“It was all Fate. She turned me into this gorgeous specimen.” And with that, Sithias morphed into a handsome, well-muscled man with long, golden brown hair and wings the same color.
Finn’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of Fate’s name.
“Sometimes I go without the wings and wear a shirt like this.” The wings shrank away as a white flowing shirt unfurled out of nowhere and covered his tanned, muscular torso. “What do you think?” Sithias twirled, a gesture that made him considerably less masculine.
“You look like one of those flouncy fellows on the covers of those drippy romance novels.”
Sithias shrugged. “Apparently, this is the man I am deep down inside. That’s how Fate described me with her Words of Making. It’s how I became the flesh-and-bone man that Elsina recognized as her true love.”
Finn clenched at the sudden ache in his chest. “That’s how Fate created a happy ending for the fable?” His voice was nothing more than a dry whisper.
“Yesss, though I wouldn’t call it a happily-ever-after. Oh my, did you catch that? I slipped with a hiss.”
Finn stopped breathing. What was Sithias saying? Had Fate failed to escape? He’d always assumed she’d crossed the fiery divide and that’s why he hadn’t been able to sense her presence in Oldwilde. Had Elsina done something to her? Was Fate…? He couldn’t bring himself to think the worst. “Sithias, did Fate make it out of the Book of Fables?”
Sithias sighed and flopped down beside Finn. “Yes, Fate went home and she left with the urchin. I know it’s selfish but I miss her terribly. Not so much, Gerdie. She’s awfully stubborn for such a small person. But I’d tolerate her again if it meant having Fate back.”
Finn grabbed him by the shirt. “Don’t go scaring me that way.” He let go of him. “If she got out, why’d you say it wasn’t a happily-ever-after?”
Sithias attempted to smooth out the wrinkles in his shirt. “I was referring to my rather precarious love life. Elsina is a challenge, to say the least. One minute she’s all coos and kisses, and the next she’s all thorns and shrieks. And at a pitch only dogs can here, mind you. There’s no pleasing the woman. To be honest, I was quite happy to have a reason to leave, though who knows what I’ll be returning to.” He worried his hands together. “I didn’t exactly tell her in person. I left a note.”
Finn slumped forward, resting his chin on his hands. “That’s good, Sithias. I’m relieved Fate–” A dizzy spell stopped him short. His arms gave out and he collapsed onto his side.
“Sir, are you alright?” Sithias helped him up.
“Just a little starved is all,” Finn muttered.
“Oh dear, I can take care of that. And here I was prattling on about my love life.” Sithias produced a small notebook and pencil. “What exactly would you like, sir?”
Finn frowned at the notebook. “What are you going to do? Sketch a picture of a fruit bowl to help me imagine what I won’t be eating?”
“Oh, there’s so much you’ve missed, sir. Fate gave me the power of the Words of Making before she left. So go ahead, order whatever your heart desires.”
Finn’s heart desired Fate, but his body was in desperate need of sustenance. “Some water to start. And Howtowdie with Drappit eggs, Rumbledethumps and Dundee cake. And throw in some marmelade.”
Sithias stopped writing and looked at him. “Other than the marmelade, I have no idea how to describe those other…dishes, sir.”
“I wouldn’t know the ingredients. My Granda used to make them.” Finn sighed. “I’ll settle for roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and carrots with gravy and apple pie.”
“Those I can more easily describe.”
“Oh, and while you’re at it, draw me a bath or something along that line. I smell like rotting ham. No offense, but you could use a breath mint.”
Sithias breathed into his hand and sniffed. Wrinkling his nose, he gave Finn an apologetic shrug. “Sssorry for that. I’ll have you cleaned up in a jiffy.” He scribbled in his notebook then recited the written words aloud. “Finn is now bathed and dressed in a handsome change of clothes.”
A cool, breezy sensation swept over Finn’s skin as his ragged clothes transformed into a pair of army pants and long-sleeved shirt, followed by thick socks and hiking boots appearing over his bare feet. “I almost forgot how refreshing, yet truly disturbing that is,” Finn said, remembering the first time Fate had given him an instant shower and washed clothes with her Words of Making.
