Breathing a sigh of satisfaction, Fate folded up the note and tucked it behind her belt. “So what do you think? Pretty romantic, huh?”
Gerdie nodded with an uneasy smile.
“What? You don’t think it’ll work?”
“No, I’m sure it will––for Elsina and Sithias––but what about us? I mean…there’s no mention of us goin’ home.”
“Don’t worry about that. What goes good for Sithias goes good for us.”
“If you say so.”
But after more than an hour ticked by, a thread of doubt worked loose and Fate began to worry. What made her think she could suddenly rewrite a fable without it backfiring like before? What horrible price would one of them have to pay this time? “Maybe I should swing over to the palace and see what’s going on,” she said, trying to sound like she’d already planned a flyby as her next step.
Gerdie’s lips pressed together dubiously. “Do you really think that’s smart?”
“What choice do I––”
The sound of the heavy deadbolt sliding to unlock the rusty door of their cell had them both scrambling back into prisoner mode. Gerdie barely had time to lock Fate back into her shackles and dive under the blankets before the door swung open to reveal Hatho and two of his soldier hawks standing outside.
After removing the irons, Hatho’s two soldiers gripped her by each arm and launched into the air. As they carried her toward the palace, her thoughts raced with questions––fear and hope vying for dominance. Was she being taken to her doom or was she being freed?
They rose over the cliffs, flying over an elegant courtyard. Curiosity got the best of her when she spied a variety of odd creatures with disturbingly human features strolling the moonlit grounds. Sithias hadn’t exaggerated when he’d said Elsina went wing-happy designing her peculiar collection of citizens. If the animals didn’t already fly naturally, they were equipped with wings of either bird or insect so they could.
As they left the distracting sights behind and climbed high toward one of the towers, she wondered again what she was about to face. Her pulse raced as they landed on a huge balcony lined with billowing curtains.
Signaling his soldiers to watch her, Hatho disappeared behind the filmy fabric.
Craning her neck to see through the drapes as they moved in the breeze, she caught a glimpse of ornate carpets, satin pillows, bowls of fruit and a bored, sleepy-looking stork in satin pajamas waving a large palm frond. A shadow darkened the translucent material, blocking her view entirely.
Hatho stuck his head out and signaled for her to enter.
The sweet, spicy fragrance of exotic oils wafted in the air as she passed through the silken layers. Two figures stood a fair distance away toward the end of the balcony, one of which was Elsina. Her long ebony hair hung to her bare ankles and she was dressed in a red satin robe hanging loosely around her shoulders. But it was the man at her side who had Fate’s attention.
Her hopes crashed. Somehow she’d screwed up again.
This guy was much taller than Sithias had ever been in human form, and much more muscular in a lean, athletic way. A large pair of tawny, white-flecked feathery wings flanked his strong arms and he was dressed in tan leather breeches, but little else. All she could see of his turned face was a Roman nose and square jaw. His hair was braided into one long rope down his back and the color was the same as his wings––golden brown with streaks of white. Whoever this statuesque specimen was, he definitely wasn’t her good friend, or even Torrin. But one thing was clear. They were deeply in love.
Seeing the blissful couple further magnified the eternal ache of missing Finn and leaving him behind. They might as well have been posing for the cover of a romance novel and she resented them for it.
Smiling up at her lover like a contented cat, Elsina whispered something in his ear. As the man reluctantly tore himself away, the sorceress let her head roll toward Fate. The second their eyes met, Elsina’s expression turned glacial.
Gulping, Fate glanced away from her frosty stare. With the moon at his back, all she could see of the man was the dark cut of his athletic physique as he strolled across the length of the vast balcony toward her. When his features came into full view, she recognized a familiar grin spreading over his handsome face and the twinkling amber eyes she’d come to know so well.
“Sithias,” she said, hugely relieved. “It is you. But you look so––”
“Handsssome? Dare I sssay sssexy, even?” he said without meaning to be flirtatious.
