CurseBreaker

by Taylor Fenner

  The East Wind knocks on the door and we wait as the East Wind drums his fingertips against his thigh. He reminds me of my brother, Leif; full of energy and unable to sit still for too long.

  After a moment’s hesitation a short man with caramel colored skin and long, golden hair braided into tight messy braids opens the door. Though he looks a few years older than the East Wind, I can tell he doesn’t share his brother’s exuberant spirit.

  His curious gaze darts between his brother and I before he asks his brother, “What is this?”

  “This beautiful creature that has accompanied me is the lass who was supposed to have ended up with the prince that lives in the mysterious castle east of the sun and west of the moon,” the East Wind explains, wildly gesturing with his hands. “She’s set out to find him and set him free, so I brought her here to see if you could tell her how to get there.”

  “No,” the West Wind shakes his head regretfully. “I’ve blown many places, but never there.”

  My face falls and noticing my disappointment the West Wind hurries on, “I can take you to our brother the South Wind. He’s way stronger than both East Wind and I combined and he has surely flapped his wings far and wide. I’m sure he’ll be able to tell you. If you want you can get on my back, and I’ll carry you to him.”

  “Yes, absolutely,” I enthuse.

  “What about me?” the East Wind whines.

  The West Wind scratches his head, “don’t you have some trick to play on a human or something?” To me, he explains, “My brother here is the youngest, he hasn’t quite grown out of his playfulness yet.”

  “I have two brothers back home like that,” I sympathize.

  “So you can empathize with me,” the West Wind grins as the East Wind scoffs in mock outrage.

  “Yes, definitely,” I laugh.

  “After all that I’ve done for you,” the East Wind shakes his head, “and you take his side.”

  I cover my mouth to hide my grin, but the East Wind still manages to see. He pouts before losing hold of his human form and disappearing into the skies above.

  “Shall we go?” the West Wind asks as he holds his hand out to me.

  “Yes,” I nod, eager to be on our way.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The West Wind is more cautious as he lets his human form fade away and carries me into the sky. To the south, we travel with me on the West Wind’s sprawling back above the space where large wings made of clouds flutter open and closed. The West Wind’s face is drawn in concentration as he pulls air in through his lips before expelling it quickly to propel us forward.

  It doesn’t take us long before we begin our descent from the sky. Our trip back down to land is gradual unlike the rapid plummeting the East Wind treated me to. On the ground below us, strange trees with fernlike leaves blow in the breeze created by the West Wind.

  The West Wind’s human form stretches over his fluid form, trapping him within its’ fleshy confines. He lands us on the hard packed ground without issue.

  I notice the change in temperature almost immediately. Puffs of breath escape my lips as I exhale. I drop my pack onto the hard dirt and rummage through it for my cloak. The frigid temperatures of the South Wind’s home remind me of the icy world of Niflheim.

  Despite the cold temperature a brightly colored home rises from the ground in front of us. Each exterior wall is a different color; blue, yellow, green, and red. The roof slopes down on either side, extending over a large porch. A set of wooden chimes blows gently in the nearly calm breeze.

  “Follow me,” the West Wind says as he leads me onto the porch and through the front door of the house without pausing to knock. We weave through the house, filled with an assortment of rainbow colored furnishings. Sunlight streams into the main room through two enormous windows constructed from blue sea glass. I pause to admire it as the West Wind steps through the back door into the yard beyond. “Keep up, lass.”

  I hurry outside after him in time to catch a man pull a good size fish from a lazy riverbed. He tosses his catch onto the sand, turning when he senses our approach.

  “Brother,” An infectious grin spreads across the man’s face as he embraces his brother, swallowing him whole against his wide frame.

  While the brothers greet each other I compare the two men. The South Wind’s skin is the color of clay, a rich red-brown color while the West Wind’s skin is more golden brown in color. Both men are short but the West Wind is lankier than his stocky older brother. Both brothers fix their strange golden eyes on me as the West Wind remembers to introduce me.

