Free Taken by Unicorns by Leandra J. Piper Page A

the forest using only things like the rocks and trees as her signposts. It was remarkable now that she thought back on it, really. Before she had come to them, she'd thought herself used to the forest, but she would never have dared to set out searching for something so nebulous as a spirit before.
    Before long her fears had quite melted away from her mind, and she was humming to herself as she walked, swinging the basket merrily. It really was a beautiful day, and it was hard to keep any bad thought in her mind as she travelled in the midst of it. The birds sang around her, the delicate noises they made bringing a smile across her face.
    In fact, she was enjoying herself so much that Vivienne nearly walked clean past the clearing that she'd been told about. But the sun was high in the sky by then, and Vivienne was already thinking about finding a place to enjoy her lunch. Fortunately, her destination seemed to be the perfect spot for it, with soft grass all about, and some large, smooth rocks that would serve quite nicely as a table. She sat down beside the biggest of them and began unpacking her basket, setting the things she'd need to call the spirit aside, and taking out the bread, cheese, and honey wine she'd brought with her.
    She broke off some crumbs and sprinkled them on the grass for the birds, then settled in to enjoy her light snack. The sun was warm on her shoulders as she ate, and the birdsong grew close as some brave ones came even now for the treats she'd laid out for them. Vivienne smiled, and watched the birds for a while, relaxing.
    When she finally turned back to the rock, she found herself mildly perturbed to notice the things she'd laid out on it were gone. Every last flower and twist of grass she'd gathered to call the spirit with had up and vanished. Vivienne gasped, and glanced around the clearing, but couldn't see so much as a trace of it. She started to rise to search for them, but then she felt a pair of hands lightly press on her shoulders, urging her back to sit. Vivienne half-turned, looking for whoever had pushed her so, but she couldn't see anyone there. She did, however, hear a giggle close to her ear. "Who's there?" called Vivienne, looking around a little more, trying to find the source.
    "Over here," the voice said, coming from the rock. Vivienne looked back that way, and saw nothing. But as she squinted a bit, she started to see almost the outline of a young woman fade into being right before her eyes. Vivienne gasped, but it dawned on her. Without even trying, she'd summoned forth the very spirit she'd come to find. Slowly the image of the woman became clearer, until she was as solid as anyone else, seated neatly on the rock with a wreath of flowers in her hair. "There, now you can see me. That's much better, don't you think?"
    "Um... yes," agreed Vivienne, still shaken a bit by the sudden appearance of the spirit. "I'm sorry, I was just expecting to have to do something to call you up, is all. I was sent here. For the unicorns."
    The spirit smiled, reaching out to pat Vivienne's hand, sending a light chill up over her skin. "Of course. I was wondering when someone would come. It's been dreadfully long since there's been anyone. What kept you, dear?"
    Vivienne made a little noise of surprise at the notion. "Was I supposed to come sooner? I'm sorry. I've been trying, and trying, and nothing's been happening. I haven't known at all what to do until one of them sent me to find you. He said you could help? I'm so dreadfully worried that I'm just not right because it hasn't worked yet."
    "Oh, dear, of course it hasn't," said the spirit with a laugh, leaning over to kiss Vivienne on the cheeks. "Didn't they tell you what you need to do? After all, you're a human, and they're unicorns. Of course there has to be a little magic involved!" Vivienne just blushed in response and shook her head, giving the spirit a pleading look. "Well, it's not hard at all, but you'll need to do a few things that