Read Online Unicorns' Opal by Richard S. Tuttle - Free Book Online

time?”
    “I don’t know,” admitted Alex. “I lost track of him when the battle started, but I didn’t recall that as one of the spells the fairies know.”
    “Who else could it be?” chuckled Jenneva. “Certainly, the Black Devils wouldn’t have helped you and we were too far away. Besides, no magician will ever tell you all of his spells. It makes him feel insecure. I wouldn’t be surprised if the fairies held back quite a bit from us. Their allegiance, after all, is to Arik, not to us.”
    “Still, it was not a very comfortable position to be in,” frowned Alex. “We need to be more careful in the future. The younglings are extremely talented, but I must remember that they are not the Targa Rangers when I plan a mission. We can’t afford to lose them.”
    “What would you have done differently if they were the Targa Rangers?” Jenneva asked.
    “I’m not sure,” admitted Alex. “I probably would have gone in at ground level, myself, from the eastern side if they were.”
    “Then it sounds to me like you should start planning as if they are the Targa Rangers,” noted Jenneva. “You would have executed a better plan and not have ended up in the predicament that you did.”
    They rode on in silence for a while before Alex responded. “You are right,” he conceded. “I am trying to protect them and utilize them at the same time. Doing so actually jeopardizes the mission. From now on, they will be the Alcea Rangers and I will plan appropriately. They all acted properly, with the exception of Tanya, maybe.”
    “What did Tanya do wrong?” quizzed Jenneva.
    “Well, I don’t know that it was wrong,” restated Alex. “The Black Devils concentrated on her position. The rocks all around her were scorched. She should have moved to a new position, but she did make it through without a scratch, so maybe I shouldn’t try to second guess her judgement.”
    “I doubt you were in much of a position to watch her actions,” Jenneva pointed out. “Don’t berate her for a supposed mistake. Just train her to think like you.”
    “I don’t understand her,” Alex admitted. “She hugged me after the battle today. I would have thought she didn’t care whether or not I lived through it.”
    Jenneva laughed as she shook her head. “Alex,” she chuckled, “sometimes I wonder how men ever survive in this world. She is infatuated with you. At least, I hope it is an infatuation. If it is anything more, I shall have words with her. She doesn’t needle you to make you angry. She wants to know how you will react in any given situation. She wants to crawl inside your mind and see what makes it tick. The real problem would be if she intentionally endangered herself this afternoon to make sure you got down the rope safely. That type of foolhardiness could get her killed.”
    “If you say so,” remarked Alex. “We do not have time to dwell upon it, anyway. This area of the Northlands is goblin country and we will stick out plainly if we are seen. I must move up and warn the others. Hold the rear until I return.”
    ***
    Xerog frowned as he looked at the ground of the knoll. “Someone camped here last night,” he announced. “Too small a party to be the men from Kantor. It might have been the Children we are seeking.”
    “Then they are right where we want them,” smiled Calastano. “They are not between us and the pass, so they must be heading west towards the Kantor group.”
    Zorn dismounted and walked to the campfire ring. Moving the ashes with his knife, he uncovered a small slip of paper. “They were here, all right,” he announced. “You need not worry about the men from Kantor, either. This says that Alex led an attack on them last night and killed them.”
    “What have you got there?” demanded Xerog. “And who is Alex?”
    “This is a note from a little pigeon within the ranks of the Children,” smiled Zorn. “As for Alex, I hope it doesn’t mean what I think it does. You should hope the