by T. K. Perry
Lexi inhaled, then leaned closer. “Are you signaling?” she asked, her brows drawn together.
Alarm ran across Talan’s face. “You can’t smell me?”
Lexi stepped close to him, her nose nearly touching the skin of his neck that was still wet with perspiration. She stepped back and looked into his face with such pity that he flinched.
“I am so sorry, Talan,” she whispered, her voice catching. “I feel as if I’ve robbed you.”
Talan blinked in disbelief. “This can’t be happening. I know my family has a history of short seasons, but surely I can’t be setting the new record.” Talan clutched at his forehead and began to walk around in a grief-ridden circle. “I’m the first-born son. I’m supposed to inherit, and then my son after me. My son...” Talan stopped walking, and swallowed loudly. “I’m not going to have children,” he whispered, “or get married.” He laughed bitterly. “At least I got to kiss you.”
Lexi walked to him with her arms outstretched, her face stricken. She held him, feeling him tremble in her arms, and hoped desperately that he was not crying. “I’m so sorry,” she murmured in his ear. “But maybe it’s not what you think. Maybe it’s not too late.”
“But you still can’t smell me?”
Lexi inhaled the salty ripe smell of sweat, but nothing more. “No,” she said, holding him a little tighter to cushion the blow.
“And...and you aren’t attracted anymore?” he asked tremulously.
Lexi tried to put aside her crushing sense of guilt, and concentrate on his arms wrapped low under her wings, his head close to hers. Still pleasant, she thought as he pulled back to look at her, then leaned in to kiss her gently.
“Anything?” he asked, his face a mask of anxiety.
Lexi hesitated a moment. Not like before, she thought, but didn’t want to tell him.
“Let me try again,” he pleaded desperately. He kissed her harder this time, wincing at the pressure on his injured lip, then pulling back in dejection.
She was grateful he was looking down; she couldn’t meet his eyes.
“No, no, no,” he repeated in quiet anguish. He took one hand from around her waist and held it up against her cheek. This kiss was different. It was long, searching, and strangely insistent. One hand wrapped around the end of her long braid, pulling at it until she tipped her head back, and he kissed her neck. The hand holding her cheek slid down to her collar, tugging at the buttons, and Lexi’s eyes flew open. Talan’s wings had begun to thrum the air fluidly, and an unmistakable scent filled the air.
She broke away from him, hastily redoing the top two buttons. “You’re still in season,” she assured him, her body on fire and her mind riddled with suspicion.
“Then I can still have children,” he said with relief. “But if I can’t fly, this has to be the end of my season.” He hesitated, staring steadily at the ground. “Would you reconsider me as a mate?” he asked, barely above a whisper.
The air was thick with his scent now, and it was difficult for Lexi to think straight.
“You said you felt like you had robbed me...that doesn’t have to be true,” he said, biting at his split lip as he walked towards her.
Lexi watched him, her breath coming at panic speed. Why was saying yes to him always the easy choice? Once again, the thought of Talan as her husband brought the cold, hollow feeling to her chest. She watched apprehensively as his hand reached for her like a tide of confusion about to break over her head. Jumping away from him, she flew.
“I’ll be back with the water,” she shouted, fleeing from the temptation.
Lexi found the stream quickly and stood on its broad bank, puzzling over the filter she had found attached to Talan’s canteen. She scooped it into the water, hoping she was using it correctly. The filter was tiny, and it took a while to fill both canteens. As she worked, she alternated between planning the walk back to Oakridge, and suspecting Talan of deceiving her about his symptoms. On the way back, she flew low over the stream a ways before returning to the road in the hopes that he wouldn’t see her coming.
As she approached, she could hear him singing tunelessly to himself as he ran back and forth along a fallen tree trunk, doing flying flips off the ends. Lexi hid behind a tree to watch him. After a minute, he flew straight up, peering stealthily over the tops of the trees in the direction she had flown, then back down to continue his acrobatics.
