40. Rosalina
40
Rosalina
T hank goodness for the cold breeze because my skin is seriously heated from that last encounter. Being pressed between Day and Fare, then Kel’s hands over me, Ezryn pulling my hair… I need to get my head on straight. We have real actual problems here. I can’t constantly be lusting after these princes like Marigold.
I step cautiously through the dense undergrowth, my feet sinking into the earth. The air is thick with the scent of decaying leaves and the distant sound of trickling water. Between twisted trees and tangled roots, a bog gleams in the moonlight.
I stop in place. “There’s something out there.”
A light bounces at the edge of the water—not the shimmer of moonlight, but something floating. It oscillates back and forth, resembling a dancing flame on the wind.
Almost in a trance, I step closer to it, mud squelching beneath my boots as I approach. I peer into the blackness, trying to see through the thick mist.
“Careful.” Kel grips my forearm.
“I’ve read about this,” I say.
Farron nods as he creeps up beside me, then gestures for the others to be quiet.
“Is this a will-o’-wisp?” I whisper, turning to him.
His broad smile is the only answer I need. “It might be. This is only the second time I’ve come across one.”
“A will-o’-what?” Dayton asks.
“A will-o’-wisp,” Farron says. “They’re said to be the wayward hearts of mated souls who never completed their bond.”
“Stars,” Dayton says. “Better break that celibate streak of yours, Kel, or you’re soon going to look a little more… flamey.”
Kel growls, but I ignore them, nearly vibrating with excitement as the little blue flame dances.
“They’re not dangerous,” Farron continues. “Well, unless you’re—”
“Professor Thaddeus Goldstorm,” I finish. “Man, his book was dry. He spent half of it explaining his research credentials. Every single night, he camped out looking for the wisps. His book was pages upon pages of his injuries, from eating the wrong mushrooms, to animal attacks, to getting stuck in his own traps.”
“After a thousand pages, he finally admits he never found one.” Farron laughs, and his eyes sparkle as he looks over at me. “I think we were darn near ready to throw his book in the fire after that.”
“As cute as you two are, being all smart,” Dayton drawls, “are you sure these things aren’t dangerous? Because this one’s got some friends.”
Two more blue flames flicker to life. Farron lets out a long sigh. “The Harvest Goddess must truly be blessing us to see so many.”
“They’re not dangerous,” I reiterate. “Legends say they can be mischievous, leading bewildered travelers off the path. But others say they’re leading you toward your destiny.”
“And why do you both know so much about these… things?” Ezryn asks, swatting one away that bounces too close to him. Farron utters a pained hiss at Ezryn’s movement. The flame weaves back, skittering blue light over his armor.
“We looked them up while we were researching mates.” An idea sparks in my mind. We’ve been so busy trying to figure out this frost, I haven’t spent as much time on my original goal: finding a way to break the princes’ curse. Finding their mates.
Warmth blooms on my skin. Maybe there’s another reason I’ve been avoiding that mission.
But I have to stop being selfish. This is for the entire Enchanted Vale.
“Farron,” I say, “do you remember that legend about catching a will-o’-wisp?”
“The lighting of the mate bond.” He nods. “One myth says that if you catch a will-o’-wisp, it will temporarily alight your mate bond, and you can see a path to the other half of your soul.”
Keldarion grumbles as if the whole thing is ridiculous. He already knows his destiny and hates it.
“Come on,” I urge the others. “It can’t hurt.”
Slowly, they follow my instructions and creep toward the will-o’-wisps.
“Any legends about catching one and it consuming you in its creepy fire?” Dayton asks as he perches beneath one.
“Only one way to find out.” Cautiously, Farron holds out his hand. He closes his eyes, steadying his breath. A little chime sounds through the air, and the wisp floats onto his palm. “Hello.” He smiles at it, eyes crinkling.
Following his lead, both Ezryn and Dayton catch their own. The three of them return, little flames dancing happily above their palms.
“That was surprisingly easy,” Dayton says.
“They appeared,” I say, remembering the lore. “They wanted us to see them.”
“I think that one’s waiting for you.” Farron nods to my left, where a blue flame floats beside my head.
“Be careful, Rosalina,” Keldarion says sternly. He, unsurprisingly, stands back.
“I’ll go first,” Farron says. “If I remember correctly, you place it on your chest, and its fire will merge with you for a short while.”
My heart pounds nervously as Farron carefully holds the wisp to his body. Magic crackles, and his chest glows with unearthly light. It’s as if we can peer inside him, not to his skin or bones, but to something else. Something soul-deep.
And beside his heart is a cracked circle, tangled with dark lines, like black yarn woven around a miniature star. Every few seconds there’s a burst of light, and then it dims, the darkness strangling it.
“That’s kind of strange.” Farron gulps.
“Here goes nothing.” Dayton brings the wisp closer. Ezryn gives a frustrated sigh and mimics the movement.
I gasp as both their flames spread out over their chests and reveal the same strangled ball of light. Dissatisfaction lingers in my heart.
“Maybe this is what it looks like when the mate bond is dormant,” I muse. “We need to wake up those balls of light. I’m pretty sure I didn’t feel my connection with Kel until he was trapped beneath the ice.”
Kel gives a displeased sigh as he does anytime our tie is brought up.
“Why don’t you try, Rosie?” Farron says. “Then we can see what an awakened bond looks like.”
I glance over at Kel, but he’s avoiding my gaze, so I gently place the blue flame over my chest. A tickling warmth spreads from my heart as the wisp’s fire expands. I tilt my chin down, and my heart sinks when I see the same strangled light as the others. Maybe the wisps don’t show mate bonds at all.
