After hours of revelry, I look up to see the full moon and shiver. The people start to stop dancing and singing. There is a strange feeling in the air. I see the Priestesses are huddled in a circle. Father holds Mother closer. The people whisper, and huddle together.

Then, out of the darkness of the forest a black shape appears. I shudder as I see its red eyes. It steps out into the moonlight, and I see that it is a black Unicorn.

Lanya holds up her hands. "You are not welcome here."

Her guards point their spears at the Unicorn. It raises its head and stares into her eyes.

"We stopped that tradition long ago," Lanya says. "We will not give you what you seek."

The Unicorn pins its ears. It looks around the clearing, its eyes resting on the girls in light blue dresses. Then it hits me. It must want a girl to train. Ryndia must have once had Priestesses trained in the darkness of nature as well.

The Unicorn turns its red eyes on me. We lock eyes for a few heartbeats. Mother grips my shoulder, but I hardly notice. The Unicorn starts walking toward me.

"Stop!" Lanya yells commandingly.

She shoots a beam of white light and the Unicorn. It flicks its ears as the light hits it, but is otherwise unaffected. Father stands in front of me protectively, but I move around him. Something pulls me to this Unicorn.

The Unicorn stops in front of me, and we stand there for a few heartbeats. Then I tentatively reach out my hand, and the Unicorn touches it with his horn. I feel something surge through me, and when I look at my hand I see a dark circle on my palm.

"Follow me," I hear a voice in my head that is filled with power, wisdom, and maybe sadness say. It sounds male.

I follow the Unicorn, the back of my mind registering the weeping of Mother and the chanting of the Priestesses.

"You will not take her," Lanya says angrily.

The Priestesses shoot a bolt of white light, bigger and brighter than before. It seems to engulf the Unicorn, but when it dissolves he is still there. Lanya takes a step back, looking confused and a bit scared.

"How?" she asks.

The Unicorn enters the line of trees. I follow him, and the trees block the Priestesses from sight. We walk for what seems like hours, though the sun hasn't risen yet.

"So…" I begin, not sure what to say to an all powerful Unicorn. "What is your name?"

"Daeron," he answers.

I duck under a tree branch.

"I am Katrina," I say.

There is no reply.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"To my herd," Daeron answers.

I nod and try to look like I know what he is talking about.

After a while, the first beams of sunlight peek over the horizon. Daeron eyes them warily, and then starts to trot. I run to keep up with him.

"Will you burn if you are in the sun?" I ask him.

He snorts. "No. But the sun makes it harder to disguise myself."

I nod, but I am starting to tire. And this stupid dress doesn't make running in a forest very easy. I see a small cave ahead, and Daeron heads toward it. He slows to a walk as he enters the cave. This is where his herd is? It is small and leads away on a windy path. It is barely big enough for Daeron.

He starts walking down the path, and I follow him. After a while, the path widens a bit. I hear a neigh, and Daeron whinnies in reply. The sound echoes strangely. Daeron stops, and I walk up to his side. I am in a huge cavern with black Unicorns of all shapes and sizes. They stare at Daeron and me with their piercing red eyes.