White Unicorn—Unicornalis Kardunn—the famous White Unicorn of Nazwimbe. Although equine in appearance, the Unicorn has a long ivory horn that grows throughout its lifetime. As it ages, the Unicorn’s horn develops silver spirals. It lives a solitary life, other than when mating. The Unicorn is unique among animals in that it can choose when to end its own gestation period. Despite its equine-like body, the unicorn possesses a much higher level of intelligence and strength. It can only be domesticated if raised from birth, and even then, it will only accept a rider by choice. Unscrupulous humans have determined that by removing the Unicorn’s horn, it can be enslaved. However, if enslaved in this manner, the unicorn will die within a year.
This book would not be possible without the extensive support and work of many people in my life:
To Dad: So much of what inspires me to write comes from the places you’ve taken me. Your wanderlust and curiosity about the world is inspiring, and I have so many amazing memories from the trips we went on. I will always remember stalking a pair of leopards at night at Mala Mala, flying in an air balloon over Bagan, snorkeling over the clams in Australia, the doubling game and the dinner-time geography quizzes. All those memories and experiences make the worlds I imagine in my writing so much richer.
To Mom: They say that to be able to write well, you have to be a reader first. You nurtured my love of books right from the get-go. I still remember sitting in my room with you, while you read books like Owls in the Family and The Great Brain. I never knew your secret plan to get me to read more until I was much older, but it definitely made a difference. Even now, when I’m twenty-six, we’re still reading books together.
To Tamara, KT, Elisabeth and Naomi: Thank you for battling through this book when it was in its earliest stages and for giving me such useful feedback. This book is much better because of your work. KT, you have supported me at every stage of the publishing process. You’ve become an amazing friend and my virtual shoulder to cry, rage and fret on.
To Cam, Rue, Zan, Erin, Jenny and the rest of my Edinburgh-based family by choice: Thank you for being so supportive of me when I was going through a genuinely rough time, and for getting so excited with me at the announcement of this book’s publication!
To Megan Moss, my amazing cover artist: You created a cover that is truly a work of art in itself. Your renderings perfectly capture the girls as I always imagined them. Thank you!
To Dawn, my senior editor at Harmony Ink: This manuscript took a bit of patience and perseverance on your part! I remain amazed at your attention to detail and ability to remember so many things about the book at once! Sorry about all the comma splices! Thanks to your hard work, I’m feeling so much more confident about letting this book go out into the world.
To the amazing team at Harmony Ink: Thank you for all your amazing work on the book, and always answering all my questions so promptly. You’ve been an amazing publisher to work with, and I’ve met so many supportive authors in the community through you (special shout out to Nina Rossing!).
Originally from Chicago, JULIA EMBER now resides in sunny Scotland, where she has learned to enjoy both haggis and black pudding. She spends her days working as a professional Book Nerd and her nights writing YA Romantic Fantasy novels. She also spends an inordinate amount of time managing her growing city-based menagerie of pets with Harry Potter–themed names. Presently, she is the haggard slave of the cats Sirius Black and Luna Lovegood and Bellatrix Le Snake. A lifelong horse-lover, she also owns a freakishly adorable cob pony called Africa. Her animals tend to make cameo appearances in her writing.
A world traveler since childhood, Julia has now visited over sixty countries. Her travels inspire the fictional worlds she writes about, and she populates those worlds with magic and monsters.
When she isn’t working or writing, Julia enjoys exploring the magical city of Edinburgh, riding horses, reading too many books, and trying out new restaurants!
Readers can contact Julia via her website: www.julia-ember.com
Or connect with her through Twitter: @jules_chronicle
Published by
Harmony Ink Press
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
publisher@harmonyinkpress.com • harmonyinkpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Unicorn Tracks
© 2016 Julia Ember.
Cover Art
© 2016 Meghan Moss.
http://meaghz.deviantart.com/gallery/
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or publisher@harmonyinkpress.com.
ISBN: 978-1-63476-878-8
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63476-879-5
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015914165
v 1.0
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
Blurb
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
The Beasts of Nazwimbe
Acknowledgments
About the Author
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