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

by Starla Huchton

  I threw up my hands, unable to make sense of it. “I’ll be in the kitchen if Her Highness has any other deadly enemies out for my blood.”

  With that, I left her standing there, knowing I’d get nothing else for an answer.

  * * * * *

  After making and applying the salve to my wounds, I went in search of the elk again, assuming I’d be back to reading to her as always, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Even searching the garden proved useless. Where had she gone?

  Granted, whatever our relationship had been before that morning, it was forever changed after my encounter with the dragon. I knew, even though I’d stay, I’d never trust the elk as I had before. Shadows of doubts crept into my mind further with every passing moment. How could I put faith in her when she kept potentially life-ending information from me?

  More determined than before, I dove back into The Care and Feeding of Dragons, moving on from eating habits, to the hierarchy of their society. Admittedly, even though I’d been attacked by one, I was still incredulous that the creatures existed at all. Dragons? Real dragons? The idea made me question everything I’d thought was true. Perhaps my father wasn’t so wrong to believe in the existence of sinister creatures. And if dragons were real and so horribly dangerous, what was to say the rest of his concerns weren’t ill-conceived?

  Most notable of the book’s information were the passages about the power structure of the dragon kingdom. There were lower level dragons who dwelt in small lakes and streams, more powerful ones who lived in mountain palaces, controlling rains and winds, others who guarded the heavens, and a final Dragon King, who oversaw all and maintained the balance of power. The dragons of Qilong were clearly the more advanced cousins of those that lived in the west before they were wiped out centuries ago. Eastern dragons commanded great respect from the people, though they were also greatly feared.

  As I turned the last page of the section, a door down the hall slammed closed, stirring the air even in the library. Unease nestled into my bones, wondering if perhaps it was a creature like the one that attacked me in the bath. When I heard hoofbeats outside, I recognized the slightly stuttered step of the elk, however, and relaxed the smallest bit.

  “He will not come again…” Her voice curled past my cheek. “I am sorry for what’s happened…”

  I grimaced and set the book aside. “I suppose it’s useless to ask for more information on my assailant?”

  Silence was my answer.

  Turning in the chair, I looked to see her standing in the doorway, head as high as it ever was, but something in her stance spoke of great exhaustion. Whether that was to do with me or the dragon, I couldn’t say, but it was clear she wasn’t about to tell me.

  “Where were you all this time?”

  She looked down the hall. “Elsewhere… To ensure your safety…”

  “You were speaking with a dragon, I assume?”

  Rather than respond, she turned and walked back down the hall. Shortly after, I heard a door open. When I looked, the door to the eternal garden stood open, the far-off chirp of a bird calling to me. I shook my head, wondering for the hundredth time if I’d made the right choice. The elk’s secrets might be dangerous for me, but she wasn’t the only one keeping things from me.

  What if Erata’s secrets were as deadly?

  * * * * *

  “Are you all right?” she asked as her weight shifted the mattress.

  I stared up into the blackness, shrugging even though she couldn’t see it. “I’ve lived through worse, though I imagine I’ll have a few scars as a result.”

  When she touched my hand, I tensed. In the hours between my near-fatal bath and the descent of the preternatural darkness, my unsettling feelings grew despite my efforts. I knew Erata wasn’t evil, how could she be? But my father’s words and both her and the elk’s refusal to tell me anything crushed together to form tidal waves of doubts and fears.

  “Has something…” she trailed off, her voice faltering as her fingers slipped out of mine. “Do you not want me here anymore?”

  I released a long, slow breath and sat up. “It isn’t that. I just… There are things I need to know, Erata, and neither you nor the elk are giving me any answers. A dragon tried to kill me today, but all my reading says that type would only do so for a reason. It sought me out for a purpose, and I can’t defend against that when I don’t know why.”

  When she remained silent, I searched for her hand, taking it between both of mine. “Please, if you know anything, will you tell me? I can’t help you if I’m dead.”

  “I…” The tears were plain in her voice, and I kissed her fingers, hoping to reassure her. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know. If I could… But my memory is… I don’t know. I can’t explain.”

  Following the line of her arm, across her shoulder and up to her jaw, I rested my palm against her cheek, brushing away the wetness with my thumb. “You cannot tell me, and the elk will not. What more can I do? Surely there must be something.”

  She leaned against my hand. “Have patience. Be strong. I don’t know much, but I think it’ll come clear in time.”

  While I was no stranger to waiting out storms, our situation was no blizzard. There was no way to fight off the elements, but surely there was something that could be done to free Erata. Idle hands didn’t suit me. Even in winter, there was always work to be done.

  The cool, hard band around her forehead brushed my skin, leaving a tingle that crept up my arm and around to the back of my neck. What was the circlet she wore, some sort of enchantment?

  “Can’t you take that off?” I asked, letting go of her face to touch her forehead. “Perhaps it contains magic that—”

  “You mustn’t!” She jerked away, startling me. “Please, I can’t—”

  “All right,” I said, alarmed by her reaction, but not wanting to upset her by pressing the issue. “It’s all right. I won’t touch it again. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I can’t remove it. It’s important.”