Trembling with fury and relief, she leaned against the tree and considered her options. She looked longingly at her little pile of dirty laundry, and tapped irritably at his canteen. Talan flew up to peek over the treetops again, his song faltering as he flew back down. He stood on the fallen log and looked uncomfortably into the trees. A little smile played over Lexi’s lips.
“Princess?” Talan yelled into the trees. He meandered up and down the log, then yelled again. He walked over to the tree line, peering through the dense undergrowth for a reasonable path. “Lexi? Are you okay?” Hands on his hips, he paced, muttering to himself. After some creative cursing and rock kicking, Talan gathered up her dirty clothes and stuffed them into his bag. Lexi's smile abruptly vanished. Talan flew up to tree level, scanning for her, then flew towards the stream.
Lexi darted out from her tree, flying low to the ground. She dumped his canteen next to the fallen log, and then hurried up the winding road. She kept low to the zigzagging road for the next hour, flying fast, and munching heavily on the snacks her father had packed for her. Talan would expect her to stop in Scio, but there were other towns around the base of the mountain. Visualizing the map in her mind, she turned east, away from the road, and hoped she had the strength to reach Pine Hollow—the last stop before the mountain on the eastern route—by nightfall. She calculated it would add at least three hours to her trip, but she would be temporarily free of Talan. She grinned at the thought, and wiped the sweat from her eyes. Six hours later, as she skirted the base of the mountain, she realized she had badly miscalculated. Hungry, lost, and exhausted, she landed next to a stream as the light began to fade, the sun well-hidden behind the perpetually snow-capped Mating Mountain. Lexi listened to the soothing rush of the stream and stared down at the white water curving around a jagged rock. The movement in her peripheral vision startled her, and she had already begun to fly when she realized what she was seeing.
Across the stream, a girl lay sprawled out on a bed of bright green grass. Her vivid red hair was wildly tangled and her dark leggings generously powdered with dirt. Pretty blue wings rose and fell with each sleeping breath.
Lexi flew across the stream towards her, landing a comfortable distance away with a purposeful thump. The girl did not stir.
Lexi cleared her throat and took another step towards the sleeping form. “Excuse me,” she said, watching with relief as the girl closed her wings and turned her pretty face towards her. “I apologize for waking you,” Lexi continued, “but I’ve lost my way.”
“Oh,” the girl mumbled sleepily. “Are you going to the Old Castle?”
“Eventually,” she answered without hesitation. “Am I close to Pine Hollow?”
The girl rose to her knees and hastily began to brush grass and dirt from her clothes. “No, it’s three hours away.”
Lexi swallowed. She would have to sleep in the forest.
Looking around, the girl pointed uncertainly to the left of downstream. “I think it’s that way. Sorry, I’m not very good with directions,” she apologized, her pouty lips pulling down into a frown.
Lexi smiled. “Neither am I. Are you going to the Castle?”
The girl shook her head, and looked at the sky, her forehead wrinkling up in a way that reminded Lexi of a child about to cry. “Just came from there,” she murmured absently.
Nearly everyone left the mountain in pairs. A lone female was most likely pregnant and abandoned. “Are you all right?” Lexi asked her gently.
The girl seemed surprised by the question, and tried to pull a dirty hand through her riot of curls. “I don’t lo
ok it, do I?” she asked, laughing.
Lexi smiled with relief and shook her head. “No.”
“I’m okay. I’m just waiting for my husband,” the girl assured her, blushing. “I should probably get cleaned up before he gets back,” she added, lifting a bedraggled bag from beside her as she stood.
Lexi smiled and turned to go, then hesitated. “Might he know the way?”
“I’m certain he does,” the girl replied, her forehead wrinkling up again in that distressed expression, “but I don’t know how long you’ll have to wait for him.”
Had he abandoned her, then? Lexi asked her next question with the same gentle tone she used with her baby nieces. “Where is he?”
“Upstream. He...he can’t fly anymore, so my friend is trying to help him down the waterfalls.” The girl’s eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back.
Why did she leave him?
The girl must have seen the question in Lexi’s face. “I can’t really fly anymore either,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry. I’ll look for them,” Lexi promised, her stomach growling loudly as she turned away. Lexi sighed, then turned slowly back around. “I apologize for asking, but do you have any extra food?”
