Extract

About the Book

A year has passed since Ben Holiday bought the Magic Kingdom and claimed the throne despite the machinations of the wizard Meeks. Three loyal friends had come to his aid: the incompetent Court Wizard, Questor Thews; the court scribe, Abernathy, a talking dog; and the lovely willow, who was sometimes a tree.

Now Ben dreamt of a former partner, Miles Bennett, in grave trouble. But when he returned to Earth, Miles was in the best of spirits. His home-coming to Landover was shattered by the disappearance of Willow and the partial destruction of Questor's books of magic. Not only that, no one seemed to recognise Ben himself. And Meeks had taken on Ben's appearance, and the role of king. Ben Holiday and his kingdom were in deep trouble.

Prologue

The black unicorn stepped from the morning mists, almost as if born of them, and stared out over the kingdom of Landover.

Daybreak hovered at the crest of the eastern horizon, an intruder that peeked from its place of concealment to catch a glimpse of the night's swift departure. The silence seemed to deepen further with the appearance of the unicorn – as if that one small even in that one tiny corner was sensed somehow throughout the whole of the valley. Everywhere sleep gave way to waking, dreams to being, and that moment of transition was as close as time ever came to being frozen.

The unicorn stood near the summit of the valley's northern rim, high in the mountains of the Melchor, close to the edge of the world of fairy. Landover spread away before it, forested slopes and bare rock crags dropping toward foothills and grasslands, rivers and lakes, forests and scrub. Colour glimmered in hazy patches through the fading dark where streaks of sunlight danced off the morning dew. Castles, towns, and cottages were vague, irregular shapes against the symmetry, creatures that hunkered down in rest and breathed smoke from dying embers.

There were tears in the eyes of green fire that swept the valley end to end and glittered with newfound life. It had been so long!

A stream trickled down and collected in a basin of rocks a dozen yards from where the unicorn stood. A tiny gathering of forest creatures crouched at the edge of that pool and stared in awe at the wonder that had materialised before them – a rabbit, a badger, several squirrels and voles, an opossum and a young, solitary toad. A cave wight melted back into the shadows. A bog wump flattened back into its hole. Birds sat motionless upon the branches of trees. All were stilled. The only sound was the ripple of the stream over mountain rock.

The black unicorn nodded its head in recognition of the homage being paid. Ebony body gleamed in the half light, mane and fetlocks shimmering like silk thrown in the wind. Goat's feet shifted and lion's tail swished, restless movements against the backdrop of a still-life world. The ridged horn knifed the darkness, shining faintly with magic. There had never before been a thing of such grace and beauty in all creation as the unicorn and never would be again.

Dawn broke sharply over the valley of Landover, and the new day was begun. The black unicorn felt the sun's heat on its face and lifted its head in greeting. But invisible chains still bound it, and the cold of their lingering presence dispelled almost instantly the momentary warmth.

The unicorn shivered. It was immortal and could never be killed by mortal things. But its life could be stolen away all the same. Time was the ally of the enemy who had imprisoned it. And time had begun to move forward again.

The black unicorn slipped like quicksilver through the shadows and light in search of its freedom.

 

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