Forest Kingdom Trilogy 1 - Blue Moon Rising

rainbow sword in the Armoury. Just in case father was right, and the Demon Prince does come back some day.'
    Julia's face softened a little. 'Yes, well, the sword's probably more use to them than it would be to us.
    You did get yourself another sword?'
    'Of course.'
    'And you did check the guards on the gate?'
    'Yes, Julia. They're all loyal to me. And yes, the dragon is waiting for us in the Forest. Now calm down, will you, nothing's going to go wrong. Are you nearly ready?'
    'Just about. Have you decided where we're going yet?'
    'Not really. The important thing is to get out of this madhouse. The King hasn't been dead twenty-four hours, and already the vultures are gathering. There are more factions in the Court now than you can shake a stick at. The sooner I get out of here, the better.'
    'There's always a chance they'll come after us.'
    'I doubt it,' said Rupert easily. 'With me out of the way, Harald will have a clear field. If I didn't leave, he'd probably have me exiled. Or killed.'
    'If we don't get a move on,' said the unicorn sharply, 'Somebody's going to find us here, and Harald'll probably have you both hanged as horse thieves.'
    'Harald won't begrudge us two horses,' said Rupert. 'Well, he will, but he won't do anything about it.'
    'What do you want two horses for, anyway?' said the unicorn in a hurt voice. 'The Warlock fixed me up fine before he left, there's no reason why I can't carry you.'
    'Ah,' said Rupert. 'Actually, there is a reason . . .'
    'Oh yes? And what might that be?'
    'I can't ride a unicorn,' said Rupert, blushing slightly. 'Not any more. I'm no longer . . . qualified. You see, Julia and I . . .'
    'I get it,' said the unicorn. 'Spent the night celebrating, did you?'
    'We still want you to come with us,' said Rupert quickly. 'I promised to help you track down your old herd, remember?'
    'Yes,' said the unicorn gruffly. 'I remember. But after we've done that, where were you thinking of going?'
    'I don't know,' said Rupert. 'Why?'
    The unicorn snorted and tossed his head. 'If you think I'm going to let you just go wandering off on your own, you're crazy. You wouldn't last ten minutes without me, either of you, and you know it.
    Somebody's got to keep you out of trouble.'
    Rupert and Julia laughed, and took it in turns to hug the unicorn's neck. The lamplight shone golden on his horn.
    'Hey, Rupert,' said Julia suddenly. 'What's in the backpack?'
    Rupert grinned. 'Another reason why I was a bit late.' He shrugged off the pack, propped it on a nearby stool, and opened it. Julia gasped, and then swore reverently. The battered leather pack contained hundreds of glowing jewels. Julia reached hesitantly into the backpack, took a handful of gems, and let
    them dribble through her fingers in a stream of multi-coloured fire.
    'Where the hell did you get these, Rupert? They must be worth a fortune.'
    Rupert laughed. 'It's part of the treasure trove you and the Seneschal found in the Old Treasury. What with all the excitement, they never got around to locking it away securely. They just dumped it in a storage room, padlocked the door, and put up a simple warding spell, linked to the Royal family. And since we are rather short of guards at the moment, they left it at that. So, I just chose my moment carefully, broke open the padlock, and helped myself. By the time Harald figures out what's happened, we shall be long gone.'
    He buckled the pack together again and lifted it on to his back, grunting a little at the weight of it. 'Now that my father is ... gone, I think I'm entitled to an inheritance. And this is it.'
    Julia placed a gentle hand on his arm. 'We don't know for sure that he's dead, Rupert. They haven't found his body yet, and the Warlock's disappeared.'
    'I can't really believe he's gone,' said Rupert. 'As long as I can remember, my father's always been there, a part of my life, like food or sleep or duty. We were never. . . close, but then we never wanted to be, before. And now, just when I was getting to know him, just when I was starting to like him . . .' Rupert stopped short, and looked away, swallowing hard. 'He's dead, Julia. There's no doubt in my mind at all.
    He wouldn't just walk out on the Land. He couldn't.'
    'But you can,' said Julia. There's nothing to hold you here now.'
    'Yes,' said Rupert, turning briskly back to face her. 'And it's time we were on our way. Let's make a start.'
    'Hold on a minute,' said Julia. 'Assuming Harald doesn't send half any army after us to get his