The fading glow of dusk settled over the old house as Christmas eve began drawing to a close. A breeze whispered through the trees of the forest surrounding it. Drifting snowflakes carpeted the world in white.

Another breeze ran through the trees, dislodging a clump of snow from one heavily-laden branch. A squirrel nibbling happily on his dinner below squeaked in affront as he was showered with ice-cold flakes. Shaking his ears, he scampered back up into the tree to re-join his family. He’d just made it into the shelter of the branches when something caught his eye—a light had flickered on in one of the windows of the old house nearby.

---

Tomas slogged through the deepening snow. He was tired and hungry and the jacket he wore was too threadbare to stop icy tendrils of air from penetrating through to his skin. Shivering, he came to a stop, hefting his backpack on one shoulder. At first glance it looked like he was in the middle of nowhere. Aching disappointment filled him—he’d been walking for hours through the forest, hoping to find shelter before nightfall. Now the sun was setting over the horizon and the biting air was growing even colder.

Blowing on numb fingers, he looked around again, this time his gaze snagging on a single flickering light amid the falling darkness. A moment later, the faint ring of bells drifted to him on the night air. When he frowned and stared harder into the gloom, he saw that the light was coming from a single window in an otherwise dark house. It was old and rambling, looking in dire need of repair. Still, it had a roof, and would be somewhere to shelter for the night. A wary relief trickled through him and he changed direction, making for the front gates. They stood open, one half-hanging off its hinges. Snatches of ringing bells sounded again and two more upper floor windows lit up as Tomas walked through the gates and began heading up the long driveway to the house. At one point he swore he could hear the sound of children’s laughter on the night air, even though his prints were the only ones in the pristine snow around the house.

Reaching the imposing front doors, he hesitated only a moment before pushing them open. They swung inwards with a groaning creak, and blessedly warm air rushed out, enveloping him almost like a caress. Stepping inside, Tomas stared in surprise at the fire burning merrily in the entrance foyer. An unbroken layer of dust covered the wooden floor and the mantle above the fireplace.

“Hello?”

The word echoed back at him over and over, seeming to reverberate through the entire house. No response came. Shrugging, Tomas closed the doors to keep out the cold and stepped closer to the fireplace. As he stood there, debating what to do next, an arched door to his right swung open soundlessly. Golden-orange firelight from beyond shone through, illuminating the motes of dust floating through the air.

“This is creepy,” he muttered. But oddly enough he didn’t feel any fear. His instincts were sharp, and usually warned him if there was something wrong nearby. This old house was certainly odd, but not dangerous.

The bells sounded again, louder this time, almost immediately followed by a snatch of bright music. He was still debating whether to walk further inside when a rustling sound from above had him turning and edging back towards the front door. Moments later, a small figure appeared through one of the windows set high up in the wall, carefully lowering herself down. Tomas stared in astonishment as the girl dropped lightly to the floor, brushing clouds of dust and snow from her clothes, before turning to scowl at him. Though she only reached his shoulder in height, she looked about his own age, her clothing as ragged as his.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“Who are you?”

She looked around, her glance taking in the dusty floor and the melting snow from his boots. Wariness surrounded her like a cloak, and if Tomas hadn’t recognised that feeling so easily, he might have been more intimidated by her scowl and challenging words. “You don’t live here either.”

He shrugged, keeping his shoulders relaxed. He sensed no danger from this girl either, and something inside him, something lonely, thought it might be nice to have some company. “I came looking for shelter for the night. The house seems empty, though.”

Her scowl deepened. “Lit that fire all by yourself, did you?”

“No, it was lit when I walked in.” After hesitating a moment, Tomas reached out a hand. “I’m Tomas.”

She stared disdainfully at his hand until he dropped it. “Amerla.”

“So,what are you here to steal?” he asked, unable to help the smirk that crossed his face.

“Like you, I’m just looking for shelter,” she said casually. He didn’t buy it for a second—the way her eyes were roving the room indicated someone familiar with casing a place. He’d done it often enough himself to know. “The snow is getting heavier out there.”

