Ride the Wind: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 3)

by Starla Huchton

  “But—”

  “You should get something to eat before dark…”

  Noting the first tinges of pink in the sky, I hurried after her. My anxious heart held onto my questions, however.

  I needed to speak with Erata.

  Chapter 9

  At the sound of my door opening and closing, I sat up straight in bed, wondering if I hadn’t gone completely mad at last.

  “Erata? Is that you?”

  Her weight sank beside me, the movement of it recognizable without her saying a word.

  “Yes, but—”

  I reached for her, wrapping my arms tightly around her as I breathed in the scent of her hair in large gulps, like a man drowning. “Spirits, I thought I might never be with you again. I’m so sorry, Erata. I never meant to—”

  She wriggled free from my hold, both hands firmly pressed against my chest to put space between us. “Lukas, I need to tell you—”

  My hand resting against her cheek stopped her words. “Please, me first. There’s something I have to say to you, and I won’t risk losing you before I’ve had the chance to say it.”

  She stilled completely, her breath held. Overwhelmed at having her with me again, I leaned in, kissing her long enough to make up for all the nights I hadn’t been able to do so.

  “I love you, Erata, and I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

  A sob worked itself free from her throat, accompanied by hot tears spilling down her face.

  “Your mother is very ill. You need to go home and help her.” She pulled my hands away, placing a small, soft bag into my palms, her fingers wrapping around mine.

  “Wh-what?” I asked, stunned and confused about the turn in the conversation.

  Erata sucked in a ragged breath. “This is a vial of potion made with salutaris rose nectar. Take it to her, and have her drink the whole bottle. She’ll be well again in seven days time.”

  “I don’t…” I set the bag aside and took her hands in mine. “I don’t understand, Erata. You’re sending me away?”

  “If I don’t, she’ll die. And I…” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “Could you love someone as selfish as that? I couldn’t live with such a secret, knowing how much you’d hate me if you found out. I won’t let her die if there’s something I can do to stop it.”

  My heart threatened to tear me in half. The thought of my mother on the verge of death pulled me one direction, but knowing I’d have to leave Erata behind…

  “But my promise…”

  “Then make me another,” she said as her arms embraced me. “Promise you’ll return as soon as she’s better. Come back to me.”

  I held her close, unsure of what else to do. “What will I tell the elk? Only just today I begged her not to make me go. I was so lost without you, she thought my misery was because I missed my family. How can I ask her if—”

  Her lips on mine stopped my arguments. “I know what you kept from saying. I heard every word.”

  “But how—”

  “I’ve never stopped listening or watching you, Lukas. Not for a moment. I know the man you are, and I’m sorry my pride kept us apart so long. My only wish is that it wasn’t this news that brought me back, because now…” She swallowed heavily. “Because now I have to let you go.”

  I pushed her hair behind an ear in gentle, smooth strokes. “Is there no other way?”

  She shook her head. “I tried, Lukas. This is the only option.”

  “There’s still the problem of the elk,” I said with a sigh.

  Erata shook her head again. “She already knows, and expects you to be gone by morning.”

  “You told her?”

  “You go with her blessing.”

  “She knows of you then? I’ve been keeping you a secret from her, to save you trouble. Should I not have?”

  With a quick kiss to my cheek, she pulled me to my feet. “There isn’t time for that.” I heard her digging around inside a bag. Moments later, she shoved clothing into my hands. “Get dressed. I’ll see you to the exit when you’re finished.”

  * * * * *

  I blundered through the dark, led by Erata’s hand. What was only a short distance in the light, dragged out for what felt like miles in the pitch black. She expertly guided me around every obstacle, and I didn’t so much as bump a table on the way.

  She stopped and tugged me closer, handing me a pack. “Everything you need should be in here,” she said. “Do you remember the way?”

  “Of course, but…” I paused, shifting my weight uneasily. Everything happened so fast, I could barely process what she’d said.

  She tugged a knit cap over my head. “The worst of winter has passed, but you should still make sure you keep warm.”

