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

by Starla Huchton

  When I realized what I’d said, I paused in my work, hoping he’d assume I meant the elk.

  “She?” My father crossed his arms again and stared down at me. “The elk?”

  “Of course the elk,” I said, staying focused on the hole. “Who else could I—”

  “Lukas.”

  His tone was one I knew well. Filled with authority, it instantly transported me back to childhood days of reprimand for bad behavior. I looked up at him. “Yes?”

  His stern features pulled into a stony mask, his gray hair as harsh as granite. “Tell me all of it.”

  I sighed and moved on to the next hole. “It’s complicated. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have known about mother. I promised I’d return when she was well, and now she is. I can’t give you the name of who I gave my promise to, because it isn’t mine to give.”

  “What did you promise?”

  “I promised to stay.”

  “For how long?”

  I shrugged. “Forever, if I have to. I won’t leave her.”

  He knelt beside me, setting a hand on my shoulder. “Sowha, this sits ill with me. First your mother tells me she’s sent you up the mountain with a wounded magical creature, and here you’ve bound yourself to it? What witchcraft compels you to this madness?” His dark eyes bore into mine, filled with worry.

  “It isn’t witchcraft that compels me, Papa,” I said with a patient smile. “It’s a girl, and I won’t abandon her to her fate.”

  He chuckled, relaxing a little. “A girl? That’s entirely different. How is she then? Must be quite beautiful to have smitten you so.”

  “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never once seen her face. She’s with me only when the house is filled with total darkness. She tells me of her dreams, her adventures, and we talk about the world. I don’t need the light when she’s near, for what I see through her eyes is as brilliant as the sun.”

  “Never…” He stood, gaping at me. “You promised yourself to a woman you’ve never seen, who only visits in the dark, and lives in a home belonging to some enchanted animal? Sowha—”

  I got to my feet and held up my hands to stop his argument. “Papa, it’s much more complicated than that. You don’t—”

  “Do you not see it?” He took me by the shoulders, his gaze locked onto me. “This woman may not be what she seems. Have you lost all sense? Hidden away as she is and refusing to let you see her, what else could she be but a troll? She’s bewitched you, Lukas. You must fight against her sorcery. Keep as far away from that place as you can.”

  Angry at his misguided superstitions, I pushed his hands away. “A troll? You’re ridiculous. You thought Var Orinsson a troll as well until you learned he was only a cheesemaker driven away from people by the scent he carried from his trade. You jump to conclusions without proof. She’s no troll.”

  “Who’s no troll?” Hanna said as she came around the house. “What are you two arguing about?”

  I turned and brushed off my hands before retrieving my book. “No one is a troll, and we’re not arguing. I was ending a conversation.” Refusing to look at him, I plodded my way back to the house. “I’m going to sit with Mama for a while.”

  A troll indeed. My father was a hardworking man and ever faithful, but his ignorance often amazed me. Even though I loved him dearly, I would never back down from a promise I’d made, and especially not to appease his silly superstitions.

  * * * * *

  My irate looks kept my father at a distance the remainder of the day. Dinner was more tense than usual, especially when I told Hanna and my mother I was leaving in the morning. Hanna grumbled for more than an hour after the meal was over, and my father was even surlier than he’d been that afternoon. My mother was the calm amidst the storm of the family, and only nodded and smiled as she wrapped up food for me to take with the next day.

  I leaned up in the kitchen doorway, watching her hands tie off the cloth bundle securing my lunch. “You’ve not said anything about my going back.”

  “Should I have?” She set the bundle aside and began preparing a second.

  “You don’t have an opinion on it?”

  Her soft smile told me little. “I do, but the opinions of others shouldn’t matter to you much in this case. I once had a similar choice to make, and I’d have given quite a lot to be spared those voiced thoughts and arguments.”

  “I’d hear what you have to say, Maeha,” I said, stilling her movements with a hand on hers. “Of all the opinions I could hear, yours matters most of all.”

