18. Emma

EIGHTEEN

Emma

We all gathered into a circle in the parking lot. All of us were silently, digesting what we’d just heard. Jamur had implied the committee might be behind all of this, or maybe someone else, I wasn’t sure. But I hardly thought he was a trustworthy person to listen to.

"What do you think?” I asked.

"I didn’t understand most of what that guy said, but I didn’t trust him one bit.”

"Your instincts are spot on there,” Deva said.

Marquis cleared his throat. "Do you mind if I add something here?”

"Go ahead,” I said.

"As a doctor, I’ve participated in many of the fundraisers and events held by The Committee To Protect and Enhance Mystic Hollow Lands. The three committee members who were attacked are good people. I’d stake my reputation on that. I’ve seen them fight tooth and nail, putting their own money into it, in order to protect the Hissing Grump Turtle out in Lake Clearview. There’s no way they’re killing and harvesting unicorns.”

"I agree with that,” Beth said. "I think Jamur was just trying to sow doubt in our minds.”

"Then who could be behind this?” I asked, feeling frustrated.

Daniel rubbed my neck, easing some of my frustration. "Maybe we need to look again at our pool of suspects. After dinner.”

I laughed. We’d nearly been done, but we should go inside and finish. There was always more for Karma to do. We shouldn’t spoil a good night with work if there weren’t any good leads, just lots of doubts.

"Okay, let’s head inside.”

Alice smiled. "I can’t wait to get back to my lasagna.”

As soon as we crossed the threshold of the restaurant, Wade’s phone made a little sound. He reached into his pocket and pulled it as we walked, and Daniel and I exchanged a glance, hoping this wouldn’t be another interruption for dinner. Suddenly, he gasped in excitement. His eyes, a deep ocean blue that hinted at his mermaid heritage, sparkled with an intensity I hadn't seen before.

"Guys, you won't believe this," he said, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he looked at his phone.

We all halted in our tracks, the ambient noise of clinking dishes and murmured conversations fading into the background. Even though Wade had given up the underwater life, there was still something undeniably aquatic about him; like a wave about to crest, he seemed to hold a force that commanded attention.

"What is it?" Daniel asked, his tone mirroring my own curiosity.

Wade showed us his phone screen, swiping with a finger until he found what he was looking for. "My sensor tripped while we were out there. Look."

For a second, I thought the grainy image was just another deer or raccoon that often roamed these parts. But then movement, a flash of white with a spiraling horn, made my heart skip a beat. He’d done it! He’d actually caught footage of a living unicorn.

"Is that...?" I couldn't finish the question, too caught up in the magic unfolding on the tiny screen.

"A unicorn," Wade confirmed, his voice a mix of triumph and awe. "Caught on video by one of my cameras in the woods."

"Wow." Daniel leaned closer. "That's incredible."

"More than you know," Wade said. "This could change everything." His gaze met mine, his discovery clear in his eyes. "A chance to save them.”

Beth got that determined look on her face that she does so well. "We just have to get there fast enough.”

"Let's not waste any more time," Wade said, pocketing his phone with urgency. "It might still be close. If we can track it?—"

"We can find out where all of the unicorns are hiding?" I interjected.

"Exactly." Wade's eyes were alit with purpose. "We need to protect them and find their habitat before anyone else stumbles onto this."

"Okay." I nodded. "But it's a big forest. How do you plan on tracking a unicorn?"

"That's where I was hoping Daniel could help again." Wade turned to him, a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "Your sense of smell, it's better than any tech I've got."

Daniel scratched his beard thoughtfully as he considered the request. "Yeah, I can do that."

"All right, let's do this," I said. "Before it gets harder to track.”

Daniel gave a nod, his usual easy laugh tucked away behind a veil of seriousness.

"Do we have to come?” Henry asked pointedly. "I planned to play a game with some online friends tonight and Alice has figurines to paint.”

Alice set a hand on his arm, giving him a pointed look. "But we’ll come if you need us to.”

"Yes, if we have to,” Henry said, his expression intense.

I shook my head and let my gaze run over my friends. "Unless you guys have a deep desire to trek through a dark, damp forest, you’re welcome to continue on with your evening however you want.”

Deva blushed and looked at Marquis. "We did sort of have plans.”

"Us too,” Carol said, setting her hand on Bryan’s knee. "But we’ll come unless you’re really sure we’re not needed.”

"Trust us,” I said with a laugh. "We’ll be okay.”

Wade waved down our server and handed her a few bills to cover our tab. We all thanked him, then we did our goodbyes. There was a round of hugging from the ladies, and a mixture of handshakes and awkward hugs from the men. Some leftovers were wrapped up and went with their owners, others were left behind.

As we stepped out into the crisp evening air, I breathed in the pleasant scents of nature. The night was ours now, along with whatever secrets it held in the whispering trees. I desperately wanted to find the unicorn and follow it to the others, so we could warn them, but I also hoped the night didn’t drag on too long. I wouldn’t mind an evening in front of a fireplace with Daniel.

"Do you have a map?” Wade asked Daniel.

"Do I have a map?” Daniel said. "I have the ultimate map, with just about every backroad and hiking trail marked on it.”

Wade smiled. "You, sir, are a man after my own heart.”

As the rest of our friends left, Daniel pulled out the map and spread it on the hood of the car. Wade pulled up his phone and showed Daniel where he’d put the camera on his phone. My bear shifter easily found the spot on the map, and then began to show all of us the closest road and trail, before tracking it back to where we were now.

When they were done, the map was folded back up in Daniel’s hand. He looked eager to go, but not as eager as Wade and Beth. Both of them were practically bouncing on their heels.

"Here." Daniel tossed me the keys, the metal jingling sharply against my palm. "You drive. I need to focus on the directions."

