“Rejoice, you who gather here!” Na-gi announced as his father sat. “Sagara, master of these lands, has once again opened his home to bestow gifts upon those who beseech his help. Come forward, and state your case.”
One by one, they stepped up, telling of their woes. Some spoke of illnesses, others of droughts, some of war, others of curses. The process was slow, but eventually it was my turn to speak.
Heart pounding in my throat, I stood and approached. Immediately Na-gi sat up straight in his chair, but eased back, likely trying to avoid his father’s ire for seeking outsider help. As I bowed before Sagara, I took two deep breaths, reassuring myself I was fully prepared for any outcome.
“Speak, traveler,” Sagara’s voice rippled through the hall, cascading over me like a wave. “What is it you seek?”
“I seek to help you, great one.” I said, face to the floor, again with the accent I’d heard from King Ormond. “For a favor in return, I can break the curse of your son’s bride to be.”
“He lies!” Na-gi shouted, jumping to his feet as he recognized my voice. “This man has no such power.”
I glanced up at him, feigning surprise. “And how would you know this, my lord? Surely we’ve not met without your father’s knowledge? I believe I would remember making such a grand acquaintance.”
Sagara turned slightly, studying the barely contained rage on Na-gi’s face. “Explain yourself.”
“I…” Na-gi’s eyes darted between me and his father. It took several long moments, but he stepped back, bowing his head slightly. “It appears I was mistaken. Forgive me, father. I do not know this man. He reminded me of that one who attempted to trade your favor for a trick two years past.”
I fought off the urge to grin, turning my attention back to Sagara. “I’ve heard tell of the enchantment that holds her prisoner to the night. If I can free her, will you grant me whatever I ask in return, when I choose to ask it of you? I’ve no need of anything at this moment, but I wish to do some good in this world as I am able.”
Sagara’s dark blue eyes narrowed. “What is the name of he who would ask such a thing?”
“Duncan Gerand, great one, hailing from Moran.”
The dragon studied me for what seemed like an eternity, drumming his fingers on the arms of his chair.
“Very well,” he said at last. “I choose you amongst the petitioners tonight. The rest of you may return at the next full moon.”
There were a few rumbles of protest, and more foul looks cast my way than I’d thought, but no one made a move against me. They filtered out slowly, the lines of guards ushering them on their way before gathering at the back of the room. The door closed, and the swordsmen took up their positions once more.
Sagara stood and turned to the guard nearest him. “Fetch the girl. Bring her to my courtyard.” He snapped at another, and the man rushed forward, taking a knee. “Escort this man there as well. He will tell you what he requires, and you will see to it.”
The guard jumped to his feet and bowed his head, not speaking a word.
“Duncan Gerand,” the dragon man said, his gaze piercing me through. “If you cannot do as you say, your life is forfeit as penance for stealing the favor of another petitioner. Prepare yourself.”
I bowed to him, avoiding Na-gi’s glare as he followed his father out.
There would be no second chances that night. If I failed, if Erata’s sisters and I had made a mistake, not only would I take my final breaths, but the woman I loved would be forever lost to the world.
I refused to let my faith falter. For Erata, I would always believe in the impossible.
* * * * *
I watched the golden fish slip through the water, their scales catching the moon as they wound past the green tendrils of lilies. Everything was ready, save for Erata’s presence. It wouldn’t be easy to transport her in her active state, but perhaps she could be drawn there with the promise of an open space to dance. Guards lined the pavilion in the middle of the large pond, leaving only enough space to walk through to the center. There, I would either free Erata, or die by their swords.
A commotion on the other side of the courtyard pulled my attention, and I heard her shouts long before she came into view. A group of four men carried her out, oblivious to her yelling and attempts to thrash about. Sagara and Na-gi weren’t far behind, and both looked to be at the end of their patience.
The moment moonlight touched her skin, Erata stilled. Moments later, she laughed and returned to singing nonsense as the men carried her to the pavilion. I bowed low as Sagara passed, again avoiding the glares of his son, then trailed behind them.
