Wilder

by Lena North

  “Okay,” he sighed after a while. “We’ll send the birds out to look around Double H, see if they can find what it is he wants.”

  He looked at Miller and a silent message passed between them, but then they started shuffling us back down the slope. After a short silence, Hawker started talking about the papers we’d found in my cabin, and I suspected that it was to distract us from whatever it was he and Miller had planned but I let that slide and pulled out my phone to show them the pictures I’d taken. We’d walked almost all the way back to the church when Mickey stopped.

  “Holy crap,” he said. “The stories, Wilder? It makes total sense.”

  When he didn’t say anything else, I nudged him and said impatiently, “Yeah? Funny, because you don’t.”

  “The second paper, the one that seems to be some kind of prophecy? It talks about swords forged in fire. In the stories they mention the swords of the fire dragons, right? Three swords that was supposed to be powerful somehow.”

  I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Holy crap indeed. My mind tried desperately to remember how they had described the swords, but the only one I could remember was the one carried by the boy called Kee. It had been long, sharp, and there had been some sort of cup with gems on it to protect his hand.

  “The sword in the glass cabinet, Wilder,” Mickey whispered.

  I pulled in air, realizing that he was right. We had indeed seen a sword like that. In the entrance of the hotel we usually stayed in when we went skiing, there were various things on display. Some changed each year, and there was always a mix of local art, old artifacts from the area and paintings. A few things remained the same each year, though, and the huge glass cabinet with the sword was one of them. Mickey and I had always admired it and had made up stories about it when we were kids, saying that it belonged to a brave prince.

  “Yea –” I started but was cut off immediately.

  “Explain.”

  Hawker was unhappy and not hiding it. I raised my chin defiantly, but that just earned me another glare, so I decided not to fight with him about his rude ways. Instead, I explained about the sword.

  “It’s in the resort we always stayed in,” I finished. Then a thought struck me. “Oh. The name of the hotel…”

  “Holy crap,” Mickey whispered. “How could we not make that connection before?”

  “It’s the one called the Court,” I explained quickly. “Do you think that name comes from the old name of that village? Dragoncourt?”

  When I’d said that, I heard a crunching sound and Ms. Parks suddenly stepped around the corner of the church.

  “Yes it does,” she said.

  I blinked once, and the others seemed equally stunned.

  Then she stretched her left arm out and turned the palm of her hand toward the sky. As we watched, a dragonfly came gliding and landed in the center of her hand.

  “You weren’t the only ones who kept parts of the dragons, bird-man,” she smirked, looking at my father.

  As we watched in stunned disbelief, she slowly raised the hand where the dragonfly rested, and leaned her head back slightly. Suddenly another dragonfly circled her, and then there were butterflies around her as well. She raised her other hand and made a slow sweep in front of her, laughing softly. The animals immediately circled her once and then they flew off, disappearing in all directions.

  We stood there at the end of the winter season, with snow on the ground and a sharp chill in the air, watching what should not be possible but still happened before our eyes.

  “Perhaps you want to tell me about that piece of paper now, Wilder?” she asked softly.

  ***

  “Good night!” I called after Hawker as he drove down the lane to my house, followed by a line of bikes.

  Miller and Kit, whose real names turned out to be Milvus and Kite, were right behind him. Next was the older couple I’d seen in Johns. Their names were Sven and Byrd, and following them was their son Olly. Not knowing bird etiquette, I hadn’t asked them what kind of birds they had. They never asked me, so maybe one didn’t? Of course, I didn’t exactly have a bird, or at least I hadn’t seen it, but I guessed it would be an eagle just like my father’s and grandfather’s.

  Sloane was there too, and she was behind Hawker on his bike when they left. It was clear that something had happened between them in the past, but neither of them said anything about it. She kept backing away from him whenever he got close, and it seemed to me as if he couldn’t make his mind up if he should laugh at her or growl.

  When we’d all sat down around my kitchen table, I’d brought out the papers Vildman had left in the hidey hole. Sloane wanted them to be examined and archived at the University where they would be properly preserved, but I was worried that a lot of questions about fire dragons would come out of that. Hawker agreed, and after some discussion, Sloane did too, so we decided that they should remain in hiding a while longer until we’d figured out just what to tell about our history.

  I’d left Vilda’s, Sannah’s and Troy’s stories in their box at Double H, but Mickey and I shared what we remembered. It was clear that we’d have to read them again, although I was even less interested in having these archived at the University. Sloane argued that we could pass them off as pure fiction, but I still refused. If I could figure them out, then someone else would surely be able to do that too.

  There was a lot of discussion about what the prophecy could mean, and we read it over and over, but it made just as little sense to the others as it had to Hawker and me when we first saw it.

  “We will have trouble if someone doesn’t use something inherited from a father, which might be the swords of the fire dragons. And the last part is just weird,” Mickey said, finally.

  Everyone laughed because of the funny way he put it, but he was, in essence, correct. We really didn’t understand any of it.

