Let Me Fly Free (6 page)

I almost laugh at the naiveté of Kiri’s
idea. With shelves made from the intertwining branches of sturdy
trees and enchantments protecting the tomes from the elements, the
library is a vast and ancient place, for sure. It’s one of my
favorite places in Kristakai, and I’ve spent countless hours lying
on the soft grass that comprises its floor, reading about the human
world from pages illuminated by sunlight. But going there now holds
little appeal to me, when surely the unicorns will have searched
for information there already. And unlike us, they do not need to
patiently leaf through books, absorbing words one by one. With
their magic, they could, in the time it would take me to read a
single page, open their minds and gorge themselves on all the
knowledge those volumes contain.

I lift one eyebrow. “If there were anything
to be learned from those books, the unicorns must already know
it.”

“
Then we’ll find what
they’re not telling us,” Kiri says. “But even they aren’t
omniscient, and there are many,
many
books. It’s possible that they
missed something.”

She has a point about that. Still, the idea
of combing through endless pages without really knowing what we’re
searching for seems futile. Also, I find it more likely that the
answers lie outside Kristakai—in the world I’m forbidden from
entering.

Yet there’s nothing actually stopping me
from stepping beyond the border…

Surely I could escape my homeland for just a
few hours and return before my life force drains. With my ability
to travel instantaneously through any fire burning in any place, I
could cover many miles in that time. Though there is a limit to my
range—it seems to vary depending on how much effort I put into
reaching—the human world must be full of hearths and torches and
such that I could use to hop from one place to another.

I’ve spent enough time allowing ancient laws
to hold me back, I decide. Under normal circumstances, I would have
said that the unicorns’ rules had reasons for existing, but I think
circumstances are far past normal at this point. The impossible has
come to pass, and unbreakable spells have been broken. The laws
were created for a time of eternal peace, and this is not that
time.

My pulse quickens with excitement. If I
dared, I could seek that which lies outside this domain. I could
enter any repository of human knowledge I wanted; all libraries
must have lanterns. I could discover things that have been lost to
Kristakai over the years, and access information beyond even the
unicorns’ reach.

Just as I’m starting to
believe I could actually make this work, a sobering thought casts a
shadow over the idea.
It would take me a
lifetime to look through the library we have here, though I’m
familiar with how its shelves are arranged. Even if the answers I
seek sit on a human’s bookshelf, how would I ever find
them?

I’d have better luck simply walking up to
the first human I saw and asking what they know.

Perhaps I
should
. The idea kindles my mind, and a
new rush of excitement races through me. Though I don’t know where
the portal to the Infernal Realm lies, it is most certainly
not
within Kristakai.
That means the monster must have crossed through the human world
before arriving here. Its presence cannot have gone unnoticed when
it leaves such carnage in its wake. Someone must have seen
it…

“
Elaia?” Kiri peers at me
with a quizzical expression, and I realize I’d gotten so wrapped up
in my thoughts, I forgot she was there.

She may not agree with the unicorns keeping
us here, but I doubt she would approve of a plan that involves
doing the forbidden. Meanwhile, though, the idea digs into my mind
like the powerful roots of an oak, and I know I couldn’t shake it
if I tried.

I don’t want to try. I want
to
do
it
.
And I
can’t risk Kiri stopping me … or telling the unicorns.

I give her an indulgent smile. “I was just
thinking about everything I’ve seen in the library, and you’re
right… It’s so vast. Something could easily have been overlooked,
and I believe your plan to look through the books is a good one.
You should go there and search.”

Kiri tilts her head with a skeptical
expression. “What about you?”

My mind races for an excuse to leave her and
go off alone, and words spring to my mouth almost before I’ve had a
chance to consider them. “I’m going to ask around to see if anyone
has seen anything new. Perhaps there are more clues to be
gathered.”

Her expression doesn’t change, and I can
tell she suspects something.

I push forward with my lie, allowing my
enthusiasm for my true intentions to seep into my voice. “Don’t you
see? There are two parts to finding the answer: knowledge and
evidence. You’re far more familiar with the library than I am, and
searching it was your idea, so you should take care of the
knowledge. Meanwhile, I’ll gather the evidence, so that once you
have a list of possibilities, we can match the reality to what was
written and find out just what haunts these woods.” I place my
hands on her shoulders. “We’re a team, Kiri. And if we split up, we
can work much faster.”

She cocks her head. “Going off alone is a
terrible idea. What if the monster attacks one of us? Neither my
wind nor your fire would stop it, but together, we might stand a
chance.”

“
So you’re scared—that’s
what this is about?” I huff, both impatient for her to leave and
annoyed that she’s right. But I refuse to fear the beast any
longer.
I am fire, and fire fears
nothing
, I remind myself. As for Kiri… She
is air, and nothing can capture that. If she is attacked, she could
transform into a breeze and be gone in a moment; my presence would
hardly make a difference. I tell her this, then add, “If you’re
truly afraid, you should return to Amdyth for protection. I’m sure
she’d be happy to shield her child.”

A hurt look flashes through Kiri’s eyes, and
I momentarily regret my mockery. But though I didn’t mean to cause
her pain, I wish she weren’t so infuriatingly weak. Not
physically—her gales can uproot trees when she unleashes her full
power—but in terms of her frustrating timidity and her maddening
desire to be “good,” whatever that means anymore.

