Wynter's End

by K. R. Thompson

  Unfortunately, I was going to have to tell him about the latter. And so I did, conveniently leaving out the part about changing to a crow to fly here to ask for his expertise.

  I showed him the book. “We think it’s broken,” I said.

  You would have thought I’d just slapped him across his strange little face. After the look of shock left, he straightened himself as tall as he could while still sitting there and put his nose up in the air. “None of Efflehurt’s books ever ‘break’ as you say. They all do just as they’re meant. Ah spell each of them just so, ye see. Hours and hours of work and so much time in each stitch.” He nodded at the book. “That one be no different. The reason ye can’t take her magic from the book is because it wasn’t hers to give to ye.”

  For the second time in the space of an hour, I found myself trying to figure out what the other person meant.

  The Bog Elf rolled his eyes. “The magic of a Spriteblood was made, not born. It were a gift from the mountain fey, aye? If the Spriteblood decided to give up that gift, all fine and well. Just because she didn’t want it any longer doesn’t mean it was hers to gift, to pass on.” He gave me a withering look. “Ye understand now?”

  It was clear now, and it made perfect sense. “Yes,” I said quietly, my brain running in circles with this new information. “Yes, I do.”

  “Good! Now ye can leave me be.”

  But I wasn’t ready to go anywhere, not yet. “Where can I find the mountain fey?”

  He shook his head and turned his attention to the book lying in front of him on the table. “Ah won’t tell ye about them. They’re a tricky sort. If they know ah told ye where they were, ah’d have worse problems than just ye showing on my doorstep. No, ah won’t do it, so off with ye now.”

  I refused to budge, even though I’d felt Claire shift closer to the door at the vehemence in the little creature’s voice.

  “Please.”

  He looked up at me. “Pfft! Ye think a simple ‘please’ will get ye want ye want?” he asked, mocking me with a high-pitched sound that I guessed was supposed to be me asking for help. “Ah think not.”

  I didn’t have anything to give him, and I knew there wasn’t anything I could say to make him change his mind.

  Or was there?

  I gave him my most sincere smile. I felt it stretch wide, taking up the majority of my face.

  From the way he was looking at me, he must have been wondering if I had turned carnivorous and was getting ready to eat him.

  He sat back farther in his chair, eyeing me warily.

  Deciding my fake grin was getting me nowhere, I changed my approach and put my hands on my hips. “Listen, I can keep coming to you every time I have a problem if that’s what you want.”

  His already bugged-out eyes grew even wider. Apparently, I was threatening him with his worst fear.

  I went with it. “You realize I’m in high school? I have tons of problems. I can be here every day. How are you with physics homework?”

  His face flushed red, then took on a green color as if the very thought was making him sick.

  “Ye wouldn’t dare,” he croaked.

  “I would dare.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Every. Single. Day.”

  “All right, all right, ah’ll tell ye,” he said finally. He fanned himself with what looked like something that would eventually be a sheet of paper but looked suspiciously like a big, flat piece of skin. “But ye must promise not to tell them ah told ye, and ye have to promise ye won’t ever come back here, aye?”

  That hadn’t exactly been in my plans. Sure, keeping a secret wasn’t a problem, but if I didn’t come back to him at some point, how was I going to be able to get rid of this book? I thought about just giving it to him now and asking him to destroy it, but what if I needed it to finish taking on the power of a Spriteblood?

  No, I’d have to keep it with me—quite possibly until the end of time, with my luck. Forever stuck with a tiny, powerful book, hidden in a locket.

  “I give you my word. This will be the last time you see my face,” I promised.

  Sheer relief took over his features, and he slumped forward, then he began laughing. It was an eerie, maniacal giggle that echoed around us, making chill bumps rise on my forearms.

  I resisted the urge to rub them and kept my stance, hands still on my hips. In no way was I going to let him know he was freaking me out with that laugh.

  I huffed. “Can you hurry it up? We’re kind of on a time schedule here.”

