by T. K. Perry
Lexi flew on, marveling that her wings were still moving, and promising her body days of sleep in exchange for a little more functioning. She could hear the roar of the big waterfall as they approached it, grateful the ground would fall away soon, and her flying could become nothing more than a gradual fall.
“Elissa!” Mit called again as they went over the falls.
“Mit!” a high-pitched voice called back.
As they drew closer, Lexi could see Elissa splashing around in the stream in complete jubilation.
“You found him!” Elissa shouted, her voice choked with joyful tears. “Thank you! Thank you!”
Lexi watched apprehensively as Elissa leaped up and grabbed Mit, hastily bringing their landing to a clumsy end. She released his arm as Elissa and Mit stumbled, their arms wrapped tightly around each other. Chuckling, Cam reached out and steadied Lexi as they landed on the bank.
“I was so afraid I wouldn’t see you again! Does your foot hurt? Come sit down! I made an almost fire,” Elissa warbled happily, not pausing long enough for answers.
Cam’s chuckle transformed to a booming guffaw as he walked over to light the fire. Lexi turned away from the happy reunion with a smile and joined Cam. Lexi admired the neat little fire pit and makeshift stools that Elissa had arranged during her absence, then sat down. Happy conversation and kissing noises carried up from the water, and Lexi was grateful for the darkness to hide her blush.
“Enthusiastic, isn’t she?” Cam commented, smiling.
“We’re going hunting,” Mit announced loudly. “Might be awhile.”
Something in his tone made Lexi’s blush deepen as she watched them trip into the woods, laughing as they clung to each other.
“That’s okay,” Cam called after them, blowing on the now softly glowing fire. “We have snacks.” Cam looked away from the fire to give Lexi a dimpled grin as he patted his bag.
“More raisins?” Lexi asked hopefully.
Cam produced the little half-eaten bag with a flourish. “They’re yours. And, I have thistle roots,” he said, waving long white roots at her. “They look weird, but they taste like potatoes. Mit showed me how to dig them up. Apparently the food is lousy on the mountain, and I need to learn to forage to impress the ladies.”
Lexi gave him a tired smile, and gratefully took the food he offered.
“And, since I suspect you are thoroughly exhausted,” Cam began, pulling the tarp from his bag and laying it out a short distance from the fire, “your bed.”
“Then where will you sleep?” she asked, biting into the strange root.
“There’s a lovely little patch of grass right there,” Cam replied, pointing to the spot where Elissa had been sleeping earlier.
“I can sleep on the ground.”
Cam’s mouth twisted up in half a smile, sinking a single dimple into his left cheek. “Have you ever done it before?”
“No,” Lexi answered honestly.
“Then it’s not happening on my watch.”
Lexi smiled, leaning towards the fire as she ate, even though she hadn’t stopped sweating from the flight. Her hair and clothing were damp with it, making her feel ripe with the unpleasant smell. She shifted away from Cam, hoping to hide the scent.
“You smell wonderful,” Cam said, ducking his head in embarrassment at his own words. “Just in case you were wondering.”
“So do you,” Lexi said, her voice barely audible as she blushed crimson. She ate the rest of his offerings without speaking as he silently stoked the fire.
“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Lexi asked as she finished.
Cam shrugged. “Mit will catch a rabbit or something.”
“Did I eat all your food?” she asked, the sudden realization turning her stomach.
Cam smiled. “I had a big lunch.”
“Cam, I’m sorry. I can pay you for it,” she offered, opening her bag.
He waved it away. “Farm girls from nowhere should hold onto their cash.”
Lexi bit her lip and looked away.
“Don’t feel bad about it,” he said gently. “That was exactly what I planned to do with the rest of my food.”
“Give it to a hungry stranger?”
“No,” he said with a droll grin. “Use it to beguile a pretty girl. Did it work?”
Lexi smiled tightly, and looked around them. “Are we far enough up the mountain that the display laws don’t apply?”
Cam let out a surprised laugh. “I don’t know. What do you have in mind?”
