Everyone moved at once, bringing round the horses, blankets, water. Only Rafe and Jeremy stayed still and quiet in the eye of the storm.

“It wasn’t—” Jeremy began, then took a ragged breath.

“What?” Rafe asked him.

“It wasn’t a stupid coyote drawing. It was good.”

Storyteller CornerApologies

I’m sorry about this.

To quote the queen, “I wrote the story. I don’t make the rules.”

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Skya, Emilie, and the Valkyries rode with them, flanking them in case other Bright Boys tried anything else. They rode Rafe’s horse, but Freddy ran with them, carrying no weight, so that they could change horses when Sunny lost steam.

The riding was hard for them all, hardest for Jeremy. Every bump left him gasping in agony. When they stopped to change horses, Jeremy leaned against a tree and coughed up blood. Rafe held him and gave him water. It was all he could do. Whatever this world was, whoever had made it for Skya and filled it with white stags and giants and impossible forests, they’d allowed in death and suffering as well. Maybe that was the rule. Maybe that was the deal. Maybe it was the price of magic. Maybe the price, sometimes, was too high. He didn’t need unicorns and castles. He just needed Jeremy.

It took from morning to evening to make it to the Devil’s Tea Table. The horses had taken them as far as they could go. Rafe held Jeremy steady as the Valkyries formed a circle around them so they could all say their goodbyes.

“Ignore everything you hear and see in there,” Skya said. “Stay on the path. There’s only one path even if it looks like there’s more. I would go with you if I could, but the Bright Boys would come out of the woodwork to get me, and I’d only slow you down.”

“I know,” Rafe said. “We’ll make it.”

“Aurora will go with you. Follow her out as you followed her in.”

Aurora flew overhead in low circles, cawing as if to say, Hurry, hurry…

Skya sighed, wiped her forehead. “So much to say and no time to say it. Your names are written on my heart. And I know my name is on yours. The day I forget either of you is the day my heart stops beating.”

She took Rafe in her arms, but only for the briefest moment, long enough for him to say, “No matter what world I’m in, you are my queen.”

“And you are my prince forever and always.”

Then she took Jeremy in her arms, very gently, and whispered something in his ear. It must’ve been something nice because he managed a smile even through the pain.

Tempest left the circle to shake Jeremy’s hand.

“I did it…again,” he told her. “Let my guard down…too early.”

“You’re the only one who could ever disarm me,” Tempest said. “I’m almost glad you’re going. That’s not true.”

Then, for the first and last time in Shanandoah’s recorded history, a Valkyrie hugged someone. She returned to her place among the guards.

Then Emilie went to Jeremy and carefully kissed his cheek. He could barely speak, but he managed a few words to her.

“Miss you already, Princess. Pet Fritz for me.”

“I’ll see you again,” Emilie said.

“No, you won’t.”

“I’m a princess. What I say goes. I’ll see you again. Thank you for finding us.”

It was almost as hard to say goodbye to their horses. Rafe gave his beautiful Sunny one quick kiss on his nose while Freddy leaned against Jeremy or maybe Jeremy leaned against Freddy. Or maybe they just leaned against each other.

“Princess Emilie will take very good care of you,” Rafe said to the horses. Emilie took them by the bridles.

“I will,” she said. “I promise.” And the horses bowed their heads as if in mourning.

With Jeremy’s arm over his shoulders, Rafe half walked, half carried him past the rocks, and just like that, they were back in the ruins of Lost Virginia.

Two hills rose to the sky, and between them lay a broken cobblestone road, shrouded in fog. But as they took their first steps, the mists grew thicker, and soon they could see only three steps ahead, then two. But that was all Rafe needed to keep going. Skya had warned them that the path would seem twisted, confusing, turning in on itself, but they only had to keep on it to make their way out. And Aurora stayed close, cawing to them whenever they questioned their next step.

Around them, shapeless forms moved in the shadows but made no sounds. Once, something slithered across the path. Rafe couldn’t tell if it was a snake or something much worse.

“I wish we’d brought apples,” he said.

“I wish,” Jeremy said, gasping between words, “we’d brought my Outback.”

Rafe laughed and kissed his forehead. Jeremy was feverish and clammy. They were running out of time. Aurora cawed again, insistently. Hurry, hurry.

Redoubling his efforts, Rafe practically dragged Jeremy down the dark path. Skya had been right to warn them. They passed the same tree limb overhanging the way twice. Once on their right. Once on their left. But they kept going, remembering her warning.

“Need more water?” Rafe asked. Jeremy didn’t answer.

But Jeremy had passed out.

“No, no, Jay, wake up.” Rafe held him with one arm, lightly patted his face with his other hand. Slowly, Jeremy’s eyes opened.

“Here,” Jeremy said.

“I’ll try to carry you,” Rafe said. “Okay?”

It wasn’t easy. They weren’t kids anymore. Rafe took Jeremy by the wrist and dragged him across his back and shoulders, then pressed up with all his strength. A cry of pain escaped Jeremy’s lips, but he said nothing else. Probably passed out again.

They weren’t going to make it. They had to make it. They would make it. They couldn’t make it.

Terror and hope went to war with each other in Rafe’s heart. No telling which side would win.

For another mile or more he walked head down, eyes on the path, seeing nothing but his feet as he carried Jeremy step by torturous step. He tripped once, recovered. But when he stumbled a second time, he barely made it to his knees without dropping Jeremy.

As carefully as he could, he moved Jeremy off his shoulders to the ground. Rafe rested him against a tree stump.

“Jay?” Rafe wiped sweat from Jeremy’s cold forehead.