  That, at least, stopped the laughter.

  “Well, ah beg ye pardon,” he replied sarcastically. “Ah had no idea ye were in such a hurry to indebt yerself to the fey.”

  I chose to ignore his jab, otherwise I knew I’d completely lose my cool. I hadn’t thought about the mountain fey being just as hard to get along with as this Bog Elf in front of me.

  One problem at a time, I reminded myself. Worry about that later.

  “The fey live deep in the mountains, near the highest peak. Find the space where it appears it be an end, then continue onward. There ye will find what ye seek,” he said, rattling off a bunch of gibberish that meant nothing to me.

  “Those aren’t very good directions,” Claire said, speaking up behind me. “Which mountain? And how are we supposed to keep going if it’s ended?”

  He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Go to the tallest mountain. That shouldn’t be hard for a Yokai to find, aye? Then find the dark side o’ it, where there be nothing but shadow and walk toward the darkest part. That’s where they’ll be. That clear enough for ye, Yokai?”

  “Yes, that will do,” Claire replied, sounding very smug.

  “Thank—” I stopped. Adam would have shoved me out the door at that moment, then fussed at me for beginning to thank the Bog Elf. Did the same rules apply to him as they did to fey? I wondered.

  We walked out the door, and right before I closed it behind us, I sent him a little wave. “Until next time!”

  I chuckled as I followed Claire away from the hut. The sounds of crashing and unintelligible ranting were easily heard. I had every intention of keeping my promise. I’d never be here again for any reason, but I couldn’t resist getting on his nerves one last time.

  “I’m glad that’s over,” Claire said when we made it to the edge of his shields. “That little dude gave me the chills more than once.”

  “Me too,” I admitted. “I hope he gave us the right information.” It was fully dark now. Night had come while we’d been inside.

  Moonlight danced on us in the places where it managed to gleam between the branches over our heads.

  “We might get lucky enough to find the tallest mountain tonight, but finding the darkest shadow is going to be impossible,” she said with a frown.

  I nodded. “We’ll have to wait until morning. We’d better head back to the Res to see if the guys have found anything in the books that will help.”

  As I shifted back to my crow and followed her into the sky, one thought kept running through my mind.

  I wasn’t going to wait. Adam was running out of time. I already knew which mountain was the highest, and thanks to the vision Wynter had given me of the day she became a Spriteblood, I had a good idea which direction I’d need to go. One way or the other, I would find the mountain fey tonight.

  But I would do it alone.

  Chapter Eight

  “I’ve read so many of these old books, I think my eyes are going to cross permanently.” Erik complained as he tossed an old, leather-bound tome onto the kitchen table. It collided amidst a collection of potato chip bags and candy bars scattered on the surface. “It wouldn’t be so bad if there was a hint as to what we’re supposed to do, but we haven’t found a shred of anything that is going to help us. Not a single word!”

  Ed glared at him, then picked the book up and straightened its crumpled pages. “You’ve got to respect these more than you’ve been doing. This is part of our heritage you’re just throwing about. I understan
d you’re aggravated and worried about Adam, but don’t mess up the books for it.”

  “There really hasn’t been anything in them?” I asked and was immediately rewarded with five solemn faces, every one of them shaking their head no.

  I picked up a candy bar, unwrapped it, and took a big bite of chocolate. I hadn’t noticed until now how hungry I was. I finished it off with a few more bites, then went to the fridge and gulped down a Coke in record time.

  Logan stood from his spot at the end of the table and stretched. He’d been here helping while Claire had been with me. “We still have a long way to go.” He gestured at the long line of books still on the big shelf above the television in the living room. “It’s going to take us all night. I’ll grab my next one in a few minutes. I need to go out and walk…stretch my legs a bit.” He came around and took Claire by the hand. “Want to go too?”

