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The Unicorn Chronicles #6
THE WOUNDED TREE
If the Axis Mundi Falls, Can Luster Survive?
When Beloved used the magic of one of the Queen's amulets to drive a tunnel through the great tree at the heart of lLuster, she unwittingly put the entire world in danger. Now the unicorns face disaster on two the Hunters are spreading out in search of unicorns to kill, and at the same time the world of Luster is on the verge of tearing itself apart.
While Amalia Flickerfoot, Queen of the Unicorns, makes plans to face the Hunters, her human granddaughter, Cara, is on a mission to enlist the aid of the dragon Graumag. At a desperate moment, Cara meets the mysterious Elihu, who presents her with the most fateful decision of her life.
Overflowing with danger, painful choices, and dazzlng surprises, the enthralling sixth volume of the Unicorn Chronicles will sweep you into the heart of a fantasy world like no other!
This is a lightly revised version of the middle third of the book originally published as THE LAST HUNT. It contains some minor expansions, as well as one completely new chapter.
When Beloved used the magic of one of the Queen's amulets to drive a tunnel through the great tree at the heart of lLuster, she unwittingly put the entire world in danger. Now the unicorns face disaster on two the Hunters are spreading out in search of unicorns to kill, and at the same time the world of Luster is on the verge of tearing itself apart.
While Amalia Flickerfoot, Queen of the Unicorns, makes plans to face the Hunters, her human granddaughter, Cara, is on a mission to enlist the aid of the dragon Graumag. At a desperate moment, Cara meets the mysterious Elihu, who presents her with the most fateful decision of her life.
Overflowing with danger, painful choices, and dazzlng surprises, the enthralling sixth volume of the Unicorn Chronicles will sweep you into the heart of a fantasy world like no other!
This is a lightly revised version of the middle third of the book originally published as THE LAST HUNT. It contains some minor expansions, as well as one completely new chapter.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 30, 2022
11 people are currently reading
249 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 22, 2023
this is entirely a spoiler (not kidding)! I'm adding a summary here because it's too long for the private notes section. IT'S ALL SPOILERS:
Summary:
Belle takes maiden Feng Yuan back to Autumngrove, where she helps the Queen plan a battle strategy against Beloved. (since unicorns are bad at deception and all because of the purge, and the Queen used to be human so she's adept for this as long as Feng helps. Unicorns use this deception against Beloved, who thinks the unicorns won't fight back).
Graumag agrees to help the unicorns. Cara & Gramug (& Squijum) rest overnight, and Graumag tells Cara her story:
(She was born human, but was cursed into the form of a dragon by her stepmother. Her brother had to kiss her 3 times to break the curse, which he did but was hideously disfigured in the act. The transformation magic from turning Graumag human again was used to turn the stepmother into a frog. Once human, Graumag dreamed of life in her other dragon body—the power and flight and all. Under the advice of a wizard, she caught her frog stepmother—careful not to touch her or she'd lose the magic—and brewed a potion to turn back to dragon but didn't take it. Frog stepmother became a sort of advisor on how to run the kingdom. Brother, disfigured and unable to produce an heir from the dragon fire that burned him, sets Graumag to be married to continue the line. Stepmother and stepfather try to stop her so she won't continue the bloodline, and Graumag finds out her real father, the king, had literally tortured many subjects while he was alive, including her stepmother and stepfather. Graumag drinks the potion, but it does nothing. In anger, she grabs the stepmother frog, touching her for the first time, and the transformation magic rushes back to Graumag. Graumag stays on Earth to protect the kingdom from evil like her father, but eventually too many men hunt her and her world is too changed, and she flees with other dragons first to the first world, then when that world doesn't fit her—she fades until she almost dies while there—to the only world left available: Luster.)
Cara is separated from Gaumag (who continues to Autumngrove) when Hunters attack and runs into Elihu (we don't know who he is at this point except that he made the queen's amulets), who transforms Cara into a unicorn by smashing the amulet (and using transformational magic, but we don't know this yet) to avoid further detection by the Hunters hunting her. She travels (with Squijum) to join the unicorns, and meets Medfil along the way.
Medfil goes to Autumngrove to deliver news Cara is alive, but runs into Graumag, who was sent by the unicorns to tell Beloved the unicorns will meet hunters at the Axis Mundi in a couple mornings (this is a lie, but gives unicorns the benefit of surprise attack by attacking Beloved's camp—that's set up a ways away from the Axis Mundi—the night before.) Graumag does not know this is a lie, and tells Medfil, who goes back to tell Cara. Medfil and Cara (&Squijum) start out for Axis Mundi together, and run into Fallon. Medfil introduces Cara as Silverhoof. Fallon reveals he is looking for Elihu and travels with Medfil and Cara. Fallon tells them Elihu created Luster and they are both part of Greater Powers, but Elihu did this without permission (we find out later that the Great Powers turned Elihu into the Dumblethum for it) and that Fallon created unicorns.
Rocky is saved by his cousins and convinces them to turn against the king. They lose their names since they helped Rocky, and Rocky gives them all nicknames. They go in search of Rocky's very powerful teacher who knows the Delver way is wrong. (Teacher is Namza, the Delver king's magician, so they head for Delvharken).
Ian, Martha, and Rajiv split up to cover more ground in search for Cara. Ian runs into Rocky's group, decides to travel with Rocky to Devharken to find teacher and stop collapse, and the rest of Rocky's group go to the Tree to wait. Ian is captured by Delvers, who entirely left Delvharken to go join Beloved's people. Rocky continues to Delvharken.
SIDE STORIES:
Namza, dreaming in stone in Delvharken, dreams of what HIS teacher told him about his meeting a godly women (named Allura in the next book) in his ritual year of wandering who asked him to go to the Unicorn Chronicles and scratch out information about the Whisperer.