  I pulled one of her hands away, bringing it close to my chest. “Erata, tell me honestly. If I go, will I be able to return?”

  She leaned in to me, resting her head below my chin. In that moment, she seemed a slighter figure than ever before, almost elven in stature. “If you wish it, you can return.”

  “Your tone sounds as though you don’t believe I will.”

  Her silence said more than any response.

  With gentle fingers, I tilted her chin back, as though I could see her in the darkness. “I’ll keep my promise, Erata. I will be back, and I’ll stay with you for as long as it takes.”

  “As long as it takes for what?” she asked, a warm tear reaching my fingers where they held her face.

  “As long as it takes to convince you that I love you. I will always come back. Where you go, I’ll follow. Whether it’s eternal darkness or in the farthest reaches of the Wildlands, I’ll find you.”

  “Lukas, there’s…” An anxious pause punctuated her thought. “There’s one more thing.”

  “What?”

  She took my hand in both of hers. “While you’re gone, avoid speaking with your father alone.”

  I frowned. “My father?”

  “I… I wasn’t going to ask it of you, but that was the warning I was given from the one who told me about your mother’s health. I can’t tell you any more than that, because I don’t know why. Just… Please try not to. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose you.”

  I bent, lowering my face to hers and placing a kiss on her lips. “I’ll do all I can to avoid it. You’ll not lose me, Erata. I promise.”

  “I used to be so careless with the people most important to me,” she whispered against my mouth. “I’ll never take that for granted again. I’m not who I used to be, Lukas. Cherish your family while you’re with them.”

  “I will.” I brushed the wetness from her cheek. “And then I’ll come back for you.”

  We shared one last embrace before I turned to go. As my hand touched the exit, a door down the hall closed. Erata was gone, not staying to watch me leave. My heart already ached, but I had yet to set foot outside. A mighty push on the handle, and a crack of moonlight sliced through the doorway, puddling on the floor at my feet. I spared one last glance down the silent hall, turned, and stepped out into the night.

  * * * * *

  My feet moved down the mountain as my mind wandered other paths. The bag Erata gave me not only held extra clothing, but food, water, and other odds and ends for wilderness travel. More than once I had to shake myself to be more aware of my surroundings, lest I be caught by wolves again, but the way home was completely clear.

  When I came across the first of my family’s traps around mid-morning, I knew things were as bad as I feared. The rotting corpse of a rabbit remained there, uncleared by anyone for at least three days. It was the same with the second and third traps, which I emptied and reset as I went. Those nearer the house had caught fresh rabbits and a squirrel, which I took with me.

  A lump formed in my throat when I caught the first glimpse of the cabin through the barely budding branches of trees. As much as I hated to leave Erata, seeing my childhood home again after months away made me realize how much I’d missed the place and everything that came wit
h it. Even the endless chores would be welcome. I’d gone too long with idle hands.

  Rushing the last hundred yards despite my aching body, I drew up short when I reached the front door. Should I knock? After so long away, was it still my home? Part of my heart would always be there, but it wasn’t where I belonged anymore.

  After three loud raps, I let myself in. “Hello?” I called out, not immediately seeing anyone about.

  Hanna stumbled through the curtain to my parents’ room, the red hair of her braids mussed and flying away at all angles. “Lukas?” She gaped at me, rubbing her bleary eyes in disbelief. “Is that really you?”

  Despite the circumstances, I was glad and relieved to see her. Dropping my pack, I grabbed her up in a bear hug. “I have missed you terribly, gaela.”

  She giggled into my chest. “You haven’t called me that since I was ten. I’m not little anymore.”

  I pulled away and grinned at her. Long gone was the roundness in her features, replaced with what would be great beauty for certain. “I see that plainly. I’m only happy to see you again.”

  Her smile faded, a fresh round of tears blooming in her red-rimmed eyes. “Maeha will be grateful to see you one last time. She’s so very sick, Lukas. The healer said she only has days left. It’s good you’ve come.”