  The birds had all been sent down to Double H to search the area for whatever it could be that my former father was interested in. Hawker had been in touch with some of his contacts, and there were rumors that Paolo was trying to find investors for a new project related to energy but few details had leaked. The prevailing opinion from Hawker’s contacts was that it was a scam because the other families in Marshes weren’t involved. He had been seen with a few foreigners, though, so they unanimously guessed that he’d find someone stupid enough to back him up financially.

  “But –” I started, thought some more, and went on, “He got all of Willy’s money? Why would he need investors?”

  Hawker chuckled, and Miller laughed outright.

  “Willy the wily,” he said.

  “What?” I asked.

  Willy had been shrewd, I knew that, but what it had to do with Paolo I had no clue.

  “Do you know what the net worth of Willy’s companies was?” Hawker asked, but since it was clear that I didn’t he continued, “Five million, Wilder. Maybe six on a good day.”

  My mouth fell open. Willy had owned several companies, and I’d always assumed they were hugely successful. Five million was a lot of money to most people, but it wouldn’t be to Paolo.

  “Do you know the net worth of Double H?” Hawker asked then.

  I didn’t know this either so I shook my head slowly.

  “At least ten times as much, probably more,” Mickey said silently, and he would know because he was a business major and had spent his summer breaks working with his father on Double H for several years.

  “Fif –” was all I got out.

  I pulled in breath after breath, but it didn’t seem to help. My head kept spinning. I’d known the ranch did well, but I would never have guessed that it would be worth that much. I’d never been interested in working the land and had been happy letting Uncle Andrew and Willy deal with the ranch so I’d spent my summers working as a waitress.

  “Wilder?” Mickey said in a voice full of laughter.

  “Fif –” I breathed again. Then I s
hook my head and glared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me? I worked a whole summer as a waitress at that dive where the owner kept touching my butt, remember? If I’d known I would inherit fifty million, I would have spent that summer by the pool.”

  Mickey burst out laughing. “We don’t have a pool,” he said.

  “I would have built one,” I growled.

  “No, you wouldn’t. And that man has never touched any of his waitresses again after the way you got through to him.”

  Oh. Yeah, he had a point. I’d broken my boss’ nose on my last day of that job. Accidentally, of course, though I’d made sure to stare him straight in the eye as I told him that I wouldn’t have twitched quite as violently, sending my elbow backward into his face, if he hadn’t had his hand on my behind. I still had coffee with the other waitresses every now and then, and they never let me pay.

  “Right,” Hawker interrupted. “Let’s wait and see what the birds can find out. They know that there might be something related to energy sources involved in this so they’ll be on the lookout for mining or some other kind of prospecting.”

  Then he got to his feet, announcing that they were leaving and as usual, everyone obeyed, so now I was standing by my door watching their taillights disappear.

  I stayed outside a while, thinking about the day and how my life had changed. Just a few weeks ago, I’d had Willy and school. Now I had a house and what apparently was a hugely profitable ranch to take care of. I had friends, a father, more family than I’d ever had before, and I should be ecstatic but I wasn’t. I missed Willy. He’d been there for every major event in my life, and now that everything was changing I wanted to hear his calm voice tell me everything would be okay. “One step at the time, my darling,” he used to say. The memories of him made my chest hurt and tears burned in my eyes until they slowly rolled down my cheeks.

  “Shit,” I murmured when I heard the roar of pipes, and then a bike came up the lane.

  I dried my tears with the back of my hands and took a few breaths, hoping it wasn’t my father. I liked him and knew that we’d build a good relationship over time, but right then I needed a break from the man. I needed a break from everyone, actually, but with Mickey in the house and a visitor approaching, it didn’t look like I’d get that.

  The bike stopped in front of me and even before the driver took his helmet off I knew who it was.

  “Hey Mac,” I said. “Did you wait until Hawker left before you came here?” I asked, trying to make a joke to cover for my sadness. It was late afternoon, and I hoped he wouldn’t see the trace of tears on my cheeks in the dusk.

  “Sort of,” he grinned. “The calving was difficult, but maybe I stayed a bit longer than neces –”

  He stopped talking and his brows narrowed.

  “You’ve been crying,” he said.

  I sighed. I should have known better than to expect him to not notice, or not say anything about it.

  “I missed Willy,” I said.

  He put his big warm hand on my cheek and leaned in, looking searchingly at me. Then he whispered, “Okay, baby. Go on up to the clearing, sit for a while? I’ll go in and talk to Mickey, and we’ll whip something together for dinner. I’ll come get you when it’s done, yeah?”

  As he talked, he shrugged out of his leather jacket and put it around my shoulders. His thumb swept my cheek, and then he walked inside. I stood there in his heavy, warm jacket, breathing in the scent of him, and wondering how he’d known that I needed to be alone for a while.

  Then I walked uphill to sit on the stone wall where Hawker had told me about the birds. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing the same way we did in my martial arts training when we wound down after practice. In through my nose, out through the mouth, over and over. Slowly, I relaxed, and my mind started to wander.

  One step at the time, I thought, but this time, I didn’t cry. I found comfort in the advice and started a list in my head of what lay ahead. We’d have to bring Vildman down from the mountain. We’d have to figure out what to do with the stories. We’d have to find out what Paolo was up to.