The girl laughed merrily. “No, but you could ask my friend, Cam. Maybe you could even fly with him.”
Someone with food who wasn’t lost? Lexi smiled. “Is he the friend that’s helping your husband?”
The girl nodded cheerfully.
“I’ll find them,” Lexi reiterated her promise, praying she had enough energy left to fulfill it. “Maybe I can even help,” she called back as she flew, knowing there was no better way to thank this girl than to help her husband.
“Thank you,” the girl called, the words sounding choked with emotion. “Good luck to you!”
Lexi found the men twenty minutes upstream, walking slowly. One of them leaned heavily on a makeshift walking stick, his rusty, white-streaked wings shuddering behind him at his uneven gait. The other had golden patchwork-patterned wings, and curly dark auburn hair. The latter was telling a story while the former threw back his head with a particularly infectious laugh. Lexi smiled and landed in front of them.
“I was told you gentlemen could use some help,” she announced, wishing fervently that she knew the pretty redheaded girl’s name.
Both men looked startled, but golden-wings recovered first, his cheeks folding into delightful dimples as his grin spread. “And just who is coming to our rescue?” he asked, the slightest of lisps peppering his speech.
“Raven,” Lexi blurted, then nearly laughed out loud.
“Did my wife send you?” the man with the walking stick asked.
Lexi smiled. “Little redhead with blue wings?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “Is she all right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m Cam.”
Golden-wings stepped forward, and Lexi caught a scent that reminded her of raiding the palace pantry for cookies. She held his hand for a moment, inhaling, and enjoying the memory it invoked. The man with the walking stick cleared his throat as their greeting lingered.
“Oh, right,” Cam said, releasing Lexi’s hand. “This is Mit. His wings don’t work anymore...or his foot,” he added with a wry grin. “You want to help me fly him?” Cam asked, openly admiring Lexi’s expansive wings.
“I’ll try.” The ache in Lexi’s back was so acute that she found it difficult to concentrate on words. She desperately wanted to lie down, but instead she smiled apologetically. “I’m afraid I need to rest first.”
“Of course,” Cam said, taking her hand again and glancing quickly around him at the rocky bank rimmed with trees.
“There’s a small meadow a few minutes downstream,” Lexi suggested, moving her fingers lightly over the callus-roughened palm of his hand.
Cam looked down at Mit’s foot. “Might take us a while to get there.”
Lexi clenched her jaw against the pain, and smiled reassuringly. “I think I can help fly him that far before I rest.” Lexi laughed inwardly at her own assertion; she had no idea if she could fly him at all.
Cam released her hand and looked at Mit. “Running start? Hopping start? Come on, old man, give me something to work with.”
Mit laughed good-naturedly. “I’m younger than you are.”
Cam’s dark eyebrows rose is disbelief. “Really? Does Elissa know that?”
Mit grinned, but didn’t answer. “I’ll run and jump,” he said, hobbling upstream.
“I’d like to see that, grandpa,” Cam teased.
“You will,” Mit assured him.
“What happened to his foot?” Lexi asked softly.
“He shut an animal trap on it.” Cam suppressed a smile, but his dimples only deepened. “He was trying to set it to catch a turkey.”
“That sounds painful.”
“I’m sure it is," Cam nodded. "He won’t let me look at it, though. I think he’s afraid I’ll tell his wife.”
“And would you?”
A self-conscious grin spread across Cam's face. “Probably. Okay, he’s turning around. Stand over there,” he directed, motioning her back. “When he leaps, fly up, and we’ll each grab an arm. It’s a real heavy pull at first, but it gets better.”
Lexi moved back obediently, imitating Cam’s position just as Mit tossed his walking stick and began to run, beating his wings with irregular, futile movements. As he leaped, Lexi flew up and clutched his arm, gasping as she felt the drag of Mit’s weight. She spared a quick glance for Cam, whose face was ruddy with exertion. Just a few minutes, she assured her aching body as they flew low over the rocky streambed. She was panting heavily as they set Mit down in the little meadow, and she turned away from them, rapidly wiping the new perspiration from her face as she fought to control her breathing.