When her exit was blocked by guards, they set her down. She immediately began twirling, dancing toward anything that looked like an opening, but there was no escape. The moment had come.
“Time to prove yourself, human,” Sagara spread his hands, indicating Erata. “We await your great work.”
Summoning all my courage, I spoke to him one more time. “And I have your word, sworn to Ryu-o, the king of dragons himself, that you will grant me my request when I most need it?”
He waved me off, impatient to be done with me. “Yes, yes of course. Now do as you’ve claimed. There are things to be done the moment she’s free of this madness.”
With his vow made, I had one thing left to do.
From inside my cloak, I withdrew the remaining nub of the candle I’d lit in our mountain home. Raising it to the sky, I lifted my eyes to the moon.
“Xuàn.”
The pavilion burst into light so bright, I shielded my eyes to save my sight. A pair of arms wrapped around my neck, and Erata sighed happily as she bathed in the brilliance. Lowering the candle before it went out, I cherished the moment of closeness, then took a breath.
“Huílái!”
All light pulled inward, vanishing into the wick as the candle was made whole once more. I opened my eyes. The world gradually came back into focus as the moon beamed down on us, her light returned from within Erata.
“It’s done,” I whispered into her hair, “but there’s more yet to do before we’re free.”
Her eyes fluttered opened, and she shifted in my hold, her face tilting up to me.
“Lukas?” she said, her face the picture of disbelief. “Are you really here?”
“Her madness remains!” Na-gi cried, gleeful. “She calls him by another name! I told you he was filled with lies!”
“Be quiet!” Sagara yelled. His face contorted in rage. “He lies, but he has freed the girl. Show yourself for true!”
A fountain of cold water from the pond blasted me from above, stripping my skin of the false pigment and my hair of its dye. Stunned, I staggered to my feet. Erata reached for me, but Na-gi ripped her away.
Sagara shook with anger. “You dare to come here, boy? To my palace, to steal away a fairly won prize? I shall feed your bones to the wyverns that dwell beneath—”
“I invoke your oath, and ask you fulfill your promise!” I shouted over the sound of swords unsheathing. “You are indebted, and I demand my due.”
The pond roiled, boiling with Sagara’s wrath. “And what would a dead man ask of a dragon?” His skin shimmered in the moonlight, a terrible silver glow that heralded nothing I would survive.
The guards eased back, leaving me room to speak. “You’ve sworn against your king that you will grant me whatever I ask of you. I ask that you release myself and Erata to live in peace, without any act of reprisal from you, your men, or your descendants.”
Thunder rumbled overhead as Sagara stared me down. As the water around us frothed and spilled over its banks, I held out a hand to Erata. “Will you keep your vow?”
His face twitched violently, but no matter how he wished to twist my words, there was no way for him to win. With hate-filled eyes, he stepped up to me, lowering his face to mine.
“Know this, human. Should you ever cross my path, or set foot on my lands, our agreement is void. Leave this place by dawn and never
return. The moment you touch my soil or breathe my air, your life will be lived out in a long, drawn-out agony that will make you wish for something as easy as death.”
Not taking his eyes from me, he snapped his fingers. Erata rushed to meet my outstretched hand, clinging to my arm as drowning men cling to the wreckage of their boats. Calmly, I stepped around Sagara, leading her out of the pavilion and back through the maze of the palace. Words were beyond us, both afraid to break the silence in case we were only dreaming. It wasn’t until we stepped through the main gate, free of the jaws of Sagara, that her grip on my hand eased at all.
The further we got from the palace, the more distant she became. Near the end of the winding road leading down to the village, she stopped suddenly. I turned to her, curious why she wanted to prolong her stay. Her lips parted to speak, but she paused. After three tries, she finally seemed ready to talk.
“Lukas, I—”
A loud roar shook the ground beneath us. Frantic, Erata spun back towards the palace. As I followed her line of sight, my mouth dropped open. The bats that continuously circled the spires darted away, clearing a path for a streak of silver that shot into the sky before changing course. The creature undulated in waves as it flew straight for us, releasing another bellowing scream that spurred us into a run.
