“She tried to fight the dragons,” the woman continued. “When you three arrived, I hoped I could find refuge with you from the dragons. They’ve been hunting me for months.”

My eyebrows rose as I imagined Jesper of all people trying to fight dragons. The unicorn must have mistaken Jesper stumbling into her path for gallantry. The runt didn’t even look up when she was acknowledged. “Why are they hunting you?” I asked.

“I don’t know exactly. Unicorns like me are valuable in ...