For the briefest moment, her expression changed, her eyebrows lifting as her shoulders stiffened. But she settled back into a vacant stare within seconds, leaving me to wonder if I hadn’t imagined the slight shift. As the candles burned down to their last, Erata turned away and returned to her bed. She laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes, returning to the state I’d found her in at the start.
Only two chances remained.
* * * * *
“And you’re certain those were her exact words?” The face of smoke wavered in the draft of Li’s hut.
I nodded. “The things she said made little sense. It was like she spoke to someone I couldn’t see, though I feel like it was a woman she addressed.”
“Interesting,” Delphine said. “I’ve much reading to do, it seems. I’m not overly familiar with legends from Qilong, and we may be dealing with a curse that springs from that region.”
“Is magic so different from kingdom to kingdom?”
“It can be,” she replied. “After all, the dragons of the west are quite unlike ones in the east. It stands to reason this curse is something we haven’t any knowledge of. I’ve heard of men who are doomed to live in other forms in the moonlight, but this is altogether another matter. The way you describe her focus sounds more like a love spell.”
My mouth fell open. “Is such a thing possible?”
“I recently met a young man who travels via flying carpet, who spent time with not one, but two humans in animal form, and has wrestled with a silver dragon. I think you can answer that question for yourself.”
Cringing, it was admittedly a stupid thing to ask. “I suppose what I meant was, is it possible to cast such a spell on one who loves another already?”
“Ah.” Her smoky face smiled at me. “So you’re concerned if she truly loves you then. You still have so little faith in her?”
I scowled. “Every tale I’ve heard involving magic speaks of true love overcoming every obstacle. It won’t change my feelings for her, nor my commitment to this task, but—”
Her expression softened. “It’s all right, Lukas. I apologize. You don’t know Erata as deeply as we do, and you’re unfamiliar with magic. It’s only fair you would wonder. True love is the ultimate magic, but the mind can be clouded, focused elsewhere to distract from that power. If that’s happened, it’s only an illusion. You’ve nothing to fear.”
My thoughts drifted for a moment, hoping it was as she said, but doubting myself regardless. I hadn’t trusted Erata before. What if my actions turned her heart against me? If I could save her, would that be enough to earn forgiveness?
“Tonight when you see her,” Delphine interrupted my rumination, “you should use the spectacles. Perhaps that will tell you more.”
“You think I could see the spirit she speaks to?”
“If that’s what she speaks to, it’s possible, but the spectacles will only show you what’s true. If it’s an illusion she sees, they won’t help you. Look for anything around her that may anchor this curse. Maybe jewelry, or flowers, or anything, really. If something in her quarters is imbued with magic, you should see it.”
I grimaced. “Likely as not, the entire palace is enchanted. If this dragon can conjure a fine home within a mountain, why not a castle as well?”
“It won’t hurt anything to try, Lukas.”
Sighing, I nodded, my breath dispersing the smoke slightly. “I know. I’ll do my best.”
“We’ll speak again before you leave this evening,” she said. “Get some rest, and we’ll get to work here.”
* * * * *
Delphine had nothing for me that evening. She and the other sisters had spent the entire day searching for information on curses and legends from Qilong, but found little in Bern to help. She told me they were seeking outside help, and tried to reassure me it wasn’t hopeless.
Again Na-gi met me at the eastern door at sunset, and he brought me to Erata.
“What charm have you tonight?” he hissed in the darkness.
Producing the bracelet, I showed him. “Wisdom guides, but it also takes strength to walk the path of healing. Are the items prepared for tonight?”
He nodded. “The same as before.” Na-gi opened the door and admitted me. “I will come for you an hour before sunrise.”
The way closed and locked behind me.
Day turned to night, and the events of my last visit repeated themselves. Erata sang and danced and spoke to things only she could see. I set up the cloth and other items before turning my attention to her once more.
“We shall dance around the tree that cannot die,” Erata sang, whirling as though tracing the edges of a great trunk.
Curious, I pulled out Clarice’s spectacles and placed them on my nose.
As Erata laughed, she held out a hand. Through the glass, a luminescent figure appeared, little more than a column of light with the vague shape of a human. It skipped along with her, but only in places where moonbeams filtered in from the window. Startled, I jumped back with a yelp, but the figure took no notice of me. I watched on, transfixed by their fantastical dance.
When the moon passed overhead, Erata settled once more, again taking to gazing out the window and mumbling strange, sad phrases. Remembering myself, I searched the rest of the room, looking for anything out of place. Without the specter, everything held a dim illumination, but nothing struck me as malevolent. With so much magic everywhere, how could I tell what was at fault? Scanning Erata, her entire body glowed, brighter than her surroundings, but standing there, arms wrapped around her middle, nothing was any brighter than the rest.
When she sighed, I knew our time together was drawing short. I removed the spectacles and hid them back inside my cloak. Carefully, I approached her and took her hand.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, Erata,” I whispered as I slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, “but know I haven’t given up. Take this gift, and with it my strength. I have one more chance to see you, but even if that fails, I refuse to give up.”
