“That was a boggart!” Hannah’s heart was pounding wildly. “Don’t you think?”
“A boggart? Oh no—where did the unicorn go? Wasn’t someone just crying out?” She looked around, confused.
Hannah got down from Irmgard’s back and crept over to the raspberry bushes. Now that the mist had dispersed, there was a clear view of the endless forest landscape behind them. Two more steps, and she stopped abruptly. Right behind the raspberry bushes was a sudden descent. A steep descent. Hannah took several short steps toward the abyss and peered down. She felt dizzy as she gazed down into the bottomless depths.
Irmgard came up beside her and snorted. “My goodness, that’s a long way down. We would have jumped right into it!”
Hannah’s heart was pounding. She would never have seen her children again. Oh, that Frieda! What had she gotten her into? Irmgard nudged Hannah’s head with her muzzle, and Hannah stroked the unicorn’s nose and leaned her head against Irmgard’s neck. Thank heaven she had this unicorn with her.
Her stomach was growling loudly. The raspberries were glistening before her eyes. Did she dare try them? “Irmgard, are these raspberries poisonous?”
“Poisonous? Where did you get that idea?” Irmgard sniffed the bushes and shook her silvery mane. “They smell superb!”
Hannah picked a berry, sniffed it, and cautiously placed it on her tongue. Did it taste normal? As the red juice seeped out, she breathed a sigh of relief. Encouraged, she grabbed a few more. They wouldn’t fill her up, but they would help to relieve her hunger pangs, and the sugar from the fruit would provide a little energy.
“Let’s keep going,” Irmgard said. “We need to find shelter for the night.”
Hannah climbed back onto the noble creature’s back. “Any idea where we can sleep safely?”
Irmgard whinnied. “Maybe not safely, but since the Evil has spread through the forest and I’ve been on my own, I only sleep standing up anyway. Do you see that group of larches up ahead?”
Hannah nodded.
“Larches are protective trees. The fairies used to live in them—before they moved away. But their magic still clings to the trees, so the naughty fiends keep their distance. We can take shelter there for the night.”
The unicorn trotted over to the larches. Their needles were aglow with a lush green now that early summer had arrived. It was a group of eight trees that were growing close together in no particular arrangement. Irmgard came to a stop in the middle of the cluster of trees and looked up.
Hannah followed her gaze. “There used to be fairies living here? Real fairies?”
“Of course, they were real fairies!” Irmgard said, whinnying.
Was she laughing? And who was Hannah asking anyway? “When did they leave?”
“With the awakening of the Evil and its growth in power, the forest gnomes came to the woods. They’re the fairies’ greatest enemy. Since the fairies are very good, pure creatures who don’tlike to quarrel and don’t fight at all, the forest gnomes were able to drive them out.”
“Where did they go?”
Unable to answer, Irmgard shook her head. Hannah had to smile at the unicorn’s humanlike behavior. “Probably the same place where most of the unicorns went,” she ventured.
“And where is that?”
“I don’t know.”
Hannah slid down off the unicorn’s back. She felt the ground around the trunk of one of the larches. It was dry and covered with needles. Leaning against the trunk, she made herself as comfortable as possible. She peered into the depths of the forest, which was so dark she could barely distinguish any shapes. Here and there, a pair of eyes would appear. She was about to jump back onto Irmgard’s back when the unicorn made a gentle snorting sound.
“Don’t be afraid. I’ll keep watch. I’m a light sleeper, and if something evil dares to come near, I feel it immediately. But the ancient magic of the larches will protect us.”
Hannah relaxed a little, and her thoughts drifted to the enchanted prince. Where was Maximilian? Was he all right? Was he having to fight any wild animals? Hopefully, he had just retreated into a cave and was sleeping.
Had he become aware that he’d assumed the form of a bear yet? Was the Evil already creeping up behind him to wait for that moment of weakness when it would dig its claws into his soul? The thought weighed heavily on her heart. And could she even return to her own time if she failed to rescue the prince? Then who would take care of her children?
She would have preferred to just keep moving so that she could finally find out if Maximilian was safe and return to her sweet peas. Her thoughts were racing through her head. Still,though she never thought it possible, a short while later she fell asleep, exhausted.
23
Hannah awoke to a couple of gentle nudges. “Mmm... let me sleep, kids!”
“Shh!” This warning hush left her just as startled as the sound of the unicorn’s voice. It was Irmgard, not one of her kids, who was gently but firmly nudging her head with her muzzle. Hannah was not at home—no, she was in an enchanted forest to save the prince from the curse.