“Yeah,” Fate admitted, heat flushing her cheeks. But she already missed the gangly, awkward Sithias she’d grown so fond of when he wasn’t in snake form.
“I know, I can hardly believe it myssself. Sssomething magical jussst happened a little more than an hour ago. I was ssstill pretending to be Torrin, but I couldn’t bear to keep up the lie any longer, ssso I took off the glamour to reveal myssself to her.” He paused, letting the words hang in the air as the memory of it overwhelmed him.
“And?” she urged, anxious to hear the rest.
“Well, when I removed the glamour, thisss gorgeousss body appeared. Not the sssnake, not the ssskinny fool who kept tripping over hisss own feet, but thisss.” He held out his arms and made a proud twirl, which looked pretty silly in his chiseled form.
Glad to see the Sithias she knew and loved, Fate smiled. “This settles it. You’re way too marvelous to be seen with me anymore.”
“Never!”
“I take it you and Elsina are happy?”
“Ecssstatic. Though she wasss a bit…furiousss at firssst––an underssstatement at bessst. But only for a moment.” His eyes grew wide with remembered fear. “And what an eternally long and terrifying moment it wasss.” He shook his head to release the memory. “Isss thisss your doing?”
She took out the story she’d written and handed it to him. “Yup, and if all goes as intended, you’re now a shape-shifting sorcerer with the power of the Words of Making.”
His eyes widened in fright. “The Wordsss of Making? I don’t know if that’sss sssuch a good idea.”
“I trust you’ll use them more wisely than I did.”
“I don’t know,” he said, still looking uncertain. “Is it even possssible to grant me that power?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. You’ll have to test it out later. I don’t see why it wouldn’t though. I gave Finn the ability to fly.” Her chest tightened. Just saying his name hurt.
He sighed. “Whatever did I do to dessserve sssuch icing on the cake?”
“Well, I figured if I didn’t make you Elsina’s equal, she’d trample all over you.”
“Oh, she wouldn’t do that. But thank you, misss,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.
“Sithias, my pet, I’m waiting,” Elsina cooed, her voice raised so she could be heard from the other end of the balcony. The impatience in her tone was obvious to all but Sithias.
“I’m sssaying goodbye now, my love,” he called back.
Fate elbowed him. “See what I mean?”
His eyes had glazed over as he stared at the sorceress and she could tell he wasn’t listening.
“We should hurry,” he said, suddenly coming out of it and herding her hastily through a set of French doors into a sumptuous bedchamber dressed in gold brocade with woven tapestries hanging from the walls displaying embraced lovers. The room glowed with candlelight and the heady scent of burning incense hung in the air. Sudden stabs of envy made Fate slow down and stop. The room screamed love and passion––another painful reminder of what she’d lost.
He leaned forward with concern. “What isss it? You look posssitively green around the gillsss.”
“I’m fine,” she snapped. Catching the wounded look in his eyes, she felt instantly bad. “Sorry, I––”
“No need to explain. I know how much you’re hurting.”
“In all kinds of horrible ways.” She tried to smile. “Is there a reason for this torture?”
“
Elsina’sss been keeping the Book of Fablesss in here.”
“Oh,” she said, now looking past the room’s romantic trappings. The giant book was off to one side leaning against the wall. Her heart raced with a chaotic beat as she walked over to it and tugged at the cover. The book remained firmly closed. She was completely baffled. Elsina was happy and in love, no longer The Lonely Sorceress. So why wasn’t it opening? Out of habit, she turned to ask Gerdie if there could be some other reason before remembering she’d been left in the cell. “You need to go get Gerdie. She hid from Hatho and his goons when they came to get me.”
“Oh, quite right,” Sithias said, rushing out of the room and closing the doors behind him.
While waiting for him to return, her gaze rested on the Book of Fables. The forces within the book had thrown so many hidden and unforeseeable dangers in her path. Now it refused entry. Not surprising really. The only predictable thing about the book was that it was unpredictable.
