Free Unicorns' Opal by Richard S. Tuttle Page B

responsible, but it just doesn’t fit. Even your soft landing in the pass. That certainly sounds magical to me.”
    “Then why doesn’t it fit?” queried Alex. “If it is not you nor Fredrik, and we know it is not Niki, it must be one of the others.”
    “This is where your logic fails,” insisted Jenneva. “A magical shield, that is a shield against magical forces, is very simple and does not require much thought or effort. A shield against physical damage is not the same. It is a very difficult spell to erect and sustain and it requires a mage’s constant concentration. I watched the other four Children during the battle and none of them appeared to look at me. Even if they did notice, they couldn’t maintain my shield and fight at the same time. That would take an enormous amount of skill and control. I would be willing to bet that there are not more than two or three mages in the world who could accomplish such a feat. Only Niki and myself could have done it because we were not fighting, but Niki denies it and I know that I didn’t do it.”
    “What about Midge?” asked Alex. “Can he perform such deeds?”
    “From my talks with him,” stated Jenneva, “I don’t think so. The fairies don’t deal much with shields. They use their ability for flight instead. Prince Midge says that he did not gag Niki, but he applauds whoever did.”
    “So,” theorized Alex, “you think we have someone watching over us? Is it possible for a mage to be traveling with us and not make himself known to us?”
    “I have never heard of such a thing,” answered Jenneva. “It really has me concerned. I like answers to my questions and not unanswerable riddles. Niki even claims that her shield never failed, but I saw it go down.”
    “Well,” frowned Alex, “whoever it is does not appear to mean us harm. In fact, he seems to be helping us. Let me know if you discover any more of these occurrences. In the meantime we must break camp and get out of here.”
    Tanya and Tedi entered the clearing carrying dozens of quivers loaded with arrows and laughing as if sharing some private joke. “I can’t believe the number of bodies out there,” Tedi called. “How many do you think there were, Alex?”
    “Around forty,” Alex answered, “but they weren’t looking for us. They were surprised to find anyone here. If Niki hadn’t shouted they would have passed us by. If they had been looking for us, they would have been organized and the outcome of this little battle might have gone the other way.”
    “Do we go back to bed or are we moving out?” questioned Fredrik.
    “We are moving out,” replied Alex. “As soon as we can get our act together. Why don’t you find Niki? I think she is brooding in the woods somewhere.”
    Fredrik marched off into the forest while the other Rangers gathered their gear and prepared to leave. Fredrik returned with a pouting Niki and the Rangers started heading eastward through the dense forest. The Rangers moved slowly through the dark woods for two hours before the sky started to lighten and the birds began to sing. While their spirits brightened, they never did get to see the sunrise. Tall, towering clouds, almost as dark as the forest they just rode through, obscured the horizon and threatened a wet day of riding. Alex ordered a halt so everyone could get their canvas covers out of their packs to help repel the rain, which was sure to come. The one positive note to the weather was that goblins hated the rain and would likely find someplace to hold up until the storm blew over. Alex hoped that they would be out of goblin territory before the rain let up.
    The rain lasted all day and into the night. Weary from a long day on the trail, Alex finally agreed to seek shelter and everyone’s spirits received a boost when Tedi sighted a cave a short way off the trail. The Rangers stopped at the mouth of the cave while Alex and Tedi went in to investigate. The cave was huge and had a natural air