It is the early hours of the morning where we currently are staying. Whether I shall ever feel clean again I do not know, even after two hours in the bath I can still feel the reek of the Unicorn on me. I shall not dwell on what he did to me. Even now I cannot bear the thought. Where ever he is I have no wish to look upon him again yet I can feel the cord that binds him to me.
I could release him with a single word but I shall not do that. That's what he wants he desires, to once more be allowed to reek havoc across the universe. He is not the noble beast depicted in all those drawings and statues but a foul monstrosity bent on destruction.
That I live there is no doubt. That another grows inside me there is also no doubt but the other no nothing of this yet. What befell them I do not know as I was lost in the vortex constructed by the ritual. Allagahn is the only other person conscious and has been for some days, but even he did not bring us here unaided. He says some demons brought us here, but why they should do that I have yet to fathom as they are not here now. Of that I am glad as I found myself naked and blood stained, and partially healed when I awoke.
So in some things I was successful; the Unicorn was bound, and I did not revert to my primal form. I had tried to heal the physical injuries inflicted on me but must have passed out before completing the task and reinstating my clothes - it is not for no reason that they are all natural fibers. Since I am now recovered reinstating them was a simple matter of expelling them from my body. If I had known what was to befall me I would have worn more for the extra mass would have reduced to pain the Unicorn inflicted on me during those terrible minutes.
My body tells me I need to rest again but I fear to close my eyes. Each time I do I can feel him looming over me, and the pain as he forced himself upon me. The book was correct in one regard, only a powerful shape shifter stood any chance of surviving the ritual. Should anyone else have undertaken it they would have died prior to completing the second ritual, for they could not have survived the growth in the alter. Knowing his true nature as I do now it is obvious why had to grow for he could have crushed it under one hoof had it remained its original size.
He had been angry when he had appeared, wrenched away from the devouring of another innocent female victim. He was gleeful in his approach, and sadistic in his taunts. But he was not so happy when I completed that final stanza and forced him off me. Has he had the final victory though with whatever seed he planted inside me. Perhaps that was part of the design of the ritual for I'm sure I would have died had I not been able to absorb that fluid rush. I must read the book, or at least the prophecies it contains for I'm sure Alfred mentioned something to do with the Unicorn's child and how it would redeem the universe.
I must also find where Allagahn or his helpers have put both Alfred and Cordelia. They are not in this bunk room, although there is what appears to be another similar room down the corridor. At least here Allagahn cannot drool over me. I dare not dwell on what he may have done to me without my knowledge whilst I slept, although after him I doubt I would have noticed. What Allagahn thought he achieved by covering me in a blanket and keeping me in the stables with him I cannot think. Perhaps I should take a leaf from Cordelia's book and show Allagahn everything and see if he has the courage to look upon me .
Perhaps my opinion of Allagahn was too low. He appears more inept than debased. I have now located both Alfred and Cordelia. Both are still fully clothed but unconscious in the other bunk room. In Cordelia's case she is still in her armour, although even that looks in a bad way. She has said it can keep her alive and as I know little about it, I will for the time being leave her in it. Should another day pass without her waking then I will have to get Allagahn to remove it, although I am loathe the let him put his hands on her. He thinks I do not notice him watching her when she is wearing but her underclothes or less and then pretending he is not interested. He is a man after all and they are after only two things from a women, their bodies and a skivvy to look after them.
It is strange, writing this diary has been intriguingly cathartic. As to the date I know only that this is the date in Elysium. My mother tells me that there have been changes wrought there by the Serpent and that Charity has been sent on some mission. When the others awaken we shall have to travel there and he can serve as what he hates most - a lowly beast of burden.
I am using the Elysium date again, although this is the night of this morning when I made my first entry. I eventually managed to sleep although I was woken shortly after the first light of dawn. We are staying in a fortified compound that would normally be the center of a flourishing carting business. The recent troubles have seen staff laid off and carts laid up, and there is only the old carter and his house keeper here at present.
It seems that because of the Unicorn they have offered us their hospitality, and I have therefore decided not to tell them of what he did to me. It seems the Unicorn forms a fundamental part of their religious beliefs and I have more sense than to offend them by telling them the fallacy of the truth they believe. In addition it would serve no purpose and I have no wish to see us made unwelcome.
Cordelia is now awake but Alfred remains unconscious. Allagahn still refuses to stop tormenting the Unicorn but at least I have some company now. I had thought I wouldn't want to talk about what happened but Cordelia seems to have the ability to ask the right questions in the right way. Actually she didn't ask that many questions just sat and listened whilst I talked. It is strange that I found her reactions comforting, almost understanding as until now I have found her to be rather arrogant and cold. Perhaps some of that is just a facade that she uses to disguise her true emotions. She certainly displayed different attitudes when pursuing Hinkin and at the meal following their confrontation.