The sound of bells echoed through the house again. Tomas offered a smile. “It’s not a good night for being outside. This house seems pretty big. I’m happy to share if you are.”

“Try anything and I’ll stab you in the eyeballs,” she muttered, striding past him towards the open door.

Grinning,Tomas turned and followed. His mouth fell open in surprise as he stepped through. This room was lit by another crackling fire that filled the cosy space with the sweet scent of cedar. A Christmas tree stood in the corner, decorated with lights and baubles and a bright golden star. A long, plush-looking couch sat across from the hearth, a neatly folded quilt sitting at each end.

They both jumped as a scratching sound came from the old record player in the corner. Moments later, the tune to ‘jingle bells’ hummed softly from the speakers.

“This is weird.” Amerla’s eyebrows were narrowed in suspicion. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”

“Neither do I.” Tomas looked around the room one more time before dropping his backpack to the floor. “But it’s cold and dark outside. I’m staying.”

She stared at him for a long moment before finally conceding with a sigh. “You’re right.”

As Tomas and Amerla cautiously approached the couch, the door behind them silently swung shut, keeping the warmth in the room. Outside, red and green fairy lights strung along the eaves of the roof suddenly turned on. The chiming of bells swelled.

---

“So, what are you running from?”

Surprised she’d been the one to open conversation, Tomas shrugged. “The usual.”

Amerla acknowledged that with a small, sad smile. “You headed anywhere in particular?”

“Just away. As far as I can get.” He might be lonely, but he wasn’t in the mood to share his story. Not thinking about why he was running was the only way to stay sane sometimes.

Silence fell around them again, broken occasionally by popping from the fireplace.Tomas leaned down to pull off his boots and stretch his frozen toes out towards the warmth of the fire. “How long have you been on your own?”

“Long enough,” she said softly.

His stomach rumbled then, breaking the tenseness. Her swift grin, as brief as it was, warmed Tomas. She has a face made for smiling.

“I’m bored.” She rose to her feet. “I’m going to see what’s through there.”

Made sleepy by the warmth despite his hunger, Tomas stayed on the couch while Amerla crossed to the only other door in the room. This time it was the sound of chimes that echoed through the house as the door opened. Unbeknownst to Tomas or Amerla, lights now flickered in all the windows of the Christmas House.

“Tomas! You’re going to want to see this.”

At the stunned note in her voice, Tomas leaped off the couch and followed her through the door, stopping dead at the sight laid out before him. He’d entered a kitchen, the table running down its centre groaning under the amount of food lying on it. There were steaming mince pies, a whole roasted turkey, platters of roasted potatoes and a dish of green beans. Off to the side sat frosted Christmas cupcakes, a bowl full of candy canes and at least ten crunchy bread rolls. On the stove, bubbling away happily, was a large pot of what smelled like spiced apple cider.

His mouth watered, his hunger—long ignored—surging with a vengeance.

“I think this is for us.” Amerla’s voice was light with disbelief.

Tomas reached out to rest his hand gently against the wall in thanks.”Yeah, I think it is.”

---

Tomas sat back against the deliciously soft cushions and let out a contented sigh. He thought his stomach might burst if he tried to fit any more in… he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to eat until he was full. Amerla sat on the opposite end of the couch, one hand toying with a loose thread on the quilt that had been left there.

“Tomorrow… ” she began speaking, then fell silent.

“Yeah?” he gently encouraged.

“I was thinking of heading north.”

She was staring down at her hands, so he felt safe in letting out the smile that spread across his face. “Seems like a good direction to go in.”

“Okay, then.”

“Tomorrow is Christmas, though. I think we should stay here one more night.”

Around them, the bells chimed.

That quicksilver smile lit up Amerla’s face again. “I’m okay with that.”

---

The squirrel scampered across the roof of the Christmas House before swinging down one of the drainpipes towards the ground. It was just after midnight, and the Christmas lights adorning the house glowed brightly against the white snow. The squirrel paused above one of the arched windows, looking through the frosted glass in curiosity.

Inside were two young people. A crackling fire flickered in the grate, casting a warm pool of light around the sofa sitting before the hearth. Empty mince tart wrappers littered the surface, along with two empty mugs and the remnants of a cherry pie.