  “I think it’s not so bad as you fear,” I said, wiping away her tears. “Where’s Papa?”

  Hanna sniffled. “Gone down the mountain for medicine. The healer said there was a traveling potions master in town who might have something for it. He should be back by tomorrow, but Maeha’s gotten so much worse. I’ve done all I can for her pain, but…” Her voice cracked with sorrow. “I’m just not as good with herbs as she is. I’m so sorry!”

  She collapsed into sobs as I held her, and I did what I could to soothe her. “It’ll be all right,” I murmured into her hair. “I’ve come to help.”

  When she’d calmed herself, I urged her back to see my mother. What awaited me was far worse than what I’d imagined. My mother’s eyes were ringed in dark circles like bruises, her cheeks sunken and skin sallow. I dropped to my knees at her bedside, taking her dry, frail hand in mine.

  “Maeha, I’m here,” I said as I smoothed the graying hair away from her face. “I’m going to make you better.”

  “The healer said it’s the kind of sickness where your body turns against you,” Hanna said quietly. “It’s something near her stomach, growing where it shouldn’t be.”

  Taking in the shallow rise and fall of my mother’s chest, I knew there was no time to waste. I removed Erata’s pouch from my pocket, dumping a vial of slightly green liquid onto my palm. Closing my eyes, I said a silent prayer to the spirits that I wasn’t too late.

  “I’ve a potion to make her well again, but I’ll need your help to make her drink it,” I said, shifting my gaze to Hanna. “It contains nectar of the salutaris rose, and if anything can save her, it’s that.”

  Hanna gasped. “Salutaris rose? How in the heavens did you find such a thing?”

  I shook my head. “Never mind that for now. All that matters is that she gets well.”

  * * * * *

  I stayed with her the whole day and fell asleep at her bedside that night. There was no immediate improvement in my mother, though from what I could see by lantern light, I thought her color was better. Hanna busied herself with household chores as I waited, bringing meals throughout the day. She slept on the floor at the foot of the bed, unwilling to leave. My last thoughts were of my determination to remain vigilant, but lack of sleep and a mountain trek coupled with my anxiety to put me out shortly after midnight.

  It was the feel of gentle fingers in my hair that woke me. Startled, I sat up from where I’d rested my head on the bed, confused about where I was. When I remembered, my first thought was of my mother.

  “You still mumble in your sleep,” my mother said, though both her voice and smile were weak. “I’ve missed hearing it, Sowah.”

  Overjoyed, I pressed the back of her hand to my lips, my eyes pinched closed as I gave thanks to the spirits, Erata, and whomever had helped her. “I only wish I’d known sooner. I came as quickly as I could.”

  My mother’s eyes shone in the early morning light. “I’d ask what kept you, but the change I see in you says all I need to know.”

  Slightly embarrassed, I brushed it off. “There’s time for that later. You need your rest. A week and you’ll be good as new.”

  “Maeha?” a sleepy voice called from the foot of the bed. Hanna’s eyes went wide, and she stared at our mother. “You’re awake?”

  My mother lifted a weak hand and motioned her over. Hanna sobbed beside her, soaking up the comfort of our mother’s gentle reassurances and thanks for the constant care. I learned that mere weeks after I left, the stomach pains started. She kept down very little food and was constantly tired. With another storm setting in, there was no way to reach a healer, and Hanna had done everything she and my mother could think of to help the symptoms.

  “It’s a gift from the spirits themselves,” Hanna said, clinging to my mother’s hand. “What was the price for so much magic?”

  I looked away, unsure of how to answer, given what a long story it was. As I struggled to find where to start, the front door banged open, the sound of my father’s boots pounding across the floor following it.

  He burst through the curtain, his dark gray beard displaying twigs and leaves as proof of his haste. “Hanna, I couldn’t get—” He screeched to a halt, his surprised gaze first fixed on me, then on my mother’s open eyes. “Spirits be praised, how…?”