Then a spark ignites, bursting forth like a shooting star and slamming straight into Keldarion. He looks down at the glowing yellow thread as if it’s offended him. It glimmers between us, a living tether.
“Well, it does work,” Farron says. “Seems there’s something wrong with us.”
I march over to Dayton, who is closest to me, and examine the strangled light inside his breast. It doesn’t make sense. Mine looks the same as his, besides the tether connecting me to Kel. Does it appear that way regardless of whether the bond has awakened?
“Wake up, mate bond.” I slam my hands onto his chest. A burst of his wisp’s fire tingles through me. “I could… I could be your mate, too.”
But as my hands settle on his chest and nothing happens, I flush and laugh, embarrassed. “Worth a try. But I guess fae don’t have two mates, let alone a human.”
Farron gives me a soft, sympathetic smile. “It’s happened before. Remember the legend of Princess Eurydice Erato? She had two mates. At least she did if we untangled that poem correctly.”
“Sorry, Sweetheart.” Dayton takes my chin in his hand. “I don’t think it works that way. But for the record, if I was your mate, I’d be honored. Even if it meant sharing you with that icy bastard.” He winks at Kel, who rolls his eyes.
“Rosalina,” Ezryn says. “Your light. It’s splitting.”
I stare down at the luminosity radiating from my chest. It diverges into two threads: one leading to Kel, and the other into the forest.
“Wait, do you actually have a second mate?” Dayton’s eyes widen.
Something blooms in my chest, because yes… Yes, I do. I know it with my entire heart.
I take off in a run, following the shimmering thread.
“Rosalina, wait!” Keldarion yells.
I break through the foliage. Leaves crackle beneath my feet. The princes clamber behind me, but a part of me desperately wants to get away from them, away from their bonds that haven’t awakened. Their mates are far, far away, waiting to be found. Maybe a little foolish part of me thought they’d awaken for me, that the belonging I felt for them meant something more.
“Wait, Rosie!” Farron calls. “Be careful! Even if you have another mate, it’s highly—ouch, watch out for that log—it’s highly unlikely he’s in this forest. It could be leading you anywhere in the Enchanted Vale!”
I ignore him, feeling like it’s close.
Because even though I know Kel is my mate, there’s still an emptiness in my heart that needs to be filled. Is it because he refuses to accept our bond… or something else? Someone else waiting for me?
The light twines through the trees, and I break out into an open clearing. The end of the thread. Slowly, I step into the moonlight to see where it’s leading me, but it’s not to a person. It’s just a patch of flowers. They’re bright blue with luminescent petals, appearing like roses without thorns.
I fall to my knees in the mud, staring at the three flowers, the light thread in my chest pointing to each of them. I don’t understand. Tears drip down my face.
Branches crack behind me as the others approach.
“Oh fiddlesticks,” Farron says.
“No second mate, eh?” Dayton says gently. “Don’t cry, Rosalina. If I had Kel as my only mate, I’d be sad, too.”
Kel stays silent.
I wipe my eyes with the back of my hands. What do I say to them? How do I tell them I’m crying because I thought I’d belong to them?
“These flowers are called Friar’s Lanterns,” Farron says, leaning down beside me. “Do you remember reading about them?”
I shake my head.
“They’re also known as the Deceiver’s Bloom or the Lonely Lover’s Flower,” he continues. “There’s something in the nectar that attracts the will-o’-wisps. Many wayward souls have had their search for their mate end with these blossoms.”
“I guess I was wrong about what I felt,” I whisper, an embarrassed sob breaking out of my chest. I had been so certain…
“Come on,” Keldarion says, and there’s a soft expression on his face as he holds a hand out for Farron and I, helping us to our feet.
“You cannot escape the magic either, Kel,” Ezryn says, gesturing at one last will-o’-wisp floating by Keldarion’s head.
He gives an annoyed sigh, but I whisper, “I want to see if it points to me.”
“You know it will,” he says gruffly, but slowly moves the flickering flame to his chest.
I blink against the brightness as his mate bond sparkles to life. There are no shadows at all, no woven threads of darkness strangling his light. Something sparkles forth within him, and strikes me in the heart, and a tingling happy sensation courses through my body.
“Hey, why does he get to be all sparkly?” Dayton chides.
I can’t answer, lost in the warm light of our tether, the strength of the starlight beaming in Kel’s chest.
“Rosalina, I’m not the mate you deserve,” he says slowly. Then he bends down and picks up three of the Friar’s Lanterns flowers. “But tonight, you can pretend to have a bond with those much more worthy of your affection than me.”
My mate proceeds to tuck a flower behind Farron’s ear, one between the slats of Ezryn’s armor, then one into the messy knot of Dayton’s bun.
The light in my chest splits more, a golden line pointing to each of the flowers, to each of my princes. Tears brim in my eyes, and Keldarion reaches out to squeeze my hand.
“You bastards better give her a good dance tonight,” he says, then his voice grows more serious. “And protect her with your lives if I cannot.”
“Of course,” Farron says.
“On my sword.” Dayton smirks.
Ezryn bows his head slightly as he mutters words in another language.
I grip Dayton’s hand, who grabs Ezryn’s, who takes Farron’s, who connects the circle by holding Keldarion’s hand.
The will-o’-wisp burns brightly in my chest, bursting forth a light to my mate beside me, but also to the flowers on each of my princes. And there must be more fallen flowers on the ground, because a fifth light darts down through the brush below.
I give a secret silly wish to the fire blooming in my heart that I can keep us woven together like this for always.