“I’m coming, Ripley. Don’t worry,” I assured. I looked up the craggy rocks I was confident I could climb and tilted my head, listening.
Help.
There was an odd undercurrent. Something was different about the way Ripley spoke in my head. Thatneedless, incessant happiness that encased her voice was missing.
“Where are you?” I muttered to myself. My attention shifted away from the climb ahead of me.
Help—Hmmm.
Humming. Was she humming? My fingertips treaded off the mountain as I turned to the castle, latching my eyes to her bedroom window.
One by one, each of the other three boys reached the mountain and began climbing.
But she wasn’t up there, was she?
I looked up at the boys, and they had a lead of a good few yards. Even so, if I started climbing now, I was confident I could pass them. They didn’t have the nimble grit I had from years of survival outside of Elizy’s borders.
Her sobbing filled my ears and my heart nearly split in two. Panic that I was headed in the wrong direction had me looking back and forth between the strenuous climb ahead and her window again. Her magic was calling to me, desperate for me to reach her.
So, I ran. Away from the mountain and away from her call. I let her energy lead me. It was a gamble, and though it felt wrong to leave, I strayed away fromwhere the other three boys were heading. I knew better. Because I knew Ripley better.
I committed myself to reaching her room. I knew her magic well enough to know that I had made the right choice. It was distinct, light, and airy. Powerful, yet comforting. I could sense it with or without using my own magic. And it was leading me to her window. I would find her no matter the cost to my own well-being because I refused to let her down.
This need for her presence had never let up since I had first laid eyes on her. That cool day of Autumn where the leaves had turned colors and the wind had shifted as if it ushered in a new season of my life. I had made it my duty to protect my princess—to protect her.
With each step closer to the castle, my mind reeled as I envisioned her being harmed, bleeding all over her room. I could not let that happen. The wind stung my face as my steps quickened.
I reached the castle, head already craned back to search her balcony three stories above for any sign of Ripley. I reached for my magic once again, urging it to come to life. No response. Taking a deep breath, I drifted my hand across the smooth rock that made up the exterior of the castle until my fingers grazed thecoarse surface of a ledge. Grasping its raised edge, I started climbing. And I didn’t stop scaling the castle until I reached her balcony.
I grabbed hold of the cemented railing and hoisted myself up and over.
Please, Fletcher! Help m—hmmm, hmmm.
I pressed my hands against the glass doors that led into her room. It was dark, but on her bed, Ripley’s magic glowed, shining as brightly as the twinkling stars in the night’s sky. But unlike the stars, her magic shone blue. Not the common blue seen in so many others but a distinctive aqua that shimmered in its own way. I wasn’t sure why it looked so different. Maybe it was because she was royalty, or special. Or, maybe it was because I knew she liked me, or because I knew that in my bones we were linked. We belonged to each other in some way.
Fletcher!Her scream pierced my ear and rattled through my whole body. I grasped the two handles of the double doors and threw them open. I barged in, aiming for her bed.
“Ripley? Ripley!”
A quiet yelp burst through the room. In the water hues of her light, her large, gray eyes latched onto me. She cocked her head to the side, looking me up anddown. “Fletcher?” Then, a wide smile graced her face. “You scared me.”
My heart pounded like a drum, seeing her there and in one piece. Relief swallowed me whole that she was within reach. I had found her. And she looked okay. I took a step forward, watching her throw the blankets off her tiny body, get on all fours, and crawl to the end of the bed. In a smooth motion, she fanned her fingers out, lights to her bedroom turning on. Then, she dismounted the bed, sliding off the edge on her stomach and giggling as she went. She ran to me, wrapping her arms around my hips, and I felt my shoulders relax with the knowledge that she was safe.
“What are you doing here?”
Sweat poured down my temples as I swallowed hard. “Are you okay?” I clung to her tighter, refusing to push her away this time. Not when no one was here to judge.
“Yes. Why?”
“I heard you screaming for me.”
“I was? I don’t think so.” She rubbed her forehead against my chest like she was tired. “I wanted to visit you tonight, but my mom and dad said I wasn’t allowed out of my room until tomorrow.” Her headturned up, eyes latching on mine, thick black lashes batting at me. “Come play with me.”
I wedged my hands between us, moving her away. “No! I don’t want to play! Is that why you called me here?”
Ripley flinched at my volume and took a step back. “I didn’t call you,” she said timidly.
“Then your magic was calling me!”
