The Weight of a Wing (The Stolen Wings Book 1)

by Ioana Visan

  Through the curtain of smoke rising from the grill, Mark watched Cassie with narrowed eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. She’ll be fine. Nothing a drink won’t fix, right?” She grinned and thrust a glass in his hand. “Don’t worry. She’ll be turning you down again in no time.” Cassie strolled away, a knowing smile on her face. Ben took her place, staring at the grill as if he could make the sausages levitate and jump into his drooling mouth by wishing it.

  “Nice save,” murmured Alise, stepping closer to Cassie. “So, now I’m supposed to flirt with him?”

  “Nah, that’s his job!” Cassie laughed and elbowed her playfully. “He won’t push it while Sarah is around. You’re safe.”

  That failed to bring a smile to Alise’s face. Mark had been right. Her friend was acting strange. There had been no bickering with Rafe in the car, and she hadn’t bothered to frown when Mark held the car door open for her. It worried Cassie. She had always felt her friend could conquer the world if she put her mind to it—it was probably the use of magic that gave her the extra confidence, even after she had stopped using it—and seeing her depressed made Cassie’s heart ache. They had many things to worry about at the moment, and she didn’t know which was worse.

  “Did anyone see where we put the paper towels? I can’t find them!” Sarah yelled from the kitchen.

  The Guardians returned with the chopped wood, and then everyone was busy searching for the stupid paper towels.

  As expected, the food was good. Cassie wondered if it was because of Mark’s cooking skills or because of the spices sprinkled on the meat by Alise. It was definitely not thanks to Sarah, who hadn’t done a thing. Rafe and Vale appreciated it, too, considering their healthy appetites. Alise, on the other hand, picked at the food. With little enthusiasm, she ate no more than needed to sate her hunger. The rest of the food, she fed to the dogs. They wolfed down the meat, swallowed the potatoes, and sniffed at the vegetables. Ben even chewed on the tomato slices, just to be polite.

  The amount of drinks passed around the table kept everyone entertained and in good humor.

  “What’s good to do around here?” Rafe asked when they started on dessert, a wild berry cake bought from the village store.

  “Not interested in fishing, huh?” Mark sounded disappointed but not surprised.

  “We’re more the sporty type.” Rafe grinned. “Lots of energy to burn.”

  The grin turned a little tense. Alise must have kicked him under the table.

  “There must be something more about this place other than the view.” Vale gestured towards their surroundings. “Otherwise, why would someone build a house so far from civilization?”

  “Don’t let this fool you.” Sarah pointed with her fork at the house. “Mark has had it rebuilt and remodeled, but the house is very old. His grandparents owned it, and it was in the family long before that.”

  “Well, we don’t know how this place was at the time when the cabin was first built,” Mark said, “but over the years, it has developed into a touristy area, so there are a few things worth seeing. Hmm…” He paused while he took a swig of beer from his glass. “Cassie, you could take them to the waterfall. It’s not big, but it’s nice. And there’s Eagle’s Peak. Also nice. If you feel adventurous, you can climb to the Mouth of Madness.”

  Vale’s eyebrows rose. “The Mouth of Madness?”

  “It sounds scarier than it is.” Mark smiled. “It’s a cave up the mountain, a few hours from here. It’s quite high, and it has a strong echo. When the wind passes through, it makes an interesting noise. It’s a bit of a climb, though, I’m afraid.”

  “We don’t mind a bit of hiking.” Rafe grinned and looked at Alise. “Do we, honey?”

  “No, honey,” she replied, “as long as I get to wear your boots.”

  Mark laughed. The girls hadn’t come prepared for any serious climbing activities, so going up to the Mouth of Madness was out of the question.

  Cassie saw an opening and charged in. “Or we could go look for that lake grandpa used to tell us about.”

  “Oh, the Mermaid’s lake, you mean…” Mark nodded. “I don’t know. You’d risk returning with sunburns, muscle aches, and starving … and nothing else.”

  Next to him, Sarah chuckled. She had heard the story before.