I scrambled over the shifting rocks at our feet. “Sagara cannot break his—”
“That isn’t Sagara!” Erata shouted over the din. “Na-gi will never let this stand. He’ll see us dead before he—”
The great, hulking beast dropped to the ground ahead of us, his silver-scaled jaws opening wide to let out a deafening roar.
“SHE IS MINE, HUMAN!”
Despite him being twice my size, I could no longer hold my tongue. I planted my feet, staring up at his single blue eye. “She is her own! Your father has released us!”
“Your tricks will not save you this time!” He reared back on his hind legs, back arched to strike…
Lightning blasted through the clouds, spraying rocks and debris in all directions. I pulled Erata to me, shielding her from the worst of it as bolt after bolt split the sky, raining down all around us. Clinging to each other, we held fast to the only thing we could, fully knowing our last moments might be upon us. I knew, without any doubts or hesitations, that, if the end had come, I had no regrets. To die in her arms was all I’d ever ask of the world.
Everything stilled. The sudden silence was unnerving, unnatural. Tentatively, I cracked open an eye, fully expecting to see a giant maw of teeth ready to devour me. Instead, the sight before me sucked the air from my lungs, and my arms went limp as I stared up at the plateau.
Where once had stood a palace, was nothing more than smoking rubble.
“How is that possible?” I said under my breath.
Erata clutched at my cloak, gasping as she tugged at the fabric. “Lukas…”
“It’s gone, Erata. How is it gone? What—”
“Lukas!” she hissed at me. “Turn around.”
“What do you mean, turn—”
As my head swiveled to the side, my words disappeared in a yelp. There, where Na-gi had stood only moments before, another had taken his place. Twenty feet above us, the golden-scaled face of the largest beast I’d ever seen gazed down at us, its amber eyes blinking at us. Its body stretched out into the valley, so long I couldn’t quite make out where it ended. With scales rippling over its powerful muscles, I knew fleeing would be a wasted effort. It didn’t seem malevolent, but as my only experience with dragons wasn’t overly pleasant, I wasn’t about to take any chances.
“Consider our debt settled, Lukas, son of Tomlin, from the mountains of Valmyr. You have unearthed the schemes of Sagara, and I have ensured that you both live free from his wrath.”
The very air vibrated around us when he spoke. My mouth worked to find words, but all my wits could manage to translate was a single question. “W-who are you?”
“One whose name was sullied by a broken promise,” he said.
Utterly unsure of myself, I fell into a bow. “I beg your forgiveness if I brought dishonor upon you, Your Majesty.” Spirits help me, but I hoped I addressed the king of all dragons properly.
“It was not you who brought dishonor, and those who did have been dealt with. Sagara sought power that was never meant to be his. He will serve as a lesson to others who might seek the same. Were it not for your intervention, and those who spoke to me on your behalf, I might never have known. Go in peace, son of Tomlin.”
As I straightened myself and backed away, Ryu-o turned his focus to Erata. She shrank a little under his gaze, but didn’t try to run.
“You were impetuous and overconfident, Princess,” he said to her, “but I’ve seen how you’ve changed this past year. You made a deal with Sagara, which I will now fulfill in his stead.”
A strange, bleating cry carried from above us, soon followed by a creature that resembled the depictions I’d seen of western dragons, only smaller and stouter than those beasts. Dull gray scales coated its body, and a short crop of white hair sprang from the top of its head. On its back, a gleaming leather saddle sat waiting for a rider.
“Erata, sister to two queens of the west, I give you this wyvern. He is loyal and fierce, the strongest of his brood. With him, you will get that which your heart most desires.”
She covered her mouth with a gasp, fingers tentatively reaching for the beast. It rose to meet her, nuzzling against her palm as she giggled softly.
To hear her laughter, albeit only a little, was the greatest gift I could’ve been given.
