Free Unicorn Keep by Angelia Almos Page B

Brennah need not worry over me.”
    “She’s a mother. Mother’s worry.”
    Herrick narrowed his eyes and wondered just how much she had confided in Lionel. He knew their relationship had progressed past colleagues while he was gone for the summer. The difference in the way they looked at each other had been clear to him.
    “Have you ever felt a draw, Lionel?”
    Lionel frowned and dropped his gaze first. “No, Mage Herrick, I haven’t.”
    He was surprised by Lionel’s answer. The man was easily forty years. Probably older. “My mother seems to think every mage has a match and will have a draw if only exposed to each other.”
    Lionel shrugged. “You can love another without a draw influencing you. Personally , I’ve never wanted a draw. I prefer to be the master of my own fate. The draw gives another person too much influence over your destiny.”
    ****
    Jiline rubbed her eyes. The hand-drawn pictures in the book in front of her were beginning to blur. It was several hours after dinner and her group was studying late, again. She closed her eyes a moment and then forced them open to look at the picture of a unicorn battling some sort of dog creature.
    They studied the lore of the unicorns in the evening. Well, the unicorns and the creatures who would harm them if the opportunity arose. The unicorn keepers had to be able to recognize the creatures themselves as well as the signs of when one of them was near. She hadn’t realized how many other animals and beings the Keep protected the unicorns from. Of course, the unicorns didn’t feel that way.
    Mistress Marta cleared her throat. “It is getting late. All of you are excused to sleep. We have another long day tomorrow.”
    Jiline closed the book and carefully shelved it in its place. She turned to leave, but stopped at the moon chart hanging on the wall and frowned. Three days. The quarter moon would rise in three days and she needed to give the unicorns her answer then.
    “Madelen.”
    Jiline jumped and turned. Mistress Marta waited in the doorway. All of the other unicorn keeper trainees had left. She hurried forward and bowed her head as she passed. She walked back to her room alone, but the room was full of many girls. None of the other girls seemed to notice her entering. Keeping her head down, she straight-lined it to her bed against the wall.
    Sab rine bumped her as she passed the girl’s bed. Jiline was pretty sure she had tried to trip her, but missed. The crabby girl’s antagonism had risen steadily in the last couple of days. She gritted her teeth to keep herself from demanding Sabrine tell her what her problem was. It was getting more and more difficult to ignore Sabrine and her little tricks. But she didn’t want to draw any extra attention to herself. She got ready for bed as quickly as she could and slipped under her blanket just as the mage lights blinked off.
    I n the dark, she stared at the ceiling, willing herself to go to sleep. The room was silent. She should have been able to fall asleep. She was exhausted, but her head wouldn’t stop spinning with the unicorns and the decision she had to make in three days. Unable to silence the thoughts, she tossed her blanket back and sneaked out of her room despite not needing to go down to the unicorns.
    Instead , she headed for the stable. She didn’t have an answer for the unicorns and worried a few days wouldn’t give her any more clarity than she already felt. The stable was quiet. The rows of stalls stretched out before her. Brody had brought Ginger outside a few times when they had been training in front of the Keep for Jiline to say hello, but she hadn’t been inside the barn since she arrived.
    She walked down the long building peering into each stall where a horse didn’t already look out. She had been quiet when she entered and most appeared to be sleeping.
    At last she found Ginger about halfway down and clucked softly to her pony before letting herself in. Ginger nickered sleepily at