She could easily curse the day she’d laid eyes on it, but not if that meant giving up a single moment with Sithias, Gerdie and most of all, Finn. Their adventures together, even the most horrific, had taught her so much about herself. She could’ve done without having her weaknesses and greatest failings made known, but she’d also discovered strengths she never could’ve imagined. Strengths that would help her blaze a fiery trail back to Finn.
Sithias burst through the door with Gerdie. “I’ve got sssome explaining to do,” he whispered worriedly. “They’re all wondering how she sssurvived that fall.”
“You’ll figure out something to tell them,” Fate said before turning to Gerdie. “The book’s still locked.”
Gerdie shrugged, then glanced at Elsina who was pacing and looking unhappy. “Maybe the lovers are gonna become enemies.”
Sithias stomped his foot. “Hey! Thisss isss true love.”
“I’m sure it is,” Fate assured him. “But if we really do have our happy ending, how come it’s not opening?”
He ran over to a small desk and withdrew a roll of parchment from the drawer. “Here,” he said, placing the paper next to the quill and inkwell on the tabletop. “Tell it to open with your Wordsss of Making.”
“Could it be that simple?” Fate asked.
“We can only hope,” he said, his eyes darting nervously to Elsina.
Fate leaned over the desk and penned a short passage.
“Good,” he said, beads of sweat gleaming on his forehead.
His growing nervousness made her uneasy. “This isn’t some kind of trick to get me to open the book, is it? Not by you, but by her.”
“No worriesss there, misss. Before I asssked for your releassse, I warned her if we go roaming through the book we’d have to bring about sssome horrible endingsss now that it’sss filled with happy onesss––thanksss to our hard work. My mistresss may be…prickly at timesss, but she’sss a romantic at heart and lovesss a good ending––which I am quite confident she now hasss. In fact, that’sss the very reassson she’sss willing to allow you to leave. As you well know, there’s not enough room on thisss island for two willful and powerful women.”
Surprised to be put in the same highly regarded category as Elsina, Fate blushed. “I see.”
His eyes grew sad and misty. “Well, here we are.” He sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Oh dear, I truly detessst goodbyesss.”
Swallowing back the painful lump forming in her throat, she smiled sadly. “Me too.” The thought of losing Sithias in addition to Finn, was more than she could bear. She lurched forward, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Giving her a squeeze, he held her for a brief moment. When he let go, his eyes brimmed with tears.
She choked back a sob. “I’ll miss you, Sithias.”
“And I you, misss.”
Elsina positioned herself so Fate could see her past his shoulder. Possessiveness twisted her flawless features. Wiping at the tears, Fate averted her gaze and lowered her voice. “You’d better get back to your girlfriend. We’ll take it from here.”
Gulping with fear, he glanced back at the sorceress. “Yesss, I’d bessst do jussst that.”
“Don’t forget how amazing you are,” she reminded him. “You’ve got it all now. Especially if you have the powers I gave you.”
He beamed with humble pride as Gerdie stepped up, her small hand extended to shake his. “Bye, Sithias.”
Taking her hand, he kneeled down and smiled. “Goodbye, Gerdie. It’sss been…interesssting,” he said with a wink.
“Sure has,” she said as he made a hasty retreat back to Elsina, her arms crossed and a cold shoulder pointed at him.
As Hatho stepped forward to close the doors, Fate waved at the hawk. “So long, Big Bird. It’s been like a party around here, only without the fun.” The doors shut without a word, leaving them alone in the bedchamber.
Gerdie slipped her hand in Fate’s. “You ready to face Brune?”
Smoldering resentment flared hot in her gut as she touched the Rod of Aeternitis resting beneath Finn’s ribbon. Fuming, she nodded, glaring into space. “The first thing I’m going to do is dangle the Rod in front of Brunhilda’s warty nose and make the witch think she’ll get it back if she takes me into the Keep and helps me find something powerful enough to free Finn, and locate a gateway to Oldwilde. But I’ll never let her have it. I’m going to make her feel what it’s like to have someone else have all the control and hold back what she most desires.”
