When the Solstice Fires Burn
Step into a world of Celtic magic, ancient druids, and a unicorn who changes everything. Enjoy the first chapter of The Unicorn and the Druidess.
As a Summer Solstice treat, I’ll be sharing a free read with you from my Summer Solstice Romantasy novella, The Unicorn and the Druidess, book four of the Druidry and the Beast series.
I’ll be posting other chapters as well.
Enjoy, and Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!
THE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS
CORNELIA AMIRICopyright © 2026 by Cornelia Amiri
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic
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of brief quotations in a book review.
THE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS
(FOURTH BOOK IN THE DRUIDRY AND THE BEAST SERIES)
He crossed worlds for her. She thinks he’s the enemy.
Druidess Maelona only meant to follow the creature for a moment.
Instead, she stumbles into a stranger so devastatingly irresistible
he sets her blood on fire with a single look.
But Maelona has lived through Roman invasions, betrayal, and war.
She knows better than to trust too easily.
Especially when the mysterious outsider fighting beside her tribe may secretly be a Roman spy.
What she doesn’t know is that Epon isn’t mortal at all.
He’s a god who crossed through the veil between worlds for her.
A god willing to become a unicorn, a warrior, even a hunted man
just to stay near the fierce druidess he can’t stop wanting.
As the Summer Solstice blazes around them
with wild dancing, ancient rituals, and magic,
desire grows impossible to resist.
But loving a mortal could cost Epon everything.
And for Maelona, falling for him may destroy far more than her heart.
CHAPTER ONE
The mellow warmth of the summer sun raised Maelona’s
already high spirits even further as she bounded down the
path out of the tribal village of twenty thatched timber
roundhouses. She reached the end of the narrow dirt road,
which flowed into a field of tall grass. To the side another
walkway cut through shorter grass to the wild forest that
stretched behind all the Belgae’s fields. She sucked in a
sharp breath and froze, captivated. The soft rhythmic
thud of the footsteps of the tribesmen behind her came to
an abrupt stop.
A huge…unicorn…as white as daisy petals, with a long
horn protruding from his forehead, whinnied. Stomping
his front silver hoof, he tilted his head toward her.
She equated his stare with bold appraisal and consid-
ered his vigorous nods a sign of approval. He wheeled
around and waded into the tall grass rippling like waves in
the light summer breeze. He swished his thick, feathery
tail while munching on the fresh, juicy stalks.
Maelona turned her head to address the men and boys.4 CORNELIA AMIRI
The sharp scythes that dangled by their sides glinted in
the sunlight. “Drop the hay cutters. Stay where you are. If
you spook the unicorn, he’ll take off.” She shifted her
attention to the majestic equine beast. “And we don’t want
that,” she said under her breath.
Unicorns had gone the way of dragons. They’d left
Earth, fleeing mankind. The few who survived stayed in
the otherworld. Gods could shape shift into that form, but
no real unicorn would dare come through the portal. So,
what or who was she looking at?
The answer clicked in Maelona’s mind. It has to be
Atepomarus come to bless our sowing and hay making so
that our tribe and livestock will not go hungry come
winter.
She waded through the knee-high grass to greet him
with a bow. Then she straightened and said, “Hail, God
Atepomarus, Divine Unicorn, and Patron of our tribe.”
He tilted his ears at her, so she held her hand to his
nose. The unicorn took a whiff of her scent and released a
rumbling nicker. Maelona slid her hand to his soft neck
and scratched him just behind his ear. He cocked his head,
and his lips quivered.
“I, Maelona, Druidess of the Belgae, welcome you to
our village, God of Fertility, God of Healing.”
The unicorn reared to acknowledge her. Then he set all
four hooves back on the ground, turned toward the forest,
and neighed. His silver horn gleamed in the sunlight as he
trotted into the realm of ancient trees and creatures of fur
and feather.
Thrilled the hay making was turning into an adventure
more than a chore, Maelona addressed her tribesmen.
“The gods are good.” She raised her arms in the air.THE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS 5
“They’ve provided a fine crop of grass.” Reaching her
arms out toward the men, she said, “Those with scythes,
even those with naught but swords, cut the grass so it
shall dry into hay. I shall return as soon as I find
Atepomarus.”
