Beautiful Beast

Chapter 17

KALISTA

The slanted handwritten text blurs before my eyes and I drag a hand across my face. It has been a long day of flipping through one spell book after the other with little fruit. The only nugget I found is from a questionable source, so I am hardly convinced to make an effort. It explains that to weaken or break a curse, one must gather each factor of the curse and destroy them with fire. No, this is not helpful. I must find a way to manipulate the curse so that I can tell Arawn what he must do.

"My l-lady. M-my lady."

I look up at the sound of Cedric's stuttering and see his pocket watch bobbing excitedly in the air.

"What is it, Cedric?" I sigh, pushing back loose curls that hover about my face.

"S-sir Arawn's h-horse has returned. With-without him."

"What do you mean without him?"

"It is alone. He is nowhere to be found."

Nowhere to be found? Did he leave? Did something happen to him? Not the wolves, since it is not dusk. Yet.

"I have the mirror," Pierre exclaims, rushing into the library. "Here, ask it to show him to you."

I take the hand mirror from the invisible servant and hold it before me. "Show me Arawn." The glass clouds over, then reveals a figure stumbling between the golden trees of the western quarter. He holds his right arm protectively against himself and dried blood stains his forehead.

Hastily, I drop the mirror on the desk and rush from the room. My feet hardly touch the steps as I fly down the staircase. I am racing against the sinking sun and the odds are not in my favour. In response to my frantic heartbeat, magic sparks across my fingers, but it will be of little use to me until I reach Arawn.

Johnathan and Matthew already have Abraxas saddled and ignoring my impractical dress, I slide one slippered foot into a stirrup and swing the other over the saddle. Reaching down, I take hold of Hector's reins. He tugs on them at first, unwilling to follow me, as if something has frightened him and he is afraid to face it. But I do not tolerate his petty fear and with a word of command, I tug on the reins. He obeys reluctantly and, squeezing Abraxas's sides, I set off toward the forest.

Once I have entered the trees, I am forced to slow my pace. The pathways are too narrow and the ground too uneven for hasty travelling. Around me, the golden leaves sparkle in the light of the dying sun and warn me of impending doom. Soon the wolves will be out. And soon Arawn will be lost to me forever.

Where is he?

He must be here somewhere.

"Arawn?" I call, but my voice is instantly swallowed by the forest. Magic. And it is not mine. My heartbeat flutters in panic, but I take a deep, calming breath. She will not better me in this. I am stronger now. My magic comes eagerly, spinning in sparks through the air. I call his name again and this time it resonates through the trees. It twists about the foliage and like a hand, reaches for what is lost. I can feel the resistance and there is an attempt to quench my call. However, in this place that is mine, this forest where I have spent years of my life, it cannot best me. Here, I am stronger than her.

"Kalista?"

My breath catches at the sound of his voice and I urge Abraxas toward it. "Arawn," I shout again, needing him to respond so that his voice will lead me to him.

"Kalista," he calls back. It is closer this time and I urge the horses into a near reckless pace. We push through a thicket and onto a pathway and suddenly there he is, hobbling unsteadily toward us. I pull the horses to a stop and leap from the saddle. Before I know what I am doing, I rush to him and wrap him in an embrace. It lasts only a moment, then reality surges in a threatening stream.