You may have noticed that there is a large gap since my last entry, in fact significantly larger than if I used Elysium dates for days passing in the shadow of the Carters residence. What state it is currently in I'm not sure as I was forced into primal form barely had the attack begun.
Alfred had regained consciousness that morning, and had accompanied Cordelia when she came for breakfast. Her wounds were much healed since last night but she looked tired. What ever she had done had obviously taken a lot out of her. Alfred was in a pitiful state and in no condition to travel. We made the decision to rest another day which in hindsight was the wrong one.
Alfred left us after breakfast, returning for lunch and then heading back to the stables. Whatever he and Allagahn were up to we didn't particularly care. In fact we didn't care about much. We sat in the kitchen of the Carter's house drinking tea and exchanged the occasional excerpt from our life histories. It was about mid-afternoon when Cordelia leapt from her chair, drew her sword and raced for the door. She is obviously far more sensitive than I am for she had nearly reached the door before I too felt the power surge and the prickly sensation down my spine that warned of impending danger.
There are two images of the battle that I'll not forget, the first was the look of surprise on the demon's face as Cordelia wrenched open the door and split its head open with her sword. The second is the moment I caught sight of that black ball of energy and realized I couldn't get out of its way. Cordelia has since told me that there was a flash, and I went primal killing the demon who faced me with an ice bolt as I fled at high speed.
My next memory is strange a sort of feeling of bathing in warm water, followed by pain and cold. That is the thing about primal form you remember nothing that happens whilst in that form, but the downside is it completely destroys your shape shifting abilities for about 48 hours. So I came too, sitting several hundred feet up a cliff in what was left of my dress, with most of my upper left torso useless. The energy ball had destroyed most of my left arm and shoulder. Any lower and to the right an I wouldn't have survived at all. As I surveyed my surroundings wondering how I could get down I noticed Cordelia on the ravine floor slowly getting to her feet and coming up from behind her, but still several minutes away, the Unicorn.
So it was still bound. I wasn't sure I cared at that moment. All I wanted was to be warm again. If I stayed up here much longer I'd die of the cold. I couldn't tell what Cordelia was doing, but she appeared to be waving something in her hand. Then I felt the trump contact. Without thinking I accepted it and she virtually pulled me off the cliff face. As she helped me back to my feet she apologized but it was all something of a blur, as the act of moving had sent pains reeling though my body.
I was barely aware of being hoisted onto the Unicorns back and then the cold sensation of Cordelia behind me her arms around my waist holding us on. The Unicorn refused to move at her command but at mine it couldn't. By the time we reached the outskirts of Elysium I had recovered enough to take note of my surroundings. We were either somewhere else or things had changed somewhat. The Unicorn insisted we were where we were supposed to be.
Instead of a dark tower atop which glowed a blue crystal that sat on the edge of a dull grey plain in a dull grey sky, against a shimmering black curtain, stood a stone tower atop which glowed a blue crystal sat in the midst of a fortified city atop a high bluff which rose from a green canyon through which flowed a scintillating river in a pale blue-grey sky against a shimmering black curtain. Leading to the canyon was an undulating plain across which wound a road on which we traveled.
We descended into the canyon, rode across its base, across the river, and began the ascent to the city on the other side, by which time night was nearly upon us. After passing through the gatehouse Cordelia dismounted and helped me do the same. She then examined the cobbles on the street and determined that our way lay to the right. It took us over an hour to walk through its winding streets and multiple gatehouses before reaching the inner keep in which my mothers tower stood. To the right of the gatehouse stood a huge Greathall with attached tower, whilst to the left stood two smaller, but not insubstantial, tithe barn like buildings. Around the inside of the walls nestled ancillary buildings including several stables. I led the Unicorn in the direction of the nearest and Cordelia followed.
It was dark and cold in the stables but that didn't really matter. I'm sure it would survive. Cordelia conjured the parts of a lantern, assembled it, filled it with oil and then lit it. She then set about conjuring her next object which would turn out to be a ton of straw. As she did so I felt the familiar presence of my mother and walked to the door to see a pair of tentacles snaking their way towards us. The tentacles stopped at the doorway. I walked over and caressed one which wrapped itself around me. Cordelia had completed her spell and was now walking towards the remaining tentacle. As I watched she stopped by it and then I could see her no more, my view blocked by the walls of the building as I was drawn towards my mother's tower.
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