The Dark Unicorn

<p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Finalist Children's Literature 1999 Saskatchewan Book Awards</strong></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)><em>A gripping tale of courage loyalty and the fight for hope in a world on the edge.</em></strong></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>In the Kingdom of the Heartland where magic is thought of as nothing more than centuries-old legend Nels a young flutist scraping by in a ragtag theatrical troupe stumbles upon a deadly secret: a mysterious black unicorn carving thrumming with ancient power. Thrust into his hands by a dying stranger it makes Nels the target of the Red Horseman a sinister agent of the Blood Empire seeking to destroy the ancient Wall that is all that protects the Heartland from the rapacious forces of its ancient enemy.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Fleeing through a land scarred by destruction Nels finds an unlikely ally in Dart a cunning thief with a shadowy past. Together they brave treacherous forests ruined villages and the terrors of a reawakening magic that could either doom or save their world. As the Wall weakens and monstrous fiend-soldiers close in Nels must unlock the unicorn's power-a power tied to his heart and the bonds he dares to forge.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(0 0 0 1)>Can Nels wield the Dark Unicorn's magic to restore the Wall and save the Heartland or will the Blood Empire's shadow consume them all? </span></p>