“Beast, please.” Desiree’s voice snapped me out of the haze.
I released Reyna. “You’d better not be lying. When my curse ends, you heal him immediately.” I turned toward Desiree. “And make sure she does so.”
“Beast—”
I fled the room and shot across the hallways. Through the double glass doors, I made my way to the lake. The moonlight reflected the entire frozen surface. An eerie sensation, as if it was a giant mirror reflecting back.
The remaining patch of roses grew to my far right.
For Finn. My dear friend.
I slammed my fist through patch after patch of ice and began clawing up the roses. My paws bled and ached from the thorny stems. The ones I plucked caused a reaction in the remaining roses. A hundred dead for each rose that was removed. It wasn’t long before a dark wave, spreading like a disease, claimed and turned every rose black. I stopped to pant. There were none left. Nothing but a graveyard of ash.
Rumbling shook the ground and deafening cracks spread like cobwebs around me. Pop! The ice gave way, and I crashed into what should have been an empty lake of decayed flowers. Instead, a carpet of vibrant roses broke my fall.
Impossible. The roses that were once dead illuminated red. The lively flowers had refilled the entire lake.
As I stood up, each and every petal detached and floated my body up in a calm rhythm. An ocean of petals hovered all around. Below, the lake was refilling with water that then froze over back to its slick surface. Then in a near blinding swarm, the petals fluttered, like wild ravens closing in on me. A white bolt of light shot from the dark clouds and through my chest. My breath stopped.
Finn was fading. His breathing shallow. I shook my head at Reyna. “I can’t believe you’ve done all this.”
Reyna’s tone wavered. “I only wanted to hurt the beast. Not you. And certainly not him.” She pointed at Finn.
A tear streamed down my cheek when Isa flew into the room and landed on Finn’s shoulder. Her shrill cries filled the room. The bird went quiet and buried her head into his neck.
Reyna paced the room. I wanted to scream at her. To smother her with all my might. How could she not see where her own pain had driven her?
Reyna gasped, gripping her throat. Her knees buckled, and Jarrett rushed to her side.
She sucked in deep, rapid breaths. “It-it’s impossible…” A tear snaked down her cheek. “I don’t believe it.”
“What’s wrong?” I uttered.
“There was only one way to break the beast’s curse, but I was too cruel to reveal the key to him.” Her breathing slowed. “A true act of kindness.”
Reyna shook her head in disbelief as her eyes glowed blue. Unseen wind lifted her off the ground, and she floated in the middle of the room. “Reverse the damage and mend this body.” She repeated it again, “Reverse the damage and mend this body.”
I gasped as the blood on Finn’s body flowed back into his wound. The arrow snapped out of his chest and shot into the wall. The gash in his chest slowly sealed.
“Mend…this…body.” The wind under Reyna dropped her to the ground, where Jarrett caught her.
Isa squawked as Finn opened his eyes and sat up.
“Finn!” I wrapped my arms around him. “Oh, thank heavens!”
“Finn?” a male voice said.
I whirled. A tall man with hair as dark as the shadows entered the room. Bare chested. Trousers way too big in size were fastened around his waist with a vine. Who was this, and where had he come from?
Finn’s eyes widened. “Nice to have you back, Master.”
Master? The strange man rushed toward Finn and hugged him. “You’re okay.”
I stood up and placed a hand over my mouth. Beast! He was like a stallion galloping across a dandelion field. Strong. Dark. Beautiful.
Finn reached for my hand. “Desiree, I do believe you’ve met Prince Lyndon before.” He winked.
I swallowed hard and tried to quit my gawking. A wide grin spread across Prince Lyndon’s face. He scooped me up into his arms and kissed my forehead. “Thank you! However did you manage to convince her to lift my curse?”
He set me down, and my entire body tingled. I could get used to that. “I didn’t.” I glanced around the room. Reyna and her brother were nowhere to be found. “You did it on your own. According to Reyna, there was only one way to break your curse. A true act of kindness.”
Prince Lyndon’s brows pulled inward.
With a smirk, Finn playfully jabbed Prince Lyndon’s shoulder. “And all this time I suspected you never appreciated me.”
When I returned home and explained everything to father, it took some convincing to get him to the castle to meet Prince Lyndon. After all, it was only fair he should get to know my fiancé.
Not a word from Reyna. I occasionally saw her brothers in town, but they went to great lengths to avoid me. I didn’t know what Reyna feared. Her own shame, or the thought that I’d turn her in for witchcraft. I would never. We would never. Lyndon and I forgave her long ago. My only prayer was that she would forgive herself.
Isa perched on my shoulder as I welcomed the early guests into the castle. It was a tad awkward at first. Some confused me with Reyna, and they still remembered the commotion during the last ball Lyndon hosted.
The man from the bird shop shook my hand. “Where would you like the cages?”
“Around the back to the garden.”
Lyndon came to my side only for Isa to peck his cheek. He worked his head around the bird guarding my shoulder to find my lips with a kiss.
“Do we really need more Isas flying around here?”
Isa whistled at him.
I gave him another smooch. “It wouldn’t be an aviary without them.”
He sighed. “Very well.” His hand interlaced with mine. “Your father seems to be finally warming up to me.”
I caught a glimpse of my father talking with the piano player. It wouldn’t be long before my father showed off his skills to the crowd.
Lyndon gently caught my chin. “And it’s nice to see old faces return.” His gaze settled on something behind me.
I whirled. Reyna stood below the castle steps. Her sparkling blue dress was as vibrant as Isa’s feathers. She wore a band of white paint across her eyes, but I’d recognize that face anywhere.
Lyndon gave me another kiss and grinned. “I’ll leave you two.”
Reyna’s gaze met mine, and she gave a shy wave. I returned the gesture and rushed down the steps to meet her. An awkward silence hung between us. No animosity lingered within, despite what must’ve been racing through her mind.
Though this time was different, I did what I always did to cut any lingering tension away.
“So, what took you so long to come for me?”
She smirked and reached her arms out to wrap them around me.
THE END
About the Author
Tori V. Rainn was born and raised in Texas. In her late teens, she became a writer in 2011 when she took a writer’s course at Writer’s Village University. If she’s not working on novellas or novels, she can easily be distracted with coming up with her next big short story adventure. Several of her short stories have been featured in online magazines—links of stories can be found on her FaceBook author page. When she’s not writing, she enjoys knife collecting and running. Tea and chocolate are her addictions. Video games, books, music, and movies are her outlet. She’s a Christ follower and Realm Makers member.
The Songbird’s Citadel
A retelling of “The Nightingale” by Hans Christian Andersen
J.M. Hackman
Overture
“I HEARD RUMORS in town. A mysterious singer with the voice of a songbird has taken over the abandoned hangar in Zone Three. Some tourists from Zone Five went investigating, hoping to hear her sing.” Darianna Chantel’s father took a drink of tea, then nailed her with his bright blue eyes that never missed anything.
She winced but hid it with a sip
of her own tea. She’d been so careful. “That’s interesting.”
He kept his steady gaze on her. “How long have you been singing there?”
She shoveled in a bite of stew and chewed slowly. Late evening sunlight filtered in through the metallic, louvered kitchen windows, bronzing the counter with a golden haze. Did she confess completely? Or tell only a little?
“Darianna?”
She dropped her head. “I found the place just last week. You didn’t tell them it was me, did you?”
“Of course not. But you’ve got to stop this, Anna. I’ll let you sing whenever you like, but you can’t use abandoned buildings as your playground.” He stood and walked to the counter to pour another cup of tea. The scent of fresh mint drifted through the kitchen, a stark difference to the musty smell of the abandoned warehouse. But even if it had smelled like a trash heap, she still would’ve wanted to fill it with music.
She’d always been a singer. The story was she’d sung before she had talked. Although Darianna wasn’t sure how true that was, she loved the way music fed her soul. “I didn’t hurt anything. And the sound! Oh, it’s so beautiful—”
“Those buildings are abandoned for a reason. Ruler Audric never cleaned them out. And drug runners and the homeless have used a few as home bases. They’re not a good place to be roaming around. Serenade the woods—it’s safer.”
Yearning and guilt mixed in her chest. “More stew, Dad?”
That night, music wove through her dreams, her voice filling grand music halls, audiences sitting transfixed. When she woke, the haunting strain lingered, a half-memory. She hummed it to herself as she did her chores, expanding the melody, adding a harmony, and building it into three verses with a simple refrain. By the time her chores were finished, half the day was gone, and her lungs begged to release the song.
She found her father in the backyard, fixing a leaky gutter. “My chores are done. I’ll be over in the woods.”
“See if you can bring home a few durrel for supper. The forest is overflowing with them this time of year.”
“Will do.” She squelched her discomfort. The furry animals were long, slender, and incredibly cute. Despite the fact she and her father used the meat and the pelts, killing them always made her feel guilty.
Strapping her double-bladed knives onto her hip, Darianna climbed into her blue wanderer, Sparky. She flicked the power button, and the interior panel lit up as Sparky rose to the typical six inches above the ground. The flat, metallic body looked like a gigantic frying pan with a roll bar all held together with rust, duct tape, and prayer. Last season, the manufacturer had released a new solar-slick gold model with a windshield, but Sparky was reliable...and paid for. She belted herself in and placed her palm on the accelerant pad. Driving as fast as she dared, she whizzed toward Zone Three. The small residential modules on each side became a whitish blur. The wind tugged at her long hair, pulling strands free of its braid.
When she arrived at the forest’s edge, the green and blue leaves waved in the breeze. After shutting off the lights, she maneuvered the wanderer out of sight before climbing off. She scrunched her nose. The feeling here lacked the spark of expectation, of space waiting to be filled. After singing a verse, she sighed. The trees sucked up the sound, the dense leaves absorbing and muffling. Beyond the tree line, the abandoned warehouse waited, its metal walls decorated with graffiti. One more time couldn’t hurt.
She slipped from the woods and entered the building. Sunlight filtered through the unbreakable rock-glass windows, showing off one of the two suns in the sky. She kicked aside some scrap metal, ignoring the clatter as it echoed. No sign remained of the ships that had brought their ancestors here hundreds of years ago. A few pieces of forgotten scaffolding littered the corner. Darianna closed her eyes, pretending she entered a magnificent music hall. Like the palace, only better, although she wasn’t exactly sure what the palace looked like inside. Maybe red velvet curtains, falling on either side of the stage. Brocade seats woven of the finest thread. Row after row teeming with excited, well-dressed guests. A bright spotlight shining on her. She took a step as if moving to center stage, closed her eyes, and began singing “Gotta Fly,” from Wild Boys, her favorite musical. She finished, holding the last note as long as she dared. Without opening her eyes, she began the Trystell anthem. She allowed her voice to float through the melody, embellishing where she liked and hitting the high notes with full voice. As the song ended, she smiled and took a breath to begin the song from her dream.
“That was beautiful.” The low, husky drawl came from the corner.
She jerked. Acting on instinct, she yanked a knife from its sheath. “Who’s there?”
The wall shimmered, light shifting. An invisibility shield? An assassin’s first defense. She hurled the knife, aiming for his knee. It missed and thunked against the shield before clattering to the floor. A figure detached from the wall, and his features came into focus. The young man collapsed his shield before bending to pick up her knife.
She was so dead. His black outfit skimmed his body, revealing broad shoulders. The black banding on the sleeves emphasized his biceps. He looked familiar, but his uniform definitely identified him as an assassin from Zone Two. She eyed his belt, loaded with weapons. Maybe she’d get to pick which one would kill her.
He shoved a hand through his dark hair. “You’re going to get hurt if you keep flinging knives around like that.”
“No, you’re going to get hurt, unless you stop right there and tell me who you are.” Sun’s halo, he was cute. Gorgeous, actually, if you liked that sexy killer-vibe.
He held up his hands. “Relax, Songbird. Although I do believe you’re trespassing.”
“How do you know I don’t own this building?”
“Um, because I do.” He cocked a dark brow, daring her.
Of course. Because that was her life. Darianna took one step backwards, then another, then turned and bolted for the door. It wasn’t far. Footsteps pounded behind her. The door loomed. Almost there...
Arms like steel bands closed around her, pinning her own arms to her sides. “Oof.” She wriggled but couldn’t break his hold. “Let me go.”
“Has anyone told you you’re difficult to talk to?”
She turned to hiss at him, but his eyes distracted her. Dark brown, like the chocolate drops Dad had given her when she was little.
She blinked once. Stop staring, Darianna. Glaring at his chest, she pressed her lips shut. How could she get out of his grip?
As he tried to move her close to the wall, she went limp.
He grunted, her dead weight pulling her toward the floor. She jerked her foot back and aimed for his leg. And missed.
Yanking her back up, he imprisoned her against the wall. “What’s your name?”
“You’re going to kill me anyway, so it probably doesn’t matter.” How would her dad manage on his own?
He jerked, and his shocked eyes bored into hers. “Kill you? Why would I do that?”
“Because that’s what assassins do.” She spoke clearly in case he was slow. Maybe he was a rookie.
“I’m not an assassin. This uniform was the only one available. My name’s West. I’m the ambassador for Zone Two.” With one hand, he flicked his wrist to open his cuff, the silver palace seal embossed on the inside.
Darianna glared at him. He seemed kind of young to be a diplomat. Weren’t diplos old and wrinkled?
He sighed. “This is where you respond. You say something like, ‘Nice to meet you, West. You’re the most handsome ambassador I’ve ever met. My name is...’ and then you tell me your name.”
She snorted. Keep dreaming, diplo.
He rolled his eyes. “Okay, we’ll skip the pleasantries. I’m going to release you, and you’re going to refrain from running.”
“Oh, really?”
He smiled. The calculating gleam in his eyes warned her as he released her arm and stepped back. “Yes, because I’m wearing a scanner. It’s already downloaded
your profile. I’ll find you even if you run.”
She cursed her stupidity. Why hadn’t she listened to her dad?
“Because you’re trespassing, I’ll have to fine you.”
“Fine me?” Forget the assassin—her father would kill her.
“Unless you want to work out a deal.”
She narrowed her eyes. “What kind of a deal?”
“You’re obviously the mysterious Songbird everyone’s been looking for. Reports have flooded into the palace, and the ruler wants to hear you sing. He’s having a party tomorrow night. You come as my guest and sing for the ruler.” He crossed his arms as he rocked back on his heels.
She studied him as she thought through her options. Did she want to sing for Ruler Audric? No. But she didn’t have any money either. She swallowed hard. “Okay, but I have a requirement.”
He grinned. “That’s unusual. You know you’re the criminal here, right? I don’t have to give you anything.”
Darianna ignored his comment. “I’ll attend the party, sing, and then return home. No mention of a fine. We’ll truly be even.”
“That works for me.”
Relief filled her chest. Now if she could think of a reasonable explanation to tell her father...
He gestured toward the door. “Walk me out.” It wasn’t a request.
As they left the building, he fumbled in his pocket and withdrew a shiny, gold-toned lock. “This should have been replaced two weeks ago.”
“I didn’t break in.”
He shot her a side-long glance. “I didn’t say you did.” It beeped as he pressed a few buttons, then fastened it to the door. He pointed to her wanderer sitting among the trees. “I’m assuming that’s yours. You should be careful. Some of the residents around here have a habit of borrowing things that aren’t theirs.”
She frowned. “It’s locked. And I wasn’t gone that long.”
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