Sithias smiled. “Disturbing, yesss, but highly convenient. Now, to get your meal prepared.” He bent his head as he wrote each item of the menu Finn had ordered and spoke them aloud. The air wavered as the food emerged from the mysterious ether it was made from.
Finn grabbed the water first and downed the glass as fast as his parched throat could bear. Twisting a drumstick off the roasted chicken, he cleaned the meat from the bone in two bites. He stuffed his mouth with potatoes and carrots, barely chewing in his need to feed the hunger he’d endured for so long. He went back to the chicken, tearing chunks of meat from the breastbone, shoveling them in as fast as he could chew.
He was halfway through the meal when his stomach revolted. He pitched forward on his knees and vomited. When the violent bout was over, he wiped the sweat from his brow. “Sorry about that. I swear it had nothing to do with how anything tasted. The meal was mighty good. I guess my stomach’s forgotten how to handle large portions of food. Maybe you could conjure something easier to digest, like a cup of chicken broth instead?”
Sithias was already writing a note to clean the mess and promptly produced a cup of hot broth. He handed it to Finn with an uncomfortable expression.
Finn sipped on the broth tentatively. The hot liquid spread welcome warmth through this core and he let out a sigh. “Is something bothering you, Sithias?”
“Uh, well, I was wondering what you plan to do now that you know Fate’s not here.”
Finn set the cup down, stretched out onto the grass with his hands crossed behind his head and stared at the blue sky. A soft breeze whistled through the tall stalks and swayed gently around him. “I’m going to find my way back to her.” He finally believed it this time. With sustenance in his belly and his back to the good earth, he could feel his strength returning already. In a few more days, he’d be able to take on anything that came his way.
“You should know Fate was inconsolable when you were locked away inside the oak. We spent months on Innith Tine waiting for her broken legs to heal. She hardly ate. She wouldn’t talk to us. She was like a ghost. All she did was sit at the base of that tree waiting for your release, pining away and growing thinner by the day. All the while, we watched the forest grow at an incredible rate. And when the birds returned to the island, and it looked as though the forest had been restored to its former glory, we thought surely the Green Man would let you go. We even waited another two months after she was healed. But after that, when nothing happened, Gerdie and I began to believe you’d be part of the tree forever.”
Hearing about Fate’s suffering filled Finn with unbearable grief and sadness. He sat up, his stomachache growing worse as he thought of her. “How did you finally get her to leave?”
Sithias stared off in the distance. “I’m ashamed to say it, but Gerdie and I grew impatient. We knew Fate would never leave, so we pushed her to move on.”
“It’s what I asked you to do. I made you promise.”
“I know, sir. But clearly, we left much too sssoon. If we’d stayed just a little longer, you’d both be together. Instead, you’re worlds apart from each other. And if I know Fate, she’s moving heaven and earth to find her way back here to Oldwilde.”
“How the hell would she get back here?” Finn began to panic. “Please tell me she’s not planning to return through the Book of Fables. You know what that would mean, don’t you?” He didn’t give Sithias a chance to answer. “She’d have to go through each fable again. But this time she’d have to turn the endings into bloody traged
ies. Do you have any idea what that would do to her? There’s no coming back from that. Bringing misery to others changes you. I should know.”
“Not to worry. Gerdie told her about another way back. Had I known I’d be seeing you again, I would’ve paid better attention to the details. Unfortunately, I was love struck and utterly blind to the mantrap I so willingly tumbled into. Rest assured though, Fate was determined to return here with a way to free you from the oak.” He shivered with fright. “She would be furious if she knew she missed you by such a short time.”
“It’s best she doesn’t know.” Finn smiled, remembering Fate’s fiery temper.
“I suppose you’ll now have to stay in Oldwilde until she returns. What will you do until then? Where will you go?”
