hidden in a secret pavilion PsalmsExcept for the fact that he was birthed with a black mane amidst a herd of all white unicorns, Naythorn's life in the unicorn hold of Wittanor would have been wonderful. Instead he was daily treated as a misfit, teased, and bullied. One day the young blackmane causes a commotion defending himself against a gang of bullying unicorns; for that is told by his sire to go anywhere away from the unicorn hold. Seizing the opportunity, for the first time in his life Naythorn Blackmane finds himself running truly free. A dilemma is created when Naythorn comes upon vicious wolves attacking a half grown bear. Unicorns in the hold of Wittanor were instructed to never interfere in the lives of non-magical animals. The difficulty for Naythorn is that personal experience he detests any kind of bullying behavior, and so decides to say yes to himself and no to the idea of unicorn herdness. The blackmane next rescues from the same pack of mean-looking wolves a wild boar with four piglets, a duck, and a goose.Upon returning the next day to Wittanor Hold, Naythorn discovers that the white herd has...vanished! Far out at sea he glimpses unicorns being carried away upon large barges. He finds that only his old and feeble grandsire, Cabalbard, remained behind in order to tell Naythorn for what reason the white herd had forever departed their hold. Having little to lose, the animal persons that the blackmane had before rescued come to cling to the blackmane. Unicorn magic is invoked to do something never before done, common animals are by the sparking of grandsire Cabalbard's horn given the gift of uniform animal speech. That done, Naythorn finds himself to be the leader of animal persons that are loyal and true to a black-maned unicorn intent on refinding the magical white herd. Stung by the unfair wresting of animals of prey from his pack of fierce wolves, Naythorn comes to be by Albarochk hated. The goodness of a magical black-maned unicorn becomes a magnet for the evil intentions of a wolf leader. Upon finding a crumbling pavilion hidden inside a hollow mountain, Naythorn rescues a horse filly badly outnumbered by Albarochk and his pack. The healing blood of the wounded Naythorn produces a miracle, a horse filly begins to grow wings. Unfortunately, the taste of unicorn blood transforms Albarochk into a fearsome monster. As the animal band soon grown to also include a bison, cattle, two rams, two dogs, and two warrior blacksmiths searches for the vanished white herd, its members learn that in order to survive the attacks of Albarochk and his growing legion of wolves, they must themselves become a disciplined military company.At the same time that Naythorn and his band have many adventures and survive many battles against fierce wolves, the white herd of unicorns also faces danger from island warriors. Only the innocence and purity of a brave unicorn filly can withstand the colossus of the deep. Admiral Zoumar the commander of the barge brigade, and Elianor and Aneilee the matriarchs of the white herd, learn to rely on each other in unique ways that help a fleet of five barges follow in the direction of the fixed star. The story of Naythorn, his band, Admiral Zoumar and his courageous sailors, Aneilee and Elianor and their white herd of unicorns is filled with adventures that inspire, the growth of remarkable friendships, and the triumph of the magical gifts of Love and Truth.
About the Author: G. D. Hanson taught at Auburn University and Penn State University. He has academic degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Minnesota. He is married and resides in South Dakota and Costa Rica.