Finally, we reached the edge of the city, the dark green leaves of the forest, full and beckoning. Miles of grounds where we could hide.
"Hold on." Veda ripped her hand from mine and bent over gripping her knees. Her breath came hard as her chest heaved in and out, her face blazing fire-red. I leaned against the stone wall of the last building in town and closed my eyes, listening for the reporters or anyone else who had decided to chase us, but the shouts seemed to have fallen away.
Veda’s breath slowed and she slid her arm around my waist. "I didn't know that lunch could be such an adventure."
I opened my eyes and stared right into hers, the emerald glow drawing me in like the forest. Cool. Safe. Mysterious. I rested my forehead against her brow as our breaths mingled together and came to a slow even rhythm that spiked my pulse to pick up its pace.
"I'm sorry about all this." I swooped the few strands blowing across her face behind her ear. "They're normally not this bad, but with everything going on I guess everything I do will be public now."
She cast her eyes downward, breaking the connection between us and lowered her voice." It's fine. But I believe you still owe me a debt, Fallon."
I watched the words roll off her soft red lips as my memory took me back to the temple, the last time we'd been this close. The last time I almost kissed her. I struggled to swallow, my throat desert dry. "Not here."
Her arm slipped from my waist and the sweet familiar smell of her faded as she stepped away.
"Don't worry about it."
I wiped my hands over my face, the cherry lemon scent still heavy on my skin. "It's not that I don't want to, but what if someone saw?"
She crossed her arms, her sad expression hardening faster than clay and more rigid than granite. "Oh. I get it. You’re only interested if no one knows.”
“No, not at all." I tried to take her hand but she backed up further. "It's just that being king has certain obligations and I need to be very careful with how I act and what ends up in the newspaper."
"So, let me make this simple. You’re king now and I'm not good enough, if I ever was. I understand."
She stuck her thumb and forefinger in her mouth and let out a high-pitched whistle.
"That's not what I said."
“But it's what you meant."
She slammed her hands on her hips. I tried to form words, but the guilty flame of my face spoke first.
“No, I…it’s just…”
She shook her head and cast her glassy stare toward the trees. I took her hand, but she jerked it from my grasp.
“Don’t.”
Alizeh appeared in the sky barreling toward the one open patch of ground before the forest treetops.
“Don’t go. Please, let me explain. The Council…and my new responsibilities…I don’t want to mess things up.”
“Then I’ll make it easy for you.” She tossed her hands in the air and backed up a few steps, a seething anger building in her pointed stare, then she ran towards Alizeh without looking back.
"Veda!" I screamed after her, but she'd already mounted the great bird and started off toward the sky. I smacked my head against the stone wall, the pain a punishment for my stupid mouth. One too light for what I deserved.
3
29th may
The gold-handled switchblade came from Draconis. My father always took me with him for his fall trade trip on the chance that we’d get to see a real live dragon. We never did, so he bought me the knife instead. The first addition to my collection. The straight blade with the ivory roses inset on the crimson leather-wrapped hilt came from our family trip to the Floris flower festival when I was twelve. The swords that stood tall in their showcases along the wall, each of them glittering with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, or even just the rarest crystals, each had their own stories to tell. Every blade a memory of my father and somewhere we’d gone together, or an adventure we had shared. Now they just reminded me of how much I missed him.
I pulled my favorite Kaiken blade out of its holder and gripped the velvety ray skin handle. I scratched the sharp metal against my forefinger. It tickled, but one small slip could slice the tip off at the knuckle. I'd been around weapons all my life, as artifacts in the castle or for sport, but I never actually thought I'd need to use one, especially not against my own father. I shuddered as I remembered the weight of the guard’s sword in my hand, the shaking in my knees as I brandished it high, and the terrifying sound as it clanged on the cobblestones leaving me defenseless.
I dug the tip of the dagger into the top of my dresser, the wood curling under the thin sharp blade. This one would hurt if it made contact with someone's skin, likely slicing through before the victim even felt it. But a thousand cuts with this assassin’s blade wouldn't come close to the feeling as I watched Veda run away from me. I'd screwed up. I knew I had. All I needed to do was kiss the girl, the one thing I'd never hesitated to do before. I'd probably kissed more girls then some people would even meet in a lifetime, but in that second with her lips almost touching mine, I froze.
My stomach cramped at the memory and I winced as my pained face mocked me in the mirror. What was it about this girl that messed with my head? Why couldn’t I simply move past her like I’d done with every other girl before her? Why did I not want to?
A soft knock wrapped on my bedroom door and dragged me out of my self-pity.
"Come in,” I called, still running the dagger over in my hands and wishing my father would be the one to come barging in.
Instead, my mother floated into the room. "I didn't see you at breakfast. I had the kitchen prepare all your favorites."
"Thanks, but I wasn't hungry."
"Too busy planning your next great speech, are you?"
"Not exactly.” I slid the dagger back into its case and turned around to lean against the dresser. "I've just been doing a lot of thinking, that's all."
"About what? Maybe I can help."
