The Unicorn Thief Read Free Page B

settle—or try to settle—on Lonehorn Island. Edward Murley was Ben’s great-great-grandfather.
    Edward’s sons had disappeared into Terracornus through the island’s hidden passage. As far as Ben knew, they were the first Earth Landers to settle in Terracornus in hundreds of years. The original unicorn herders had taken the last, endangered unicorns from the Earth Land to the newly discovered, empty world they named Terracornus. They had to protect the magnificent creatures from people who hunted them for their supposedly magical horns.
    Much later, when Terracornus had become dangerous, no longer the sanctuary it once was, a few unicorns had been let back into the Earth Land through the island’s passage. Ben’s great-grandfather, Elijah Murley, had taken on the duty of keeping watch over Lonehorn Island’s small herd—the last free herd in any world.
    â€œIndy cannot stay here, Mr. M.” As much as he liked him, Ben didn’t feel right calling a man he’d just met uncle , and just plain David seemed disrespectful, so he’d adopted Janessa’s name for him. “Indy cannot handle being fenced in.”
    Mr. Murley nodded at the woods surrounding the ranch. Cedars and firs, thick ferns and mosses growing in their shadows. Tangles of brambles taking over any spot where the sun dared to peek through.
    â€œIt’s cold and wet out there, Ben. When it doesn’t rain, there’s the fog. We’ve had some sunny days, but summer’s still a long way off.”
    â€œBut it’s still home.” Not the ranch. Not Terracornus. Not anymore. He belonged in Lonehorn Island’s misty woods with the herd his father had raised him to protect. “It stays dry in our hollow, mostly.”
    â€œWhat about the herd? Is Indy safe out there with them?”
    As if in answer, the distant call of a unicorn sounded. Plaintive, searching. Possibly injured.
    The herd would be looking for a new leader now that Dagger was dead. It was Ben’s job to make sure they ended up with a better one.
    Yesterday, he and Twig had planted trails of apples and carrots in the woods, leading to bins of feed. Normally, he wouldn’t feed wild animals. It was best for them to graze naturally, and there was plenty for them to eat now that spring was here. But with Dagger, these unicorns had begun to hunt, killing rabbits and raccoons. They’d become more predatory the more they killed. He wanted to make sure they were too full of oats to continue down that deadly path—and that they were as content as possible when he and Twig began to approach them.
    â€œI’m not sure. Some of them are hurt, and we might be able to help. It’s time to think about the unicorns and what they need.”
    Mr. Murley nodded thoughtfully. “But what about you, Ben? What do you need?”
    Ben opened his mouth, but no words came out.
    â€œHow would you like a room of your own? I could add one, on the back side of the house.”
    A room of his own! Ben had watched the ranch being built. He’d spent countless hours staring at the place from the cover of the brush at the edge of the clearing, wondering what it was like inside. The thought of living here permanently…
    He didn’t want to go back to Terracornus. He wouldn’t, no matter how many messages Merrill sent. But staying at the ranch would make the Murleys guardians of sorts. They’d feel even more responsible for him.
    And Ben had learned something about this world—the Earth Land—that he’d never understood before. They expected different things—lesser things—from their youth. Above all they wanted them to be safe, where above all Ben’s father, Darian, had wanted him to be honorable and brave.
    Ben twisted a fold of his cape in his hand. Rain washed over his red-cold knuckles. His father’s violent death gave Ben respect for the values of this world. So did the depth of