The Bait
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey
Music by Jula Echklar

He plunges through the forest night. His eyes are wide with fear.
Behind him he can hear the sounds that mean the hunt is near,
And fair before him is the trap, and in the trap, the bait.
He trembles, kneels and lays his horn upon the lap of fate.
 
And now the hunt converges on the spellbound unicorn.
The hunters mean to slay the beast, and take his precious horn.
So gleeful in their greed and lust, they have not paused to see
This maid is not the peasant girl they left tied to the tree.
 
Now as they raise their spears, she casts red lightning from her hands.
Their limbs are bound fast to their sides, as if with iron bands.
She rises; in her voice is rage, and hatred in her eyes.
"Cruel killers of a dream, full well you merit death," she cries.
 
"Though you spread terror, pain, and fear, rough justice shall you see,
And as you have the hunters been, so shall you hunted be."
Now once again, out from her hands, the lightnings dance and flare.
Where once each man had stool, there was a small and frightened hare.
 
"From moon to sun to moon again, run hunted, evil men,
And pray the Lady spares your lives." They fled in terror then.
She said, "There's others of your kind, they too may die unless...
Shall we turn hunter, you and I?" The unicorn said, "Yes."