A young man was in the middle of the sofa, legs sprawled out and resting on the coffee table, head leaning to the side and resting on the cushions, fast asleep. The girl was curled in the far corner, one hand resting almost close enough to touch the boy’s shoulder.

Outside,the squirrel turned and headed back towards his tree, the memory of warmth and burgeoning friendship following him all the way back home…

The end.

Merry Christmas!

Lisa

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

A bead of sweat trickled down my forehead. I swiped at it with the sleeve of my jacket, trying to ignore the anxiousness pressing down on me like an iron weight.

Getting in had been easy enough.

A short drive. Down two floors in the elevator and then a brief mingle with the afternoon crowds. Innocuous, just one of the flow as I crossed the street. The rest of the team had arrived as planned, in singles or pairs, just like me. No issues, they reported.

That had been my job. Getting us all here. Getting us all in.

But getting in had been the easy part.

We all knew that once inside there was limited time. An hour, to be exact. Sixty precious minutes.

My gaze flicked from my watch to where Kayzee hunched over the safe, Spartacus at his side holding our only torch. The two of them were talking quickly, raising and then discarding ideas for getting inside. Spartacus said something about algorithms. I nodded along with the others, even though it was dark. Even though I had no idea what he was talking about.

I felt my foot begin to tap and ruthlessly stopped it. Glanced sideways at Iris, who looked calm as always. We took that calm from her. It’s what made us so effective. That, and the individual skills we brought to the table.

Forty-two minutes.

“I think I’ve got it.”

A soft click followed by a tiny flash of green light proved Kayzee’s words. My shoulders relaxed slightly. We were past the first stage.

“Great work guys,” JC murmured. He was good like that. Always with the genuine words of encouragement.

Spartacus and Kayzee worked quickly to pull several documents and a key from inside the safe. A brief glance showed the documents were a mix of numbers and letters, no images. As expected. Anticipation curled in me as Iris took the papers and the torch.

“Forty minutes left,” said Spencer. He liked to point out the obvious. I glanced at him, raised an eyebrow. He gave a rueful shrug.

I tried not to hover as Iris frowned over the documents, the light from our small torch casting her shadow across the wall behind. My glance switched nervously between her and the room’s single door, hoping the light couldn’t be seen beyond it.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The walkie-talkie lying on the room’s only table suddenly crackled to life. Our heads came up sharply. Kayzee jumped almost a foot into the air. Spartacus raised a finger to his lips for quiet. The man’s words were indistinct, mostly unclear. I thought I caught the word ‘exit’ and maybe ‘shift’.

“Doesn’t sound like they’re raising the alarm,” Kayzee said. “How you doing, Iris?”

“It’s as we hoped,” she replied. “They’re ledgers. Offshore account details, transactions, that sort of thing.”

“The ones we needed?”

“I think so. Just give me a few seconds to make sure.” Paper rustled as she finished scanning one and started on the next.

I couldn’t help glancing at the door again. In thirty minutes we either walked out of here or we were never leaving. It felt like the room was getting hotter, even though I knew rationally it couldn’t be. This was an air-conditioned facility—the temperature would be at a steady 22 degrees.

“This is what we were after,” Iris spoke firmly, her hands quickly folding the papers up and shoving them into her jacket.

“Right, time to roll.” The words had just left Kayzee’s mouth when the walky-talky crackled again. This time, the voice on the other end was agitated. Alarmed even. Instinct prickled and I ran for the door, my hand closing over the cool metal of the handle just as a loud buzzing noise echoed through the room. It was immediately followed by a click. I tugged down hard on the handle, part of me already knowing what had happened.

“It’s locked.” I tried to keep my voice calm but it came out edged with tension.

“They’ve put the facility in lockdown,” Iris observed.

JC went straight to one of the walls. “Time to switch to plan B.”

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Spencer added. He could be good with the encouragement too.