  “Sure,” she said, then she turned toward me. “Are you going to stay and help with the books or are you going to head home soon?” She wriggled her eyebrows a bit at the words “head home,” and I knew she was asking if I was going to turn in early so we could leave at first light to find the mountain.

  I nodded. “I’ll be going in just a bit.” I didn’t let on that I had no intention of waiting until morning and didn’t want her to go with me. If something happened to her while I was up there, I’d never forgive myself. The only person I was willing to sacrifice to save Adam was me.

  This was a journey for me alone.

  “I’ll see you soon,” I told her as they left, and the screen door slapped behind them when they went outside.

  The phone rang, and Erik and Ed both sprang to their feet. They both reached for it, but it was Michael who answered. “Hello?”

  I could tell from his expression it was Adam’s dad on the other end. He pursed his lips as he listened. “Okay, Evan. Thanks for letting us know. I’ll tell the others.”

  He sat the phone down and took a deep breath before relaying the news. “They had to take him back into surgery. Something inside of him was bleeding again. He’s out again now, but the doc isn’t optimistic. Says if his body doesn’t start to heal itself soon, he isn’t going to make it.” He stopped for a second, before adding in a whisper, “Evan says that if any of us want to come and say goodbye, we might want to do it…soon.”

  I felt my throat constrict, and my eyes filled again. Without a word, I stood and left them sitting there. They would have the choice of continuing to try to search for answers here—or they could say their goodbyes while there was still time.

  I wouldn’t be doing either.

  I won’t give up. I won’t ever give up, I promised Adam. I won’t tell you goodbye.

  It was time to find the mountain fey.

  Chapter Nine

  Chestnut Ridge was the highest peak in Bland County. I knew this from one of the times I’d borrowed A History of Bland County from the school library. I couldn’t recall what the book had said about it, other than it was the highest. When I’d first come here, mountains were something I wasn’t accustomed to, and for some reason, thankfully, that small bit of information stuck.

  Even more wonderful was the fact that I knew exactly where the ridge was—and it wasn’t too far away.

  I paused, wondering if maybe I should ask Ed if he had ever run into any information on the mountain fey in any of Adam’s grandfather’s books.

  I could turn around and ask; after all, knowledge was power. But then they’d want to know why I was asking about fey, and they’d definitely know I wasn’t on my way to see Adam.

  No, I’d have to wing it—quite literally—and hope for the best.

  I hadn’t flown much at night, and now I thought it felt kind of spooky. I heard only the sound of the cool, night air catching beneath my black wings as I left the reservation and headed toward the mountain, flying as quickly as I could.

  It didn’t take long at all, and soon I was soaring around the top of the dark mountain. The moon was hidden behind a cloud at the moment, and Claire was right. From up here, it was going to be impossible to find the darkest spot Efflehurt had mentioned in his rather odd directions.

  I dropped lower, hoping to see better. Being so small, I felt vulnerable when I flew closer to the treetops. Their branches stretched toward me like spooky arms, ready to snatch me from the sky.

  Get a grip. Concentrate. You don’t have time for imagining the boogieman…or even a haunted forest.

  That last bit, naturally, didn’t help at all, and my thoughts ran straight to the Deadwoods. I thought about how much the trees below me looked like them. Without the sun or the moon to shine their light upon the canopy, my brain was having a field day.

  I decided to change tactics and remember the visions I’d had of Wynter and her siblings when they went up the mountain. In my head, I could see the way it curled upward, their footprints in the snow as they struggled onward.

  It just looks so different from up here. What if I won’t be able to find it until morning? By then, it may be too late—

  Then I heard it—a sound that made my blood turn to ice.

  “Hoooooo…”

  I dove toward the ground, but I wasn’t fast enough. At that exact second, the cloud moved, and the owl coming at me was bathed in moonlight, talons outstretched, ready to snatch me from the air.

  I managed to dodge to the right but not before one of its razor-sharp claws ripped into my wing. Pain radiated through my left side, and I plummeted away from my attacker, unable to do anything to keep myself from spiraling toward the earth.