  She looked up at me, the corners of her eyes wrinkling as she grinned. “You have a good heart, Sowah. My opinion is that it will guide you well. Listen to it, and you’ll know what’s right.”

  Sighing, I pulled her in for a tight hug, happy to have her love and support. “You’d like her. Someday, I hope you’ll get to meet her.”

  With a pat on my back, she stepped away. “So long as you’re happy, that’s enough for me. Now, you’d best turn in if you’re to get an early start.”

  “As should you.”

  She tossed me a wink and shooed me out. “I won’t be long. Off with you.”

  I did as she said, but sleep was elusive, as it was for most of my stay there. I laid awake long after my family was asleep, listening for sounds I knew wouldn’t be there, missing Erata, and telling myself I’d be with her again soon. I finally forced myself into slumber as I imagined her with me, remembering the scent of her hair. It was enough to earn me a few hours rest.

  My father was already gone when I said my goodbyes to my mother and sister. Heart heavier knowing I might not return to them again, I poured as much love as I could into each embrace. Shortly after dawn, I set off up the mountain.

  I passed several of my family’s traps, noting all were clear and reset already. The farther I went, the more nervous I became. Every little noise made me jump. When the last trap came into view, I knew precisely why I worried.

  My father was waiting for me.

  With a grimace, I firmed up my resolve and marched on. His passive expression never wavered during my approach.

  “I won’t try to stop you,” he said, “but I have something for you.”

  I watched on in silence as he reached inside his coat, removing a foot-long bundle of wrapped linen.

  “I got this from a peddler woman traveling through the village on my last trip.” He handed me the bundle without ceremony. “She insisted I take it, though I didn’t see as I’d have much of a need for it. Supposedly, it lights itself on the darkest of nights.” My father frowned and stared off into the trees. “What did she call it? Heng-e’s Light, I think. Something along that line, anyway.” He waved it off and focused on me again, wrapping his thick, calloused fingers around mine clutching the bundle. “Should you want to know the truth of the one you’ve sworn yourself to, hold out the candle and whisper ‘xuàn’ into the darkness.”

  “Papa, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but—”

  He stopped me. “You’re old enough to make your own mistakes, Lukas. However, I’d be failing to do my duty as your father if I didn’t help you as much as I could before it was too late. Even if you never use it, I’ll know I did everything I could.”

  I let out a long sigh and nodded to appease him. He meant well, but there was no way he’d understand Erata… Or much of anything in the elk’s home. It was better not to argue and hide the candle away. “Very well. I’ll think over what you’ve said. That’s all I can promise.”

  With a firm slap to my shoulder, he finally smiled. “Good. Be safe, Sowah. Come back to us when you can.”

  * * * * *

  The glint of moonlight caught the blue gem eye of the dragon. I stood there for a long while, working up my courage to open the door. I’d trusted Erata’s word that the elk knew of and approved my departure, but what if she hadn’t been honest with me?

  I shook off the doubts. She’d gain nothing if she lied to me, unless she wished me to fall out of the elk’
s favor for some reason. If that happened, the only thing she’d ever asked of me would’ve become impossible. My remaining there rested solely on the elk’s approval. Decided, I grabbed hold of the handles and pulled.

  The hall was a gaping maw of darkness. Moonlight penetrated a few feet in, but I’d be on my own for the remaining distance. I moved slowly, quietly, trying to keep as straight a path as I could after closing the doors. If I’d thought ahead, I would’ve made a point of counting the steps between doors, but it hadn’t occurred to me before that moment that I’d need such knowledge. I bumped a hall table on my right, overcorrected and bumped again on the left. However, the shape of the objects on the tables provided me some clue about my progress.

  When a door down the hall swung open, I stopped completely, holding my breath as I waited to see what sort of reception I’d get.

  “Who…” Erata’s voice sent a shiver down my spine. “Who’s there?”