  Finding her hand in the dark, I gave her fingers a light squeeze. “Let’s forget about it for tonight. Will you stay with me?”

  Her soft sigh drifted over me, exhaustion evident in her tone. “Of course.”

  As we had on so many nights, she curled up beside me, but when she set her head against my shoulder, I sucked in a sharp gasp, my wounds from the dragon’s claws flaring to life with pain.

  “I’m so sorry! I forgot you were—” She pulled away from me, but I stopped her.

  “It’s all right. Here.” I slid over on the bed and turned on my side. “Perhaps we’ll rest better this way.”

  My arm around her waist, we settled in for sleep. The scent of her hair filled my senses, reminding me of the fragrant flowers of the eternal garden. For a while, I was comforted, but as her chest rose and fell with a steady, deep rhythm, my doubts crept back in. Have patience, that’s what she’d said. After so many months, I couldn’t help wondering how much more patience I needed to have before I was given some answers. I’d already proven in returning that I meant to keep my promise to her. What more did I need to do?

  The elk had answers, of that I was sure. Perhaps if I gained her trust even further, she would tell me something I could use to help Erata.

  * * * * *

  “Of all the stories my mother told me, I don’t think I’ve ever heard about there being a fairy colony in Valmyr before.”

  “It’s an old story…” The elk’s words whispered through the trees as I closed the book. “The ruins are north of here, but little remains…”

  All day, I’d been extra attentive to her, hoping to make her forget my irritation the day before. It was an exhausting act, but I was determined to make her feel as though we were back to normal again. “Have you been there?”

  “Briefly… I was looking for something…”

  “What?”

  She sighed and laid her head across her f
oreleg. “A relic long since gone from there… It’s unimportant…”

  If I pressed her for more information, it was possible she’d balk, wasting my efforts to regain her favor, but I needed to try. “Anything to do with where you disappeared to yesterday?”

  Her eyes lifted to my face, her icy blue irises studying my curious expression. “No… It’s nothing to do with dragons…”

  I frowned despite my efforts not to. “That wasn’t what I was asking.”

  The elk sat up, looking down at me with unshakeable calm. “Lying looks poorly on you… I cannot tell you what you wish to know…”

  My temper simmered, and I struggled to keep it in check. “Cannot or will not?”

  “Both… Be content knowing you’re safe now… That creature will not come again…”

  “That one might not, but surely there are others of that kind. The book I’m reading makes no mention of eastern dragons being slaughtered like their western brethren.”

  “You do not trust my word?”

  Shaking my head, I stood, the book of Valmyrian sagas tucked under my arm. “It’s what you don’t say that I don’t trust. Secrets don’t make friends. If it were something simple, like a hidden affinity for eating strange things, or a tree you use for a scratching post when I’m not looking, that would be different. This isn’t a harmless secret, however. It nearly killed me once, and I’ve little faith it won’t happen again. After all of the stories we’ve shared, the truths you’ve learned about me, have I not earned some measure of your trust in regards to this place or where you came from? Especially as it may be hazardous to my health, I’d think you would understand my point.”

  “I do…”

  “But you still refuse to tell me anything?”

  Her silence was all the answer she gave.

  Frustrated, but not about to destroy any good I’d done, I let my shoulders slump and turned to go. It was getting late, and I needed to eat before darkness descended.

  “Magic is a heavy burden to bear, Lukas…” Her voice stirred the hair around my neck. “I wouldn’t put that weight on your shoulders willingly…”

  “I was strong enough to carry you up a mountain,” I replied as I walked away. “You underestimate what I’m capable of bearing.”

  Chapter 12

  After days of fruitless arguments with the elk, my hope was fading. As each hour crept by, I felt more and more powerless to help Erata and free her from whatever held her captive in the dark. Following a week of discussions that inevitably led to her tears and the comfort of my arms, my thoughts turned over a possibility.

  What if it was the dark itself that kept her prisoner?

  As I readied myself for bed that evening, my mind drifted back to my last conversation with my father. If the darkness was the problem, couldn’t light banish it?

  I rummaged through my old pack, finding the linen-wrapped bundle buried in the bottom. What did he call it? Heng-e’s Light? It was a strange name for a candle to have. Still, everything about my life had been strange since the day I met the elk. I weighed it in my palm, considering the wisdom in using it. In every story I knew, magic always came at a cost to those who used it. If the item I held was truly enchanted, what price would it demand of me?

  Uncertain in every way, I untied the string on the linen and unwrapped it. Beneath the fabric lay the most perfectly molded, beautiful candle I’d ever seen, though I’d never thought to describe a candle as beautiful before. Whatever tallow it was made of held a pearlescent sheen, the barest fragrance of a sweet flower carrying up from it, and when it rolled onto the skin of my hand, little bursts of tingles tickled me from fingertip to toes.

  The candle was undoubtedly magic.

  I stared at the object for the longest time, knowing Erata would tell me not to use it. Again she’d tell me to be patient and strong. I would spend another night staring into the blackness feeling useless, helpless, and utterly unworthy.

