The desert was every bit as hot as I remembered it. A full day passed in unrelenting heat, the night chilling me to my core. With the sunrise came a familiar sight, however. First the sprawling oasis of Istara, then the lonely outpost belonging to the red feather man.
I coasted to a stop outside the hut. “Indicio,” I said, and promptly landed.
As I stood, a hand reached out to help me. “Precisely when expected,” he said, smiling the same smile that always seemed to be hiding something.
“I know better than to ask how you knew to expect me.” I grinned at him.
The man shrugged. “I was told you were coming, but that matters little.” He paused and looked around, confused. “You come alone?”
“I…” I took a deep breath. “Yes. I kept my promise, and she’s free. I’d not save her from one prison to trap her in another.”
He scanned the sky for a moment, then shrugged. “No sooner, no later. Come. You should rest. There’s food and drink within, and I insist you stay until.”
I waited for him to finish his thought, but he simply walked away. “Wait, until what?”
He stopped briefly before rounding the side of the hut. “Until it’s time for you to go.”
As always, he left me with no further information, and when I looked, he was gone.
* * * * *
For three days, I wandered around the camp. With no way of leaving, as my only supplies were what waited for me at meals, there was little else for me to do. As I was likely still a wanted man in Istara, looking for work or a way to pay for transport out of Corumon wasn’t an option. I passed the time collecting some of the dry, scrubby grasses nearby, weaving the blades into thin ropes for no other reason but to do something with my hands. I used the cord to strengthen the red feather man’s hut, and patched up a few spots in the roof I noticed were in need of repair. The man himself was absent except for evening, immediately following sundown. He never said much, aside from the occasional vague remark about timing and waiting, so he wasn’t the best company I could’ve had.
The fourth day I awoke with a yawn and a stretch, wondering if perhaps it wasn’t time for me to ask after supplies for traversing the desert. As I eased my legs off the cot onto the packed dirt floor, I paused.
I heard voices outside.
Scrambling for my clothes, I rushed through dressing to see who’d come. The man’s voice I recognized, but the other was too quiet to hear well. It sounded maybe feminine, and I wondered if perhaps Alida had come to collect what she was owed.
But when I pushed aside the feather curtain, I froze in the doorway.
It was not Alida, but Erata speaking with the red feather man.
When she saw me, she stopped mid-sentence, smiling as she stood. “Finally up? Well, I see your love of sleep hasn’t changed at least.”
I ran a hand through my hair, confused about her presence. “Why are you… What made you…” I cleared my throat, nervous. “You’ve cut your hair.”
Her white-blonde locks no longer brushed her jaw, instead cropped closer to her head, as I’d seen on pixies in drawings. Her silver dress was gone, replaced with well-made riding trousers and a cream chemise, a long, suede vest hugging the curves of her body. She’d been beautiful before, but seeing her that way seemed so much more natural, as though it was how she was meant to be. She hadn’t so much changed, as she had returned to what felt right to me.
Her gloved hand fluttered up to touch her hair. “Yes, well, it’s how I always preferred it before… Well, you know.”
“Darkness makes scissors dangerous,” I said with a chuckle. “It looks lovely.”
“You don’t mind it?”
I tilted my head at her, wondering why it would matter. “Why would I mind it? It’s still you, after all. And I imagine it’s better for riding that way.”
“Oh.” She chewed her lip a moment. “Yes, it’s better for that.”
The red feather man stood with a sigh. “Well, it seems the time is right, Lukas.” He walked over to me and patted my shoulder. “You did well.”
I stared after him. “Uh, thank you, but the time is right for what?”
“Safe travels,” he called as he disappeared around the hut.
Erata laughed a little. “Your words make much more sense now.”
I sighed and turned to her. “Maybe to you. Why wish me safe travels? Am I going somewhere?”
“I suppose that’s up to you.” She scuffed the toe of her boot in the dirt. “After everything I’ve heard, I… Well, it’s your decision to make.”
Rubbing my face, I wasn’t at all sure I understood what she meant. “Erata, I’ve had about all I can stand of vagueness and subtlety. What is it? Why’ve you come?”
Her cheeks flushed, and she wouldn’t meet my eyes. “It’s just… with all that’s happened, I don’t know… That is, after everything you’ve been through because of me, I didn’t know how you felt about…”
Tentative, I stepped up to her, lifting her chin. “About what?”