  I stood aside to give my father room. For a long time, all he could do was marvel at her while fighting back tears. “It’s a miracle,” he said, over and over. “I thought I’d lost you. I thought I’d be too late.”

  “All this fuss for me?” My mother managed a laugh. “There’s no need for it. Lukas says I’ll be fine in no time.”

  My father looked up at me. “Lukas?” He stood, stepping closer to me. “How did you manage this?”

  “He brought medicine from the salutaris rose,” Hanna chirped, beaming with pride. “He saved her, Papa.”

  From the corner of my eye, my mother’s expression shifted slightly, the telltale crease of disapproval forming between her eyebrows.

  With a great tug, my father pulled me to him, slapping my back as he hugged me. “I worried for a moment you’d struck a bargain for some kind magic. You’ve saved her, Sowah. Thank you.”

  “My family is my foundation, Papa. I will always help when I’m needed,” I said. At my father’s words, my worry bloomed anew. What had my mother told him about where I’d gone? Erata’s warning drifted back to me, wondering if she hadn’t made some sort of dreadful deal to get a cure for my mother. Perhaps she didn’t want me digging into it for some reason. I’d told her about my family, so maybe she was worried what my father would think of it.

  “I’ll round up some firewood to chase out the chill,” I said as I headed for the door. “Mama is getting better, but we need to keep her warm to ensure that.”

  “I’ll come with you,” my father said.

  I spun and held up my hands, politely refusing. “I’ll be fine. Spend time with Mama before she needs to rest again.”

  Though he looked like he might argue with me, my mother’s hand tugging at him swayed him from it. The moment I was out of sight, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  My promise to Erata would be harder to keep than I thought.

  Chapter 10

  My mother’s health improved in great leaps with every hour. Six days passed, and she looked better than I remembered seeing her in a long time. Spring had arrived in full since I left and saw my sister out in the garden, tending to the first green shoots poking up through the soil. Happily, I’d also managed to keep away from my father’s sole company.

  “Hand me that trowel,” Hanna said, up to her elbows in dirt.

  Looking up from the book on dragons that Erata h
ad stashed in the bottom of my pack, I picked up the tool from beside me and passed it over.

  “The Care and Feeding of Dragons?” she asked. “Where in the world did you get that?”

  “Just, uh, something I picked up,” I replied.

  “Dragons,” my father scoffed as he tossed some broken furniture into a pile alongside the house. “There’s not been dragons in Valmyr for centuries. Never mind ones needing care and feeding. Bloodthirsty beasts, those.”

  Hanna giggled. “Just old fairy stories, Papa.” She looked around, searching for something. “Now what did I do with those seeds? Blast. I must’ve left them inside. Lukas, could you dig a few more holes like this while I look for them?” She stood and brushed her hands off on her apron, turning to go.

  I jumped to my feet, seeing the danger her absence presented. “There’s no sense in the both of us getting filthy. I’ll go find—”

  She waved me off and headed for the house. “I’ll only be a minute. I’ll check on Maeha while I’m there.”

  My heart sank as my sister rounded the corner, its nervous beat fluttering in my stomach.

  “I’d wondered when we’d finally get a chance to catch up.” My father stepped up beside me with a slap to my back. “With all the chores those two have had you doing, it’s a wonder you haven’t run off again.”

  I sighed and knelt to start on Hanna’s digging. “I didn’t run off, Papa. I went at Mother’s insistence.”

  “Of course,” he said, huffing and crossing his arms. “That business about the magic elk? Not exactly something I’d willingly sacrifice my only son to. It’s done then, healing that beast? I imagine so, otherwise you’d not have come back.”

  “Well, mostly, but it’s not that simple. I’ll be leaving tomorrow, as soon as I’m sure Mama’s well again.”

  “Leaving?” His hands fell limp at his sides. “Not to go back to that creature, surely?”

  I dug at a buried rock, working on dislodging it for a few moments as I debated on what to tell him. “There’s more to it than that. I made a promise to someone, and I intend to keep it. The only reason I’m here now is because she insisted I come.”