Parallel Read Free Page B

turned slightly red. “Yes, I am. Do you take issue with someone being aptly named?”
    “I take issue with someone being misnamed, but we’re wasting time. So, you’re a hunter. How do we track down a unicorn?”
    Hunter changed subjects. Gazing out into the forest, he stood in silence for a moment before looking back at the two of them. He began to speak, paused and stared back and forth between them several times. He turned to Avalon last.
    “Your alternate self really has dropped into your lap! How very strange! The two of you could not be more different.”
    Ava ignored the obvious insult. It seemed to fly straight over Avalon’s head.
    “It is strange, but not uncommon. Please sir, tell us what we need to know.” Hunter cast one more mistrustful look at Ava, who continued to glare at him. She was missing Mason more with every passing minute. The last thing they needed was some oaf who would probably trick them into finding the unicorn just to take it to the witch himself. Hunter focused on Avalon.
    “Unicorns are drawn to two things: beautiful young maidens, such as yourself, and fairy pools. There is such a pool not far from here which is why I set up my trap on this very spot. Perhaps if milady perches by the pool and waits for our prey, we can lure one in a more gentle fashion? I’ve heard tell that many a unicorn has been enticed this way.”
    Avalon’s eyelashes fluttered as Hunter extended his arm to escort her to the fairy pool. He cast a sideways glare at Ava as they breezed past her, Avalon all eyes for the dashing hunter. Indulging herself, Ava made a gagging gesture behind their backs before falling in step behind them. The forest air was cool and refreshing, making their walk a pleasant one as they headed along a narrow side path. The trail opened up into a clearing, and Ava stopped in shock.
    Under a canopy of trees, a ground cover of amethyst flowers spread in every direction. The footpath before them was inlaid with solid gold bricks. Surrounding the glade was every type of fruit tree Ava could imagine, but when she went to pick an apple she realized the fruit was made of solid ruby. Unable to resist, she slipped it into her bag. The blueberries on the bushes below were pure sapphires. All around them glittering jeweled fruit winked in the sunlight that peeked in from behind leaves high above. Judging by the way they glinted, they could easily have been made of emerald, and yet everything was as light as the fruit and foliage it was meant to take after. At the other end of the clearing, a tunnel made entirely of greenery extended into a closed off wood. Hunter gestured with his unoccupied hand.
    “There lies our path. Do lead the way, friend,” he said, looking at Ava. Enchanted, she didn’t protest, but instead walked straight into the fairy tunnel. The inside looked like the night sky. While dark, fireflies danced among the leaves, making the tunnel glitter and glow. Ava did her best to keep her gaze forward lest anything jump out at them unexpectedly, but short of a few fireflies buzzing in her face, nothing happened. A glowing light at the end of the tunnel appeared, and when Ava reached the end of it, she truly lost her breath.
    The fairy pool shimmered with golden light. It was covered in emerald lily pads with amethyst flowers. Bright green moss grew all around the pond, and it sank like a sponge under each step. As though in a trance, Ava walked to the pool’s edge and sat on the welcoming poolside.
    “What have you done?” a voice whispered into her ear. Ava glanced around, but saw no one.
    “What do you mean?” she whispered back into nothingness. She glanced over to see Hunter and Avalon taking a seat across the pond from her, smiling together. Ew. Avalon could do better.
    “A man in fairy territory…the Queen is not going to be happy about this…” the voice warned. And still Ava saw nothing. Who was talking to her? Hunter took Avalon’s hand, and she blushed again. What