The magician's home was built between two towering rock formations, overlooking the edge of the city. It took about an hour for Isla-Dove to make her way from the seamstress shop to this part of town. As she approached the rickety stairwell that led up to the large house's door, she took a moment to compose herself.
The magician was well-known for agreeing to help people, yet everybody spoke of him with hesitancy and caution. Something about him didn't seem right. Isla-Dove had never met him personally. All she knew was through sources such as Marina, Princess Kerensa, and Prince Romare.
The house was covered in ivy and moss, yet it still looked fresh and welcoming. There were six different pieces to the home spread out, with ladders attaching them all to one another. It was intriguing, as if instead of consolidating each space into separate rooms like what was normally done in a house, each room was placed individually on the rock formation for extra privacy. It was beautiful. It was daunting. Isla-Dove didn't like heights if she didn't feel stable and safe from falling. As she climbed the stairwell, she clenched the railing rather tightly.
Small waterfalls cascaded down between the rocks. As she got closer to the house, she realized there were even waterfalls directly behind each room, the water spraying its droplets against the ladders.
That wasn't safe at all.
There was one room situated at the top of the rock formation. It was the largest room. There were two beneath that one, two more beneath the first set, and then one at the bottom.
The one Isla-Dove had just reached.
She caught her breath as she stood by the door, the waterfalls cool mist meeting her skin and leaving tiny droplets of dew in her curls. Two ladders hung at either side of her, swaying and inviting her to climb one of them up to a higher room.
Not today, she thought to herself. She inhaled deeply before rapping on the door. She almost couldn't hear it over the rush of water around her. She did hear a sudden scratching noise a moment later. Isla-Dove took a quick step back, gaze falling to the threshold where the sound came from. She didn't see anything.
It must have been coming from the other side of the door.
She was even more cautious now, glancing around. What was on the other side? She knocked again, louder that time. Was the magician even home?
No sound but the continuation of scratching. Isla-Dove glanced over her shoulder, finding comfort that this home wasn't in a remote area but, instead, on the border of civilization. It made going there less intimidating.
When she turned back to the door, a dark figure was emerging from the waterfall behind the room. She gasped, stumbling back, which resulted in her tripping over her dress. She cried out, hands flying to grab something before she fell down the stairwell. Something grabbed hold of her hand and yanked her back up, not letting go until she was stable on her feet. Her legs shook rather violently as she glanced back down the stairwell.
That would've been a painful fall.
"Can I help you?"
She turned to the person who had come through the waterfall. He eyed her curiously, wet hair hanging around his face. His drenched clothes clung to his body.
"H-Hi." Isla-Dove cleared her throat. "I'm here to speak with the magician."
His dark eyes held her gaze for a moment before he extended a hand. "Enid The Magician, at your service."
She accepted his cold hand, wincing when he squeezed it. "Isla-Dove Kepperton, sir. I...I'm here to request help."
His thin lips lifted into a smile that changed his dark eyes to a light hue of green. Isla-Dove was taken aback at the sight, but before she could say anything, he spoke. "My eyes change with my mood. Quite rare and rather annoying. A betrayal when I want to be unreadable."
"I'm not sure what dark or green mean, so it's still unreadable to me." Isla-Dove smiled tentatively but stepped back when there was a bang at the door.
Enid looked at it before laughing. "Ah, yes. Do come in and meet my noisy friend."
Noisy friend.
He pushed the door open. Before Isla-Dove could step into the room, something on the ground came barreling toward her. She nearly shrieked and was quite close to kicking it, but Enid stooped down to pick it up. It wiggled around in his arms, a sound suspiciously close to a growl coming from it. It was a happy growl...a young one.
"This is my midnight wolf, Vaite. He's just a pup right now."
The creature paused his wiggling to look up at Isla-Dove. Red eyes met hers. He had streaks of red mixed into the black fur all across his body too. A beautiful animal...but Isla-Dove knew the stories of midnight wolves. Full grown, they were very dangerous creatures. Creatures that hunted unicorns.
With there only being one unicorn left, it would be really hard on midnight wolves instincts. If unicorns went extinct, what would they do?
Isla-Dove studied the pup cautiously. It was very cute, big eyes looking up at her with matching wariness. Enid chuckled at the sight before shifting the wolf to one arm and gesturing toward the open door.
"Would you like to come inside?"
Isla-Dove nodded, stepping past him to take in the cozy room. There was a desk to the right, cluttered with paper and half-empty bottles of different colored liquids. Rows of shelves lined the walls, holding items that Isla-Dove would not be able to name. The room seemed more like a work space, which meant his sleeping quarters and location where he prepared meals was one of the different rooms up the ladders outside.
"I'm sorry to intrude," Isla-Dove said, eyes falling on a map spread out on the ground at the center of the room.
Enid waved his hand dismissively, picking up a bottle and opening the lid. He poured some of the clear liquid onto his palm before running his fingers through his hair. Isla-Dove stared as the water dripping off of him evaporated, leaving him completely dry. "No need to apologize. I'm a magician. People come and go often."
