Read Online The Prophecy by Hilari Bell - Free Book Online Page A

times had he asked to see his father only to be shown nothing, or something completely irrelevant, and now…. Though he had to admit, Cedric’ sorder was something he needed to know. He couldn’t approach any of his father’s guard. No matter what he told them, they’d turn him over to the master of arms.
    However, not even Cedric could find him here. Perryn was perfectly safe…except from wandering in circles until he starved to death. He rose wearily to his feet and went back to Lysander. Tomorrow they’d start hunting for a unicorn.
     
     
    IN THE MORNING , PERRYN FOUND THE TRACKS easily.
    “You see? Dozens of tracks. Unicorns must use this path all the time.”
    “Hmm,” said the bard. “The trees don’t seem to be changing anymore. You don’t suppose…”
    “No,” said Perryn. “I think they’d start to move as soon as we tried to get out.”
    “You mean they know our intentions? But that’s insa—What a horrible thought.”
    “Come on,” said Perryn. “Let’s see if we can find a place for a trap.”
     
     
    IT WAS SIMPLE—TWO LARGE SNARE LOOPS , attached to springy young trees that had been bent almost to the ground. The loops were held slack with a single stake, pounded into the soft soil just deeply enough to hold the trees down.
    “We cover the loops with dead leaves,” Perryn explained. “And hide in the bushes till the unicorn steps into the loops. Then we pull the stakes, the trees spring up, the loops go tight…”
    “I understand. I taught you how to set a snare, remember? What makes you think a unicorn will step into the loops?”
    “For one thing they’re set right across the trail. For another…”
    Perryn went over to the snare and opened his cloak, dumping a pile of everfresh to the ground. The blossoms were slightly crushed, but their sweet scent filled the air.
    “If you say so,” said the bard sourly.
    “Come on,” said Perryn. “Let’s hide. One of them could come along at any moment.”
     
     
    IT WAS THE MOST BORING DAY OF PERRYN’S LIFE . He couldn’t see Lysander, much less speak with him. His bruises and scrapes ached. Insect bites itched.
    As the sun crawled across the sky he had time to imagine everything that could possibly go wrong, and some things that couldn’t. It helped him stay awake. He hoped Lysander was awake, but he wouldn’t have bet a cracked copper on it—much less his life.
    The first stars of evening were blooming in the sky when the unicorn appeared; Perryn’s breath caught at its beauty. It was the size of a small pony, and its white coat glowed in the gathering dusk as if it were made of moonlight. Its hooves gleamed. It hesitated a moment, nostrils widening as it sniffed the air. Then it moved gracefully toward the trap.
    Perryn’s heart thudded in his throat and his palms were damp. A few paces from the trap the unicorn hesitated again. Then it reached down daintily, hooked the snare loops with the tip of its horn, and tossed them aside. It stepped into the everfresh and bent its head, inhaling deeply.
    Perryn leaped to his feet with a shout, tripped over the stake, and fell flat. Branches thrashed and the rope hissed above his head as the tree sprang upright. He heard the bard crashing through the bushes across from him as he scrambled toward the trap.
    The unicorn waited till Lysander had almost reached it, then it cleared the everfresh with a single, agile bound and sprang down the path.
    A laugh like silver chimes rang, not in Perryn’s ears, but in his mind. He shook his head and ran down the trail after Lysander and the unicorn.
    It led them on a chase. Over rocks, through streams, and in and out of thorny bushes. It vaulted over mud puddles Perryn and the bard had to wade through. Perryn was about to give up when the unicorn came to a skidding stop. Before it lay a patch of bog, too wide to cross with a single leap.
    With a cry of triumph Lysander surged forward.
    The unicorn glared at the bog, then gathered its