  In one of those head-spinning circles, I caught another glimpse of the owl, still coming at me, and in a surreal moment of insanity, I thought it looked beautiful. It wasn’t marked with the ornate white and black markings like Ronnie’s Chickcharney but instead looked rather like various brown colors, highlighted by moonlight.

  My temporary moment of crazy was ruined by the first tree branch I hit. I don’t know how many I crashed into on the way down, but I know it was too many. After what seemed like forever, I finally landed in a pile of dead leaves.

  Every inch of my body hurt. I managed to open my eyes and found myself staring up into the tree’s limbs. The owl was still up there, but it was taking the slower and safer way down.

  I had just enough strength to shift back to human.

  “Go away,” I muttered when I heard a branch above me crackle, no doubt from the owl making his landing.

  No longer worried about being eaten, I closed my eyes and took inventory of exactly what hurt. I already knew my arm was ripped up again. I could feel the blood seeping through my shirt.

  Another favorite shirt killed by an owl. What are the odds?

  The cuts burned like fire, but I ignored them and concentrated on the other whacks, bangs, and bruises now covering me. I flexed my feet, then moved my hands and arms. Nothing broken, but lots of things ached. I opened my eyes again, then sat up carefully.

  So far, so good.

  I spotted the owl a few yards away, moonlight still playing on his feathers as if it had decided to follow him on his quest in finding me. He blinked a few times and let out a long, low hoot, telling me he wasn’t impressed whatsoever with my magic trick and that if I decided to shrink into a crow again, he’d be there.

  “Not happening, buddy,” I muttered, deciding to figure out how bad my arm actually was. Since I wasn’t too worried about anyone seeing me at this particular moment, I carefully took off my ruined shirt to look at my gash.

  Three long streams of blood ran from the top of my shoulder down to my elbow and then dripped into the leaves. I didn’t think the cuts were life threatening, but they weren’t shallow either.

  Opting to use the bottom half of my shirt in an attempt to stop the bleeding, I ripped a long strip off. I wrapped it around the cuts, using my teeth to hold it while I tied it as tight as I could manage. Then I stuck what was left of my shirt back on.

  I have to keep moving, I reminded mys
elf. Time is not waiting for me.

  I wobbled a bit when I stood and reached for the trunk of a tree to steady myself. I took a deep breath and slowly let one of my shields down, wanting to check to see if there had been any change since I left the guys.

  Erik’s thoughts came to me first. They were all on their way to the hospital. They’d waited for me to come back and then thought I’d just gone there ahead of them. No news on Adam that I could find.

  The moon hid again, and the forest went dark. Finding anything that looked remotely familiar to my vision was going to be hard.

  Maybe it was time to depend on other senses, I decided.

  Human eyes weren’t going to help me at this point, but maybe a wolf’s nose would.

  I shifted again and began to start my trek up the mountain but stumbled on my first step. Trotting along as my wolf or even the coyote was going to be difficult with an injured front leg. There was no choice but to go slower and take deliberate, careful steps as I went along.

  Being a wolf felt comforting, even if it was painful. I took a deep breath and concentrated on finding something that looked familiar to the time Wynter and the others had been here. I closed my eyes, imagining the snow-covered path again, my mind wandering back into the vision. I hobbled along, eyes still shut, my paws searching for the path they had taken while my nose continued to tell me what was nearby.

  After a few moments of wandering around, the curling path I saw in my mind’s eye felt right. I cautiously opened my eyes.

  My weird experiment had worked! Even though it was dark, I knew I’d found the path. It had grown over long ago, but the trees still matched what I had seen in the earlier part of the vision when they’d been on their way back toward the cabin. The magic in this place had left them largely unchanged.

  I was finally on the right trail to finding the mountain fey.

  Chapter Ten

  Progress was slow as my wolf, so I switched back to myself and began my trek again. I dropped my shields every once in a while to check in with the Pack, adrenaline pushing me forward.