Fifteen: A Scientific Magic

Tye made a list of every variable he could think of that needed data to help them determine the cause of the illness. From unicorn birth rates to how many had come through the portals and when, to weather patterns and mage storms, both of which he thought would be useful when the meteorologist arrived, and illness progression, he brainstormed with Leianne and Dios until they had an extensive list. They all agreed that it would be too much for one person to correlate and with his unicorn’s urging to go north, Leianne agreed to have some of the archivist staff help.

That left just the planning for the trip itself. Over dinner he and Dios sat down with a map Viero helpfully provided and began to plot their route with Dios explaining who was in charge of what province and where they could stay. Having Khyr, a unicorn tender, with them, they could stay free at inns, and when they reached provincial capitals, Dios’ position required they stay there for the night. Provisions would be provided along the way.

The very idea seemed amazing to Tye, who was used to packing and planning every aspect of his trip. They’d be riding their unicorns; Caeruleus had assured him that was not a problem. In doing so, they’d basically be granted free passage wherever they were going. Unicorns traveled faster than regular horses and they wouldn’t need to take much with them. Even Dios admitted he’d take practical clothing. Khyr had stayed with them to dine, and he mentioned there might be a couple of unicorns looking to go north who weren’t bonded and they could carry packs, though he advised Dios not to pack his entire closet. The unicorns would be good training for Tye to see if he wanted to become a unicorn tender after he finished solving the illness.

The illness that might strike him. He hadn’t thought about it before, except now he had Caeruleus. He could very well be curing himself at some point, or Dios, or Leianne. He wondered how it would feel to have to find the cure for someone he cared about. Not that he didn’t care about Leianne’s father. That was different. He looked at Khyr and Dios. Having to cure someone he loved would be excruciating.

He tamped down his feelings, not wanting them to leak through the magical bonds the men shared. He wasn’t ready to say the l-word out loud yet, not to them. It seemed too soon, too much. And yet, it was, he thought as he finished the dinner on his plate, just perfect.

~* * *~

“Are you sure you’ll be okay in the lab without me?” Tye asked for probably the thousandth time. “I know I gave you a large list of things to do.”

“I’m not unfamiliar with your earth science,” Leianne replied. “And I helped brainstorm this list, remember?” She tapped the list. “I already know what staff I’ll use to gather this information. It will take you a little over a week to get to the north. I don’t know how long you’ll need to spend there, but I’m guessing at least a week or two, and a week to return. That’s a month, Tye. That’ll give us enough time to gather this data.”

Tye started to open his mouth and ask if she was sure, but one look at Leianne’s determined face and he knew. She was sure the data would be ready by the time he got back. “Okay. Do the best you can,” he said.

“I’m going to miss you.” Leianne enfolded him in a hug. “I’m still mad at what Dios did, but the bond between you and Khyr, I couldn’t be happier for you.”

Tye hugged her back. She made the bond sound like he’d gotten engaged. “Thanks.”

She held his shoulders and stepped back. “This is serious,” she said. “I’m not sure you understand, but both Dios and Khyr sharing their magical energies with you…” Her words drifted off and she shook her head. “Dios and I are much better as friends. Khyr cares for my mare, so I consider him a friend. But he’s always seemed distant. That’s changed. It’s Dios I never could imagine taking such step. Even he and I were talking about an official wedding, rather than something magical.”

Tye blinked at her. “Wedding? You were engaged.” It made since. Both of them seemed very close, almost intimate. “I didn’t…. He didn’t….” Here he was someone who hadn’t so much as gone out for a beer in a long time and the last thing he wanted was to take Leianne’s fiancée.

She let her hands drop if only to try and stifle the laugh bubbling in her throat. “Gods no.  We made the decision long ago we were better as friends. I think my father thought it would be an advantageous match, but I also think he understood that while I’d do my duty that I probably wouldn’t be the happiest. I love Dios as a friend. He’s also…” She paused, mulling over her words. “A lot. I think he needs both you and Khyr to ground him. We’re good friends, and I’m so happy for both of you.” She hugged him again. “And I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too. You do have ways of communicating with us if something comes up? I’ve seen the messages come in.”

“Yes, and Dios is very skilled in long-range message sending. I’m sure Khyr has ways of sending messages, if not magically then through the unicorns.”

A thought occurred to Tye. “Who takes care of your father’s unicorn?”

“He is in the stables here along with a few others. There aren’t many unicorns around the complex here. I thought that was why my mare and Dios’s stallion always preferred the herd. That and I’m told that my father’s stallion, along with the few others here, can be a bit old fashioned.”

Judging by her expression, it seemed there was more to it than that, but she didn’t elaborate. “Go. Finish your preparations. I understand you’re leaving in the morning.”

“We are.” He took a deep breath. “This feels big, and it feels like I’m missing something.”

“Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it. I know you may not think about it now, but you’re exactly who we need on this. You will come up with the answers to save the unicorns.”

“I hope so.” Tye admitted. “Because it feels like a daunting task, but it’s also far more fulfilling than anything I was doing before. That just felt corporate and like I was working on an assembly line.”

“It looked like that. I was reminded of the baker apprentices who put the loaves on the conveyor belt for the ovens. It just looked so repetitious.”

“It was,” he admitted.

“Go. You have to finish packing, and I’m sure Viero has left you little to do, but you should be there.”

“You’re a good friend. I’ll be holding you and your father in my thoughts. We’ll be back as soon as we can be.”

“I know.” She turned back to her console and her lists, but not before he saw the sheen in her eyes as if she might be holding back tears.

He hurried from the lab, if only because Leianne ordered him to, because he wanted to ask about those tears, to check in with her, and her father. She was juggling important responsibilities plus worrying about her father. That was a lot. He knew he probably couldn’t keep a happy face on all the time.

Thankfully he knew his way around, though he glanced down the hall where his room had been to see the workers still moving forward with repairs. He hurried to the wing where Dios had his rooms, still feeling more like one of the help rather than someone who lived there. People dressed in gray hurried to and fro, and when he opened his door, he saw several racks of clothes that were far more opulent than anything he’d ever worn before except maybe when Leianne had been promoted to her father’s seat leading the Council.

Viero poked his head around one of the racks. “You’re here. Good. I need you to choose five outfits. These are just the jackets, but we can pair them with traveling black pants and shirts to make sure you’re fit to be in those dining rooms that will be receiving you.”

“But there’s at least thirty here? I can’t choose only five.”

Viero laughed. “Now you sound like Dios.”

“We don’t have room for five, do we?” His hand went to a shimmering light blue sleeve that reminded him of Caeruleus’ coat, and without thinking about it, he removed it from the rack and put it on. The coat hit him mid-thigh, the sleeves long and formal, and when he fastened the buttons and stared at himself in the mirror, he almost didn’t recognize the man staring back at him.

“We’ll pack that one. You look fabulous in it. I can’t wait for Dios to see you wearing it.”

He couldn’t wait to be seen in it, and as he unbuttoned the coat and shrugged out of it, he realized that in some ways he was looking forward to this trip. Spending all this time on the road with Khyr and Dios interested him. No lab. Nothing to pull him away. Just the three of them traveling together and hopefully getting to know one another. He turned to the rack nearest to him and quickly found a dark blue coat that reminded him of Dios’s unicorn. Now, to find something that reminded him of Khyr.