Still, perhaps snapping at her was a bit
harsh. “I’m sorry.” I run my hands down her soft arms, and while
her skin is cool, I sense the warmth of her presence beneath. A
smile—a real one, this time—curves my lips. “We both know you’re
the smarter of us two, so you’re probably right. I should not have
spoken to you as I did, but … I want to know what’s threatening us,
and every moment could prove crucial. Splitting up is our best hope
for swiftness.”

She regards me for a
moment, and I can tell she’s searching for the deception in my
voice. But this time there is none. She
is
the smarter one; she’s always
been better than me at recalling knowledge and piecing together
information. I am by far the braver one, however, and in our
current situation, boldness matters more than intelligence. Which
is why her notions now slide off me like raindrops from a leaf.
There’s a time to listen … and a time to disregard.

I give her upper arms a squeeze. “Trust me.
We can accomplish more by separating.”

Kiri bites her lip, then nods reluctantly.
“Very well.”

I release her, but before I can leave, she
throws her arms around me and presses her lips to mine. Somewhat
surprised, I return her embrace and savor the taste of her kiss,
the heat of her breath.

She pulls back, blushing. “In case the worst
should happen. I … I couldn’t leave without … without…”

She trails off, but I know
what she means to say:
Without telling you
that I love you.
I tense, bracing myself
for the unwelcome confession, but to my relief, it doesn’t
come.

Instead, she steps back and says, “Be
safe.”

“
You too.” I flash her my
best attempt at a reassuring smile, then transform into flame and
race off before she can change her mind about those three imbecilic
words. Love is a fine notion, but I value my independence, and I
don’t want anyone to have that kind of hold over me.

I soar through the forest,
weaving between the tree trunks instead of rising above them. It
only takes me moments to reach the border, which is all but
invisible during the day. There, I revert back to my usual form and
suck in a breath. Now that the sun is withdrawing her last rays, a
silvery glow brightens the magical wall within the darkening woods,
reflecting the starlight above. It’s barely visible, yet it seems
as impenetrable as the strongest stone. On the other side lies a
world I’ve never seen, much less visited. Though my gaze reaches
the trees and plants several yards beyond, nothing that I wouldn’t
have known in Kristakai has ever come close enough for me to view.
I hold a head full of information about the humans, thanks to the
library and stories told by the other creatures, and I’ve even
possessed some of their belongings, brought to me by indulgent
sprites or fairies. But it’s not the same as actually
meeting
a
human.

It’s time to finally discover what they’re
like… And whether the nymphs’ legendary powers of persuasion are as
strong as I’ve been told. For that is how I plan to get my
answers—by commanding any human I encounter to tell me what I want
to know.

I take a step closer to the border, then
freeze. I know the spell is meant to keep humans out, not enchanted
creatures in, but still, it’s meant the latter to me all my life.
No matter how many times I remind myself that other residents of
Kristakai pass through it all the time without any consequence, I
can’t help fearing that it will burn me or fling me back. As far as
I know, no nymph has attempted the crossing before.

None that I’ve heard of, at
least.
I suppose if one of my kind
did
go outside without
any consequences, the unicorns would not want the rest of us to
know.

But I’ve spent much of my sixteen years
longing to do what I’m about to attempt, and nothing will stand in
my way now. Learning from the humans could be the key to saving
Kristakai, and I’m more than ready to see just what I’m capable of.
I’m doing this for my homeland, and I’m doing it for myself.

Refusing to restrain myself any longer, I
square my shoulders and walk boldly into the gleaming enchantment
before me.

Crossing the border proves
to be rather anticlimactic. The darkening forest ahead of me
looks no different from what I just left, except perhaps that it’s
a little duller from the lack of magic. The same tall trees with
the same leafy boughs stretch into the distance, surrounded by the
same carpet of grass. The air even smells the same—fresh and cool.
I don’t feel any sudden weakening from being separated from my
homeland. Nor does Cyim appear to berate me for crossing the
barrier.

And though this all tells me that I have no
reason to be afraid, my muscles remain tense. Out here lie dangers
I’ve only read about in books—things I might never have imagined.
Gone is the absolute familiarity of Kristakai, the comfort of
knowing every rock and tree and stream.

It’s no safer back
there
, I remind myself. Besides, the
nymphs were herded into the unicorn domains not for our security,
but to protect the humans from
us
. Out here,
I’m
the danger. And I won’t turn
back now.

I stride boldly forward, though I don’t know
where I’m going. Not that it matters; I won’t be traveling on foot.
But the action steels my confidence, and while my chest remains
tight, my sense of determination is stronger than my
apprehension.

I reach out with my mind, seeking a fire.
Somewhere in this wild, unknown world, one burns near enough for me
to detect. It tickles the edge of my senses, so distant I can
barely reach it, but still within my range. I wonder how many miles
away it lies. It was almost certainly lit by a human; most
enchanted creatures can cast light and heat spells, and, when
traveling, find that easier than kindling a blaze.

Which means that if I travel through this
flame, I could emerge to find myself face-to-face with a human.

The thrill of doing
something so forbidden outweighs any fear. What could a human do to
me, after all? I’m the one with the power, and I can bend not only
fire, but a human mind to my will. I’ve never tried the latter, but
the prospect fills me with eagerness. The idea of telling someone
what to do and having them just
do
it
… It’s exhilarating. In Kristakai, few
other than Kiri listen to me, and even she requires convincing. If
what I’ve been told is true, I could have total control over a
human.