“Be well, and may your journeys be safe,” he said. With a single jump, Ryu-o propelled himself into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.
When my gaze turned back to the earth, I met Erata’s. She looked away, distracting herself with adjusting the reins on the wyvern.
“I guess…” she took a breath. “I suppose we should go.”
Swallowing a building lump in my throat, I nodded once and set off down the road. “I have a few things for you. They’re this way.”
She kept behind me, leading the waddling wyvern. At the base of the cliff I landed on, my pack and the carpet lay hidden behind a group of boulders, out of sight from any prying eyes. Li had done exactly as I asked, and, upon looking, even included rations for my trip. I dug past them, removing Erata’s wooden box from the bottom, then pulled the spectacles out from the bundle keeping them secure.
“Clarice lent these to me.” I passed her the spectacles, surprising her. “Please tell her thank you for me. I couldn’t have done this without them or the help of your sisters. You’re very blessed to have them in your life, as I doubt there’s little they wouldn’t do for you.”
She bit her lip, cradling the spectacles gently. “And I, them. How are they?”
I thought on it a bit. “I only met some of them, Adelaide, Clarice, and Delphine, and very briefly, Belinda, they seemed well, although very worried about you. If you hurry, you may make it in time to welcome your niece. Clarice is due any day now, if memory serves.”
Her big blue eyes welled up with tears. “A little girl?”
Smiling, I nodded. “Ormond was very excited about it.” As she swiped at her eyes, I diverted my attention to the box. “And this is yours, though I need to ask a favor of you as I return it.” I placed the box in her hands.
“A favor?”
I bent and picked up the rug. After spreading it on the ground, I shouldered my pack. “I need to give this carpet back to who loaned it to me, but I need the wind to push it along. The North Wind brought me here, so perhaps it can see me back to Corumon to return it. Would you mind?”
“Corumon?” Her mouth slackened. “You went so far?”
I chuckled. “Farther, but it’s a very long story, and I think maybe now isn’t the time for it.”
“It’s not?” She swallowed hard, but I couldn’t bring myself to reach out to her. I didn’t know where to begin with it all.
&nbs
p; “Your sisters will want to see you for themselves as soon as possible, and I must do this,” I said. “But…”
“Yes?”
“If you find yourself unoccupied, maybe with a little time to spare, I wouldn’t mind telling you about it.” I grinned at her. “But as the red feather man would say, no sooner, and not a moment too late.”
Her nose wrinkled up in confusion. “What?”
Her expression made me laugh. Not so long before, I’d felt much the same way. “Abarasé!”
The carpet lifted into the air, and she stumbled back a step, taken by surprise. I waited, unsure of what else to say to her.
Erata looked at me, her face betraying the struggle of her thoughts. Rather than voice them, however, she nodded, turned her eyes to the sky, and lifted the box high.
“North Wind, you are mine to still!”
As she captured the vortex, she turned away, conversing with the spirit as only she could. Facing me once more, she held the box closed for a moment.
“Thank you, Lukas, for everything,” she said, a sad smile tugging at her lips. “Be swift, be safe.”
I held her gaze for a second longer, everything I wanted to say to her tangling together on my tongue. When I could take it no more, I closed my eyes.
“Spirits willing.”
With a massive gust, I shot away into the sky. Before I could spare her once last glance, the North Wind blew me away, far out of sight.
Perhaps she’d find me someday, or perhaps there was nothing more to say. I’d set out to save her, to grant her the chance in life I’d helped steal from her. Erata owed me nothing, but I knew, without a doubt, I would never find a woman that was her equal. If ever our paths crossed again, I would tell her so.
Chapter 23
The North Wind took me a good distance, but somewhere near a vineyard, it set me down briefly. Not long after, another gust sent me skyward, but gently, and I knew the feel of the South Wind immediately. It was with that spirit that I crossed over farmlands and rolling hills, then forests that turned into plains, eventually giving way to burning sands.
Ride the Wind: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 3) Page 22