Cam let out a jubilant whoop, and Mit laughed. “No offense Mit, but that was way easier than flying you with Elissa.”
Lexi turned around with a pleasant smile. “I’m glad I could help.”
Cam yanked a green tarp from his bag and laid it over a patch of tiny blue and white flowers. “Your bed, my lady,” he offered with a bow and flourish.
Mit snorted, “The flowers look more comfortable to me.” He flung his bag and sprawled across the soft vegetation.
Cam lifted the corner of the tarp and examined the flowers. “Maybe,” he conceded. “What do you think, Raven?”
Lexi removed her bag and crawled down onto the tarp with a grateful smile. Cam grinned, and knelt next to her as he fished around in his bag.
“I have some raisins left, if you’re hungry,” he offered, holding out a little bag.
“Thank you.” Lexi forced herself to hold out her hand rather than snatch them out of his.
“You can eat them all,” Cam assured her as he unstrapped his bag and knelt beside her.
Lexi fantasized dumping the entire bag into her mouth as she ate the raisins one at a time.
“So, where are you from?” Cam asked.
Lexi swallowed carefully as she thought about her answer. “A little farm in the middle of nowhere.”
Cam laughed lightly. “I never would have guessed.”
Lexi smiled. “What would you have guessed?”
Cam gave her a dimpled grin. “Princess in a castle.”
Lexi choked on a raisin, and began to cough, her wings fluttering.
“Are you all right?” Cam asked, pulling the canteen from his bag and handing it to her.
Lexi took a drink, then coughed some more. “I’m okay.” She wiped her watering eyes, then handed the half-eaten bag of raisins back to him, along with his canteen. “I think I’ll rest now.” Lexi laid her head down on her arms and shut her eyes, hoping to effectively end the conversation. She held still, listening to Cam shuffle around on his grassy bed, the scent of stolen cookies dancing on the air.
“Raven,” Cam whispered softly. “Raven, we need to go. It’s dark and Mit is worried about Elissa. Can you
fly yet?”
Lexi lifted her head groggily, her eyes focusing on thick, dark brows framing even darker eyes. Sighing, she pulled herself up, suppressing a groan. Her muscles had stiffened while she slept and were more painful now, protesting every movement.
“I think so,” she answered belatedly.
Mit was up and standing expectantly on one foot, while Cam knelt beside her, offering his hand to help her up. Gratefully, she took it and forced herself to stand.
“Drink a bunch of water,” Cam advised, “that always wakes me up.”
Sleepily, Lexi obeyed, the cold water chilling her all the way down to her stomach. She shivered.
“You’ll warm up as soon as we start flying,” Cam encouraged her, lightly touching her arm.
Lexi stowed her canteen and strapped on her bag, peering at the dark woods that surrounded her. “How long did I sleep?”
“Only an hour,” Mit said apologetically. “I’m sorry it wasn’t longer. My wife hasn’t eaten in a while.”
“I’ll be fine,” Lexi assured him, wishing she hadn’t asked Elissa for food. “Let’s go.”
Mit limped to the far side of the meadow while Cam and Lexi lined up at the stream.
“Run like the wind, old man!” Cam hollered with an infectious grin.
It was too dark to see Mit’s expression as he hurtled across the meadow and leapt into the air. Lexi’s entire back cramped as she beat her wings, but she bit down on her lip and fought through it, catching Mit’s arm and fighting to keep him airborne. Lexi and Cam huffed and panted through the strain while Mit concentrated on moving his wings.
“How far downstream is she?” Mit asked.
“Twenty minutes from where I found you,” Lexi gasped.
“How much slower are we flying?”
“Don’t ask her to do math, Mit! We’re trying to tow an anchor here,” Cam protested.
Mit laughed shortly. “Sorry.” He was silent for several more minutes, straining to see the ground beneath him. “Elissa!” He began to yell at regular intervals, pausing to listen carefully for a response.