  “Brother, this lass is wondering if you can tell her the way to the castle that lies east of the sun and west of the moon,” the West Wind begins. “You see, she’s the girl who is supposed to be with the prince who is trapped there.”

  “You don’t say?” the South Wind exclaims excitedly. “It’s really her?”

  The West Wind laughs at his brother’s enthusiasm, “Yes, it is her. I tell nothing but the truth.”

  “Wow,” the South Wind replies, looking me up and down. “This is amazing; it’s wonderful to meet you.”

  I smile as the West Wind clears his throat, “back to the point. Can you tell her the way?”

  “Well I have been to a lot of places but the location of the castle is a goal I’ve never attained,” the South Wind shakes his head. He exchanges a contemplative look with his brother before adding, “Maybe our brother the North Wind can tell you. He’s the oldest and strongest of all four of us. If he doesn’t know the way to the castle you’ll never find anyone in any of the nine worlds or the spaces in between that can tell you where it is. If you want, I could take you to see him. I’ll carry you on my back; it won’t take long to get there at all.”

  “Yes, of course, I’ll go with you,” I throw my arms around his neck in a hug. “I need to know if it’s possible.”

  “I understand,” the South Wind nods solemnly. “We’ll leave at once.”

  “I may stick around here,” the West Wind gestures to the South Wind’s home, “Perhaps when you return we can catch up on our adventures.”

  “I’d like that,” the South Wind grins. I remember the East Wind saying the West Wind had been in a dark mood recently and I wonder why, but it’s none of my business and I won’t dare hurt him to ask.

  I approach the West Wind slowly and wrap my arms around his shoulders, not wanting to scare him off. He stiffens beneath my touch, his breath coming out in uneven puffs. I pull back, “thank you for bringing me here, West Wind.”

  “I hope you find your happiness,” the West Wind murmurs as he plants a kiss on my cheek.

  “I wish the same for you,” I tell him as I squeeze his hands in mine.

  The South Wind takes me upon his back, carrying me high into the sky above at a speed somewhere between his two younger brothers. I can tell he’s excitable like the East Wind, but also wise and kind like the West Wind.

  We journey across long stretches of the great seas, heading north. My cloak whips around in the wind the South Wind is creating and I clutch it closer around me while still trying to hang onto my pack and the South Wind’s back simultaneously.

  As I try to adjust my hold, my hand slips from the South Wind’s back. Immediately the world around me goes into slow motion. My mouth opens in a silent horrified scream as I fall backward grasping at empty air. My body arcs as I fall through the air.

  A sickening thought dawns on me, if and when I finally hit the ground there won’t be anything left of me and me dying in this other middle world, neither my family nor Dyre will ever know what has happened to me.

  Wind rips through my hair, blowing it in my eyes as a set of hands grab me around the middle and hoist me upward. I open my eyes and find the South Wind giving me the once over. His eyes reflect the terror that I just felt.

  “Are you alright?” the South Wind asks, concern etching his face.

  “I think so,” I confirm. “Thank you for saving me.”

&nb
sp; “I couldn’t well let you drop when you’re on such an important mission,” the South Wind treats me to a lopsided grin. I try to smile in return but I’m still too shocked to pull it off. The South Wind holds me tighter in his arms as we soar through the clouds.

  “What’s that down there?” I ask, pointing to a mass of swirling clouds below us.

  “That’s how a tornado looks from up here,” the South Wind explains. “I had to dive down quickly to reach you and it stirred up a tornado in the atmosphere.”

  “Will it hurt anything down below?” I ask.

  The South Wind shrugs, “it might knock down some trees in a forest below, but the area down there is nearly uninhabited so I doubt any living creature will be harmed by the storm.”

  “That’s good,” I exhale the breath I’ve been holding, worried that my stupid misstep might have been the cause of some unsuspecting creature’s death.