  Okay, I thought. This was not impossible. Hawker could make sure Vildman was dealt with. Sloane could handle the stories. That meant I would have to focus on Paolo.

  Okay, I thought again. I could do that.

  “Wilder,” a soft voice murmured, and I looked around, but I knew that I wouldn’t find anyone in the clearing, or among the trees. At least not a human.

  “You are mine,” the voice said.

  “Yes,” I replied.

  “I am yours,” it continued.

  “Yes,” I repeated.

  Immediately after I’d said that, warmth filled my mind and my soul. It felt like sweet honey flowed through my veins and a part of me that had felt empty all my life was filled up to the brim with something… someone.

  “Are you there?” I asked.

  “Always,” was the reply.

  Then a bird swept through the clearing and landed right in front of me. I recognized its black feathers immediately and stretched out a hand to touch them, but then I started laughing.

  “You’re not an eagle,” I said, and the bird laughed softly in my mind.

  “Of course not.”

  “You’re a hawk,” I whispered. “A black hawk.”

  The bird cocked its head to the side and watched me with eyes as yellow as my own.

  “You are beautiful,” I murmured.

  “So are you.”

  I smiled. Then suddenly another bird swept in, and when I looked at the falcon, I knew that dinner was ready.

  “Bird says his man is coming,” my bird said.

  Okay, I thought. So Mac’s bird was called Bird.

  “What are you called?” I asked my hawk.

  “Bird,” it replied.

  Okay. I could see how the future would be confusing if all birds were simply called bird, but if that’s how it was then I would find a way to handle it.

  Then I heard footsteps coming closer, and I turned to find both Mac and Mickey stepping out into the clearing.

  “A hawk?” Mickey asked. “I thought Hawker said you were supposed to have an eagle?

  Mac barked out startled laughter, and choked out, “Hawker is going to have a shit-fit. He’s always going on about how his eagle is the biggest and most powerful of the birds.”

  My hawk made a strange sound, but I had to laugh too because the thought of my father’s face when I told him about my beautiful black bird was just too funny.

  When we calmed down, I leaned down to touch my bird. It was soft and warm. The others had talked to their birds without using their voices. Could I do that too?

  “Hey there, Bird,” I thought.

  “Hey back, Wilder,” it murmured, sounding amused.

  “Glad you’re here, finally.”

  “I’ve always been with you. You were not ready, but I was there.”

  “Yeah,” I said, knowing that it had been there but still not as it was now. Not as a part of my soul.

  “I need to go and search with the others at the ranch, and you need food, so go eat with your man. He’s pretty,” the bird said and then it took off.

  I stared after the beautiful black bird that disappeared gracefully over the treetops.

  “I bet it’s a she,” I murmured.

  Mac looked at his bird, and then he chuckled.

  “You’d win that bet.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lovers

  We finished the pasta dish they’d prepared, and I was pretty sure Mickey had not done much of the cooking because it was delicious.

  “Thanks for dinner, Mac,” I said, winking at Mickey.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Mickey murmured lazily as he leaned back with a content smile. “I did dessert, though.”

  “Really?” I asked and raised a brow questioningly.

  “Oh ye of little faith,” he murmured, got up, flicked the button to tu
rn on the coffee machine and took a box of chocolate with him back to the table. “There. Done,” he grinned.

  Mac was grinning too and seemed to be about to say something when he suddenly froze.

  “Wilder, get your phone,” he said.

  He sounded strange, and I went into my room to get my phone immediately. I had several missed calls from Mickey’s mom, and as I was walking back into the kitchen, she rang again.

  “Gwe –” I started, but she ignored me.

  “Mickey doesn’t answer his phone. Is he there?”

  “Yea –”

  “Give him the phone, Wilder,” she said before I finished my affirmation of Mickeys whereabouts.

  Without a word, I handed Mickey the phone. Something had happened at Double H. I’d heard it clearly in Gwendolyn’s voice.

  “Mom,” Mickey said and then he was silent.

  I watched his face harden and felt my gut clench because Aunt Gwen calling like this could only mean one thing. Something had happened to Uncle Andy.

  “Okay, Mom. Hang in there, I’m leaving now. Four hours, five tops, then I’m in Prosper. What hospital?” Mickey said.

  He sounded calm, but he had started pacing around my living room and I could see that he clenched the hand he wasn’t holding his phone with. She obviously kept talking for a while, and he listened silently. I walked into his room and tossed what I thought he’d need to bring with him in a bag. He was finishing the call when I got back into the kitchen.

  “Okay, Mom. My phone should start working again in half an hour or so, no coverage up here. Call when you know, leave a message if I don’t pick up.”

  Then he hung up and handed me the phone.

  “The power arm on one of the tractors out in the barn where mom has her storage swung around and hit Dad in his side. Mom found him out there, got an ambulance, and they’re taking him to Prosper. He…”

  He trailed off, and I got to my feet, stepped in and held him as he pulled in several ragged breaths.

  “He'll be all right, Mickey,” I whispered, to comfort him but also because I had to believe this.