As before, when the bracelet settled on her arm, her expression shifted. Her eyes widened, and her gaze cleared, focusing on my face for the first time since she’d seen me in Valmyr. But as she opened her mouth to speak, the fog returned, and all recognition faded. With a twirl, she waltzed away from the window, returning to sleep once more.
* * * * *
“What do you mean, you didn’t find anything useful?” I stared at the flames, trying desperately to rein in my temper. “There’s only one more item left, but I don’t think it will give us enough time.”
“I’m sorry, Lukas,” Delphine said, her voice calm. “We’re searching everywhere, but none of us, nor anyone we know, has ever heard of such a curse. We’re exhausting every resource we have, but there’s simply not enough time for us to research this. Do you have any ideas that might narrow it down? Qilong is a large kingdom with a history that spans millennia upon millennia. We need to be as specific in our queries as we can be.”
I rubbed my eyes, exhausted from the mental and physical toll my quest had taken on me those past weeks. “It’s something tied with the night and maybe the sky. She dances in the moonlight, yet she speaks of rabbits and trees and stars. I couldn’t find any items in the room that might be causing it, and, aside from her clothes, the comb and bracelet were the only things on her person.”
“No marks of any sort?”
“None I could see. I’ll not strip her bare to search for a thing that might not exist.”
“I think she’d accept that, given what’s at stake, but I understand your hesitation. Dignity isn’t something she can afford right now, however, and you may have to set aside her pride.”
Gritting my teeth, it was increasingly difficult not to shout at her. We all knew what was at stake, and we were all desperate. “I doubt such a thing would matter. After tonight, I don’t think I’ll have another chance to see her. Even if I found something, what then?”
“Then you’ll figure
it out. You have to. No one else can do this but you.”
My shoulders sagged, the immensity of my task pressing down on me. “She deserved someone… Someone more than me.”
She was quiet a moment, then a tendril of smoke grazed my cheek, prompting me to lift my gaze.
“Lukas, listen to me. The world we live in, it isn’t fair. We don’t always get what we deserve, but if we keep love and hope in our hearts, life gives us what we need. The spirits may not have sent Erata a brave knight on a grand steed, because that isn’t who suits her. It’s a rare person that could still the tempestuous heart of the wind, and that is the sort of man she needs. You are not a prince or a knight, but you are the one who held her when her entire world was darkness. You loved her not for her beauty, but for the soul you found hidden in the shadows. No one else in this world has seen what you’ve seen of her without ever setting eyes on her face. It’s you she chose, and you who must choose her. Do that, and no force will ever keep you apart.”
Her words shook me to my core, rattling away the doubts that festered in the recesses of my mind. Erata had told me once that I was her hope, though at the time, I couldn’t imagine being so much for anyone for any reason. After all, who was I? But to Erata, I was her last connection to the greater world, the one person that might save her.
“I never considered myself lucky,” I said softly, “but I think maybe that’s untrue. How many can say they know the reason they were born? If such reasons exist, I know what’s true for me. If I can only do one thing with my life, it will be to see her free. The wind is wild, meant to be in the world for all to know. I’d no sooner still the breeze forever than see her locked away. If there is a way to save her, I will find it.”
The translucent face smiled at me. “If anyone can, I know you will.”
* * * * *
I waited as she danced, knowing she’d still soon enough and give me the chance to speak. When she settled into position beside the window, I stood beside her and placed the feather behind her ear.
“I give you my final gift, Erata. You have wisdom, you have strength. Now, I give you all that I have left, the opportunity to try again. The one who gave me this spoke of second chances when all seemed lost, and I cannot imagine a more dire time for us. Take this gift, and find your way.”
All was silent, and I waited. After a minute passed, she blinked, her expression confused. The moment her eyes left the window, she found me, her lips parting as she sucked in a gasp.
“Lukas? Is that you?”
Stunned beyond reason, I stepped closer. “You see me?”
She touched her face, panicked. “How are you… What’s happened? First there was the dragon, and then I was dreaming of the moon, and—”
Afraid her moment of clarity wouldn’t last, I set my hands on her shoulders, keeping my voice low. “There’s a curse on you, Erata, and I don’t know how long we have. This may be the last time I can see you, so I must ask if there’s anything I can do to stop it. Do you know what holds you?”
Her mouth worked at words, and she stammered a reply. “The dragon, he…”
I set a finger against her lips. “I know about him, but this is something else. You sleep like death until nightfall and dance through moonbeams with a spirit that’s little more than a slip of light. Who is it that binds you?”
“The moon…” She whispered against my hand. “It calls me, Lukas. It’s so lonely…” She winced and scratched at her forearm. “What’s…”
Pushing back the sleeve of her gown, a small welt showed on her pale skin, its shape the smile of the quarter moon.
“It burns,” she murmured, her voice growing faint as she stared at it. She jerked suddenly, her wide eyes meeting mine. “It burns and I cannot…”
When her tears spilled over, I gathered her in my arms, holding her as I’d wanted to since the night I lost her. “I swear to you, Erata, you will be free again. I won’t fail you again.”