Jacques goes to find and convinces the rest of the Players to help and join the unicorns. Thomas the Tinker goes to and catches a chicken/medusa thing that turns people to stone to help in the battle. Grimwold is asked by the queen via scrying pool to meet them at the Axis Mundi to prepare for battle in a couple mornings (same lie they told Beloved).
Princess Arianna (daughter of the former Chiron) leaves to go help, begs other centaur Arkon to come. He refuses so he can fight in the battles to choose the next Chiron. He ends up fighting his best friend, wins, kills his best friend, and becomes Chiron.
Summary:
Belle takes maiden Feng Yuan back to Autumngrove, where she helps the Queen plan a battle strategy against Beloved. (since unicorns are bad at deception and all because of the purge, and the Queen used to be human so she's adept for this as long as Feng helps. Unicorns use this deception against Beloved, who thinks the unicorns won't fight back).
Graumag agrees to help the unicorns. Cara & Gramug (& Squijum) rest overnight, and Graumag tells Cara her story:
(She was born human, but was cursed into the form of a dragon by her stepmother. Her brother had to kiss her 3 times to break the curse, which he did but was hideously disfigured in the act. The transformation magic from turning Graumag human again was used to turn the stepmother into a frog. Once human, Graumag dreamed of life in her other dragon body—the power and flight and all. Under the advice of a wizard, she caught her frog stepmother—careful not to touch her or she'd lose the magic—and brewed a potion to turn back to dragon but didn't take it. Frog stepmother became a sort of advisor on how to run the kingdom. Brother, disfigured and unable to produce an heir from the dragon fire that burned him, sets Graumag to be married to continue the line. Stepmother and stepfather try to stop her so she won't continue the bloodline, and Graumag finds out her real father, the king, had literally tortured many subjects while he was alive, including her stepmother and stepfather. Graumag drinks the potion, but it does nothing. In anger, she grabs the stepmother frog, touching her for the first time, and the transformation magic rushes back to Graumag. Graumag stays on Earth to protect the kingdom from evil like her father, but eventually too many men hunt her and her world is too changed, and she flees with other dragons first to the first world, then when that world doesn't fit her—she fades until she almost dies while there—to the only world left available: Luster.)
Cara is separated from Gaumag (who continues to Autumngrove) when Hunters attack and runs into Elihu (we don't know who he is at this point except that he made the queen's amulets), who transforms Cara into a unicorn by smashing the amulet (and using transformational magic, but we don't know this yet) to avoid further detection by the Hunters hunting her. She travels (with Squijum) to join the unicorns, and meets Medfil along the way.
Medfil goes to Autumngrove to deliver news Cara is alive, but runs into Graumag, who was sent by the unicorns to tell Beloved the unicorns will meet hunters at the Axis Mundi in a couple mornings (this is a lie, but gives unicorns the benefit of surprise attack by attacking Beloved's camp—that's set up a ways away from the Axis Mundi—the night before.) Graumag does not know this is a lie, and tells Medfil, who goes back to tell Cara. Medfil and Cara (&Squijum) start out for Axis Mundi together, and run into Fallon. Medfil introduces Cara as Silverhoof. Fallon reveals he is looking for Elihu and travels with Medfil and Cara. Fallon tells them Elihu created Luster and they are both part of Greater Powers, but Elihu did this without permission (we find out later that the Great Powers turned Elihu into the Dumblethum for it) and that Fallon created unicorns.
Rocky is saved by his cousins and convinces them to turn against the king. They lose their names since they helped Rocky, and Rocky gives them all nicknames. They go in search of Rocky's very powerful teacher who knows the Delver way is wrong. (Teacher is Namza, the Delver king's magician, so they head for Delvharken).
Ian, Martha, and Rajiv split up to cover more ground in search for Cara. Ian runs into Rocky's group, decides to travel with Rocky to Devharken to find teacher and stop collapse, and the rest of Rocky's group go to the Tree to wait. Ian is captured by Delvers, who entirely left Delvharken to go join Beloved's people. Rocky continues to Delvharken.
SIDE STORIES:
Namza, dreaming in stone in Delvharken, dreams of what HIS teacher told him about his meeting a godly women (named Allura in the next book) in his ritual year of wandering who asked him to go to the Unicorn Chronicles and scratch out information about the Whisperer.
Jacques goes to find and convinces the rest of the Players to help and join the unicorns. Thomas the Tinker goes to and catches a chicken/medusa thing that turns people to stone to help in the battle. Grimwold is asked by the queen via scrying pool to meet them at the Axis Mundi to prepare for battle in a couple mornings (same lie they told Beloved).
Princess Arianna (daughter of the former Chiron) leaves to go help, begs other centaur Arkon to come. He refuses so he can fight in the battles to choose the next Chiron. He ends up fighting his best friend, wins, kills his best friend, and becomes Chiron.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2025
I am Sorry for my Honest Opinion
I loved the series up until this book. I am sorry. This was not how I ever imagined, in the near 30 years I had been in love with the first book, that this story would go. That said, I am sure others love the book, but as for me, I am disappointed and I am not looking forward to reading the final book. It’s just my opinion, but… there it is; spoiler free.
I loved the series up until this book. I am sorry. This was not how I ever imagined, in the near 30 years I had been in love with the first book, that this story would go. That said, I am sure others love the book, but as for me, I am disappointed and I am not looking forward to reading the final book. It’s just my opinion, but… there it is; spoiler free.
September 7, 2023
I read and loved it as a child. I recently got to share it with my own child and lived it just as much or more!
August 26, 2025
Now that the invaders have breached Luster through its very heart, the question is whether the country and its inhabitants will survive.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews