Charlotte mounted the dragon, and screamed.
The pain cascaded through her, one part sun flare, the other negative fifty degrees cold. Both burning, blistering her from the inside out.
Mirith spun around twice, inhaled a deep breath, and arched his tail.
“Now!” Charlotte yelled, her voice muffled and distant to her own ears.
Mirith exhaled a long-winded breath. The shield turned into a large sheet of ice.
Charlotte squinted against the intense white around her. She’d become a human sparkler, sizzling and popping, while the heat inside of her continued to build, a pain bordering on insanity.
“Hurry, Mirith!” Charlotte shouted. “I can’t hold on much longer!”
Mirith stomped at the ground, arced his tail, and fired the largest lightning bolt she’d ever seen.
WHAM!
Crack!
Pop!
Sizzle!
Shatter!
Charlotte catapulted through the air, her pain cooling, fading, and spiraling off in an orange trail behind her. She landed with a thud several feet from Mirith.
Mysterie ran to her side and embraced Charlotte in a hug. “You did it! Look!” Her smile lit up her face.
Charlotte rose up on her elbows and stared at the broken membrane hanging like burned flesh from a corpse.
“Whoa. That’s insane. It worked. It really worked.” Charlotte stood and brushed herself off. She was on the other side of the Elastine Forest looking in at Mirith who was admiring his handy work.
A crackling sound drew Charlotte’s gaze upward. The membrane was beginning to heal itself like a zipper pulling two sides together. She looked back at the dragon.
“Mirith! Come on! It’s mending! We have to go!”
Mirith followed her gaze, his eyes following the crease as it melded back together. He galloped as fast as he could go, leaping through the opening just before the last part of the rip mended.
Charlotte hugged his neck, not thinking, but touching his feathers didn’t affect her in the least.
“Come on, buddy. Let’s get out of here. I’ve got a feeling Einar will figure this out and come looking for us. How far is the castle from here, Mysterie?”
“I’m not sure.” She peered at the sky. “Maybe a half-day walk if we hurry.”
“Then let’s get walking. I sure could use a hot bath.”
“As could I,” Mysterie replied with a smile.
The three trudged northward.
Freedom never felt so good.
Eric
“Your story has them ruffled.” Eric leaned forward, his arms folded on the table, his eyes on Slavandria and Lily conversing quietly in the kitchen. “Something tells me they think there’s more to your tingles than leftover magic.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Charlotte replied.
“Is it?” David asked. He, too, leaned forward, his voice low. “Slavandria gave you healing powers in Tulipakar. What if she gave something else to you, something you don’t know about?”
“I don’t think she would do that.” Charlotte propped her elbows on the table, her chin resting on the heels of her palms. “She was very honest that day about what she was bestowing upon us. She would have no reason to lie or keep something like that from us.”
Eric laughed. “I disagree, but if you feel that way,” he tilted his face her way, “that only leaves one other explanation and that is you hold some sort of magical powers naturally.”
“Bite your tongue.” Charlotte scoffed. “Honestly, I think Mirith has something in his scales that reacts when humans touch him. Have you ever touched his back?” She glanced across the table at David. “Have you? Huh?”
They both shook their heads.
“No,” Eric said with a smile. “I have done my best to stay clear of the beast, never mind laying my hands on him.”
“Come to think of it,” David said, “I haven’t touched his back either, only his neck and feathers.”
“Well, there you go,” Charlotte said with a huff. She sat back, her fingers drumming the chair arms.
“Regardless,” Eric said, “you were quite brave and you suffered immeasurable pain in order to free yourself and my queen from Einar’s clutches. For that I shall be eternally grateful.”
Charlotte glanced down at her lap. “Thank you. I’m glad Mysterie is all right. She’s very sweet and kind.”
Eric nodded. “That she is. She’s also very wise. I wish Trog had taken her advice. We might have avoided the rift that fell between us.”
“It must have been so weird to find out Trog’s your dad.” Charlotte said. “Almost like a blessing and a nightmare rolled into one.”
“It was quite shocking. I’d always looked up to him like a father. I always wanted to be like him, honorable and unfeigned. He always prided himself on honesty and he paraded it around for all to see, not in a boisterous way, mind you. That’s not how he is. I trusted him and put every ounce of my faith into him. I never dreamed he would ever lie to me. To find out he did about something so important shattered my entire perception of him.”
“I can imagine. I guess that’s what happens when you love someone so much. You can’t see, or maybe you choose not to see, that person’s flaws.”
“Oh, no, my lady, I saw his flaws all right. He’s closed-off and stubborn. He thrives off of giving evasive answers all under the guise of education. What he doesn’t realize, or maybe he does, is that all you want to do is hurl a shoe at his departing backside.”
David laughed. “Ain’t that the truth. I’ve never met anyone who has a way of getting under your skin and pushing all the wrong buttons the way he does.”
“Did he ever tell you why he kept the secret for so long?” Charlotte asked.
“He said it was to protect me. One of Einar’s henchmen already killed my mother. He wasn’t going to allow the same thing to happen to me, so he gave me away to be raised by the farrier.”
Charlotte touched his arm. “That was an amazing sacrifice, you know that, right? To put your safety above his own needs. That’s like the deepest, most unselfish kind of love I’ve ever heard of. Can you imagine the torture he must have gone through every day for all these years? Seeing you every day, wanting to hold you, be a father to you and he couldn’t? I can’t even imagine that sort of agony.”
Eric blinked back the emotion swelling in his chest. For so long, he’d been so wrapped up in how the lie had affected him he didn’t want to consider how it affected Trog. How selfish of him to only consider his pain and suffering. He covered Charlotte’s hand with his.
“Nor can I. Thank you for showing me what I could not see.”
Charlotte’s gaze lingered on his face, his eyes. “He loves you, Eric. Don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t.” He squeezed her hand.
An arc of electricity zapped his hand away.
“Sorry,” Charlotte said. “I wish I could make it stop.”
“It’s okay,” he said, rubbing his palm. That one really stung.
Charlotte slipped her hand into her lap. He took a deep breath and lifted his chin, his gaze pinned to Slavandria and Lily as they entered the room.
David careened his neck in their direction, his thumbs tumbling over one another.
“Well?” he asked.
Slavandria wrapped her slender fingers around the spindles of a high-back chair. “Lily and I have gone over the story several times, and have evaluated the vibes emanating from Charlotte, and we believe with almost one hundred percent certainty she held no sway in the escape.”
Charlotte released a huge sigh. “See, I told you I had nothing to do with it.”
Slavandria smiled and glanced down at Charlotte. “We also agree that your tingles are nothing to be concerned with and will vanish in time.”
“I hope so because they’re really annoying.”
“So, where does that leave us?” Eric asked, turning hi
s glass ever so slowly on the tablecloth. “What do we do now? What’s the plan to get the crystals back and rescue this Gertie and Garret from Tulipakar?”
Lily clasped her hands together and brought them to her lips. “Slavandria and I have decided to pursue the collection of the crystals. We feel it best if the three of you return to Gyllen where you will be safe.”
Eric tapped on the table. “No.” There was no way he was going to come so far only to be cast back into the nursery with a pack of over-protective nursemaids with beards.
Lily continued. “Slavandria placed a few weaves around the castle before she departed that should deter any unsavory beings from entering the grounds. Farnsworth, Gowran, and Crohn are—”
“I said no.” Eric pushed his chair from the table and stood. He collected his scabbard and sword and strapped them to his hips.
“This isn’t up for a vote,” Slavandria said.
“You’re right. It’s not.” Eric met her gaze, his left hand gripping the hilt of his sword. “We’re here to find the crystals and I’m not going home until I have them.”
“You will do as we instruct,” Slavandria said.
“No, I won’t. I know who and what I am. It’s time I acted like it, which means, as Prince to the throne of Hirth, you listen to me, not the other way around.”
Charlotte pushed her chair back and stood. “I’m not going anywhere, either.”
“You’re right about that,” David said, standing. “Havendale is your home, and this is where you’re going to stay. Eric and I will find the crystals and return them to Gyllen.”
“Um, I don’t think so, Mr. I Got This,” Charlotte said. “You can’t tell me what to do. I’m just as much a part of this team as you are.”
David snatched his bow and quiver of arrows. “No, you’re not. Not this time. Havendale is where you belong.”
“Belong? Are you serious? Who put you in charge of me, because I sure as hell didn’t.”
“That’s not what I meant, Char, and you know it.”
“Really, because what I heard was you trying to tell me where my place is in all this insanity.”
“I thought this is what you wanted, to go home, to be back with your family. We’re here. You’re safe. Go. Live a happy life without dragons. You don’t have to be in danger anymore.”
“And what would you have me do, David Alwyn Heiland, cry myself to sleep every night because I don’t know if you’re alive or dead? I suppose you want me to go to the mall, get my nails done, kick my feet up, and forget that the two of you may or may not come back.”
“If that’s what it takes so you’re not in danger, then go for it.”
Eric kept the expression from his face, but underneath, he was smiling. What a snarky little thing Lady Charlotte had become. Unafraid. Determined. And while he did not want her wrath aimed at him, he loved her spark and poise. He doubted, however, if the royal court would view her in the same light.
“And what about what I want?” Charlotte continued. “Do you even care about that?” Charlotte rounded the table and stood chest to chest with David. “I’ll tell you what I want. I want to be seen as something more than a fragile little girl who needs protection from mommy and daddy and wannabe heroes. I want the freedom to make my own choices. I want you to put aside your skewed obsessions and look at me. See me. See the fire within me and not be afraid to play with it. Can you do that?”
Charlotte turned and stormed from the room, leaving behind a mess of silence.
Eric stared at the floor then smiled. He glanced up at Slavandria and Lily, laughter hanging in his throat. “Well, I guess we know where she stands on the matter.” He pushed in his and Charlotte’s chairs and walked around Slavandria and Lily. “It is my stand as well. No more coddling. No more protecting. We have a job to do and we’re going to do it, with or without your help.” He left the room.
“Eric, come back here,” Slavandria said.
He chuckled at her obligatory, non-commanding tone and kept walking.
David tossed his cloth napkin on the table and hurried after them.
“You all right?” Eric asked, as David breezed around him.
“Yeah. Never better.”
David darted up the sweeping stairs, taking two steps at a time. He opened the door to his room and called out Charlotte’s name.
Eric scooted in behind and peered in the dressing room, unsurprised to find the steps to the secret room exposed.
“In here,” he said.
***
David
David climbed the steps to find Charlotte sitting cross-legged on the bed, her head hung, her hands buried in her hair.
Eric dragged an old wooden chair across the floor and sat down.
David dropped his bow and quiver on the bed and took a seat at the foot, the mattress squeaking beneath his weight.
Charlotte glared at him, her lips quivering. She wiped a tear from her cheek. “Go away. Don’t even talk to me.”
“Aww, come on, Char, don’t be that way.”
“There you go again, telling me how to be and not to be. You’re not the keeper of me.”
“You’re right. I’m not, and I’m not trying to be, but can you please listen to me for a minute? Please?”
Charlotte shrugged. “Fine. Go for it.”
“I’m sorry,” David began. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Yeah, well, what you mean to do and what you end up doing are two different things.” She walked to the small, shuttered window, her arms crossed.
“Hey, don’t get pissed off at me for wanting to keep you safe.”
“I don’t have a problem with that, David, but you have no right to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do or where I should or shouldn’t belong. You’re not my dad. Stop being so overprotective and just be my friend, since it’s obvious you want nothing more of me or us.”
David pinched the bridge of his nose. He paused for a moment, collecting the right words to say and shoving aside the ones he shouldn’t. He wished Eric would leave, go away. Instead, Eric moved to a dark area of the room and leaned against a post, trying not to be obvious.
After what seemed an impossible silence, David rose from the bed and strode toward her, taking her hands in his. “Char, please try to understand. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. You’re like the glue that holds me together. I adore you. All I’ve thought about since all of this started was how could I get you home, back to your family where you would be safe. When Twiller yanked you from my house, I went nuts. And that look of horror on your face when Agimesh and Tacarr killed those men. Damn it, Char, I’ll never forget it. You should have never experienced that and you wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for me.
“I got you into this mess. Hell, I even battled a freaking dragon to bring you home. I can’t even sort that out in my head, and saying it aloud only makes me sound insane, but it’s the truth.” He cupped her face in his hands. “The reason I don’t want you to go back to Fallhollow is not because I don’t want you with me. It’s because if anything happened to you, I’d never forgive myself. It would kill me. So please forgive me if I’m overprotective. Forgive me for being an ass. Forgive me for wanting the moon and the stars and the universe for you. If I could give them to you, I would, but I can’t. I’m not sure if I ever will.”
Charlotte looked into his eyes, and his heart puddled. “So, I guess this means we’re friends, nothing more.”
“I can’t give you any more than that. Not now. I’m sorry. Maybe, when all of this is over, things will be different.”
Charlotte pressed two fingers to his lips, her eyes looking deep into his. “Don’t. I understand. Friends.” She ran her fingers through his hair. A slight smile creased her face. “So does that mean I can date other guys and if they treat me wrong, you’ll whoop their ass?”
David smiled, stroking her hair from her face. “You betcha. All day long.”
Charlotte wrapped her arms around his neck. “I think you’re amazing, too.” She let go of him and stepped back. “But that doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do. I’ve been with you from the beginning of this insanity, and I will be with you until the end of it. That’s what friends do. They don’t abandon each other when the crap splatters, so don’t ask me to. Got it?”
“Char—”
She touched her forefinger to his lips. “Got it?”
David closed his eyes and sighed, defeated. He shook his head and looked her in the eye. “Yeah. I’ve got it.”
“Good.” Charlotte smiled. “So, how do we get these crystals back?”
Eric walked over to the steps and pulled them up into their hiding spot. “We need to get the necklace and the rutseer back.” He latched the door. “Right now, they’re in the possession of the two most powerful sorceresses who ever lived, who happen to be downstairs.”
“Yeah, speaking of that, why haven’t we been tossed back into Fallhollow already? Slavandria’s not one to waste time.”
“I think we might have an ally in your godmother, Lily,” Eric said. “While you two were—you know—Slavandria and Lily were in a heated argument. I didn’t hear everything they said, but Lily was not standing for Slavandria’s bullying. If we do indeed have Lily on our side, I don’t know how long she can hold her sister off, or how to retrieve the rutseer. What I do know is we can’t stay here, and Lily seems to be giving us the time we need to leave.”
“Where do we go?” Charlotte asked. “It’s not like we can go to any of our friends.”
“We’ll go into the woods,” Eric said. He looked at David. “They are expansive, yes?”
David snorted. “Yeah. It’s the Cherokee National Forest. More than one thousand square miles of wilderness begging for three teens to get lost.”
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