Free A Charm for a Unicorn by Jennifer Macaire Page A

as high as the wild goose flies, and as fast as the wind could blow. In the moonlit night, he watched cities and forests pass beneath him. The land grew barren and a desert spread below him, then mountains grew, springing upwards in jagged cliffs and peaks.
    The noise of the whirlwind deafened and battered him. He cried out as loudly as he could but his voice was lost in the roaring wind. Then finally, as the sun rose, the whirlwind quieted and deposited him on what looked like the edge of the world, on a spit of rocky land surrounded by wild ocean.
    Stunned, dizzy, and exhausted, Renaldo stood upon the narrows. For as far as he could see in front and on either side of him, the ocean stretched to infinity. Behind him, the narrow shingle led to a distant, misty shore and he decided to hurry toward it lest the high tide leave him stranded.
    Waves rose and fell crashing in a white froth upon shiny, round pebbles, and he struggled to keep his feet as the stones rolled and slipped beneath him. Soon Renaldo's clothes were drenched and his eyes stung with sea-spray. He'd bruised and cut his hands and knees, but he hurried, for as he'd surmised, when the tide changed the waves covered the spit and he had to swim the last fifty meters to shore.
    There, he dragged himself past the waterline and fell in a heap on a bed of sun-warmed sand. Pressing his cheek to the earth, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
    He woke up when a foot kicked him on the shoulder. The foot was attached to a leg, attached in turn to a large, surly looking man with a patch over one eye.
    Sitting up in the sand, Renaldo looked at the man. “Why did you kick me?"
    "Because I wanted to see if you were alive.” The man shrugged. “Lots of bodies washing up on this beach lately. Must have to do with the war."
    "War?” Renaldo got to his feet and brushed the sand off his clothes.
    "Aye. Doesn't concern me, though. I'm a recruiter, not a fighter. You on the other hand look able enough. And since my mission is to recruit and you have all your arms and legs, I think we'll get along just fine."
    "Now look here, I can't waste my time...” Renaldo stopped when he saw the man's saber in his hand.
    "You were saying?” the man asked, hefting the saber.
    "I have reconsidered. Where do I sign up?"
    "Right this way.” The man grinned, his gold tooth glinting. He pointed with his saber and Renaldo led the way down the beach. They crested a rise, and there, on the other side of a narrow isthmus, spread a wide, calm bay with a ship anchored in the middle. “You'll be thankful I didn't just leave you to rot on the beach. This is an island, you see. You wouldn't have gotten far, just walked around in circles for a few weeks before dying of hunger."
    Renaldo saw the man was right, and a shiver of relief ran through him. Then he looked closer at the boat. Its sails hung in tatters and its timbers looked half rotted. He hesitated, and felt a saber prick his back. “That looks like a loser's ship,” he said, pointing. “Are you sure you want to recruit me? Maybe I don't want to choose sides."
    "Aye, well, that's settled then, I'll choose for you. I'm recruiting for the Kingdom of Alonzo, and we're fighting against the kingdom of Hidalgo. Used to be all one kingdom, ye know, the kingdom of Querel, but the brothers got into an argument one day and the war has been going on for three years now. We're running out of volunteers."
    Now Renaldo's feet faltered and the prick on his back grew stronger. “I'd rather try to remain neutral in this fight. Getting caught between feuding brothers is bad policy."
    "Can't do that, lad. I make my living recruiting. The army pays more each year for the new recruits. So tell me, boy, have ye any talents that might come in handy on a ship?"
    Now Renaldo stopped and turned. “Why?"
    "Because they pay extra for talent.” The recruiter shrugged.
    "Well, I did do a bit of sailing last year, and navigation was always easy for