  “A lot of times we forget how our own strength can affect the world below,” the South Wind says quietly. “It’s been just the four of us for so long we’ve forfeited some of our humanity just by being what we are.”

  “It must be a lonely life,” I murmur.

  “At times,” the South Wind admits. “That’s why we’ve all been so worried about West Wind. He envies the humans and other creatures the ability to fall in love and have families. He’s taken to watching them from a distance, but he knows that getting involved with a human would be tricky.”

  “I hope someday he finds someone or something that will give him the fulfillment he wishes for,” I say sincerely. “He seems like an honorable man.”

  “He’s probably the best of the four of us,” the South Wind says. “I know he makes me want to be better.”

  I fall silent as I think over the three wind brothers I’ve met and the one I haven’t yet. The North Wind is my last hope. I just hope he knows the way to the castle so I can be reunited with Dyre.

  Chapter Sixteen

  We arrive at the North Wind’s house a short time later. The South Wind changes into his human form while we’re still three feet from the ground, landing on the ground with a catlike grace with me still cradled in his arms.

  We’ve landed in the middle of the ruins of a castle. All that remains of what was once a castle half the size of Dyre’s castle are a few white stone walls and archways, everything else has crumbled to dust.

  Strong gusts of icy wind blasts at us from all directions and something slams into the South Wind and I from the side. I fly from the South Wind’s arms, landing hard on the stone floor as the South Wind is enveloped by a great white mist. Anger and rage pulses from the mist as it pummels the South Wind to the ground.

  “What is the meaning of this intrusion?” The North Wind’s disembodied voice roars, echoing off the walls. “What do you two want?”

  “Well,” the South Wind spits up a mouthful of blood from his brother’s phantom hands making contact with his face. “You don’t have to be such an ass. It’s only me, your brother the South Wind and here is the girl who was meant for the prince who dwells at the castle that is caught between the sun and the moon. She’s traveled all this way to ask you if you were ever there and if you could tell her the way to get there because she would be so happy to find him again.”

  “Why should I help a human?” the North Wind asks harshly. He retreats into himself and grows larger and larger until he looms over the South Wind and I, looking down over us from the open ceiling of the castle ruins.

  “Please oh great one,” I beg, staring up into his menacing face pleadingly. “I’ve scoured this middle land, I’ve walked until my feet bled, I survived an attack by a Nokken, I’ve faced hunger and death at every turn, I’ve done it all because I love the man that’s locked away in the castle. I realize now I loved him from the very first moment I laid eyes on him, long before I knew he was a man or a prince. A stupid mistake and an unfair curse placed upon him by a vengeful stepmother have ripped us apart. I know I may not be able to fix this but I’m not going to give up until I’ve tried everything to get to him. You’re my last hope of anyone – man, god, or beast – that could tell me the way to the castle. So please, if you can help me, I would be greatly appreciative.”

  “Come on, brother,” the South Wind glares up at his brother, “have a heart. Help the girl if you can. Do you know the way to the castle?”

  “Yes, I know well enough where it’s located,” the North Wind replies, losing a little bit of his bluster. “Once in my life I blew an aspen leaf there, but I was so tired I didn’t even have enough strength to blow a puff for nearly a week afterward. I suppose if you really want to come and you aren’t afraid to come along with me I’d be willing to take you on my back and see if I can blow you all the way there.”

  “Yes,” I exclaim in relief, “with all my heart, I must and will get there in any possible way, no matter the risk. I’m not afraid, even if you travel at twice the speed of your youngest brother, the East Wind, I will not be afraid at all.”

  “Very well then,” the North Wind replies, a hint of grudging respect in his voice, “but you must sleep here tonight so we can have the whole day before us if we’re to reach the castle at all.”

  Without another word the North Wind disappears into the clouds, leaving me to my own devices without even bothering to show me his human form.