Lexi blushed so deeply she felt compelled to hide her face. “I just meant camping together.”
“Well, we have married chaperones,” Cam pointed out.
“Who are not here.”
“Are you uncomfortable with me? I can camp somewhere else.”
“No.” Lexi put a hand on his arm to assure him, then let it rest there. “You stay here with your friends. I just need a rest, and then if you could point the way to Pine Hollow, I’ll go.”
Cam frowned. “That’s not a short flight, and I doubt it’s easy to find in the dark. Why do you want to go back there?”
“I’m out of food, and I would love to get cleaned up and sleep in a bed tonight.” Her hand felt hot where she was touching his arm, and she slid it back self-consciously until he caught it and held it.
“Then I’ll come with you.”
A swell of warmth and comfort washed through her. “Okay.”
Cam grinned. “Then it’s settled. We’ll sleep until they come back. Then we’ll have dinner with them, and afterwards, we’ll go.”
Lexi stood up, and he held her hand a moment longer, letting her arm brush across his face before he let go. Lexi smoothed down the corner of the tarp that had flipped in the breeze, then laid down with a soft smile on her face and his pleasant scent in her nose. She was asleep in moments.
It was the snoring that woke her up. Closing her wings, she rolled to her side to see Cam asleep on the grass, his mouth wide open and emitting a cacophony of sound. A tanned arm was flung across his forehead, nearly obscuring the dark eyelashes that brushed his cheeks. She shut her eyes again, and folded one arm up over her head to cover her ear.
“I don’t think she likes your snoring, Cam,” Elissa giggled.
“Maybe the singing frogs were bothering her or the crickets...both terribly annoying sounds,” Cam suggested.
“Oh yes, very,” Elissa giggled.
“They’re the real reason no one camps anymore,” Cam asserted sagely.
Mit snorted. “She’s awake, you know. Nobody could sleep through your chatter.”
Elissa shoved Mit playfully and he teetered on the tree stump.
“No, she’s not...is she? Raven? Are you awake?” Cam called quietly.
“Shh, Cam, let her sleep.” Elissa gave him a mischievous smile. “The rabbit’s not burned yet.”
“I’m not burning it,” Mit said, tickling her.
Elissa giggled. “You always burn it. Charred and flavorless is how I like it, remember?”
“Cam, could you hold this a minute?” Mit asked, passing a roasting stick to him as Elissa shrieked and ran, giggling wildly.
Cam chuckled at Mit’s lopsided, hopping gait as he ran after her. “I expect they’ll be gone a while. Go back to sleep, Raven.”
Lexi’s eyes had been open the tiniest of slits, the effort to do so feeling tremendous. At Cam’s words, she relaxed again, and sleep overcame her.
When she awoke, there was sunlight on her face. Lexi startled up to her elbows, groaning involuntarily at the pain in her back as she did so. She glanced around her, disoriented.
“Good morning,” Elissa greeted her pleasantly as she added more wood to the small fire.
Lexi gingerly pulled up to her knees. “Where’s Cam?”
An uncomfortable expression flickered over Elissa’s face. “He should be back soon.”
“Where did he go?” Lexi asked, wincing as she slowly stood.
Elissa grimace
d. “I know you two were going to go together, but you were so tired that you didn’t even stir when he left. He figured you’d been flying hard all day, and he’d only flown a few hours, so it just made sense...” Elissa trailed off with an apologetic wince.
“He went to Pine Hollow?”
Elissa nodded, her face stricken. “But he’s going to bring you back food, and he would still like to fly with you. Don’t be mad at him; he was just playing the hero again. Mit started running a fever last night; his foot is infected. Cam went to Pine Hollow to get him some medication.”
“Oh,” Lexi said, the irritation draining out of her. “Is Mit okay?”
Elissa shrugged with a small frown. “He says he is, but I think it must hurt a lot. He’s wading downstream.” She smiled wistfully. “He thinks he’s going to catch a fish without a pole or a net. So I’m building up the cooking fire.”
The girls exchanged smiles, then Elissa looked down, the lines of worry etched across her forehead.