  The lamps in the room went out before I could make a decision. Panicked, I stuffed the candle under my pillow as I pulled my blankets up around me. I waited in the dark, unable to sleep with the idea of the candle’s possibility burning in my brain. It seemed like hours passed, though I knew it couldn’t have been more than a half hour when the door creaked open.

  “Are you awake?” Erata whispered.

  “Of course.” I sat up, waiting for her to join me.

  “She was very cross with you today,” she said as her weight sank down beside me. “You shouldn’t push so hard. I know it’s difficult, but, please, for me, will you let the questions go?”

  Sighing, I reached out and touched her face, her expression matching the frown I’d memorized the feel of. “I’m trying, but I don’t know how to give it up. All I want is to help you, and I’m stuck until I can get even the slightest bit of information from the elk.”

  She took my hand and pressed my fingers to her lips. “I know you mean well, but it’s a dangerous game, Lukas. I worry you’ll go a step too far.”

  I pulled her down to the mattress, enfolding her in my arms. “I’d never do anything to put you in danger. Do you think she’d harm me for it? She can be a little standoffish and cranky from time to time, but much less so than when I first met her. Most days, I honestly don’t think she’s capable of harming a soul, but then…”

  When I paused, she shifted a little. “But then what?”

  I swallowed. “Then I remember you, alone for so long, living in darkness. Do you think she knows we talk? I’ve been careful not to mention you. I don’t know what she’d do if she found out about us. The possibility that she’d try to stop me from being with you keeps me silent. I won’t risk it for anything.”

  She snuggled in closer to me, burying her face against my neck. “You’ve given me so much, Lukas. Thank you.”

  “I haven’t given you what matters most.” I sighed. “Without your freedom, love is all I can comfort you with, but it’s a poor substitute.”

  “It isn’t. It’s everything. Without love, what else matters? All of my life, even though my memories are vague and blurred, I’ve always known love. I know I’ve seen what it can do, I feel it with a certainty I can’t explain. Even in the very lowest, darkest moments, if there’s love, there’s hope. If you love me, that’s all I need. The rest will get better in time.”

  “What if we don’t have time? There were days when I’ve felt like I dreamed you up. If that were true, waking would be a nightmare. In this black world you live in, I worry you’ll disappear and leave me forever.”

  Lifting her head, she kissed my cheek. “No matter where I go, you’ll always be with me, Lukas. You found me despite all impossibilities. Even if I disappeared, I have no doubt that you could find me again.”

  “Even if I had to search for all my days, Erata, I would always find you.”

  Her arm wrapped around my middle as she released a soft, contented exhale. “I’ll take that as your promise, then.”

  I kissed the top of her head and hugged her tightly. “You should rest. Keep your strength. I have plenty to share.”

  We continued talking for a while, but while I spoke about the first time I felled a tree on my own, she drifted off to sleep, her gentle breaths warm against my skin. As I shifted on the pillow, the hard shape of the candle beneath my pillow moved against my ear. I froze where I was, trapped in a moment of indecision.

  Erata released a soft murmur, the small sound of it penetrating into the depths of my heart.

  I had to free her, no matter the cost to me.

  My hand crept up under the pillow, my fingers wrapping around the smooth wax. As gently as I could, I extracted myself from Erata’s hold and sat up.

  The word… What was the word I needed to say? I closed my eyes against the oppressive darkness, turning my mind back to the morning I left my father on the mountain. Walking myself through every detail— the sight of him waiting for me, the feel of the breeze that still held the dying bite of winter, the scent of thawe
d earth coming alive with the changing season…

  There it was. My eyes opened once more, and I held the candle out.

  “Xuàn.”

  The moment the whispered word left my lips, the world burst into light, the silvery-white glow so bright, I was blind for several seconds. Blinking away the discomfort, I took a deep breath and slowly turned to the body laying beside me.

  A silver shift shimmered over her slight frame, almost molded to her body. My gaze traveled up, hesitant to look upon her face for the first time. But rather than the deformed troll my father feared, she was even lovelier than I’d imagined. Pale blonde hair draped the side of her face, barely long enough to brush her jaw. She was what I’d always pictured a fairy might look like, with porcelain skin and features that felt magical in their perfection. Her lips slightly parted, they looked as delicate as rose petals, matching the softness I’d felt against my own bumbling mouth. Long, light lashes brushed her cheeks as she slept, undisturbed by the sudden brightness in the room.

  When at last I was able to tear my attention from the serene beauty of her face, my focus fell on the thing that always seemed out of place on her. A band carved from bone wrapped around her forehead, something on it catching the light. Curious, I leaned in closer. Strange characters, burned into the band, had been filled with silver. I’d never seen such markings before, and reached out to touch it.

  In my distraction with the circlet, I tilted the candle towards her. Hot tallow dripped from the tip, catching the backs of my fingers before falling onto the sleeve of Erata’s dress. Her eyes flew open and she gasped, bolting up and out of bed with an expression of absolute terror.

  Her mouth worked at words as she stared at me, the band around her forehead alight with a blue glow, the pupils of her large, familiar blue eyes contracting as though her mind was struggling with something.

  “It’s all right, Erata. It’s only me. I—”

  “Spirits help me…” she said through a single, stunned sob. “What have you done?”