"I doubt it. I just had an argument with a friend."
"Just a friend huh?" She flopped down in my armchair resting her hands on the sides. A little too comfortable to be leaving soon.
"Have the press already gotten to you?"
"The press? This must have been some argument." She picked lint off her skirt and flicked it in the air watching it slip down to the ground. "But no, I just know that when you've fought with your other friends you tend to throw yourself into physical things. Fencing, riding, even tennis on occasion, but this is the first time you have resorted to sulking, so something must be up."
"I'm not sulking, I'm just… fine, I'm sulking. But it doesn't matter anyway because I messed it up and she's gone."
"Gone? Are you going international again with your exploits?" She rolled her eyes, as a bored look settled over her face. “I know I don’t normally mention it, but you need to start thinking, my son.”
"What are you talking about?"
"How is it that young people never think their parents know half the things they do? I was young and foolish too, you know?”
I rubbed my hands over my face, partly to hide the embarrassment but also to get the image of my mother acting like one of the girls at the tavern out of my head. "But that changed when you met Dad, right? You fell in love with him?"
The humor in her eyes dropped to the floor and shattered like glass. "Of course I fell in love with him. I'm still in love with him and always will be, no matter what happens."
"So he didn't force you to fall in love with him?"
"Force me?” She laughed and tossed her head back against the chair. “Where would you get a crazy idea like that? No, your father would never do such a thing, and besides, you can't force someone to fall in love with you, it just happens. Even if it's not ideal or even when others don't agree, it doesn't matter. The heart will choose and the brain must accept or find a way to deal."
I left the dresser and sat down on the bed with my back to her as I chose my words carefully. "But I've heard he kidnapped you. That does
n't sound like love to me.”
Her skirts rustled behind me, as I pictured her sitting up straighter, her posture likely offended at my brashness.
"There are many things about your father and me that were not perfect. But how we met and how we fell in love are two different stories combined by common characters. Why didn't you just ask me about this before?”
"I'm asking you now."
My stomach turned as I dared to face her. Across the room, her eyebrows knitted together as she thought hard, her fingers laced in a pile in her lap.
“This girl, the one you argued with. Do you think you might be in love with her? Is that where the questions are coming from?"
Love? I never really thought about it like that, not in terms of a word or a status anyway. It was just this thing. This feeling I couldn’t shake since…I didn’t really know when it started, but it kept growing each time I saw her.
"I don't know. I just know that I think of her when she's not around and I can't wait to see her again. I want to know what she’s thinking. Want to see her smile. And when I'm around her I feel more like myself then I ever have before, even if being around her scares me a little bit."
Mom sat beside me on the bed and ran her hand gently up and down my spine. "Then maybe you are. But I can't tell you that for sure, only you will know. But, whether you are or you are not, you need to make things right with her. She clearly means a lot to you to bring about this change, so even if she's just a friend, you should hang on to her. People can be cruel sometimes, make sure you hold on to the good ones.”
I hugged her tight. A weight started to lift even though my problems still hadn't been solved. "Now what did you want to know about your father and me?”
Another knock sounded at the door, this one harder and rougher. I rushed over as my mother straightened herself, then whipped open the door to greet the captain of the guard standing outside in the hallway.
"Permission to speak to the queen, Your Majesty?” he said, his expression unreadable. All business in his perfect uniform.
I swept my arm back. "Of course."
"What is it, Amir?” She asked meeting him halfway across the room.
"I've received word from the last unit at the border. There is no sign of the king anywhere."
"Have you checked every forest? Every river bank and creek? He can't have disappeared into the air?"
"I'm sorry, my queen. We have looked everywhere, twice. Our only thought is that he's escaped to the mountain peaks or has left the kingdom. We've alerted all the neighboring kingdoms and they are all on watch with strict orders to return him home alive. I’ve enlisted the best falconers to search the mountain peaks, but nothing has surfaced yet. A full search would be difficult at best with our current resources."
Tears welled in my mother's eyes, but she quickly wiped them away as her strong mask of the warrior slid back into place. "Then we must find additional resources. Gather your men and we will devise a new plan. He can't be far without food or shelter."
"Yes, ma'am." He nodded.
"That will be all, Amir. Thank you for your diligence and your information. As always you are an asset to this kingdom."
The captain gave her a quick salute then marched out of the room closing the door behind him. The second the handle clicked in the frame my mother's eyes flooded with tears. I pulled her close and she buried her head in my chest, as my arms struggled to hold her tight against her gasping sobs. Her whole body shook, the strength in her legs to hold her up evaporating with each painful cry. I rested my chin on her head and closed my eyes as my own tears began to fall.
Eventually, the sobbing slowed and she peeled herself out of my embrace. Make-up smeared down her blotchy cheeks and red spiderwebs spun in her watery eyes.
"Fallon, the guards told me you appeared out of the sky on a giant bird the other day. Do you still have access to it?"
"I don't think so." Veda’s offer to borrow Alizeh came before I hurt her. I doubted it still stood. But as my mother's face drooped, her heart smashing into yet another jagged piece, I didn't care. "But I can definitely try.”