“I’m sure the medicine will take care of the infection,” Lexi said.
Elissa nodded absently and stoked the fire. “Oh, if you want to bathe, there’s a good spot just upstream, and I’ll keep Mit away. You’ll just have to watch for flyovers.”
Lexi glanced at the empty, cloudless sky, then upstream.
“A lot of the newly winged follow this stream up the mountain,” Elissa explained.
“Thank you for the warning,” Lexi said, lifting her bag.
“He really should be back very soon. He left just after midnight.”
Lexi nodded and walked upstream. She found the spot where the stream pooled without difficulty, and quickly removed her clothing. She considered slipping on the bathing suit, but the morning chill and icy water guaranteed a washing too short to be worth the change. She rinsed herself speedily, then dressed in warm blue pants and a long-sleeved green shirt. She thought of Cercy as she struggled with the buttons beneath her wings, and again as she washed and braided her hair. A little lump rose in her throat as she realized how completely she had cut off her old life. It was difficult to imagine a scenario in which her mother would ever welcome her home again. Frowning, Lexi returned to the campsite.
Mit and Elissa were giggling over the campfire, their arms entwined around each other.
“He caught one!” Elissa announced triumphantly as Lexi joined them.
“Smashed one,” Mit corrected.
“Would you like fish for breakfast?” Elissa asked with a grin.
“Ewww...don’t offer her that! Nobody likes fish for breakfast,” Cam said, landing next to them with two bags strapped ridiculously to the front of him. “How about a delicious fruit pastry? Or some cinnamon bread?” he asked, pulling them out with a flourish.
Elissa let out a little squeal of delight, and snatched the pastry from his hand. “Were you able to get the medicine?” she asked around her first bite.
“Would I dare come back without it?” Cam asked, drawing out two bottles and a little package from the other bag. “This stuff kills the infection, this one helps the wound heal, and these, obviously, are bandages,” he explained as he handed it all to Mit.
“Thank you,” Mit said. “Really.”
Elissa nodded, swallowing a large mouthful of pastry. “You saved us, Cam.”
“Does this mean I get to name your kids or something?” Cam joked.
“They’ll all be Cams and Camis,” Elissa said, grinning.
Cam held out the loaf of cinnamon bread to Lexi. “Are you mad at me?” he asked in an undertone.
“How could I be? You’re the hero,” Lexi replied, breaking off a small piece of the bread.
“You still want to fly with me?”
Lexi studied the dark circles under his eyes. “You should rest.”
“Are you leaving now? I’m not tired,” Cam insisted, removing the second bag and handing it to Elissa, who squealed when she saw what was inside.
“You got me a pie! I’ve been craving pie,” she exclaimed happily, breaking off a piece of the crust and nibbling it.
“I’ll be ready to go in just a minute,” Cam assured Lexi, hurriedly scooping a pile of clothing into his bag and removing more food. “Can you carry this?” he asked, handing her the loaf of cinnamon bread.
Lexi took the loaf hesitantly.
“Are you two going now?” Elissa asked, her face sad.
“Thank you for sharing your campfire with me,” Lexi said. “It was nice to meet you both.”
“Thank you so much for helping us, Raven. And Cam, Mit says you and your family can have free dental work for life,” Elissa announced with a grin.
“Let’s hope I won’t need to take you up on that,” Cam said, rubbing his hand across his jaw. “You two going to be okay without me?”
Elissa glanced at Mit, who was already applying the medication to his foot. “I think so,” she said, smiling. “Mit thinks we can make it to Oak Springs in three or four days, and since I’m an expert camper now,” she added, her grin widening as Cam snorted, “I can take care of us.”
“I still think you two ought to settle in Wallowa,” Cam complained.
Elissa hesitated for a moment, then hugged Cam briefly. “Come see us,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.
Cam nodded, swallowing as he looked at the ground.
“Thanks again,” Mit said, “both of you.”
Lexi smiled and leapt into the air. “Goodbye,” she called over her shoulder, the sound muffled by her wing beats.
