Chapter Three

 

 

The family meeting was done in their pyjamas. Ystella sat on the couch, and she cleared her throat.

Her grandfather chimed in. “Ystella has something to tell everyone. Sorry to wake you, but this is something you need to know.”

Ystella blinked as everyone renewed their focus. Her father gave her an encouraging smile and elevated his thumbs in support.

Her mother cocked her head. “What is it? Oh, did you find a mate?”

The others leaned forward in excitement.

“Um, no. I didn’t find my mate. What Grandpa and I were talking about is that I am not normal.”

Her sisters snorted.

“I mean really not normal. I may look like a horse, but I am something else.”

Her family looked remarkably unsurprised.

Her mother smiled. “What are you dear?”

Ystella sighed. “Some kind of unicorn.”

Her sisters squealed and ran up to her, removing her headband and staring at her forehead.

Yvell frowned. “Where is it?”

Ystella blinked. “Where is what?”

“Your horn?”

Her mother came over and looked at her daughters. “The same place your hooves are.” She trailed her fingers across Ystella’s skin, and she looked at what they uncovered. “What have you done?”

“A lot of makeup and quite a bit of sanding. The plate glows under my skin, so I grind it down every few weeks.”

“Does that hurt?”

Ystella looked at her mother’s concerned face. “It does, but I thought it was better to hide it. It wasn’t something that I was comfortable with. Are you okay with this?”

“You are my daughter. You make me proud, as do my other children. You are a delight to myself and the family.”

Ymira murmured, “I wouldn’t go that far.”

Ystella chuckled. “Neither would I. I try to be a productive pain in the ass.”

Her mother sighed. “How long does it take your horn to regrow?”

“Two to three weeks. I will just look normal until then. I have to say, you are handling this much better than I thought you would.”

Her sisters looked disappointed. Ymira pouted, “That long?”

“Oh, I could rush it, but it hurts and makes a lot of noise, magically.”

Her mother leaned back. “Why is that a problem?”

“I am not a white and gold unicorn, Mom. I am a horse with a glowing metallic horn. Flowers sprout where I step, and I can taste the waves of wild magic all around me. Those senses are numbed when I shave the horn down, but I can still feel the magic that is looking for me. I don’t know what they want with me, but the shifter council has been trying to find me for months.”

Her father frowned. “What?”

“They are sending tendrils of magic out here and looking for me. I don’t know why, but they have stepped up their efforts.”

Her father asked, “Do you want to be found?”

“No. I am not ready for it.”

He nodded. “Then, we—as a family—will keep your secret to ourselves. No one outside this room will learn of it. Is everyone clear on that?”

Her sisters nodded, her mother nodded, her grandfather sat back in his chair and gave a slow nod.

“So, no one tells grandma. Right?”

Everyone got the same expressions of horror and nodded together. “Right!”

 

When Grandma showed up for a breakdown of what happened the night before, the herd scattered, and the bobcats went to check their territory. Ystella was stuck facing her mother’s mother alone.

Bryt Hist was a formidable matriarch and a terrifying grandmother. As a horse, she wouldn’t hesitate to kick or bite if you got out of line. Her discipline wasn’t too far off as a human.

The morning room was bright, and Ystella brought in a tea tray with an assortment of snacks for sweet or savoury tastes.

“So, Ystella. How was the party last night?”

Ystella braced for the interrogation, and she wasn’t disappointed.

A solid hour of barbs and questions on who danced with whom and why Ystella wasn’t dancing with the stallions or their seconds was enough to give her a headache, but her grandmother was worried about the next generation, and Ystella’s sisters couldn’t go to the mixers until Ystella was mated.

Ymira was grandmother’s favourite, and her mate was already picked out if Ystella could just get out of the way.

“You know, Ymira would have already closed the deal.”

Ystella nibbled at a cookie, and she nodded. “She is definitely a little on the slutty side.”

Her grandmother’s eyes opened wide. She paused for a handful of heartbeats, and then, she got to her feet and left the house. Ystella exhaled softly and gathered up the dishes.

