As nightfall approached, Kalina made preparations for contacting the fates.
At the stroke of midnight
Kalina took out the black rose she found in the woods and ate another petal.
Soon she found herself in the
place of white nothingness and called out to the little girl in the distance who
spoke to her before.
Zaide appeared just as Kalina started to call her name again. "Zaide, I
have come here to find direction
in my quest to solve the unicorn tower and the curse placed upon their land.
Can you help me?" Kalina
inquired of the little girl.
"Princess Kalina, it is now time to reveal some of the answers you seek" she
told Kalina.
"The unicorn tower was destroyed by an old sorcerer of whom no one remembers. He
is near death and
is desperately seeking to make himself immortal. He would have
accomplished this if you hadn't moved
the unicorns. You see, he was going to absorb their magical powers to
permanently reverse and stop his aging.
Of course, the unicorns would have all died in the process. He was able to draw
the power within the tower
causing its complete destruction. That power was enough to prevent his death for
a time, so he is still a threat
to the unicorns. In his anger, he placed a curse on the land where the tower
once stood. All creatures including
men will perish upon entering." Kalina asked Zaide the name of the
sorcerer. "No one in this lifetime knows his
name. Even we have forgotten his name. You will find him at the farthest
point of the known lands, but before
you make the journey, you and your father must cast a spell to protect the
unicorns from discovery.
Now it is time for you to return to your own realm".
As Kalina awoke it was nearly dawn. Xavier called out for Kalina to join
him for breakfast. He inquired of her
meeting with the fates. Kalina recounted all of the story to him and then
asked "Father, when will we cast the spell
of protection for the unicorns?" Xavier explained that
the spell was not one of protection, but one that would make
the unicorns invisible to all but the purest of heart and mind. He
went on to explain that the sorcerer was very
powerful and that he could very easily break any spell of protection. Even
a spell of invisibility will only work
for a time, as the sorcerer would likely have searched the entire world for the
unicorns and would presume them
to be shielded from his view. You must find this sorcerer and destroy him
before that happens. We will leave at once
to the unicorn lands and cast the spell in their presence.
Kalina agreed, so they set out right after breakfast.