  “If you need anything just call upon me formally,” the South Wind tells me as he pulls me into a farewell hug. “I’ll keep myself tuned to your voice, all you have to do is say my name and I will come at once.”

  “I’ll remember that,” I assure him as I pat his back. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s my idiot brother that concerns me,” the South Wind mutters shaking his head. “Will you be alright overnight? It gets quite cold here.”

  “I’ve got everything I need,” I pat my pack for emphasis.

  “Farewell then lass,” the South Wind backs away. “I hope you are successful in your journey.”

  “Me too,” I whisper as the South Wind loses hold on his physical form and shoots up into the sky above. Whether he exchanges words with his elder brother in the ether or not I can’t say for sure, but if the strong gusts of winds that blow both north and south are any indication then I have to say it’s a high likelihood.

  The North Wind never comes down from his high horse in the sky so I have to fend for myself when my stomach begins to rumble uncontrollably. When was the last time I ate? The day before I reached the East Wind’s house, maybe?

  I leave my belongings inside the ruined castle and wander down to the sea below. With luck on my side, I find a splintered branch and set to spearing the first fish I happen upon.

  Once I’ve caught a fish large enough to sustain me I wander back to the castle ruins, eating quickly then falling asleep under the cloudy starless sky above.

  Icy breath tickles the back of my neck. Trying to ignore it I pull my heavy cloak higher over my neck, exposing my boot covered feet in the process. The breeze comes again, this time blowing my hair across my face.

  “Lass,” the North Wind speaks in a demanding tone. “It’s time to get going now.”

  I groan, sitting up slowly and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. When I open my eyes fully I’m met with two large, curious eyes looking right at me. Startled by the sight I recoil quickly and bump my head on the stone pillar next to where I slept.

  The North Wind winces, “I did not mean to startle you, but we must go now.”

  “Of course,” I nod sleepily, “I’ll be ready momentarily.”

  While I ready myself for our journey the North Wind prepares himself in another way. He inhales deeply, suctioning air into his open mouth until his fluid form fills the entirety of the castle ruins. He holds the air inside himself for several minutes before letting the air gush out on an exhale. He repeats the process twice more, each time making himself even larger and more fearsome to behold than before. By the time he’s finished he fills up al
l the visible sky above, completely blocking out the sun. The gray mist of his fluid wind form has transformed to a sick green-gray color and vein-like lines bulge from his face. The pupils in his eyes roll back into his head, leaving only the whites behind.

  Without warning, the North Wind scoops me up, depositing me on the back of his neck before shooting into the sky. I cling to the frothy white rope-like clouds of his hair as he races across the sky.

  Higher, faster, and farther through the air we go, so dizzyingly quick that the world below us is nothing more than flashes of blues, greens, and browns.

  Down below, in Aldavellir as well as in each of the nine worlds – Midgard included – people for years to come would talk of the powerful storms that spawn from the North Wind’s strong gusts. Long tracts of trees and thousands of homes would be lost and when we sweep over the open seas ships will founder by hundreds. My father, Bjorn, and Donar will likely never forget this day, though they’ll never know the real cause of three of the ships in their fleet being lost to the great sea nor my unconscious involvement in it all.

  So far the North Wind and I travel as if we won’t stop until we get to the world’s end and even then he’d probably blow us over the edge and keep going. We cross land and sea, the North Wind growing steadily wearier and out of breath until he can barely breathe out a puff to keep us in the sky. His majestic wings droop lower and lower until the world below begins to rush up to meet us.

  Eventually, we drop so low that the white caps of the waves in the sea dash over the North Wind’s toes.

  “Are you afraid yet?” The North Wind manages to rasp.

  “No,” I shake my head even though he can’t see me from where I sit on his back. Yelling to be heard over the angry roar of the waves I add, “I’m not afraid.”

  “Hang on,” the North Wind yells back as a large swell crashes over us, soaking me to the bone. We’re going down fast.