She was washing the teacups when her mother returned looking pale. “What did you say to her?”

“I called Ymira a bit slutty.”

Her mother sighed and closed her eyes, leaning heavily on the counter. “She wants me to expel you from the house.”

Ystella blinked and carefully set the gilded cup on the draining board. “Will you?”

“I don’t want to, but she runs the herd. If I don’t...”

Ystella dried her hands and hugged her mother. “I understand. I can leave tomorrow or even this afternoon. Can I take one of the trucks?”

“You can take your car. I have your account books in my office.”

“Account books?”

Her mother smiled and cupped her cheek with one hand. “You don’t think I worked you like a mule since you were fourteen and didn’t use your efforts to set money aside for you?”

“Yeah. I kinda thought you did.”

Her mother chuckled. “Well, I may not show affection the way your father can, but I do it in my own manner.”

“I know you love us all, Mom.”

“You don’t seem terrified at the prospect of leaving.”

She sighed and leaned down to press her forehead against her mother’s. “I have been preparing for this day since I was a teen. I am just glad that the decision was hers and not yours.”

“So am I. I would never put you out. You know that.”

“I know. It is why I fought so hard to be normal, so the decision would never have to be made. I am glad it was my mouth that got me in trouble and not my other form.”

Her mother laughed and gave her a hard squeeze. “I never saw that happening any other way.”

She smacked her mom’s arm and pried herself loose. “I have to get packing. Then start calling aunts and uncles to see who has an extra bed.”

Her mother had tears in her eyes. “That sounds horrible.”

“Don’t think that. I am just too cheap to find a hotel room right away.”

Her mom nodded and chuckled as Ystella left her in the kitchen. “So, I will just finish these dishes for you?”

Ystella called back, “If you wouldn’t mind. I don’t live here, so I am not sure where anything goes.”

She could hear her mother cursing her all the way to her room. Ah, memories.

 

Ystella took the back road instead of the highway. She needed time to think, and there was nothing like the threat of flinging rocks to keep her speed under control.

She rounded a corner and hit the brakes, hard. There was a huge boulder in the centre of the road. She pulled over to the side, but she couldn’t go around it without hitting the ditch.

She parked and sat for a moment as the dust cleared. A huge fricking rock. That was just right for this particular day.

Ystella got out of the car and walked over to the rock. It was weird, it was like a giant turtle shell, but no turtles were over four feet high with their limbs tucked in.

She pushed at the thing, and it shifted slightly. That was a relief. She put her beast’s strength into it, and the pile slowly moved off the centre of the road and headed toward the ditch with her encouragement.

The shell started to get hot under her hands, and in a flare of light, her palms were no longer pressed against the stone-like mound, but instead, they were flattened against the chest of her dance partner from the night before.

Ystella jerked back and stared at him. His skin had the smooth leathery feel of a hoof and there was a lot of skin on display.

“You know, I still don’t know what you are, but you are stronger today than you were yesterday.”

She looked him up and down. “Uh, you are different as well.”

He grinned. “I am impressed by your strength. Most shifters can’t move a tortoise as old as I am.”

She blinked. “Is that what you are? I thought you were some kind of turtle.”

“Turtles swim. I sink.” He winked.

“I see. So, you were looking for me?”

“I was looking for the dancer from last night. I have been sent to find the mythical shifter that is flickering up here. You just happen to be the same person.”

Ystella frowned. “How did you know I would be out here?”

He looked around and picked up a pebble that had been dragged under his shell. “This is set to your magic signature. It tells me when you are close.”

“How did anyone get my signature?”

He smiled. “Shamans and magic users are looking for any odd signals. Yours qualified. So, will you tell me what you are?”

She smiled. “No. I will tell the council, though.”

He inclined his head. “You may want to lock your car door. We will send someone to move your car later.”

She turned and retrieved her keys, grabbing her phone and locking the door. She turned back to him and looked around, “So where are we—”

He wrapped his arms around her, and there was a bright flash. A heartbeat later and they were not on a dusty road anymore.