AN UPLIFTING CHILDREN'S BOOK FOR ADULTS "canst thou bind the unicorn..." Job (Authorized King James Bible) On the longest night of winter an ancient Phoenician barge with a precious cargo of blue gold finds itself beset by tumultuous seas. Desperate to save the magical gold that when forged into armor and swords sustains true hearts, Admiral Zoumar orders Captain Avalcar to tie him to the mast. If worse comes to worse and his ship sinks to the bottom of the sea, the admiral cares not to live on. Faraway, also on the longest night of the year, four princes and princesses flee the burning palace of Troy. Upon seizing the last in the line of raider barges, and with the help of the ship's pilot the enslaved Bashkeem, the Troyans embark upon piracy against the country that despoiled their nascent kingdom. At about the same time that occurs the buffeting of Zoumar's vessel by storm winds, and the flight of royals from a burning palace, across a great ocean Naythorn Blackmane Unicorn finds himself made to be an outcast from the magical white herd. Having by the touch of Naythorn's horn been given the ability to understand and speak to each other, the members of the unicorn's band remain unfailingly loyal. A sage bison, a laconic long-horned cattle, an enormous bear, an intrepid lion, a dancing wolf, an unserious duck, an adventurous goose, five very smart wild boars, and two stalwart blacksmiths go with Naythorn into exile. Within the passage of a few moons of time, Admiral Zoumar and the orphaned Troyan princes and princesses come to each others' aid in a great sea battle of many war barges. The now united Admiral Zoumar and the Troyans are drawn to the plight of Mistral who has power over the mists, and two unicorns imprisoned in Egypt. The magical gift of the mare Crimson is to paint the clouds with what she envisions below them. Her colt Seahorse is named for his ability to swim strongly and tirelessly the sea. The magical abilities of Mistral, Crimson, and Seahorse come to play a salient role in the lives of Admiral Zoumar, Captain Avalcar, four princes and princesses of Troy, and two princes of Phoenicia as they together defend the city of Byblos against two invading armies. Ermal, the younger Phoenician prince, falls in love with Resi, the younger princess of Troy. Despairing that her brothers, sisters, and Ermal have abandoned her to undertake a very dangerous voyage across an immense sea, Resi is courted by another. Across far seas, diabolical wolves have discovered that upon drinking the magic blood of unicorns, the evil lodged in their hearts transforms into uncontrollable monstrosity. Naythorn and his band find themselves pursued and endangered. The two matriarchs that guide the herd of magical unicorns are betrayed and forced to flee another monstrous wolf. A third diabolical wolf grown to be enormously large endangers the entire herd of magical horses. Desirous to possess the magic of all the horned horses, monstrous wolves allied to Deathmask warriors come to threaten the very survival of Naythorn and his band, the unicorn matriarchs, the magic white herd of unicorns, and a beleaguered tribe that had once built pyramids. The arrival of Captain Avalcar and princes and princesses of Troy and Phoenicia brings the hope that evil can at last be vanquished. The story offers the promise of triumph over great evil that is intent on destroying truth, grace, hope, and the sanctity of divine love. The reader is taken on an imaginative journey that portrays the strengthening of friendship and family bonds, royal romance, and playful humor. This fast-paced but gentle fantasy, the fourth in a five book series, promises to enchant readers aged ten to eighty.