We had planned for this, and now we split up, separating around the room to look for the other exit. We were about eighty percent sure there was one. There had to be. A room this important—with what it held? Of course there was another way in! Well, probably there was another way…

My palms slid over smooth paneling, testing, probing, searching for a weakness, or a hollow area. My heart beat in time with the seconds ticking down on my glowing watch.

Twenty-three minutes.

Tick. Tick. The damn thing was inexorable.

“Here,” JC called out softly.

In seconds we were clustered around him. He’d removed a panel from the wall, beyond which was an electronic interface with a key code.

“How much you want to bet we put in the wrong code and it locks down, sets off an alarm, or both?” Spencer muttered.

“Both, most likely,” Spartacus said decidedly. I couldn’t help a brief smile. Never one for sugar-coating was our Spartacus.

“There will be a clue here somewhere,” I said, more hopeful than confident. “Iris, see if there is anything in the documents. The rest of us can search the room.”

We’d just lurched into movement when pounding feet sounded outside, rapidly approaching. We froze in position, collectively holding our breaths, then expelling them in a simultaneous whoosh as the footsteps continued past the door and onwards.

“They know we’re in the facility,” Kayzee said unnecessarily.

“Either that or they’re doing a fire drill,” JC joked.

I smiled, appreciating the attempt at humour. “They’ll work out where we are eventually.”

“Either way we’re screwed if we’re not out in seventeen minutes,” Spartacus murmured absently. He was hunkered down before the electronic keypad. “I recognise this type of keypad. It will be a four digit code.”

“How confident of that are you?” Iris asked.

He cocked his head, serious. “About ninety percent.”

A thought abruptly occurred to me. “What was the key for? The one that was with the papers in the safe.”

Kayzee held it up. “It looks like a key fob to a car. It’s not badged though, so impossible to tell what the make is.”

“But why was it in the….”

My words trailed off as more boots sounded in the corridor outside, this time slowing as they got closer.

“Got it!” Spencer clambered out from under the table, clutching a yellow post-it. “5436.”

“They wrote the password on a post it and stuck it under the table?” Kayzee’s voice was thick with disbelief.

“You have a better idea, Kayzee?” JC wanted to know.

Spartacus hesitated. “He’s right though. I mean, what if—”

I wasn’t sure where I came down on this argument, but those running feet outside certainly seemed to be slowing down as they got closer to our…oh, they were definitely slowing down. Stopping even. Right outside the door.

“Put the code in, Spartacus!” JC’s voice went up an octave.

I heard the distant beeps of Spartacus entering the code as I backed up towards him, gaze fixated on the doorway. There was a fifth beep, then a whooshing sound. Then more beeps, this time from a code panel outside the main door.

‘They’re coming in.” Spencer. Again with the obvious.

There was no time for hesitation. One by one we ran through into the dark rectangle that had opened up in the back of the room. I promptly ran into the back of JC, apologized, then rolled my eyes hard as Spartacus came through last and barrelled into me. He swung shut the door just as the front door opened.

Complete and utter blackness descended around us.

“Anyone think to bring the torch with them?” Iris’s voice floated, disembodied, in the blackness.

I imagined a whole lot of staring at each other. Heard shuffling feet. Fortunately, nobody decided to assign blame. That was us, though. Mistakes and victories belonged to us all.

“Hands on shoulders and we move in single file,” JC suggested.

“In which direction?” Kayzee asked.

This time it was me who couldn’t resist. At least the brief illumination of my watch gave us a flash of light. “Twelve minutes, guys.”

“Pick a direction and start walking.” A slight thread of irritation in Iris’s voice.

JC ahead of me. Iris behind. Both super tall. After a while my arms began to ache. The darkness didn’t dissipate and so we moved slowly. I didn’t envy Kayzee in the lead. When my watch told me we were down to eight minutes, there was a muffled curse from ahead, and then the forward movement suddenly stopped.

“We’ve hit a door, I think,” Kayzee’s voice floated down. “I can’t feel a handle, though.”

“What about another keypad?” This from Spartacus.

“There must be. Hang on…”

Silence descended as Kayzee searched. I fought the urge to begin tapping my foot again. Failed to fight the urge to check my watch.