  I smiled to myself. “Oh, just a stupid lout who stumbled into a mysterious dark tunnel. I don’t suppose you know where—”

  My innane remark was silenced when she nearly tackled me, already sobbing. “You came back… You’re really here…”

  I held her to me, smoothing the back of her short hair. “Of course I came back. You said she’d be well in seven days, and so, here I am. I keep my promises, Erata.”

  “I know you said you would, but… but…” Her blubbering overcame her speech, and it was all I could do to hold her up. I’d never seen a person so beside themselves over me. My father was wrong. No matter what he thought, I knew the truth in her heart and in mine.

  After a few moments more, she sniffled and pulled herself together. With an iron grip on my hand, she led me through the house and back to my room. I cherished the feel of her near me again, and any worries I had seeped out of me as I removed my boots and laid back on the bed.

  “I…” she started, hovering somewhere near the door to the elk’s room. “I’m sure you’re very tired, so I won’t—”

  “Please don’t go,” I said. “That is, if you don’t mind. I’m probably a mess from the trip up, but I’ve missed you. Even if you only stay for a few minutes, it will do me infinite good to hear your voice a little more.”

  The mattress sank under her weight at the edge of the bed. “I missed you, too.”

  I sat up, worried by her uncharacteristic distance. Did I smell that badly? “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. That is—”

  “I was sure you weren’t coming back, Lukas.”

  “What?” I reached out, finding her hand. “Why would you think that?”

  “Because why would you? You’re trapped here now, in the dark with me. What sort of life is that? If you had a way out, free and clear, why wouldn’t you take it?”

  Finding her chin, I gathered her face in my hands, leaning my head against the hard band across her forehead. “I found the consequence of being without you unacceptable.”

  As her fingers wrapped around my wrists, she sighed. “I love you, Lukas.”

  Hearing those words from her filled my heart to bursting. I kissed her then, praying to the spirits she could feel how much she meant to me. All I wanted was to live in that moment forever, never caring if I so much as glimpsed her face so long as there was a breath in me.

  If only I could hold on to that, to her, I was sure nothing else in life would ever matter.

  Chapter 11

  When I awoke in the morning, Erata was gone, not that I expected anything else. It left me melancholy, but also with the return of my worry over the elk.

  Erata wouldn’t lie to me. Withhold things, yes, but she was honest in that she told me what kind of things she couldn’t tell me.

  I repeated that to myself over and over. The doubt receded again, but that I doubted at all troubled me more.

  Rather than continue worrying over it, I decided to find out for myself. I got up and dressed, making sure my hair was as presentable as I could make it without a bath, and opened the door to the elk’s room.

  Her bed was empty.

  Concerned, I hurried out of the room and into the hall. After checking every room on one side, I crossed over to the study. The elk stood at one of the bookcases, her head at a thoughtful angle as she considered the titles. I stood there for a minute, unsure of what to say after my absence.

  “If you’re all rested up from your trip…” her voice swirled around my ears. “The fifth Valmyrian saga awaits us…”

  “I, uh…” I stammered. It appeared Erata had spoken the truth. “That sounds fine.” Striding across the room, I plucked the book from the shelf and looked at her. “Would it be all right if I had a bit to eat first?”

  Her eyes looked so much like ice, but not at all cold or hard. Her gaze was softer and kinder than I’d ever seen before, and I realized how much I’d missed her as well.

  “Of course…” she said. “And…”

  “Yes?”

  One of her brows lifted. “Perhaps a bath?”

  My mouth fell open as my cheeks heated. “Yes. Absolutely. Will you be here or in the garden?”

  She turned away, tossing her head a bit. “By the tree…”

  I swallowed nervously, watching her go. The moment the elk was gone, I rushed back to the kitchen, hastily stuffing bread, cheese, and a few slices of cold ham into my mouth. I didn’t even finish chewing before I was headed for the bath.