“Are you done?” Gerdie said, blinking up at her, seemingly unimpressed by her tirade.
“Well, that’s just for starters.”
Gerdie shook her head, her cloud of singed curls waving softly. “You can’t go chargin’ in all hot-headed. Remember, Brune spelled you. More than likely, she still has you under her spell. Could be all she’s gotta do is snap her fingers to get you to hand the Rod over.”
Fate’s anger flatlined.
“No need to pull a face.”
“What do we do?”
“You let me handle Brune. I’ve been plannin’ for this day ever since I knew I was goin’ home.”
“Are you going to let me in on this grand plan?”
“Nope. The less you know up front the better,” Gerdie said, smiling sweetly and giving her hand a squeeze.
“Okay,” Fate replied, feeling a little deflated. “I had this whole ra-ra speech prepared, but I guess we can just get to the leaving instead.”
“Go ahead. I’d like to hear it.”
“No, the moment’s kind of passed.”
Gerdie gave her a worried look. “You’re not losin’ your guts are ya?”
“No, I’ve got guts. I’m all kinds of gutsy,” Fate said, straightening her shoulders to hide her growing nervousness for what lay ahead. She was about to confront the person responsible for basically chucking her into shark-infested waters without a single care. It didn’t sit well with her that this evil great-aunt might still have power over her. Fate had thought the days of being a victim were well behind her.
Burning up with frustration, she clenched her fist around the parchment. She was done being knocked around on the winds like a kite without a tether. Not only had she survived running this gauntlet of hell, she’d come out the other end a warrior capable of kicking some serious ass. “Let’s do this.”
Unwrinkling the parchment, she held it out in front of her, reading, “I have turned all eight fables into their mirror opposites. The Book of Fables can no longer hold me. The lock must open and return Gerdie and I to where we came from.”
A loud metallic click sounded within the lock and the Book of Fables swung wide open. A huge shadow stretched across the room, engulfing them in darkness. Holding onto Gerdie, Fate hurtled through the black toward a pinprick of light growing larger by the second. Glimpsing the dim interior of the bookstore, she felt torn from Finn all over again. There was no way to know if she was leaving him behind forever. But the time for second-guessing had passed. She had to believe the path lead
ing away would somehow take her back to Finn.
Epilogue
"THE FOREST OF INNITH TINE IS RESTORED…your debt is fulfilled… you are free to walk the Earth once more,” a voice rumbled from deep below the colossal oak.
At the core of the tree’s massive trunk, where all was dark and peaceful, the promise of freedom unearthed hope and expectancy. A face materialized like a half-remembered dream, kindling sparks of human emotions, forgotten and put aside. Cinnamon-brown eyes gazed back with a look of longing, igniting those sparks into flames of desire that scorched away the Earthmind, revealing a former existence.
The groan of cracking timber resounded as living wood peeled away from the body interred within the trunk. Hindered blood-flow burst into compressed veins, tissue and muscle. Limbs quivered with prickling pain. As the narrow slit curled back, light pierced the snug darkness and air blasted through the opening. Sheltered eyes watered and skin shivered with revived feeling. Stiff joints struggled to move, pushing with tremendous effort from the quiet warmth out into the harsh elements. Sunlight burned and sounds cut deep.
A tidal wave of memories slammed in with the crushing weight of the world. Ferocious currents of anger, fear and guilt bashed him about, forcing him to relive the sins of his past. When at last the punishing undertow ceased, he floated weightless to the surface, caressed by a stream of blissful recollections––of Fate. The mere thought of her sent a surge of strength throughout his body.
Rising to his feet, Finn gazed out over the sweeping forest of oaks and smiled with satisfaction at the island’s renewed majesty. Breathing in the fresh sea air, he could clearly see he was no longer needed here. Free to move on, every part of him hungered to reunite with Fate, to hold her close and kiss her without a single thread of fear. But where was she? He couldn’t feel her on the island.
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