A brief spark of hope glinted in her stare. "Do whatever you need to, but please, Fallon, go find your father."
The light glowed at the end of the tunnel. The dark green leaves fluttered in the golden sun as I finally emerged from the underground passage that led from the castle. I could’ve tried calling Alizeh from the courtyard inside the gates, but I didn't want to attract any more attention to myself this week. Discretion had become a precious commodity that I wasn't willing to give up.
I shortened the strap on the leather shoulder bag to ease the load and stop it from banging against my leg. Mom insisted I bring half a year’s worth of provisions, but I managed to put some back in the cupboard before she saw. I didn’t need to be adding any more weight to the journey than I needed to.
Stopping at the entrance of the cave, I propped my foot on the rocky wall and let the peaceful breeze wash over me. Birds chirped in the distance as leaves rustled and added percussion to their happy song. I forced my shoulders down and closed my eyes, my neck stretched up toward the sky trying to relax, but the knot of guilt tying tighter in my stomach wouldn't let me let go.
I stumbled down the pathway towards the edge of town and the only clear space I could land a giant bird without immediately alerting everyone in a five-mile radius. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I stuck my fingers in my mouth and blew, just as Veda had done before. A breathy half-whistle came out along with a shower of saliva. Gross. I wiped my hand on my pant leg and tried again. A low whistling sound emitted this time, but not nearly as melodic as she would have done. I watched the horizon, waiting for the giant cloud of feathers to come, but nothing dared dot the perfect blue sky.
I whistled again, this attempt much better and a lot less wet. But still nothing moved overhead. I tossed my hand through the air and sat down on a pile of dry leaves. I figured it probably wouldn't work anyway. Veda said I could borrow Alizeh anytime, but she’d probably changed her mind. Not that I blamed her for that decision, but I hoped she'd understand why I needed the bird when she finally spoke to me again. If she ever spoke to me again.
I propped my elbows on my knees and rested my head in my hands. Mom would be so disappointed. The one favor I might be able to do for her, to help ease her sorrow, and I let her down too. I clearly didn't have any luck with the ladies this week. Becoming king had been an even bigger burden than I’d imagined.
The sun faded behind a cloud, the warmth of it falling into shadow. I took a deep breath of the cool, new air and hoped it didn’t mean rain on the way. Except, when I’d looked before there hadn’t been any clouds in the sky.
The earth shook and I jumped to my feet as Alizeh’s bronze wings dusted the treetops and her sword-like talons plowed the dirt upon landing. She clucked, snapping her beak in the air then gazed over at me with her oversized eyes.
"You came." I rushed to her side and leaned into the downy softness of her right wing.
I moved to the front of her and she lowered her head to me. I held the sides of her beak and locked my stare with hers, hoping she’d understand me. "I need you to do me a favor, girl. My father has gone missing in the mountains and I really need to find him. He is not himself, and he might be dangerous, but I need your help."
Alizeh nodded in my grip, whether understanding my plea or just responding to the attention.
"I know you belong to Veda, but I really need you. I care about her and I think she cares about me. At least I hope she does. Would you be able to help me?"
She snapped her beak and I stepped back. Maybe she hated me too? But instead of ripping off my arms she nudged the bag at my hip pushing it back.
"Are you hungry, girl?" I pat her head and pulled a dark pink and green dragonfruit from the bag. She clucked happily, and I tossed it in the air, the entire piece disappearing in one gulp.
"Is that a yes?”
She pulled her talons bac
k and lowered herself to the ground, her head laying low on the dirt. I mounted her back as fast as I could, in case she decided to change her mind and tried to buck me off. Instead, she stood tall and proud with her enormous wings spread out in a perfect line, waiting for my directions.
"Let’s go.”
I jerked forward as Alizeh climbed higher into the sky. I scanned between the trees, looking for any movement, any sign that my father may still be in the forest. But as we ascended higher and higher, the hope that I would find him disappeared in the open air.
The silvery moonlight twisted through the mountain peaks. The cool evening air helped soothe the sunburn etched into my skin, but still didn't stop the burn completely. I rubbed my tired eyes, the dust of flight and the intense concentration from surveying every movement below itched under my eyelids.
Unfortunately, I hadn't found one clue as to where my father may have gone. I'd searched all of the lower peaks, every one that was accessible by road or pathway, moving into the ones that required actual mountain climbing experience, but they both seemed untouched. The window for finding him kept closing and I needed to find a way to prop it open a little while longer. My stomach growled, battling hunger and the dread of telling my mother that I'd found nothing, just like the captain had warned her.
But no matter where I flew, I couldn't lose the awful feeling of hurting Veda. Mom said to make it right, but lately every time I opened my mouth I offended someone. Or could I have been making excuses to avoid owning up to my mistakes?
I leaned forward and gathered a fistful of feathers near Alizeh’s neck. "Alizeh, bring me to Veda’s mountain."
Fallon: Son of Beauty and the Beast (Kingdom of Fairytales Boxset Book 6) Page 12