Maelona turned, dashed into the forest, and chased the
unicorn. The god. She had to talk to him. Find out what
he wanted of them. Glimmers of sunlight flickered
through the thick canopy of leaves as she inhaled a peaty
aroma spiced with the sweet fragrances of honeysuckle
and elderflowers. Hastening deeper into the woods, dirt
crunched, and twigs snapped beneath her feet.
An unexpected human wheeze startled her from above.
Is it Atepomarus? Would he make that kind of sound in
his unicorn form?
Maelona glanced at the tree’s branches stretching high
into the sky. She gasped and came to a complete stop.
Above her, a trembling child huddled on a sturdy limb.
Garbed in a tattered, sleeveless tunic of undyed wool that
hung to his dirty knees—he looked like an escaped Roman
slave.
“You can trust me, I’m a druidess,” she called to him in
a coaxing tone. “It’s like a Roman priest…but smarter and
nicer.”
He just sat there…still…unmoving…terrified.
Maybe telling him she was a druidess wasn’t the best
idea. She’d heard the Romans spread horrific tales about
them, saying they burnt men alive in giant wicker baskets
they set afire. How ridiculous. She tried something else.
“You must be hungry. If you come down, I’ll give you
plenty of fresh honey and oat cakes.”
He stood on the thick branch.6 CORNELIA AMIRI
Her heart raced. The sweets had worked. A good call.
They always worked on her.
The child grabbed hold of the tree.
Thrilled, she watched his every move while he climbed
down. Once he stood on the mossy forest floor, Maelona’s
neck creaked and her shoulders relaxed as relief flooded
her. She stooped down to eye level with him. “I’m glad to
meet you. I’m Maelona.”
“I’m Tanco,” he said in a soft, high-pitched voice.
After rising to a standing position, she held out her
hand. He clutched it. Knowing that taking care of him was
more urgent than her quest for the unicorn god, she
pushed thoughts of Atepomarus to the back of her mind.
She walked at Tanco’s side out of the forest and past the
field where all the men were haying.
Mostly, Tanco kept his head cast down but now and
then he lifted his gaze to her face, and she flashed a sweet,
reassuring smile. With his small hand folded in hers, she
led him by the thatched roundhouses to the largest one.
Maelona led him inside and nodded to Callwen, who
set down a knife she was using to cut a turnip. “We have a
visitor in need of hospitality—oat cakes and the sweetest
honey.” Maelona let go of Tanco’s hand and patted his
head.
“I see.” Callwen absently wiped her hands on her
green, blue, and yellow plaid skirt while she smiled at him.
“I’m Callwen.” Her grin emphasized her dimples and a few
laugh lines that came with age. “And how about a bowl of
wild berries as well?”
Tanco stepped from behind Maelona and eagerly
bobbed his head.
Maelona led Tanco to a fur pelt by the central fire, andTHE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS 7
he sat down. Callwen smeared golden honey on fresh-
baked oat cakes, then grabbed a bowl full of freshly picked
strawberries and brought them to Tanco.
She turned to Maelona. “You must be wanting my
husband. He’s out back with the horses.”
“Tanco, I have to talk to my chief. I’ll be back.”
Maelona ducked out of the roundhouse and walked over to
the corral where Chief Galba was grooming his favorite
horse.
“Ah, how goes the haying?” the chief asked.
“It looks like we’ll be able to keep most of our livestock
and horses through winter.”
“So, the gods have blessed us with a good crop then?”
Galba swept the boar-hair bristles of the wooden brush
down his stallion’s back.
“It is so, but I haven’t come to talk about hay. A
unicorn visited the tribe this morn. I suspect it’s our
patron god.”
“Atepomarus? Here?” The chief narrowed his gaze at
Maelona.
“Yes, but he took off for the woods. I went after him
but was distracted by a child hiding in a tree. I think he’s a
Roman slave.”
“Is the child still in the woods?” The chief’s eyebrows
arched.
“He’s in your home. Callwen is watching him.”
Galba’s forehead wrinkled. “You’ve had an eventful
morning.”
“Lots of adventure. It looks like it will be an exciting
solstice this year.”