  “Even so,” Cassie said, “do you have any idea where it might be located?”

  “The lake? According to the legend, it should be somewhere close to here, but you won’t find it on any existing maps.”

  “What if you really want to find it?”

  Mark thought some more. “The best chance would be to go up to Eagle’s Peak and look from there for what might once have been the bottom of a lake, but not the lake itself. Or you could hire a helicopter.”

  “I don’t suppose you’ll rent one for us?” Cassie batted her eyelashes at him.

  “Your mother would kill me if I let you get into a helicopter without her written permission.” He pretended to frown. “Even then, she might still kill me if anything happened to you. So no. But you can try that trick,” he imitated the eyelash batting, “on the local rangers. They must have one in their inventory. Then we’ll both make it out alive … possibly.”

  Having pushed her luck far enough, Cassie left it at that.

  “It’s all right. We don’t mind walking,” Rafe said.

  “And we’ll keep her safe,” Vale added, his arm resting on the back of Cassie’s chair.

  Alise and Cassie exchanged a glance. Could they truly promise that?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Don’t stay out too late! You can get lost in these woods after dark!” Mark waved from the riverbank. Three fishing rods, leaning over the water, were beside him. He hadn’t caught anything yet, but it had only been a few minutes since he had thrown out the bait.

  Sarah cracked an eye open and weakly waved her hand at them. She was lying on a lounge chair, covered in sunscreen from head to toe. No one had dared ask her why she was trying to get tanned at all.

  Up the road, Alise, Cassie, Rafe, and Vale prepared to start their journey. At Cassie’s insistence, the girls had changed from shorts into long pants and put on running shoes. With apples and water bottles in their backpack, they were ready for a long hike.

  Stay, Alise ordered the dogs, which looked after them mournfully, eager for a walk in the woods and a chance to chase some squirrels—typical dog stuff.

  “We should have taken the car,” Rafe said, once the cottage was out of sight. The road spread long and narrow ahead of them. “We would have covered more ground.”

  Cassie shook her head. “It wouldn’t have helped. I’ve been up and down this road many times. The lake couldn’t have been near it. No, it has to be somewhere in the woods.”

  Vale looked to the left and right. “Which way?”

  “Well…” Cassie stopped with her hands on her hips and drew in a breath. “Grandpa and I have checked the right side and part of the left side, too. We managed to narrow it down to two places the lake might have been located, but then he got sick and…” She shrugged her shoulders, her tear-filled eyes saying it all.

  “You were serious about finding it,” Rafe said, sounding impressed.

  “I was a kid with a rich imagination and a lot of free time,” Cassie said. “I have less time now, but the same amount of imagination. Sometimes I wonder if I’m not imagining you all being here.” She chuckled, but her smile was strained.

  “You’re not imagining any of it,” Alise said in a soothing voice, stepping closer to brush a reassuring hand against Cassie’s shoulder. She was rewarded with a grateful smile.

  “These two places you narrowed it down to… Where are they?” Vale asked.

  “On the other side of this mountain, either at Wolf’s Creek or Old Man’s Log.”

  “Interesting names you’ve got around here,” Rafe said.

  “Well, at least we can cross one out,” Vale said. “No way it’s at Wolf’s Creek.”<
br />
  Cassie frowned. “Why not?”

  “Wolf?” Rafe smirked. Seeing she didn’t get it, he added, “Werewolf?”

  “Now you’re going to tell me Werewolves are real, too?” Cassie pursed her lips and feigned a bored look.

  “They and their Vampire cousins, too,” Rafe said.

  Cassie was unable to suppress a shudder.

  “Half-breeds,” Alise said disdainfully, rolling her eyes. “Just like Guardians.”

  In a flash, Rafe had the side of his blade pressed against her throat. “Only we’re faster, stronger and—”

  “Better-looking. Yes, we know,” Vale said in a condescending voice. For someone who had fought by his side for an eternity, Vale must have known his entire repertoire by heart, and Rafe could be annoying even without repeating himself thousands of times. He was a master at that. “Now, let her go.”

