Free 02 Unicorn Rider by Kevin Outlaw

the magic came back.’
    Glass sat next to him. Her feet dangled off the edge of the bed. She was so tiny. ‘Aren’t we getting too old to be playing pretend?’
    ‘We’ll never be too old for that,’ Nimbus said. He gave her a hug, noticing with alarm how he could feel the flow of the terrible magic powers bubbling volcanically just beneath her skin.
    Glass noticed his shock, and smiled sweetly in the dark. ‘It’s not so bad,’ she said.
    ‘Does it... hurt?’
    ‘I’m starting to get used to it. But sometimes it gets out and then I can’t stop it.’
    ‘Like today?’
    ‘I didn’t mean to burn those creatures. I only meant to start a fire to scare them away, but there was just too much of it, and I couldn’t stop it spreading. Nobody was supposed to get hurt.’
    ‘You saved me. You’re my hero.’
    ‘Sometimes I close my eyes and then... I feel like if I open them again all the energy will get out and tear everything apart. Other times...’ She looked at her open palm. Her veins glowed faintly.
    ‘What?’
    ‘Other times it feels like if I don’t open my eyes, the energy will tear me apart instead.’
    Nimbus ruffled her hair. ‘I’m going to help,’ he said. ‘Dad thinks all the magic books have been destroyed, but there must be some somewhere. I’ll find one. I’ll find you a dozen, a whole library full of books that will tell you how to control this thing.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘I promise. I’m going to do everything I can. But you’re going to have to help me too. I have a job to do as the Wing Warrior and I can’t always be around for you. I need to know you’re going to be safe.’ He paused thoughtfully before he went on. ‘I want you to stay with Sky and Tidal.’
    ‘Are you joking? Tidal’s a jerk. He called me a witch.’
    ‘Tidal’s a little bit of a jerk, that’s true, but he’s also very strong. He’ll be able to protect you when I’m not here.’
    ‘I can protect myself.’
    ‘I know. I’d just feel better if you were with Sky and Tidal. We were a team once, and nothing could hurt us when we were together. I’d like to think that was still true.’ He paused again, so that the only sound was their breathing in the darkness.
    Glass touched his hand. ‘You don’t have to worry, Sky likes you the most.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘You know what I mean. I’ll stay with them though, if you want me to keep an eye on them.’
    ‘Hey, I never said that.’
    Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Nimbus caught a stray shard of moonlight reflected in the mirror. The illumination formed an unusual shape on the surface of the glass; a shape that was at once familiar and yet unlike anything he had ever seen before. Glass had obviously seen it too, because she gasped excitedly and gripped his fingers. Then the moonbeam and the reflection were gone, leaving the room once again in darkness.
    ‘Did you see that?’ Nimbus asked. ‘That was weird. It looked like the reflection was alive.’
    Glass moved to the mirror, and ran her fingertips over the glass. ‘It was,’ she said.
    ‘It was just a reflection.’
    ‘No. It was a message. Something wanted to let us know it was out there. It sent a message travelling along the moonbeams.’
    ‘That’s silly.’
    ‘Lots of things are silly, doesn’t mean they’re not true though. Think about it. No matter where we are in the world, we’re all still under the same moon. If you wanted someone to see a message, what better place is there to put it?’
    Nimbus scratched his head. As crazy as it sounded, it actually made sense. But who would have the power to throw a message into the sky, and why would they want to?
    ‘It was pretty,’ Glass said, dreamily.
    ‘But what did it mean?’
    ‘It meant...’ Glass staggered slightly, as though something heavy had just been thrown over her shoulders. ‘It meant...’ Her eyes rolled up into her head, and her body convulsed. ‘Help me,’ she gasped.
    ‘Dad!’ Nimbus