“I think I found something…”

Light flashed into the corridor as a circular keypad the size of a tennis ball lit up; it looked more like a combination lock than a keypad. Numbers and letters surrounded the edges, with an arrow for each direction of the compass highlighted. After three seconds the light clicked off and they were plunged into darkness once again.

A booming sound echoed through the space. I swallowed, pretty sure the sound had come from where we’d just been. Were they after us already?

“Check the key,” I suggested. “There has to be a reason it was in the safe.”

A small click as JC dug it out of his pocket and pressed the button to release the key. He pressed it up against the glowing digits of his own watch. “I can just make out some letters and numbers.”

“Start typing, guys,” Brett, glancing behind us. Hearing what I had. Footsteps.

“I’m on it,” Kayzee shifted back to the door while JC began reading out the numbers imprinted on the key.

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer. Unconsciously we all began pressing forward, pushing Kayzee harder up against the door.

“Guys!” he said sharply. “Give me some room.”

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Six minutes.

I took a deliberate step away. Looked back the way we’d come, even though it was pitch black. What would they be sending after us? Would it be worse than what happened if we weren’t out of the facility in seven minutes?

I didn’t really want to find out.

I jumped when Kayzee gave a triumphant shout, then eagerly pulled open on the lock and tugged it off the door. He gave it a shove and it swung open noiselessly.

Excited, relieved, full of adrenalin, we poured through into the room beyond. A young man sat behind a desk, feet up on the surface, finishing off the remains of his lunch. At our appearance, he put down his food and beamed at us.

“Well done guys, you did it. Only 36% of groups successfully make it out of that escape room in sixty minutes. You managed it with four minutes to spare!”

There were fist bumps and high fives. Maybe some back-slapping too.

“Beers?” Kayzee suggested as they collected phones and wallets from the locker.

“Damn straight,” Spencer nodded.

I grinned as I followed them out the door. “We should do that again sometime.”

A thin tendril of mist seeped through a crack in the sewer grate, giving off an oddly colourful hue. The tendril grew slowly thicker, and brighter, its rainbow glow driving away the dark shadows of the deserted alley. Then, suddenly, a rasping sound came from the grate as it shifted, slowly moving aside. A nearby rat gave a startled squeak and scurried away.

For a long moment all was silence. Then, a figure climbed slowly out of the sewer, its aura lit up with the same rainbow glow. Almost immediately the glow began to fade until the alley was dark again and the figure indiscernible amongst the shadows.

The unicorn looked around, taking a moment to adjust to her new surroundings. The air was cold, causing goosebumps to break out on the skin of her human form. A faintly putrid scent rode the bitter night air, and the distinct sound of scrabbling feet had her forcing back a shudder. She hated rats.

Still, apart from its furry residents and awful smell, the alley appeared empty – exactly what she’d been hoping for. It wouldn’t do for the human residents of this world to see the arrival of a visitor from…well…another world. Not many of them knew other worlds even existed. Steadying herself, the unicorn reached out for her two friends, but nothing was there. Frowning, she tried again, using more of her unicorn power. Although it was limited in this world, it should have no difficulty finding two people she knew so well…

But there was nothing. She couldn’t feel them at all.

The unicorn let out a sigh. She’d been away so long, and there had always been the possibility they might be long gone. Still, some part of her had hoped…

A chill breeze swept through the alley, and she shivered, glancing down at the thick, hooded cloak hanging from her right hand – the only thing she’d brought with her from home. She felt warmer the instant the cloak settled over her shoulders, and for a moment she rested her cheek against the green cloth, memories of its owner making her smile.

A sound, sharp and shrill, ripped through the alley, tearing her from her thoughts and making her jump. By the time she realised it was just a car horn, her heart was pounding and she was reminded of the reason she’d come back. The best way for her to accomplish what she needed and save her homeland was to find her two friends. They would know more than she did about the demons. They could help.

Closing her eyes, the unicorn drew upon her power and allowed her surroundings to dissolve from her mind’s eye. Instead, she pictured the place she wanted to travel to, populating the image with as much detail as she could remember and focusing on it with fierce concentration. Then, she let out a deep breath.