  After tossing off my clothes, I skidded to a halt at the edge of the pool, not wanting to fall in, yet I still needed to hurry. The elk had been patient and kind enough to grant my trip home. I wouldn’t risk her good graces by lingering when there was no good reason.

  I sank into the cool water, washing away sweat and grime from my trek up the mountain and days of chores for my family. Surfacing, I took a deep breath, relaxing after a week of being on edge, and reached for the soap along the ledge…

  Something strong wrapped around my legs, dragging me under the water. Thrashing with all my strength, I couldn’t free myself. It wound up my calves, glowing green eyes boring into me as the head of the silver-scaled creature rushed towards my face. Beyond panicked, I swung a fist at it, connecting with the side of its jaw. The hold on my legs loosened enough for one powerful push, and I exploded above the surface of the water, gasping and scrabbling for a handhold. The bar of soap the only thing within reach, I clung to it as I was pulled down again to come face to face with the shimmering reptile. Its talons clawed at my chest, its body wrapping around mine. With one arm free, I reached back, praying to the spirits for strength. As the jaws of the creature opened, striking, I rammed the block of lye and tallow soap directly into the sapphire eye of the beast. Even under water, its scream was deafening, but I was immediately released.

  I scrambled out of the pool, not bothering to grab my clothes as I slipped across the stone floor, in case the monster could leave the water.

  I didn’t stop until I was back in my room, panting, wet and naked, against the locked door. When my pulse slowed some, I sank to the floor, trying to comprehend what happened. If the book I’d been reading was accurate, a dragon just tried to kill me.

  When the chill got to be too much, I stood on shaky legs, dressing only from the waist down when I noticed the bloody gashes on my chest. I hadn’t read about dragons having poison in their talons, but I’d not make the same mistake as I did with the salutaris rose thorns. I needed to tell the elk about the encounter.

  The elk.

  Surely she knew something about whatever attacked me, but never so much as gave a warning about what might dwell in her home. Even more, how much was the place her home? A dragon on the door. A dragon in the bath. Yet she never once mentioned such things, and when I’d broached the topic, she’d sent me sprawling. A simmering anger bubbled up in my stomach, and I marched out into the hall, heading straight for the garden.

  “Explain this now,” I demanded, the elk blinking up at me from where she lazed against a tree. Pointing to my wounds
, I planted my feet, determined to have an answer. “Tell me why a dragon would attack me in the bath.”

  She got to her feet as quickly as she could, barely limping as she hurried to me. “Attack you? How can I—”

  “You can help by answering my question,” I said. “I don’t believe you know nothing about this.”

  Her head lowered a little as she took a step back. “I wish you no harm, Lukas…”

  “If that was the case, you should’ve warned me about the possibility of drowning in the bath at the hand of a scaled monster, then. What aren’t you telling me?”

  She shook her head and looked up at me, pleading. “I’ve told you all I can about this place… Let me see your injuries…”

  I stomped off toward the herb garden. “I can see to this myself. As I managed to see to the dragon on my own, I think I’m capable enough.”

  “You’re being stubborn…” she said, trailing after me.

  “And you’re lying to me,” I shot back over my shoulder. “If you wanted me dead that badly, why even let me come back? Why bother with me at all?”

  “I don’t want you dead, Lukas… I want you here with me…”

  I knelt and retrieved a few handfuls of menras grass, intending to grind it to paste with the whistlethorn root in the kitchen. At least I could stave off infection and dull the pain of the gashes. “Why? So I can read you more stories? Does the darkness at night prevent your other servants from doing so?”

  “Because…” She paused, and I stood to face her, waiting for her to finish. The elk bowed her head, unable to meet my stare. “Because you are important to me…”

  Some of my rage slipped away at seeing her that way. She glanced up once, her gaze fixed on the red gashes.

  “Then tell me why a dragon would want me dead.”

  “Because you are important to me… That is why…”