Cam caught up to her holding two apples. “Do you have room for these, too? I’d eat them, but then I’d have to vomit.”Lexi let out a surprised laugh as she took the apples.
“I figured I should eat as much as I could, so I could give away all the food I carried.”
“Planning to beguile more ladies?” Lexi asked, smiling as she tucked the apples into her bag.
“Nah, still working on the first one. But she’s resisting me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Well, for one thing, she’s not holding my hand,” Cam said, holding his out to her.
Lexi glanced at his hand, then shook her head. “Display laws,” she explained.
“But they don’t apply on the mountain, and since we just flew over the last big waterfall, I think it’s official,” he argued, his hand still held out to her.
She knew it was irrational, but Lexi didn’t want anyone to hold her hand while flying, ever. It smacked too much of the restrictions Talan had intended to put on her as his wife and the heavy, winged gowns her mother had given her to ensure she didn’t fly at all.
Lexi shook her head again. “No,” she said without looking at him.
“Ouch! She really is resisting me. Now what do I do? Cinnamon bread and apples failed...wait! I’ve got it!” Cam rummaged around in his bag, finally producing a small package. Raisins,” he announced in mock triumph as he held them out to her.
Lexi took them with a smile for his antics. “If I eat them, will you expect me to hold your hand?”
Cam nodded. “Of course.”
Lexi’s smile dissolved as she handed them back.
“What? Your affection can’t be bought by shriveled grapes? You really are difficult to beguile.”
Lexi laughed.
“Okay,” Cam said, poking around in his bag again. “How about nuts? Pastry? Cheese?”
Lexi laughed again, and waved away his offerings.
Cam frowned. “Raven, I know you’re hungry. Why won’t you eat anything?”
“I had some bread,” Lexi answered, hoping he didn’t hear her stomach growling.
“A tiny piece. I’m not flying any further until you eat.”
“See you at the castle, then,” Lexi replied, increasing her speed as he slackened his.
“Are you trying to get away from me?” Cam asked as he caught up to her, his face full of concern.
“No,” Lexi said, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice as she stared straig
ht ahead at the slope of the mountain. She reminded herself that she had already forgiven him for going to Pine Hollow without her, so her rising resentment really was unfair. Yet it wouldn’t go away.
Cam flew in front of her, catching her eyes and holding them. “Would you rather fly without me?”
“No,” she said, trying to fly around him, but he caught her arm. She was irritably yanking it away when his voice stopped her.
“Please,” Cam said. “Please tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it.”
There was such kindness in his tone, it reminded Lexi of her father and filled her eyes with tears. She let him lead her gently to the ground beside the stream, her head turned away as she fought to banish the tears. When she turned to look at him, they were gone.
“Why don’t you want to eat any of my food?” he asked in the same gentle tone. “I want to share it with you.”
“This food is to attract a mate. You give it with...expectations.”
“And you don’t wish to raise mine?” he asked, his voice losing its softness.
Lexi could still smell the stolen cookies, and the scent made her sad. “Not...yet.”
Cam stared at her thoughtfully, a little muscle in his jaw jumping. “What if I sell some food to you? Would that be better? Or I could take you back to Pine Hollow and you could buy your own.”
Lexi opened her bag, and carefully slipped some cash from the outside of the large wad and held it out to him wordlessly as a scrap of paper fluttered to the ground. Cam glanced at the money in her hand, then bent to pick up the fallen paper.
“This is the King’s signature,” he said, looking up at her with confusion. “How did a farm girl from the middle of nowhere get this?”
Lexi snatched it away from him and pressed the cash into his hand. “That’s for the bread and apples.” She hastily tucked the signature back into her bag as she searched fruitlessly for a plausible explanation. When she looked back up, Cam was staring at her wings in wonder.
“You really are a princess in a castle, aren’t you?”
Lexi sighed. “This is a long story and I’m in a hurry. Fly while I tell you,” she commanded, jumping into the air.
Cam followed and Lexi spent the next three hours laying out her life and answering his questions, with very few omissions. She blushed deeply as she told him about Talan, feeling guilty all over again.
