrill whistles, beating hooves, and rearing bodies. Jacob heard shots. Forget the Goyl, Jacob. Follow your brother!
His heart pounding in his throat, he rode toward the agitated herd. He imagined he could once more feel the Unicorn horns tearing into his back, warm blood running down his skin. Not this time, Jacob. Do as the Dwarf told you. "It's easy. Close your eyes and keep them shut, or they will skewer you."
A horn brushed his thigh. Nostrils snorted in his ear. The cold air carried the scent of horse and deer. Keep your eyes closed, Jacob. The sea of shaggy bodies seemed endless. His left arm felt dead, and his right hand clutched the neck of the gelding. Then, suddenly, he no longer heard snorting but the wind in a thousand leaves, the lapping of water, and the rustling of reeds.
He opened his eyes, and it was just as it had been back then.
Everything had vanished. The Goyl, the Unicorns, the misty valley. Instead, a lake glistened under the evening sky. On it floated the lilies for which he had ventured here three years earlier. The leaves on the willows by the shore were as fresh and green as newly emerged shoots. And in the distance, drifting on the waves, lay the island from which there was no return. Except for you, Jacob.
The warm air caressed his skin, and the pain in his shoulder ebbed away like the water on the reed-lined shore.
He slid off the exhausted gelding.
Clara and Fox rushed toward him. Will, however, was standing by the shore, staring across at the island. He seemed unhurt, but when he turned to face Jacob, his eyes were still on fire, and the jade was speckled with just a few last remnants of his human skin.
"Here we are. Happy?" Valiant stood between the willows. He was plucking Unicorn hairs from his sleeve.
"Who took off your chain?" Jacob tried to grab the Dwarf, but Valiant dodged him nimbly.
"Luckily a female heart is much more compassionate than the piece of rock that's rumbling around in your chest," he purred while Clara sheepishly returned Jacob's glance. "And? What are you getting all huffy about? We're even! Except for the fact that the Unicorns trampled my hat!" Valiant accusingly patted his graying curls. "You could at least pay for that!"
"Us? Even? Shall I show you the scars on my back?" Jacob rubbed his shoulder. It felt as if he had never fought against the Tailor. "Just get out of here," he said to the Dwarf. "Before I shoot you after all."
"Really?" Valiant cast a contemptuous look at the island drifting in the distance. "I'm quite sure I'll live to see your name chiseled onto a gravestone long before mine. M’lady," he said, turning to Clara, "you should come with me. This will not end well. Have you ever heard of Snow-White, the human girl who lived with some Dwarf brothers before falling for one of the Empress's ancestors? She ended up very miserable and finally ran away from him — with a Dwarf!"
"Really?" murmured Clara, but she didn't seem to have been listening. She stepped toward the shore of the blossom-covered lake as if she had forgotten everything around her, even Will, who was standing just a few yards away. Bluebells grew between the willows, their petals mirroring the dark blue of the evening sky. She picked one, and it chimed softly, wiping all the fear and sadness from her face. Valiant uttered an exasperated groan.
"Fairy magic!' he muttered scornfully. "I think I'd better take my leave."
"Wait!" said Jacob. "There used to be a boat by the shore. Where is it?"
But when he turned around, the Dwarf had already disappeared between the trees.
Will was staring at his own reflection in the water. Jacob skimmed a stone across the dark surface, but his brother's reflection quickly returned, distorted and even more threatening.
"I nearly killed you back there, in the gorge." Will's voice sounded barely distinct from that of a Goyl now. Look at me. No matter what you're hoping to find here, it's too late. You need to face it."
Clara was gazing at them. The Fairy magic clung to her like pollen. Only Will seemed immune. "Where's your brother, Jacob? Where did you leave him?" The rustling leaves sounded like their mother's voice.
Will backed away from Jacob, as though afraid he might strike him again.
"Let me go to them."
The sun was setting behind the trees, and its dying light spilled onto the lake like molten gold. The Fairy lilies opened their pale blossoms, welcoming the night.
Jacob pulled Will away from the water.
"You wait here, by the shore," he said. "Stay right here. I promise I'll be back soon."