“Time runs differently between the two worlds,” Finn mused, more to himself than to Sithias. He knew this from O’Deldar’s account of Oldwilde’s history and how the two worlds had become divided. He looked at Sithias. “Time passes much longer in Oldwilde, while hardly any time goes by in the other world. I should be able to cross the divide between worlds and get to Fate long before she’s ever able to find her way back here.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Aye, I do, especially now that you’re here. You can use the Words of Making to take us straight to her.”
A troubled frown formed on Sithias’s overly handsome face. “Oh no, sir. I dare not use the Words of Making so carelessly.”
Finn scowled and grabbed him by the shirt. “What? You can’t be serious. I need you to do this. And now!”
Sithias held up his hands, shaking with fear even though, in his current form, he was much bigger than Finn. “Sir, with all due respect, you of all people know the trouble we could unleash with this power if we overstep our bounds. You weren’t the only one affected by the Words of Making. Before Fate used them to play cupid for me, she rashly invoked Poseidon’s wrath upon Elsina’s island. Now to be fair, she managed to stop the leviathans of the deep from eating us, but her reckless actions started a war with the God of the Sea. Apparently, he did not appreciate his precious minions being summoned by someone other than himself. I’ll spare you the horrid details, but suffice to say, my honeymoon was cut short while Elsina and I attended to the unpleasantness of defending our island from being swallowed by the ocean.”
Finn let go of Sithias, his shoulders slumping as he shook his head. “Aye, I suppose you’re right. Sorry, I’ve been so obsessed with getting to Fate I lost sight of what’s right.”
“All’s well, sir. I’ll help in anyway I can. As you well know, the Words of Making, when used carefully and in moderation can give us quite an advantage. And the timing is perfect. I’ve been craving an adventure. Plusss I’m afraid to go home.” He muttered the last part.
Finn smiled with relief and slapped him on the shoulder. “Thank you, my friend. I’ll take whatever help you’re willing to give. Come to think of it, you can start by replacing the flute I lost.”
“I’ll get right on it.” Sithias bent over his notebook.
“It can’t just have the Elder race runes carved into it. It needs the Druidic marks as well,” Finn reminded him.
Sithias nodded, then muttered the description aloud and produced the flute.
Finn looked it over, marveling at how much the flute matched the one he’d lost. “Perfect, thank you. And while we’re at it, there’s one thing that’s got to go before we set out.”
“Is it my hiss?” Sithias asked worriedly. “Its been slipping back in again, and I know how much you detessst snakes.”
Finn didn’t bother to disagree. When he’d first met Sithias, he’d hated the snake on sight, due to the fact he’d lost his mother to a snake’s poisonous bite. But how could he hold onto that when every piece of his personal history before he’d met Fate was fiction? None of it had actually happened. Needless to say, he’d gotten off to a rocky start with Sithias. It had taken him a long time to come around to trusting the amber-eyed snake. Finn couldn’t have been more wrong about him. Sithias had proven himself time and again. Though that didn’t mean he wanted him to take the form of a serpent while they were together.
“Rest assured, I’ll stop this very minute,” Sithias continued. “You’ll not hear another long ‘s’ from thisss mouth.” He gasped and slapped his hand over his mouth. “Oops.”
Finn shook his head at the muscle-bound sissy sitting across from him. “No, I can live with that. It’s this Fabio thing you’ve got going on. It might be what Elsina wants to look at, but it’s a mismatch in my mind and it’s making my head hurt. Mr. Romance has to go.”
“Oh that’s easily remedied. Hmm, what shall I be?” Sithias tapped the deep cleft in his square chin. He sat straight, his eyes wide. “I know. I’ll be the distinguished Dr. Benjamin Weathersby! Remember what a convincing physician I made? Or how about the svelte, charismatic storyteller who took Asgar royalty by storm? That is, before you set our gracious hostess on fire.” He mumbled the last part, but Finn heard it loud and clear.
“Is that a complaint?”
Sithias rolled his eyes. “No, of course not. Although, it would’ve been nice to see how high I could’ve soared. I’ll have you know, a taste of stardom is not a meal.”
Finn folded his arms. “So sorry I got in the way with the whole saving-the-kingdom-from-being-scorched-to-the-ground-by-a-dragon thing.”