“It’s calling me, Lukas,” she said against my chest. “She calls me, and she’s all I can hear.”
“She? Who? Can you tell me her name?”
Erata went silent, her body relaxing in my arms. Her hands fell away, and I released her. The vacant stare was back in her eyes as she drifted away.
It was all I could do not to weep at her bedside.
* * * * *
Na-gi was very displeased, to put it mildly. He all but tossed me out the eastern door when I told him I was unable to break the enchantment. Miserable, I trudged down the path, finding my way back to Li’s home an hour after sunrise.
“Well?” he asked as I removed my cloak.
I turned slowly, shaking my head. “I couldn’t lift the spell. For a moment, she was herself again, but all she spoke of was dreams of the moon and a woman’s voice calling her.”
Li slumped in his seat. “Heng-e is a fickle mistress. She takes and gives as the tide, and none can tame her.”
I froze, my mouth hanging open. “Who did you say?”
His face bunched up, confused. “Who? The moon. Heng-e is the woman who took too much and drifted away from the world, becoming the body that drifts through the night sky.”
My mind reeled, and I paced the floor as pieces clicked into place. “Heng-e’s Light… Can that be the cause?”
“You make no sense. What’s all this about?”
I waved him over to the fire and focused my thoughts on Delphine. She appeared after several moments, though she seemed strained.
“What news?”
Excited, I knelt down close. “My candle, the one I lit in the mountains, my father called it Heng-e’s Light. Erata had a moment of lucidity tonight, and she spoke of the moon and a woman calling to her. There was a crescent-shaped burn on her arm,” I pushed up my sleeve, “where wax from the candle fell and woke her. I think it might be what binds her.” I winced, knowing that, yet again, I was the cause of her problems. “My mistakes have caused her so much misery—”
“Don’t be silly,” Delphine interrupted. “Perhaps it’s a backwards way of doing so, but your accidental curse may be what saves her from her own foolishness. Were it not for this enchantment, she’d likely be bound to the dragon’s son already.”
“Then you think it’s enough for you to learn how to fix it?”
“Hmm. Heng-e? I was just…” Her face disappeared for a moment. “I did find something on that today. Now that we know the root… Lukas, we may save her yet. We’ll work with this and see what more we can learn. I knew you’d come through for her. Thank you! Give me some time, and I know we can find a solution.”
“What do I do until then?”
She grinned at me. “Avoid the dragons and get some sleep. Leave it to us.”
Chapter 22
Nearly two days passed with no news. I bided my time by talking with Li, discussing everything he knew about eastern dragons, which was far more than I’d learned from the book I’d read in Valmyr. It would be difficult to trick Sagara into releasing Erata, but we devised a solution that left no room for magical misinterpretation. When at last the sisters found the means to undo the spell, all that was left was to wait for the opportune moment.
“He holds court tonight,” Li said when he returned from the village. “If you do not petition him then, it will be another month before you get another chance.”
“You’ll do as we planned, then?” I asked. “If we cannot get away quickly…” Swallowing back my fear, I refused to think of the alternative.
Li’s face hardened, his focus singular. “If it is the last thing these old bones do, I’ll see that monster thwarted. I swear it on the spirit of my child.”
Nodding, I embraced him, grateful to have his help. “I will never forget what you’ve done for us.”
He pulled away with a sad smile. “Perhaps now my Yi Min can rest peacefully. Go, and may her spirit protect your path.”
I bowed once more and made my way to the palace for the last time.
As I went, other p
etitioners joined me on their way to see Sagara. We didn’t speak as we walked the long road to the castle, all of us focused on the destination looming before us. We filed through the entrance, the main gate swallowing us whole, one by one. Bonfires scattered in the courtyard illuminated the way forward, guiding us through to a wide staircase leading into palace proper. It looked much like the parts Na-gi had guided me through, only larger, wider, grander, with every knob and table and edge touched with silver and sapphires. Onward we went, into a massive ballroom swathed in cerulean silk. Men in black clothing lined the edges of the walls, strips of blue fabric wrapped around their eyes, yet I was certain none of them needed to see to use the swords strapped across their backs. At the head of the room, upon a raised dais, sat two chairs, one much larger and ornate than the other, but both composed entirely of solid black stone that gleamed like glass. They were empty at that moment, but I had no doubt who they were meant for.
As the last petitioner settled in, I eased to one side, positioning myself behind a tall man that could shield me from the dragon’s sight. I jumped at the sound of a large metal gong being struck, so loud it reverberated through the chamber long after being hit. All around me sank to their knees, heads bowed. I followed suit, so as not to stand out, but risked a quick peek around the side of my hood to see who entered.
To the left of the dais, a door opened. Na-gi I recognized immediately, but the man behind him…
Silver-white hair streamed from a queue atop his head, the sides shaved completely clean. Jewels glimmered from wraps that spilled down over his scalp and ears, brushing against his shoulders as he walked. Plated scales draped his front and back, over the deep blue robes that skimmed the floor, obscuring his feet. When he reached his seat, I averted my eyes, hoping his gaze couldn’t find me in the sea of faces before him.
Ride the Wind: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 3) Page 21