Skandar and the Unicorn Thief

Although Bobby Bruna serves as a supporting character to Skandar, who is the main protagonist, her role in the novel plays a significant part in keeping him on the right path. She quickly shows her strengths quite early in the novel, telling Skandar that her memory “is practically photographic” (72) and that she knew he lied about arriving in the helicopter because she noticed only four others in the helicopter in question, and none of them were him. This scene demonstrates that she notices details that others miss, and that attribute becomes important for the quartet of main characters. Her attention to detail also makes her a useful mentor character for Skandar, who becomes so caught up in his lies that he loses track of the details. To succeed in his larger goals, he needs guidance and direction from a character like Bobby, who remembers information easily and knows which fights to pick and which to avoid. She is not a perfect foil for Skandar’s character, but there are moments in which their opposing personalities work in his favor. She tempers his impulsiveness and stops him from going too far. Even when he pushes his friends away, she stays with him because she knows the true nature of his heart even when he temporarily loses his own way.

Her own character development is revealed in several scenes that temper her considerable skills with an underlying vulnerability. The most prominent examples of this dynamic comes when Skandar witnesses one of her panic attacks. The first time Skandar sees one, Bobby is in the stables, “knees pulled up to her chest, struggling to drag air into her lungs” (163). Bobby fears that he will make fun of her for her panic attacks, but instead, he helps her; she respects him for helping her through the attack and showing her methods that are more effective than just waiting for the attack to pass. This new tool to regulate herself will allow Bobby’s personality to develop further as she begins examining other situations for ways to be strategic and proactive, rather than simply forcing her way through unthinkingly. This learned patience aids in the group’s final conflict against the Weaver: a situation in which waiting, observing, and finding different solutions works better than simply charging in without a plan.

Mitch Henderson is the son of the Silver Circle’s chairperson. His father raised him to hate spirit wielders based on an oversimplified belief that spirit wielders can only be evil; Mitch’s father bases this belief on his observations of the Weaver and the Executioner. Mitch himself must often face challenges alone, and that isolation teaches him not to open himself to other perspectives and other ways of thinking. Despite this character flaw, he serves as a reluctant sidekick to Skandar, helping the protagonist craft plans to further Skandar’s goals. Mitch also spends time exposing himself to new worldviews as Bobby and Flo work to help Skandar understand the extent of spirit element magic.

In many ways, Mitch serves as a foil character to Skandar. Whereas Skandar approaches life on the Island with an open mind and accepts the variable nature of spirit wielders, Mitch faces internal conflict about whether a spirit wielder can be anything other than evil and untrustworthy. His father never allowed him to have opinions of his own, and he now experiences an extremely limited worldview that Skandar must face head-on in order to overcome. Additionally, the two boys are polar opposites in that Skandar comes from the Mainland, where unicorns are distant and part of a dream, while Mitch lives on the Island and faces daily experiences that prove the wild, unreliable nature of unicorns and the dangers that they pose to people even when bonded to a rider. His biases close him off whereas Skandar’s new insights allow him to view the Island and unicorns differently.

Mitch’s most significant character development is his shift from hating Skandar (and indeed, all spirit wielders) to befriending Skandar and accepting that spirit wielders can be good or evil just like the riders who represent all the other elements. He opens himself up to Skandar’s attempts at friendship and becomes more receptive to the beneficial ways in which he sees spirit magic being used. This shift makes Mitch a dynamic, round character who learns from other characters and his environment, ultimately growing as a person throughout the novel. Though he resists these changes at first, he cannot help but open his mind when faced with other perspectives.

Flo was born on the Island and bonds with a rare silver unicorn. She is another supporting character to Skandar and opposes Mitchell—the other Islander in the group—by believing in Skandar and trusting that he can be a good person no matter what his affinity element is. However, Flo lacks the same confidence in herself and her own abilities. She is timid and afraid of the potential that having Silver Blade exposes her to; she does not believe that she’s capable of living up to the expectations that society places on silver unicorn riders. This dynamic creates an internal conflict that Flo grapples with from the moment she meets her unicorn to the end of the novel.

She also serves as a foil to Mitchell by demonstrating the differences in Islander characters. Without her presence in the novel, readers would be forced to conclude that all Islander characters are as closed-minded as Mitch and his father, who hate spirit wielders and despise anyone who goes against the status quo. Flo’s presence breaks that narrative and provides a contrasting view that challenges what it means to be an Islander. She and her unicorn also serve as symbols of purity, for even when the evidence weighs against someone, she chooses to believe that they have the potential to be a good person. She does not see people as inherently bad and chooses instead to work with them rather than against them. However, she is not headstrong like Bobby and stays back to consider different options before rushing into a situation.

Through her own internal conflict, Flo proves herself to be a dynamic character who grows into her bond with Silver Blade. At the start of her training, Silver Blade easily overpowers her and preys on her fear of not being enough. She allows her unicorn to do so because she believes that Silver Blade mistakenly bonded with her. Initially she cannot see her own worth because she always compares herself unfavorably to others. As she works with Skandar and her friends, though, she grows and learns to accept that she is worthy. She strengthens her bond with her unicorn and proves her worthiness to herself when she charges out with the quartet at the end to find the Weaver and rescue both New-Age Frost and Silver Blade.