  Rafe didn’t move. He was peering down at Alise’s face, not a muscle flinching on his.

  She stared back and said between gritted teeth, “Now you’re just showing off.”

  He gazed into her eyes for a moment longer and then released her, an odd smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He had made his point. He could get to her in the blink of an eye. “Where to?” he asked Cassie, making the blade disappear, but the girl had other things on her mind.

  “I don’t get it. Why can’t a Mermaid be at Wolf’s Creek?”

  Rafe had started walking towards the left, but he stopped. “Mermaids are poisonous. Werewolves are hungry, greedy beasts, but they cannot eat them. They’re also morons. Many moons ago—though not nearly enough, in my opinion—Werewolves used to die because of that. Hence the bad blood between them.” He trailed off and blinked, as if surprised he had revealed that much information.

  “How do we get to the other side?” Vale asked. “On the map, the road goes parallel to the mountain for several hundred kilometers, and I don’t remember seeing any passes nearby.”

  “Oh, there is a path not far from here,” Cassie said. “The shepherds use it to bring their sheep over to this side. It’s not frequented often, but the children from the village used to go that way to pick berries from a clearing on the other side. I bet they still do, so it should still exist. This way.”

  She crossed the empty road and disappeared between the trees. Vale rushed to catch up with her, and they walked in silence for a while.

  “He never grew up, did he?” Cassie whispered. “He’s like a schoolboy, constantly picking on the girl he likes.”

  “Something like that,” Vale muttered but didn’t elaborate.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  It took them two hours to cross the mountains, and Alise had thought they were lost several times. There was no clear path, only trees and an indentation in the ground that must have been made by the water coming down from the slopes and gathering there during the past spring. Since Cassie didn’t concern herself with the lack of direction and kept walking, they followed her lead and stifled their protests.

  When they reached a small opening on the other side, both Alise and Cassie were out of breath.

  “Yay, we made it!” Cassie cheered and wiped her forehead. “I am so out of shape, but at least the worst part is over.”

  Alise, who only had enough energy left to nod, let herself fall down on a rock that seemed to have been placed there especially for her. She didn’t remember being so exhausted in a long time. City life took its toll on people who didn’t do workouts and couldn’t fly anymore.

  “Let’s rest here,” Rafe said after glancing at Alise.

  She propped her hands behind her on the polished surface of the stone, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes. Water bottles were passed around, but she ignored them.

  “Is this the place you were talking about?” Vale asked. The water sloshed inside the bottle when he paused to drink. “Is this where the village kids gather?”

  “Yes, but it’s too early in the season,” Cassie said. “The raspberries aren’t ripe yet.”

  “Just give it a moment,” Rafe murmured.

  Alise peeked from underneath lowered eyelashes to discover him staring at her while wearing one of his enigmatic smiles. She forced her faint smile to disappear. At least he kept his distance.

  Vale gracefully walked around and checked every corner, unable to stand still. While the Guardians didn’t need the break and took it only as a favor to their companions, Alise was in no hurry to express her gratitude.

  The road went downhill from there, although the slope was not steep, and the trees prevented them from seeing what was ahead.

  “That way, or that way?” Vale asked, pointing in opposite directions.

  From her crouched position, Cassie raised an arm towards her right. “Wolf’s Creek is that way.” She pointed to the left. “The Old Man’s Log is that way. And Eagle’s Peak is right in the middle.”

  “How many more kilometers?” Alise asked, without fully opening her eyes.

  “Well, umm…” Cassie stumbled. “I’ve never been there. Grandpa and I didn’t get to investigate these places because they’re far away, but it shouldn’t be more than an hour or so. That is what the kids said anyway. They used to make up all kinds of stories about it.”

  “What kinds of stories?”

  Rafe’s voice was coming from a distance, and Alise turned her head in the direction of the sound. His silhouette danced through the raspberry bushes, a bright spot in the shade of the trees. Reassured to know his location, she closed her eyes again.