“No hard feelings,” Sithias assured him. “Now, back to what I should change into. I say something new, something edgy and exciting.” He thought about it a minute and sighed. “So many choices…”
The burst of energy Finn’s small meal had given him dropped away and weariness slammed back in. He yawned and stretched. “I’m still wrecked. You think on it while I catch a wink for the next few hours.” He curled onto his side and closed his eyes.
“But I need your help. I wouldn’t want to choose something equally upsetting.”
“Too sleepy,” Finn murmured. “Surprise me.”
34
As You Wish
“THAT’S YOUR CHOICE? CRUSTY old blind man with more hair for eyebrows than you’ve got on your head?” Finn stared at Sithias, whose lanky form was wrapped in a long blue robe and stooped over, leaning on a staff for support. “Did you forget we’re going into the desert? You need to be strong and able to see. Not to mention, that shiny dome of yours is asking for a 3rd degree burn.”
“There’s this wonderful invention called a hat.” Sithias ran his weathered hand over the entwined, winged snake crowning the top of his carved wooden staff. He turned his head in Finn’s direction, with clouded eyes gazing blankly and his elderly features wrinkled in disappointment. “You really don’t see the geniusss in my disguise?”
Finn shrugged and shook his head. “You’ll have to enlighten me.”
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Asclepius, born of Apollo and the mortal woman, Coronis. I was taught medicine and healing by the wise centaur, Cheiron. You can think of me as the god of healing whenever I appear before you with my magical, snake encircled staff.” He winked. “The wings are my own personal touch, not to be confused with the Caduceus of Hermes.”
“Impressive resume. Does any of that mean you’re not going to pass out after your first fifteen minutes of extreme desert heat?”
Sithias waved his bony arm at him. “Of course, sssilly. Just because I look ancient, doesn’t mean I am. I’m as spry as ever.” He dropped his staff and did a little jig, ending with a jump and kicking both feet together in the air. “See? I’d place odds I could even beat you in a race.”
Finn laughed, despite his qualms. “Doubtful, unless you’ve been given super speed to match mine.”
Sithias reached into the knapsack slung over his shoulder and pulled out a pencil. “Remember, I’m the one with the Words of Making.”
“Good point. So I shouldn’t worry about your fogged peepers?”
Sithias laughed. “It’s all show. I can see you clear as day.”
>
“Alright, but I still don’t see the need for your elaborate get-up and back story.”
Sithias made a squawking sound, momentarily too flustered to speak. “How can you sssay that?” he finally managed to croak. “This disguise is my masterpiece. My pièce de résistance.”
Finn held up his hands in surrender. “Sure, if you say so.”
Sithias took a deep breath to calm himself. “Since the brilliance of my plan seems to have eluded you, I’ll do my best to illuminate your rather limited thinking.”
“Please do,” Finn said, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
“We’re about to enter the Mirajaran Desert, home to the Djinn. After you fell asleep, I took it upon myself to do a little light reading on the Djinn.” He shuddered. “Unfortunately, light was not the word for it. I’ve since discovered the Djinn are extremely dangerous and not to be trifled with. They are unlike anything we’ve ever encountered together. If you think Mugloth tested your sanity, you won’t enjoy meeting the Djinn.”
Hearing Mugloth’s name spoken aloud sparked a new layer of tension in Finn. “Go on,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I’m presenting myself to the Djinn as a demigod to command a necessary amount of fear and respect from them. But when they learn that I’m a physician as well, they should be less defensive. Practising the healing arts is a shield of sorts. There’s an unspoken agreement, even amongst enemies, to remain neutral toward those who minister to the wounded and dying. As for your story, I will introduce you as my apprentice.”
“What’s this all about? You talk as if the Djinn would kill us, as soon as look at us.”
“That’s precisely my concern.” Sithias huffed as if Finn were a child too young to understand. “Don’t you know anything about the Djinn?”
Finn shrugged. “They live in lamps and grant wishes?”
“Oh, if only that was all.” Sithias shook his head. “Did you really intend to enter the Mirajaran Desert without any knowledge of the Djinn?”
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