Her lashes fluttered, blinking back gathering tears. “About me.”
As the first teardrop fell, I brushed it away with my thumb. “Erata, since I met you, I’ve been attacked by wolves twice, spoken with at least three talking animals, woke up in more strange places than I can count, seen more of the world than I ever dreamed of, been inches from death enough times to turn my hair white, and had more conversations that made so little sense, it’s a wonder I didn’t give up speaking altogether. But…”
She looked up at me, breath held. “But?”
“But I’d not change a moment of it, not one, if it meant never having the chance to kiss you again.”
Before she could speak, I pressed my lips to hers. Of all the times I’d thought about it, done it, missed it, not one compared to the reality of that moment. Holding her, seeing her, knowing that despite my mistakes, regardless of my ignorance, she’d still choose me out of anyone in the world… There was no greater magic than that.
After a long moment, I rested my forehead against hers, eyes closed and committing the feel of her to my memory. “I’ve traveled the world to set you free, Erata. I love you, and that will never change.”
“Can you love a princess with too much pride and not the sense the spirits gave her?”
I chuckled and pulled her into my arms. “Can you love a woodcutter with only small notions of the world and more stubborn than a mule?”
As her arms wrapped around my waist, she sighed, happy. “Always, if that woodcutter is you.”
“What will your sisters say if you bring home such a man?” I laughed against her hair.
Pulling back a little, she rolled her eyes. “Delphine told me if I didn’t bring you back to Bern immediately, she’d never give me a moment’s peace, Clarice nearly refused to let me see the baby when she learned I’d come back without you, and Adelaide spent an hour lecturing me about all manner of things, including letting you leave me so easily. I even had letters from Farah and Rae asking when I’ll bring you to Sericea for a visit. So, really, I wouldn’t say they’re overly scandalized by it.”
“You have a very interesting family.”
“Sure you still want to come with me?”
I shrugged. “Well, I wouldn’t want you to suffer on my account, and as I don’t have any other plans, I see no reason why not.” I paused and looked around. “But, how will we get there? You’ve only the one mount, haven’t you?”
“Do you mind spending a few days holding on to me?” The twinkle in her eye was unmistakable, matching so many memories I had of her voice in the dark.
I winked at her. “Sounds dreadful, but I’m sure I’ll manage.”
Laughing, she led me away as I scooped up my pack from the ground. Once she’d mounted the wyvern, I clambered up beside her, a curious thought occurring to me.
“When you fly, which wind do you follow most closely?”
Erata picked up the reins, the wyvern lifting us into the air. �
�Didn’t my sisters tell you?” She grinned at me over her shoulder. “I’ve always preferred the West Wind.”
At that, we shot forward, the speed and height as dizzying as ever. As I held tight to her, I couldn’t help smiling. Life with Erata would always be an adventure, and having her with me would make every journey better than the one before. No matter where the wind took us, or what obstacles we faced, we could do anything, so long as we had each other to hold onto.
About the Author
A geek of all trades, Starla Huchton has been crafting stories in various genres since 2007. She is a three-time finalist for Parsec Awards for her podcast fiction work, and was the first place winner for Science Fiction & Fantasy in the Sandy competition in 2012. Her work spans Science Fiction, Fantasy, New Adult Romance, Young Adult titles, Steampunk, Contemporary, and various other varieties of stories. She is greedy and likes all the genres!
When not writing, Starla trains three minions, a black lab, and a military husband whilst designing book covers for independent authors and publishers at www.designedbystarla.com.
Connect with the author on the Starla Huchton Author Page on Facebook, @starlahuchton on Twitter, or at www.starlahuchton.com. To be notified only for new releases, sign up for the mailing list at www.tinyletter.com/SAHuchton.
Other Books by the Author
As Starla Huchton
The Antigone’s Wrath Series
Master of Myth
Flipped Fairy Tales
Shadows on Snow
The Stillness of the Sky
Ride the Wind
My Bittersweet Summer
The Dreamer’s Thread
Available in ebook, paperback, and audiobook podcast
* * * * *
As S. A. Huchton
The Endure Series
Maven
Nemesis
Progeny
The Evolution Series
Evolution: ANGEL
Evolution: SAGE
Evolution: HEX
The Chronicles of ISLE
Spark
Lex Talionis
The Night Bridge
Ride the Wind: A Flipped Fairy Tale (Flipped Fairy Tales Book 3) Page 23