Opening her eyes, she found the image from her mind right across the street from her. Just like she remembered, the warm glow from inside the bar spilled out onto the pavement while inside its patrons smiled and laughed as they clustered in groups both small and large. The unicorn crossed the square in quick strides and opened the door, the warm heat inside soothing her chilled body. Almost as soon as she stepped inside, however, she knew that her friends weren’t there.

Disappointment flooded her so strongly she froze, her hand gripping the handle as she leaned against the door for support. The distraction had been momentary, but long enough for her to miss the approach of two men coming up swiftly behind her.  The first she knew of the attack was a strong arm wrapping around her neck, and a thick, sweet-smelling cloth being pressed over her nose.

Then all she knew was blackness…

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

When the unicorn woke, it was to feel an odd lethargy and nausea knotting her stomach. Pain throbbed in her shoulders from where her wrists had been pulled back and bound tightly behind the chair she was sitting on. There was no way of knowing how long she’d been unconscious. Great, she thought to herself. Barely an hour back in this world and already kidnapped. After that whole diatribe she’d unloaded on the unicorn council about how capable she was in surviving the human world.

“Who are you?”

The unicorn looked up, blinking the blurriness from her vision as she searched for the source of the voice. The faint light from a small lamp in the corner didn’t help. After a few moments, her gaze fell on another young woman across the room, similarly tied to a chair. “My name is Steph.”

“You’re a unicorn, aren’t you?”

“On my better days.” She winced as she tried to move her wrists and succeeded only in rubbing already raw skin. “How could you tell?”

“You were glowing there for a while.” The girl paused. “They call me the Hacker.”

The hacker? What kind of name was that? Wait…this girl knew about unicorns? Her groggy thoughts were slowly clearing, and she shook her head, trying to dispel the remaining cloudiness. “Why are you here? Do you know who kidnapped us?”

“I haven’t a clue,” the girl said cheerfully. Far too cheerfully for someone tied to a chair.

The unicorn peered at the girl, wondering if she was entirely sane.

“Can’t unicorns travel wherever they want?” the girl asked, brown ponytail bobbing as she looked around the room.

“You know a lot about unicorns,” she noted. More oddities. “There’s something in the walls of this room blocking my power. It’s a trick demons have.”

“Demons?” the hacker asked blankly. “Did they give you some type of drug? Are you feeling all right?”

“You know about unicorns, but not demons?” the unicorn asked. “Who are you?”

“I’m very sheltered,” she announced proudly.

A heavy thump sounded just outside the room’s only door, stopping further conversation in its tracks. The unicorn froze, staring intently at the door. There were no further sounds, but the unicorn kept watching, heart beating faster, anticipation rising…

Bam!

The door was kicked open with enough force to rip it from its hinges and send it clattering to the ground. The unconscious – or dead – body of a demon lay slumped on the floor outside. Hope flared in the unicorn’s chest as she instantly recognised the dark clothing and mask of a ninja, but no…. this one was too tall. This ninja paused at the threshold and glanced coolly between the two women in the room, her gaze lingering just a second longer on the unicorn.

“If you two would like to escape, I’d suggest you get moving before they come back.”

“That’s such a lovely offer, but…” the hacker began, but the unicorn cut her off.

“Our hands are tied.”

“Oh, right.” The ninja pulled a knife from somewhere on her body – she was too quick for the unicorn to see where – and crossed the room in long strides to swiftly and efficiently cut the ropes binding both women’s’ hands. The unicorn stood instantly, flexing her aching wrists and determinedly ignoring the dizziness that swept through her.

“Follow me.” The ninja was already heading out the door.

The unicorn and the hacker followed as the ninja led them down a narrow hallway and up a dim flight of stairs. They passed three more demon bodies along the way.  The door at the top of the stairs was unguarded, and led through into another corridor. From here they exited out into bright afternoon sunlight.

“Why did you help us?” The unicorn asked, blinking rapidly against the glare. A warehouse stood behind them, and the entire area looked deserted.

The ninja shrugged slightly and passed her a folded scrap of paper. “I have my reasons. Good luck to the both of you.”

By the time the unicorn had glanced down at the paper in her hands, and then back up, the ninja had vanished.

“I think I’m going to leave too,” the hacker said. “It was nice meeting you, Steph.”

“Oh.” The unicorn gestured vaguely towards where the ninja had stood only moments ago. “I take it you’re good with ninjas too. Just not demons.”

“Right.” The hacker beamed. “No such thing. Ninjas are pretty cool though – especially the way they can literally fade into a shadow.”

“Okay,” the unicorn said faintly, beginning to wonder if maybe she’d sustained a head injury in the kidnapping. Her human form was more fragile than her normal one.

“Look me up if you’re ever in Boston.” The hacker smiled and began walking away. After a few moments, she paused and turned back. “Oh, and my name is Rose.”

Once Rose had vanished from sight, the unicorn unfolded the paper in her hands, taking a few moments to decipher the scrawled handwriting. It was an address. After committing it to memory, she crumpled the paper and let it drop to the ground, frustration sweeping through her. She hadn’t been back more than a day, and already she’d been kidnapped and then rescued by a stranger. There was no trace of her friends, and her homeland was still in terrible danger.

With another sigh, she leaned down and picked up the paper, tucking it into her pocket. Her memory wasn’t that great, in all honesty. Closing her eyes, she summoned her power and focused hard on the address in the note.  A cacophony of beeping horns and car engines surrounded her as she opened her eyes to find herself standing on a busy road in the middle of a city.

Turning around, she saw the doorway to a small shop. The number on the door matched the one written on the scrap of paper. Straightening her cloak, the unicorn pushed open the door and walked inside. Chimes over the door tinkled merrily at her entrance, and it took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the dimness inside.  When they did, it was to see a young woman with tied-back blonde hair coming towards her.

“Welcome, welcome,” she said pleasantly. “I take it you’re looking for someone?”

“Excuse me?” the unicorn asked.

“Oh, you’re a unicorn,” she said delightedly. “I haven’t seen one if your kind in many years. So who are you looking for?”

“I’m not…I mean, how do you…?”

“I’m a wizard whose specialty is looking for things,” the woman said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Why else would you be here?”

“I don’t know why I’m here, to be honest. My homeland is in danger, and I came here to try and save them, and I need the help of my two friends, but they’re gone, so…” The unicorn rubbed at her temples where a headache was beginning to throb.

“Oh, I see. Well…” The wizard patted her pockets until finding what she was looking for inside her jacket. It was a long, slim wand. She focused carefully on it, and a spark of blue light shot out of the wand and hit a nearby stack of books. The stack toppled to the ground and a faint burning smell filled the air. “I can help you save the world.”

The unicorn stared at her, trying to work out how to respond, when the chimes over the door sounded again and someone else came rushing in, breathless. At the sight of the unicorn standing with the wizard, her shoulders sagged in apparent relief.

“I finally caught up with you! Phew.”

The unicorn eyed the newcomer, who couldn’t have stood taller than her shoulders, in astonishment. “Who are you?”

“I’m Levs, the amazon.”

“I’m Ami!” the wizard pushed past the unicorn to offer Levs her hand.

“Hi, nice to meet you!” They shook hands enthusiastically, and then the amazon turned to the unicorn. “I was told your world is in danger and I’m to help you.”

This day was officially insane. There most definitely had to be a serious head injury of some sort. Rolling with it, the unicorn lifted an eyebrow. “Told by who?”

“No clue. The orders were in a letter pushed under my door this morning.”

“I’m helping too!” the wizard said excitedly.

“Great. Should we get started?” the amazon head for the door.

The unicorn sat on the nearest chair and took a deep breath. “I need a coffee first.”

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Across the street, a hooded watcher saw as first the unicorn, and then the amazon, walked into the wizard’s shop.

This was an interesting development indeed.

“Fred, are they inside?” His partner appeared to relieve his shift.

“They are. Should we take action now?”

“No, our orders are to keep watch for the moment.”

“All right. Enjoy your shift, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

Fred drew the hood of his cloak further down over his face, and then turned and walked into the convenience store…

To be continued…