Read Online Warped (Maurissa Guibord) by Maurissa Guibord - Free Book Online
Authors: Maurissa Guibord
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Legend of the Unicorn .
She skipped the prologue, took a bite of veggie wrap and read from chapter one. The earliest description of a unicorn was recorded there, by a historian from 400 B.C.
The unicorn has only one horn in the middle of its forehead. It is the only animal that ventures to attack the elephant; and so sharp is the nail of its foot that with one blow it can rip the belly of the beast .
"Okay," Tessa murmured. "Maybe that's not what I needed to know." She skimmed ahead a few centuries. She had never realized unicorn lore was so extensive. The book said that in the Old Testament there were references to a unicorn called re'em in Hebrew. And in Japan the word for unicorn was kirin . It had a lion's face and a body covered with scales. The Persians even had a unicorn, known as a shadhahvar . Apparently the shadhahvar looked cute and gentle; it lulled the unsuspecting with lovely music it created by channeling wind through its hollow horn. Then it cut them to shreds.
"How sweet," Tessa commented, closing the book. She picked up another that looked more promising: The Compendium of Fantasy and Folklore . At least this one had more pictures. An illustration on thick, glossy paper in the segment on unicorns looked more like what she'd always pictured them to be. A white horse, basically, with an elegant spiral horn. It was grazing in a moonlit meadow. It looked so peaceful, so pretty. "That's more like it," she murmured. But on the facing page another picture caught her eye. Interestingly, it was a picture of a tapestry entitled The Unicorn Hunt .
In this one a wavy-haired maiden with a pouty mouth and vacant eyes sat in a clearing in the middle of a forest. A silvery unicorn knelt by her side. And it was wounded; a long spear hung from a gash in its side. Its anemic-looking head was nestled in the girl's lap. One of the girl's tiny hands was resting on the unicorn's head, as if she was petting its mane. The caption underneath read: Medieval legends tell of the unicorn being hunted for its horn or its blood. Both were said to cure disease and even bring immortality. Hunters could capture the unicorn only by placing a virgin in its haunts .
A virgin in its haunts. Tessa frowned. She'd heard about that part of unicorn legend before. But now something really bothered her about the whole thing: the cruelty of it. And just how did the unicorn know the girl was a virgin, anyway? Tessa glanced again at the maiden in the picture. She looked kind of spacey--she was gazing off into the distance. She didn't seem to even notice that the poor unicorn was bleeding to death in her lap. What was her deal? Why would a girl do something so rotten as to trick a beautiful animal, to trap it?
Tessa closed the book.
A girl like that would have to be incredibly stupid, she decided. Or completely heartless.
Chapter 10
"Ms. Gerome?" Moncrieff's husky voice was deferential over the phone. A smile stretched Lila Gerome's crimson lips. Even after all the years he had worked for her, Moncrieff maintained this formality. She knew it was because he was afraid of her. She liked that about him. It was his most dependable characteristic.
"I've found your tapestry and the book," he said. "It took some time to track them down, but it seems a bookstore owner from Portland, Maine, bought them. As I said, it was an unfortunate accident. I'll contact him and get them back."
"Do it now," Lila ordered. "Get them. I'm flying back immediately."
"Yes," Moncrieff said. "We'll have to pay. Something considerable, perhaps."
"Pay it, then. Whatever it takes. Just do it quickly and quietly. I don't want to draw any attention to myself. You know that."
"Yes. I know."
Hartescross, 1511
The Earl of Umbric, Will de Chaucy's father, slammed a flagon of wine to the table. The echoing clang rang against the stone walls of the great hall of Hartescross Castle.
"Has the whole bloody world gone mad?" he bellowed. "What do you mean the boy's missing?" He righted
She skipped the prologue, took a bite of veggie wrap and read from chapter one. The earliest description of a unicorn was recorded there, by a historian from 400 B.C.
The unicorn has only one horn in the middle of its forehead. It is the only animal that ventures to attack the elephant; and so sharp is the nail of its foot that with one blow it can rip the belly of the beast .
"Okay," Tessa murmured. "Maybe that's not what I needed to know." She skimmed ahead a few centuries. She had never realized unicorn lore was so extensive. The book said that in the Old Testament there were references to a unicorn called re'em in Hebrew. And in Japan the word for unicorn was kirin . It had a lion's face and a body covered with scales. The Persians even had a unicorn, known as a shadhahvar . Apparently the shadhahvar looked cute and gentle; it lulled the unsuspecting with lovely music it created by channeling wind through its hollow horn. Then it cut them to shreds.
"How sweet," Tessa commented, closing the book. She picked up another that looked more promising: The Compendium of Fantasy and Folklore . At least this one had more pictures. An illustration on thick, glossy paper in the segment on unicorns looked more like what she'd always pictured them to be. A white horse, basically, with an elegant spiral horn. It was grazing in a moonlit meadow. It looked so peaceful, so pretty. "That's more like it," she murmured. But on the facing page another picture caught her eye. Interestingly, it was a picture of a tapestry entitled The Unicorn Hunt .
In this one a wavy-haired maiden with a pouty mouth and vacant eyes sat in a clearing in the middle of a forest. A silvery unicorn knelt by her side. And it was wounded; a long spear hung from a gash in its side. Its anemic-looking head was nestled in the girl's lap. One of the girl's tiny hands was resting on the unicorn's head, as if she was petting its mane. The caption underneath read: Medieval legends tell of the unicorn being hunted for its horn or its blood. Both were said to cure disease and even bring immortality. Hunters could capture the unicorn only by placing a virgin in its haunts .
A virgin in its haunts. Tessa frowned. She'd heard about that part of unicorn legend before. But now something really bothered her about the whole thing: the cruelty of it. And just how did the unicorn know the girl was a virgin, anyway? Tessa glanced again at the maiden in the picture. She looked kind of spacey--she was gazing off into the distance. She didn't seem to even notice that the poor unicorn was bleeding to death in her lap. What was her deal? Why would a girl do something so rotten as to trick a beautiful animal, to trap it?
Tessa closed the book.
A girl like that would have to be incredibly stupid, she decided. Or completely heartless.
Chapter 10
"Ms. Gerome?" Moncrieff's husky voice was deferential over the phone. A smile stretched Lila Gerome's crimson lips. Even after all the years he had worked for her, Moncrieff maintained this formality. She knew it was because he was afraid of her. She liked that about him. It was his most dependable characteristic.
"I've found your tapestry and the book," he said. "It took some time to track them down, but it seems a bookstore owner from Portland, Maine, bought them. As I said, it was an unfortunate accident. I'll contact him and get them back."
"Do it now," Lila ordered. "Get them. I'm flying back immediately."
"Yes," Moncrieff said. "We'll have to pay. Something considerable, perhaps."
"Pay it, then. Whatever it takes. Just do it quickly and quietly. I don't want to draw any attention to myself. You know that."
"Yes. I know."
Hartescross, 1511
The Earl of Umbric, Will de Chaucy's father, slammed a flagon of wine to the table. The echoing clang rang against the stone walls of the great hall of Hartescross Castle.
"Has the whole bloody world gone mad?" he bellowed. "What do you mean the boy's missing?" He righted
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