Free Keeper of the Phoenix by Aleesah Darlison Page A

in the forest and very cool. He shivered and rubbed his arms to warm himself. Very little sunlight reached through the thick branches overhead. Their footsteps were muffled by the carpet of dead pine needles lying on the forest floor. Ash couldn’t help noticing how quiet it was. He thought it was strange that there were no bird calls. No sign of any animal life.
    “It’s so quiet here,” Rhyll said, as if reading Ash’s thoughts. “Perhaps too quiet.”
    “That’s the way we like it,” Garamel replied. “The peace and silence offers us opportunity for reflective thoughts.”
    Taine leaned close to Ash. “Do you think he’s strange?” he whispered.
    “What, a talking unicorn, strange?” Ash put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing out loud. Somehow it didn’t seem right to laugh in such a serious, silent place.
    “No, I mean there’s something about him,” Taine said. “He’s so stiff and formal, don’t you think?”
    “How do you expect a unicorn to be?” Ash asked.
    “I don’t know, as loose as a goose maybe? I mean, he’s a unicorn. What’s he got to be all uppity about?”
    Ash shook his head. “You’re an idiot.”
    The boys’ conversation was interrupted by the appearance of four more unicorns. They were all different shades of grey and black, with the same red horns and eyes as Garamel.
    “I thought unicorns lived alone,” Rhyll said.
    “More book knowledge, is it?” Garamel said. His voice sounded mildly teasing, but his expression held no sign of amusement.
    Rhyll nodded, looking a little unsure.
    “I can see you’re a clever girl,” Garamel said. “However, books can’t teach you everything. Things have changed these last few years. Once, we did live alone. But now my companions and I have found strength and safety in numbers. We have often been hunted, you see, so we discovered the best way to protect ourselves is to stick together. That is why we flourish here in Alizarn.”
    “Why were you hunted?” Taine asked.
    Garamel turned to look at him. “You
are
uninitiated, aren’t you, boy?” He shook his shaggy head. “We unicorns are capable of great magic. Humans like yourselves fancy they can steal that magic. There is one such human who has tried to steal what is rightfully ours. He has a far greater hold on us than we would like.”
    “Who?” Ash asked. “Are you in danger?”
    “Are
we
in danger would be more to the point,” Taine muttered.
    Ash shushed him.
    “Never mind,” Garamel replied. “I have said too much.”
    Before Ash could question Garamel further, a dappled grey unicorn stepped forwards.
    “I’m Tibor,” he said, before snatching Gwaam’s basket in his teeth and trotting off.
    “Wait!” cried Ash, fearful of letting Gwaam out of his sight. “That’s mine.”
    Garamel blocked his way. “Don’t worry, the bird is safe with Tibor. Now, please, come.”
    Ash felt uneasy and helpless, but he knew he would be better off if he kept a cool head. He let Garamel march them through the cool, silent forest until they came to a clearing where more unicorns greeted them. Here the pine trees gave way to a small circular field and sunlight splashed across long grass and bell flowers. Ash counted twelve unicorns in all.
    Beside him, he saw Rhyll’s mouth drop open. “This isn’t mentioned in any of Mother’s books,” she said. “Something is definitely wrong here.”
    “The dog goes in there.” Garamel nodded towards a cage nearby.
    “He’s not used to being locked up. He won’t like it at all,” Ash said, becoming more suspicious by the minute.
    “Nevertheless, he must go in the cage,” Garamel insisted.
    “I thought you were going to allow us safe passage through the forest?” Taine asked. “Can’t we just keep going?”
    “Of course, that won’t be a problem at all,” Garamel said smoothly. “But first, we must have a celebration. We don’t want your pet running about or getting hurt. Please do what I say and