Endrah Feyborn was nothing but a blur in the sky. Other sprites only marked him out by the color of that blur. Unlike most sprites now, Endrah was lucky (or in his opinion unlucky) enough to have golden hair, eyes, skin, and wings. Those wings especially marked him out, as dragonfly wings were the rarest of all. Following roughly one hundred meters behind him, flew Shaun Kepler, on his own black and white butterfly wings, another rare sight. With a frustrated growl, Endrah made a sharp left turn, then a sharp right. He zig-zagged back and forth over green prairie grass and brown houses. Then, he came to a grove of trees, stopped and folded his wings for a sharp landing. He flicked them open again as Shaun came closer, breathing hard, smelling of sweat and sunburnt skin. Endrah took his chance and darted away, back the way he had come, coaxing waves of air to speed him along. He laughed and spun in a circle, free from his fiance`.
“Two deliveries left before I need to see him again,” Endrah muttered. “Master De` L'air needs….” He pulled his shoulder bag down and rummaged through it. “Here it is, a mold for lover’s rings.” He darted North West, slowing his pace to keep an eye out for the blacksmith’s shop.
“Endrah, down here,” a female voice called.
Endrah stopped and looked down. With a snap of wings, he landed in front of Mistress De` L'air. “I have your husband’s package Mistress De` L'air,” he said, handing her the small box.
“Thank you endrah,” she said. “I thought Shan would be with you.”
“No, I left him behind the grove,” Endrah answered. “He was being more of a hindrance than a help. He wanted to walk, stop for an hour, fly ten minutes, and repeat. I am behind now.”
“How are the two of you supposed to bond if you keep doing that,” Mistress De` L'air sighed.
“If I had my say he would have been gone last summer,” Endrah said. “I never wanted him to be my betrothed.”
“What you want is not what your family needs. Shaun’s family is the closest to nobility our caste can have,” Mistress De` L'air lectured. “Your family needs this.”
“That doesn’t mean living every moment together and being late for deliveries are good for them or me,” Endrah sighed. “When a date is set I will consider slowing down for him.”
“A relationship needs to be compromised.”
“He isn’t compromising, he is whining and loitering, even when moving slower than snails.”
“Endrah, don’t you think you are being harsh and impatient?”
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“Harsh, yes, but I have been patient for the last ten years. We have been engaged since I was thirteen years old. Nothing I enjoy interests him except being in bed. He just wants to be a shiny rock that can have sex.”
“Just keep trying Endrah.”
Endrah sighed, nodded, and leapt into the air. He moved more westward, flying slowly enough to be walking. Surely enough, Shaun came up behind him, [anting, sweating, and tired.
“Endrah,” he panted. “Could we stop for a quick rest?”
“I still have eight deliveries Shaun,” Endrah said. “I am four hours behind schedule.”
“Could we just stop for a few minutes,” Shaun whinned. “Just to rest our wings and get a drink?”
“How about,” Endrah sighed. “You go to Mistress Poppy’s cottage and wait for me there? I will get my deliveries done, and we can use her guest house tonight. Does that sound fair?”
“Yes,” Shaun said. “He lazily fluttered to the ground.
“Then I will be back in three hours,” Endrah said. With that, he took to the sky.
Endrah sped along the rolling prairie, weaving with the breeze, urging speed from it. Soon enough, he only had one delivery left. He thanked a healer for her trade and took to the air one more time. He could see the border to the kingdom of the Drifters and a gathering storm from where he hovered. With gritted teeth, he continued Northwest, hoping to beat the southern storm. Unfortunately for him, the storm grew as he flew. The wind was howling and pulling at his wings before he had gotten a quarter of the way to his destination. He dropped down to the ground and began walking. Soon, the wind was joined by thunder, lightning, and heavy rain. Endrah struggled through it, searching for shelter. Suddenly, he felt something grab hold of his arm and pull him to the ground. With the rain, his wings were useless, but he tried to fight anyway.
“Sto fighting boy,” A raspy female voice hollered. “I am trying to help you.” Endrah felt something warm, dry, and heavy be thrown over his shoulders. “Now, you won’t die of cold.”
“Thank you,” Endrah shouted.
“Now perhaps you could help me,” the woman said. “Follow me.”
Endrah let the pull of a small, rough hand on his arm and followed its pull. After a while, Endrah found himself in a small cave full of goblins. Many of the small, green, large-eared people were dry, but more were soaked to the bone.
“You sprites can do some weather magic, right,” the woman who had led Endrah asked.
“Yes, but I don’t think I could end a storm alone,” Endrah answered. “But I will try.”
“Then it is a good thing there’s another outside, trying to do just that. She appeared outta nowhere and started trying to ‘calm the winds’ or something like that,” the woman said.
“I will see what I can do,” Endrah said. He gathered himself and stepped back into the storm. Around a bend, he saw a gray-dove-winged sprite desperately trying to calm the storm. “Ma’am, I am here to help!”
“Then do it! I cannot do this alone,” the woman hollered. “Call the wind.”
Endrah set himself to the task, reaching out to the wind with his inner magic. He began to sing a lullaby as the other sprite slowed the winds. Endrah sang songs of quiet nights until he lost feeling his hands and lips. Then he sang of crisp, dry nights, to slow the rain. Je felt his magic drain from him as his legs would weaken from running. Finally, the rain slowed to a drizzle and Endrah collapsed. The other sprite was nowhere to be seen.
“Where did she go,” Endrah panted.
“You are ready Endrah Feyborn,” a light, young female voice said. Then, Endrah too disappeared, leaving behind a soaked cloak and his shoulder bag.