Free The Unicorn Thief by R. R. Russell

layer of rich, foamy green carpeted that water.
    This was it. The edge of the swamp.
    Wonder picked up a hoof even more slowly than usual, and the mud sucked in protest as the swamp tried to cling to her, to hold her back.
    â€œWell, it doesn’t look so bad,” Twig said hopefully. The water was stinky but not unbearable. It certainly wasn’t black. Maybe those stories were just stories, embellished to frighten and thrill. But the look Ben gave her squashed that hope.
    He pointed into the vines. Dangling among the bright green was an even brighter rope. It moved, in spite of the absence of a breeze. A snake.
    â€œPoisonous. But this is just the outer edge of the swamp. Farther in, there are other snakes. Other dangers. It’s dark. The creatures blend in. People don’t see them until it’s too late.”
    â€œThe stories…”
    â€œThey’re true. We have to turn around.”
    What about Indy? One look at Ben’s face, and Twig swallowed back the words. If Indy was in that swamp…
    â€œThe swamp swallows up all other scents. All the water…its own smells…”
    The chances of finding Indy in there were next to nothing. And the chances of never finding their way out of the Death Swamp were very high.
    With an aching heart, Twig urged Wonder to turn around. Wonder cried out mournfully, as though she too thought that the brave Indigo Independence, her father, was lost.
    â€œWhat now?” Twig asked, looking into Ben’s grim face. “Are we going back to Merrill?”
    â€œNo.” Ben sighed and stared determinedly into the distance. “We’re going to the castle.”
    ***
    Ben urged Rain Cloud into a gallop. He knew what he had to do to save Indy.
    â€œThe castle!” Twig gasped. “To see the queen?”
    The queen wouldn’t see them if he could help it. “The queen has a library. There’s a map of the swamp there. It’s our only hope of finding Indy in there and making it out alive.” Even if Indy isn’t. Ben tried not to picture him sinking into the mud, deeper and deeper, not to imagine the swamp lizards gliding through the water, his desperate cries for help igniting their hunger.
    He had to get that map and hope it wasn’t too late. Ben whispered words of encouragement to Rain Cloud. The pony panted after Wonder, who’d begun to toss her head frantically as Twig pushed her on, away from Indy’s scent.
    Through the trees ahead, Ben spotted something—the telltale pale blur of a unicorn!
    â€œIndy!” Twig cried.
    The breeze shifted the branches, and sunlight glinted on something deep gold. The unicorn’s trappings were gold and green, the colors of the army of Eastland.
    â€œThey’re Eastlanders!” Ben said.
    But his warning came too late. With a determined leap, Twig and Wonder were off, headed straight for the encampment of Eastland soldiers, dressed in the trappings of a messenger of the Queen of Westland, Eastland’s sworn enemy. There was nothing for Ben to do but follow.
    Ben heard the cries of surprise, the pounding of hooves, the ring of steel. He was still too far away to help Twig. Ben struggled to ride the unfamiliar pony while readying his bow. Rain Cloud’s every response was slow motion compared with Indy, making it even harder for Ben to know whether his subtle signals had been missed entirely.
    Though he wanted to rush in, Ben had no choice but to slow Rain Cloud as he approached the perimeter of the clearing. Half a dozen soldiers formed a line in front of him, bows trained on him.
    He was outmatched. Ben carefully lowered his bow. Rain Cloud trembled. “We are messengers of the Queen of Westland,” Ben said quickly. “My companion’s mount is young and…ill. She caught a scent and rushed after it. We come with no intent to harm. We didn’t mean to startle you.”
    â€œMore like distract us,” one of the soldiers