"Got it," I replied, catching the keys mid-air.

Daniel's truck loomed like a sentinel guarding the path to adventure, or madness. I couldn't decide which. Climbing into the driver's seat, I adjusted the mirrors while Beth and Wade got in behind us.

"Seatbelt," Daniel reminded me, already buckled in and scanning our surroundings. The protective streak in him never rested, not even for a second.

"Right." I clicked the belt into place and threw the vehicle into drive. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as we left the safety of civilization behind.

"Head for Old Miller's path." Daniel pointed toward the darkening woods. "It's the quickest way to where Wade's sensor was tripped."

"Okay." I turned the truck onto the road that wound its way toward the forest. The trees loomed taller as we approached, their branches reaching out like hands ready to pull us into an ancient world.

"Do you think we should call Trudy and Nam and update them on the case and what Jamur just told us?" I asked.

"Good thinking." Beth nodded from the backseat. "But we’ll be careful not to accuse them, especially since we don’t believe Jamur.” She pulled her phone out, dialed, then put the phone on speaker. The line crackled, then a voice answered.

"Beth?" It was Trudy's calm tone through a bunch of static.

"Hey, Trudy. You two okay?" Beth asked.

"We're still at the hospital. Nam's resting," she replied. The background beep of medical equipment filtered through.

"Listen, we might have something big. A unicorn, caught on camera, on the lands that Jamur was fighting over. The lands the committee is now in charge of protecting," Beth said.

"A unicorn?" Trudy repeated, disbelief clear in her voice.

"Are you sure?" Nam's more gravelly tone joined in. "Unicorns are incredibly rare, and I’ve never heard of a report of them in Mystic Hollow.”

"Pretty sure." I glanced at Wade, who was nodding vigorously.

"Unicorns are protected," Nam said. "They're like rhinos or elephants back in our day. If what you're saying is true..."

"Then they're safe," Trudy finished. "Nobody would dare harm them now that they’re on committee lands. It would be an absolute stroke of fortune that they didn’t fall into Jamur’s hands."

Name gave a tired laugh. "Luckily, the document he had to prove his ownership was absolutely forged.”

I was relieved. This sounded like news to me. So Trudy and Nam were either very good liars, or innocent just like we thought. "We just wanted to keep you in the loop."

"Call us if you need anything," Trudy said before the call ended.

"Wait, Trudy," I interjected before they could hang up. "Who would enforce that? The protection for the unicorns, I mean."

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line. "The committee overseeing the land would," Trudy explained. "They've got resources. If there are any unicorns out there, no one will touch them. That's a promise."

"Good to know," Daniel said.

"Absolutely," Nam chimed in. "In fact, the committee is prepared to hire people specifically for patrolling the areas where protected species are known to reside. They would act as wardens, ensuring the unicorns, if they're really there, stay safe."

"Good," Wade replied, his excitement barely contained. "Now let's reach them before we lose the trail."

"Never thought I'd see the day," Nam added, his tone echoing Trudy's amazement. "We're all for protecting them. No question about it."

"Alright then." Wade leaned forward from the back seat, his hands clasped together in anticipation. "Thanks for all the information."

"Stay safe," Trudy said before the line went dead.

I put the phone down and glanced around at the faces in the truck. Wade's grin was infectious, spreading to Daniel whose green eyes sparkled with a mix of curiosity and resolve.

"The unicorns should be okay. We just have to find whoever is hunting them, and no one should ever hurt them again,” Wade said.

Beth returned his smile. "So, let’s find the unicorns tonight and properly warn them, keep working on the werewolf case, and take care of whoever is hunting unicorns.”

It was a good plan. We just have to take one thing at a time.

"This way,” Daniel pointed to an almost invisible road off this one.

I turned, and the truck started bouncing on the unpaved road. "Are we close?”

"Really close,” Daniel said. "Just don’t blow a tire.”

A few minutes passed before we reached our destination. A seemingly random place along the quiet road. Daniel's truck crunched over the gravel as we parked at the edge of the tree line. We all piled out, Wade clutching his tablet like a lifeline.

"Camera's this way." He pointed to the north.

We plunged into the forest, the canopy thickening above us. Branches snagged at our clothes, but we pushed past them, on a mission to save the unicorns. Wade led with hurried steps, checking his device occasionally. The further we went, the more it felt like the woods were closing in on us.

"Are we almost there?" I wiped sweat from my brow.

"Just a few more minutes," Wade replied without looking up.

Daniel was quiet, his eyes scanning the forest floor, the lines of his face set in concentration. The muscles in his arms tensed, ready for whatever we might encounter. He moved with purpose, every step deliberate.

"Here." Wade stopped so abruptly that I nearly bumped into him.

"Where's your camera?" Beth peered into the foliage.

"Up there." Wade pointed to a tree, where a small black device was strapped to a branch.

"Good spot," Daniel noted. "Okay, let me take over from here."

Wade handed him the tablet, the screen showing a grainy image of what could only be a unicorn. Daniel studied it, then looked around, his green eyes narrowing as he took in our surroundings.

"Tracks lead that way." Daniel gestured to the left, where the underbrush seemed less disturbed.

"Lead the way, Daniel," I said with a rush of adrenaline.

"Daniel, you okay?" I asked as he paused, his nose twitching.

"Something smells off," he muttered, sniffing the air again. "Can't place it."

"Bad?" Wade leaned in, concern etching his features.

"Unfamiliar." Daniel looked at the trees. "Keep close."

We huddled tighter, trying to match his cautious steps. Silence hung heavy, broken only by the crunch of leaves underfoot.

"Should we turn back?" Beth whispered.

"Let's just go a little—" I started, but my words cut off as the earth groaned beneath us.

"Watch out!" Daniel's shout was a split-second warning before the ground gave way.