Isla-Dove nodded. "Of course. Um, well, I'm here to ask for your help."
"As are most who visit."
She hesitated, uncertain about what she was going to ask. Enid didn't spare her a glance as he knelt on the ground to roll the map up. Vaite curled up by a leg of the desk, staring at Isla-Dove. She fisted her dress tightly, taking a deep breath before saying: "I am currently a servant to a seamstress - the most sought-after seamstress in Taisu, Miss Capen. I am forced to pay off a debt my parents were in before they died because they binded the deal with magic. I am here to ask for your aid in freeing myself. Please. Miss Capen won't accept the money payment equivalent to my labor but I'm sure she would accept if she were given much more than the exact sum."
"You wish for me to buy your freedom from her?" Now Enid looked at her, raising an eyebrow...though his eyes did twinkle, as if he weren't at all surprised by her request. "I'm a magician, yet you request what any person owns? Money? You don't wish for me to use magic at all?"
"Not unless it involves conjuring more money." Isla-Dove said it jokingly, her voice shaking. She stepped forward. "Please. I know you request something in return. I'll do anything."
The magician was quiet as he finished rolling up the map and storing it away in a cupboard. His eyes met hers. They were now a dark shade of gold. "How desperate are you for this?"
"This is all I've ever wanted. I don't wish to spend my life wasting away as a slave. I want to travel; to make a life of my own."
"Would you be willing to slay a unicorn?" Time seemed to freeze at that moment. The breath caught in Isla-Dove's throat. She stared at Enid. Was he being serious? As she held his gaze, she realized he was. He closed his eyes and continued: "There is only one unicorn left in the entire world, as you may know. She would live to be millions of years old if humanity left her untouched. But her horn is very powerful - especially because she's the last one - and I could use it for things that are otherwise unimaginable...like curing any illness and healing any wound."
The last unicorn. Only seventy-three days ago, there had been six unicorns left. Five had mysteriously disappeared. Wizards were now only able to track one.
One.
Isla-Dove never thought she'd be the one to kill it. She never thought she'd ever murder something.
But it would gain her six years of life. Six years where she didn't have to worry about scavenging for food or floggings from Miss Capen. Six years that her scars could fully heal. Within that time, she could see so many parts of the world and do hundreds of things. She wouldn't have to wait until she was on her 26th year of living.
"The death of unicorns comes with a curse for the killer," Isla-Dove said. "Curses are not taken lightly."
"I would help the best I could to break the curse for you," Enid promised, his tone gentle. "Perhaps we could even find a wizard to do it."
A wizard. They could break it in a heartbeat, but they were very uncommon. Finding the unicorn would be easier than finding one of them.
"For freedom, I...I could kill the unicorn." She straightened, nodding her head. "As long as I have your word to help with any curse, yes."
"You have my word." Enid smiled. It made the pit of Isla-Dove's stomach twist. This was not something to smile about. "We have an agreement! You bring me the unicorn's horn, and I will pay for your freedom as well as assist with the curse." He stepped forward to put a hand on her shoulder when she didn't respond. "That horn will save millions of lives."
Isla-Dove only nodded, trying not to let tears brim her eyes. "The unicorn could be anywhere in the world though. I can't leave Taisu."
"Oh, she's in Taisu. Remember, we're the unicorn country? This is where they migrate for two-hundred days every year. You have approximately eighty-three days left until she'll leave for the remainder of the year. You need to retrieve her horn within this time frame or you'll have to wait until the next migration."
Isla-Dove nodded. He was right.
"I hate to cut the visit short but I was actually in the middle of something when you came knocking." Enid squeezed her shoulder reassuringly before leading her to the door. "It was very nice meeting you, Miss Kepperton. You're a nice young lady."
"Thank you." She gave him a smile as she stepped outside the door. "I really appreciate your help."
"Not a problem at all." His eyes were back to a light green as he continued smiling. "The sooner you get the horn, the sooner I help you. Last thing to do is shake on it." He extended his hand. "Deal?"
Isla-Dove placed her hand in his, only then realizing that it was trembling. "Deal."
He squeezed it before nodding, stepping back, and closing the door. She stared at the wood, collecting her thoughts. The mist from the waterfalls helped cool down her flushed cheeks. Was she really going to kill a unicorn? The last one?
Enid would use the horn to save millions of lives. This was a good thing. As Isla-Dove descended down the stairs to dirt ground, she repeated that statement in her head over and over again, trying to convince herself that killing it would be for the best. Guilt still gnawed at her stomach. She had a hard time looking at meat from animals that she hadn't even killed in the market. How could she willingly be the reason a life was drained?
Isla-Dove shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She could and she would...for freedom.
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The image at the top is mostly how I picture Vaite. It's a stuffed animal but it gives you a good idea haha. Pretty damn cute!
I plan to come back to this chapter and add more to it since it's fairly short. For now, this is what we've got. I'm excited for you all to see the plot progress! 😄