There are the wild and free spirits, and the chosen mages of the four mortal races, but there is also a rarer magic in the world – when Nature chooses an animal as a mage.

The most commonly seen – though still regarded by many as myth – is the unicorn. Few horses run wild these days, so when chosen and gifted with a wand of their own, they’re more likely to be noticed than, say, a single starling in an endless flock, or a darting rabbit lost beneath the purple heather.

No-one really understands why animals are ever chosen, but unicorns have notably more powers than other documented magical animals. Their bonds with humans and the other folk are strong, and their magic is often protective. Is it because horses work alongside their two-legged families, carrying and journeying?

It has been noted that often the unicorn has a firm, unbreakable bond with a child rather than an adult, at the time of its magical awakening, and always the child is given magic, too.

There was that incident a few years back… Magic was gifted to a donkey. It’s wand grew like a unicorn’s horn, so it became known locally as the unidonk. It was rather adorable, if I recall.