Chapter Twenty Six
Justin looked over at Cora and, for the first time, saw the smallest amount of strain in the way she held her mouth. He wondered if she needed more time to rest between the spells and just how powerful the spell was that she performed.
"Are you alright?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Cora had already been closing her eyes, but they flashed open at his words. "Of course, Master Justin." There was a warning in her words, telling him not to push the matter. He knew that it couldn't be easy being the only female royal mage, and he didn't want to do anything to make her look weak, even if she could use a moment more to rest. He really had no idea how any of the male mages would have handled the spell. For all he knew, she might be the strongest of the bunch, and that is why she was asked to do it. He nodded once to her and sat back in his chair, his eyes eagerly on the space above the table.
The second time she closed her eyes and raised her hands, Justin knew what to expect, so he didn't focus on her, but instead watched as the images began to form in the air. It was almost like the deconstruction of a windstorm, and in its place was a beautiful painting that looked like it could be touched.
Once the image finished forming, Justin looked back at Cora and noticed a quick breath of air leave her lungs as she slowly sat down in her chair. He knew for sure that she needed to rest before they pulled up the third option. He would do what he could to give her as much time as she needed.
Justin stood and took his time walking around the long table. He looked at the image from every angle and made sure to comment on both the positives and negatives of this as a potential place for the unicorns. As he was walking, a thought struck him.
"You know, we will really need two areas for the two mated pairs. If we don't want to use two of the three options, we may need to see if any of the options have a large water source and two smaller woods and fields."
Arts question came out tired and weary. "And why is that, Master Justin?" Justin wasn't sure whether Art was tired of all the things that would have to be done to get this new living area ready, or just of Justin throwing wrenches into their plans.
Justin held his head high and answered. "I know it isn't ideal, but what I know of unicorns, other than their mates, they are solitary creatures. One of the reasons that they may not be behaving properly in the stables is that they are too close together."
Oaklie looked at Art. "That does make sense. I have never read anything about unicorns living in herds. When they are mentioned, they are always alone or with their mate.
Arts' shoulders sagged, and Cora visibly relaxed in her seat as though she realized that she was going to have a moment to rest.
"Do you think any of the options that we have would work for two sets of unicorns without them constantly running into each other?" Justin paused for a moment as he thought of all of the information he had learned about unicorns over the years. "In my world, some of the older mythology about unicorns has them depicted as very volatile creatures. Later mythology shows them as gentler. I am not sure which one would apply here, but if it is the former, then we definitely need to err on the side of caution and keep them separate." After another pause, he asked, "Have the guards noticed them acting aggressively towards each other in any way?"
Philip and Oaklie looked at each other, and Justin was sure that a silent conversation was happening between them. "Philip?" Justin figured he would have a better chance of learning the truth from the quieter brother. "One of the guards did mention hearing loud stomping coming from one of the stalls, but he was outside the stables and said he didn't go in and check."
"Don't forget the wood." All eyes turned to Cora, who sat with her eyes closed, but her features were much more at ease than before. "Oh, yes." Philip cleared his throat as though uncomfortable with his next words. "When one of the guards went to give them their food, he saw deep marks in the wood of the stall as though one of the unicorns had tried to tear through it with his horn."
Justin sat forward in his chair, locked in on the conversation. "Were the marks on the wall nearest the other unicorns or on the door leading to the outside?"
This time, it was Oaklie who spoke. His earlier jovial mood was dampened by the seriousness of the conversation. "I believe the guard said it was in the stall wall facing the other unicorns, but I am not certain about that."
"Just like I thought. If the markings had been on the door, I would say that the unicorns were trying to get free. But I think the unicorns don't like being near each other, and one of them was showing his dominance. That tells me that we will need two completely separate enclosures for them to live in. We can't risk them coming in contact with each other or the dominant male will kill the other male and potentially kill the female. That is the last thing we want to happen."
The mood in the room was completely somber. "Well then," said Art. It looks like we will need to go with options one and two. Option three was a larger area that would have been suited for two sets of unicorns, but it was still not the ideal size for them to never run into each other. Now that we know that it can't be used, we will exclude that one. Justin, tell me. What do you think needs to be adjusted about the second option?"
While he looked over the image, still hovering above them, Justin took the time to calm his nerves and collect his thoughts. He noticed that while the second option had a smaller wooden area, the field was roughly the same size as the first, and the lake was surrounded by clovers and dandelions. That would make it much easier for the animals to adjust to being there. He smiled when he thought he saw a copse of berry bushes at the edge of the woods. Yes, while the first option needed some help in the food area, this one was already well on its way to being a great place for the unicorns to live.
"I think the first two options will work great. What I don't know is where we start in ensuring that the unicorns stay in the desired area. What are your thoughts?" He directed that question at the entire room, but it was Cora, fully rested, who spoke.