  “Oh, you know… Kid’s stuff!” Then she lowered her voice. “Scary stuff.”

  “Do tell. We all like stories,” Vale said.

  Alise couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic, but she didn’t bother to check.

  “They said there once was an old, fallen tree where a man and a woman had agreed to meet,” Cassie said. “When the time came, she failed to show up. The man waited and waited until he became as old as the fallen tree. They claimed he was still there, covered by the weeds… Like I said, kid’s stuff.”

  Like all legends, there had to be some truth behind it. Had the man been waiting for a Mermaid? Alise didn’t know. It would have been a sad fate to end up like that, but Mermaids weren’t merciful or faithful. And, contrary to popular belief, they weren’t tied to water. They could walk on land just as well.

  She shook her head. Chances were, there had probably been a Mermaid in those places once. Was she still there? Would they be able to find her? If they did, could she help them? Would she? There were too many questions. So far, she hadn’t felt any sign of magic that should have accompanied the Mermaid’s presence, and the Guardians didn’t seem to feel anything, either. They needed solid leads, or this was going to turn into a witch hunt. Well, the equivalent of one. Witches were easier to find, just not there.

  The sun suddenly disappeared. The cool pine-scented forest breeze brushed over her heated features, and Alise opened her eyes. Rafe stood next to her with his hand stretched out in offering, his palm full of ripe raspberries. She picked one and slowly chewed on it. The juice was refreshing, sweet rather than sour as the seeds were crushed between her teeth. She reached for another one, pretending not to notice the way his smile made wrinkles appear at the corners of his eyes. The Guardians had to feed their prisoners, so he wasn’t doing her any favors.

  Sounds of ringing bells, accompanied by barks and hooves hitting the ground, put them all on alert. Alise relaxed as a black-spotted white dog emerged from behind the bushes. Down, boy, she thought when it barked louder, disturbed by their presence.

  The dog yelped and rushed towards Cassie, hoping to find more sympathy there. The girl broke a piece off of the strawberry-flavored biscuit she was munching on and tossed it towards the dog. Yum!

  “What are those?” Vale asked under his breath, his hand slowly going for his blade.

  Rafe watched Alise intently, waiting for her reaction.

  “Those?” Cassie asked surprised. “Those
are sheep. You haven’t seen sheep before?”

  Indeed, a herd of sheep followed on the dog’s trail, having caught up with it. Alise counted about two dozen, all dusty brown, their heads lowered and not caring about their presence. They only cared about one thing … grass.

  “They didn’t survive on our side,” Vale said. “They’re … cute?” He looked at the girl for confirmation.

  “I wouldn’t call them cute.” Cassie laughed. “But they make for good wool socks. And they taste good, too.”

  Alise wrinkled her nose, remembering the first time Cassie had cooked her lamb for Easter. The meat smelled funny, but it did taste good. She wrinkled her nose even more when the last member of the group appeared. It was a man of an uncertain age, given the old features set on a young face, wearing too many layers for the weather, none of which looked reasonably clean, and the smell… Oh, the smell. From several meters away, he smelled of smoke, old cheese, and dirt.

  “Hello there!” Cassie greeted him with a friendly smile.

  The man tipped his hat at her. “Good day to you, miss.” He drew the words out slowly as if he had all the time in the world.

  “We’re tourists. We’re visiting the area and—”

  “Do you know where The Old Man’s Log is?” Rafe asked.

  The shepherd looked from one person to another, clearly having a hard time sustaining a conversation with two people at once. He shifted in place while he leaned on his staff. “Well, sure…” He pushed his hat off his forehead and scratched his head. “It’s that way.” He nodded over his right shoulder. “Do you want to go there?”

  “We thought it might be interesting to see it,” Cassie said. “Is it far?”

  “Well…” He hesitated. “Not that far. About an hour walk with the sheep.” He eyed the tall men and concluded, “Probably less for you.”

  “Thank you!”

  “But…”