“We don’t need too much adventure.” Galba swept the
brush over the chestnut horse’s rump and moved on to the8 CORNELIA AMIRI
horse’s side. “This escaped Roman slave business bodes ill
for us. Commander VespianVespasianVespasian will not
look well on anyone that helps a runaway. But I am also
concerned about our patron god. Shouldn’t he be our
priority?”
“He’s a god and can take care of himself. At this
moment the boy needs us more.”
“Seems a strange thing for a druidess to say, but coming
from you, it doesn’t surprise me one bit.” The stallion
neighed. Having finished the steed’s grooming, Galba
stepped up to Maelona. “Call a meeting of the tribe. I’ll
discuss the unicorn that you’re sure is Atepomarus with
you later.”
She nodded. “All the men are in the field cutting grass.
I’ll round up the women so you can speak to everyone at
once.”
“So be it. My wife will watch over the lad until the
meeting’s finished and we decide what to do.”
Maelona walked with the chief while he led his horse
back to the stables.
“We aren’t going to turn him over to the Romans,” she
said firmly.
“Of course not,” Galba huffed. “We don’t do anything
for Romans.” He ushered the horse inside, closed the door
of the stall, and set the brush on a hook on the wall.
The chief headed toward the field while Maelona
began calling the women to gather there also.
A flush of excitement heated Atepomarus’s cheeks, and his
pulse raced. When she’d stroked his unicorn hair, a frissonTHE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS 9
of heat had shot through him. He’d crossed the veil to
meet Maelona after scrying her in the pond of the wise
salmon in the otherworld. But, from the way her skin
glowed with a rosy hue to the straight slope of her slender
nose, she was even more beautiful in person.
Having met Maelona as a unicorn, it was time to intro-
duce her to his human form. He decided to keep his iden-
tity as a god hidden, knowing she’d treat the powerful
Atepomarus differently than a mortal man. An earthly,
man to woman relationship of mutual respect and desire
was what he wanted…needed…with Maelona.
Quavering trills of forest birds danced in the air as he
trotted to an ancient oak as wide as a roundhouse, with
bark gnarled by time, sculpted by the artistry of nature.
Behind this tree, he began his transformation.
A warm, tingly sensation spread through his body. His
heart hammered. The cracks and snaps of his bones and
muscles filled his ears, and excruciating pain coursed
through him as he shifted to his human shape. The four
unicorn legs cracked and contracted. His hooves prickled,
softening and shifting into the feet of the two legs he now
stood on. Gazing at his feet, he wiggled his toes. Two
former hoofs were now hands for his arms. He shook his
hands and fingers, getting a feel for them once more.
His flesh tingled as the coarse white hairs covering his
body fell off, replaced by tiny, flat, silky ones that laid back
on his chest, arms, and legs. The pale silver mane changed
to thick, light blond hair falling past his shoulders. His
elongated face drew into the flatter, oval shape of a
human’s, causing his teeth to ache as they grew smaller to
fit inside the mouth of a man.
Fierce agony raked the middle of his head. The three-10 CORNELIA AMIRI
foot-long horn was the hardest part of the transformation,
growing shorter, little by little, until it vanished, taking the
pain with it. Drawing in a deep, soothing breath, he lifted
his neck high, puffed out his chest, let his arms fall at his
side, and spread his legs in a warrior stance—exuding the
same grace and confidence as he did as a unicorn.
He fluttered his fingers over his bare human body, and
magically he was clothed in plaid trousers, a red tunic, and
leather shoes. His long sword was sheathed and belted at
his waist. Squirrels scurried across branches above his
head, and warm sunlight beamed on him through the
cracks anyplace the green leaves didn’t overlap as he
looked for Maelona. She’d followed him into the woods, so
he should have run into her by now. He passed patches of
grass and vibrant flowers here and there until he reached
the spot where he’d entered the forest. Where is the
druidess?
He walked to the field of tall grass, to the back of the
crowd gathered there—women and men, all surrounding
the druidess. Maelona stood with her arms crossed over
her chest, beside a tall man with a mustache and long
blond hair. Apetomarus spotted the thick gold torque
banding his neck and knew he must be the chief.
A small-boned man of short stature stepped up. “If
born into slavery, he’s lived his whole life serving his
master. Can we trust him?”
“He’s a young lad, not a spy,” the chief curtly replied.
“How old is the boy?” A young woman with long,
unbraided red hair asked.
“About nine turns of the year.” Maelona dropped her
arms to her side. “He has no love of the Romans. He ran
away from them.”THE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS 11
Atepomarus rubbed his forehead. Roman slave? What
are they talking about?
“Offering him hospitality means fighting the Romans if
they find him here,” the chief said.
“Men and women of the Belgae, what say you? Shall we
offer hospitality to the slave child?” Maelona asked in her
reverberating voice that carried through the crowd.
One by one each man, woman, and child answered,
“Aye.”
“The tribe has spoken,” the chief announced. “The boy
named Tanco shall stay with us.”
“Atepomarus blesses our decision,” Maelona
announced.
No, I don’t. The Romans will find the slave and burn
the whole village down. He shook his head as he pressed
his lips together. That’s why she stopped looking for me.
She came across the runaway. He released a long sigh. Me,
the tribe’s patron god, upstaged by a human child. Atepo-
marus suddenly realized winning this woman over might
prove harder than he first thought.
The men grabbed their scythes and went back to
cutting hay. The women gathered into clusters, chatting,
waiting for someone or something. Probably the druidess.
This left Atepomarus in the field of tall grass alone and
standing out.
The chief’s forehead creased, and his eyebrows knit-
ted. “I am Galba, Chief of the Belgae, but I don’t know
you.”
“Neither do I.” Maelona’s eyes widened and gleamed as
if she was intrigued by him. “Who are you?”
He smiled and turned his head to Galba. “I am a travel-
er.” Then, shifting his focus on Maelona, he added, “From12 CORNELIA AMIRI
afar.” His gaze lingered on the druidess as he imagined
stroking the silky strands of yellow gold and red hair that
streamed together down her back. “Here to offer my help
with haymaking, sheep shearing, or any work you need
done during the Summer Solstice.”
“We welcome your help,” the chief said. “What is your
name?”
“I am called Epon.” He gave them the short version of
his name which was what all his friends called him. Then,
he nodded to Galba and flashed Maelona a toothy grin.
Little did she realize they’d met this morning in the same
field they stood in now.
“I am Maelona, druidess of the Belgae.”
Epon had trouble tearing his gaze away from her eyes.
Their hue, the green of a still forest pond, entranced him,
even more so now that they gleamed with amusement. He
silently gaped.
“Well you didn’t bring a scythe, but I see you have a
sword.” While gazing at the blade belted at his side, her
pearlescent pink lips pursed into a smirk. “Not as good for
harvesting, but its edge is more than sharp enough to cut
hay.” She set one hand on her hip. “Are you any good at
wielding it?”
“I wield my blade as fiercely as a god.”
She tilted her head toward him. “You certainly have the
look of a warrior.” Her eyes held a gleam of appreciation as
she swept her gaze over his body.
His pulse raced. “And so, I am, Druidess, and I pledge
my sword to your service, haying or anything else you
desire.”
“That’s a pledge that could prove interesting, indeed.”
An expression of humor flashed across her face. “I accept.”THE UNICORN AND THE DRUIDESS 13
“So, I should begin my service.” He let out a seductive
chuckle and shed his tunic to labor in the field under the
heat of the summer sun…and to show off his toned
muscles. Her gaze dropped from his face to his chest and
lingered there. Excited and aroused by her obvious attrac-
tion to him, he felt a pull at his groin.
He swaggered into the field of tall grass, drew sword
from sheath and, with a whoosh, swung at the base of the
grass. Instantly, a clump of it lay flat on the ground. The
invigorating scent of grass drifting on the soft breeze and
the lull of the swooshing sounds of men swinging their
scythes in synch was exhilarating. As was the rhythmic
scraping sound of men rubbing whetting stones against
the curved blades of their scythes, sharpening them.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Maelona
watching him, her expression flashing between one of
longing and one of mistrust. She turned her back to him,
walked over to the groups of women gabbing, said some-
thing to them, then they all followed her back to the
village.
At that moment he wished that instead of whipping his
long sword through the grass, he was working with the
women. Anything…to be with her.