It had been some time since Ridley had a bath and it was uncomfortable the entire time. It wasn’t the soap that unnerved him nor was it the hot water. As he sat there alone in the bath he wondered if he had walked into a trap. He looked around nervously. Nothing. It was strange.

By the end, all the sand and dirt had been scrubbed away and Ridley sat on a sofa with neatly folded blankets and pillows next to him.

“Okay, there has to be something going on here.” He thought to himself. “This is too good to be true. I mean I guess if nothing pops out of nowhere and attacks me, this is fine. Still doesn't help me solve the riddle.” Ridley thought to himself as he laid down on the sofa. Ridley’s eyes slowly closed and it wasn’t long before he fell asleep.

He was awoken in the middle of the night with loud sounds of thunder and lighting. He frantically looked around but only saw shadows from the glow of the dying flames in the fireplace. Lighting struck again and the empty dark house made him uneasy. Then he heard a tune. A sad tune, a happy tune. Ridley got up from the sofa and looked around.

“Lyre?” He called out. But got no answer. And then he heard a roar coming from outside. Ridley hurried and grabbed his things before dashing out the door with speed.

The storm was as fierce and intense as it was the day before. Ridley stepped out and was met with thick raindrops pouring down from the heavens. The wind howled and circled him with such ferocity. All this time he kept an ear out. Then the tune came around again and he took off in its direction.

“Got to be a connection. The music, the dragon and the storm.” Ridley said as he spat out the rain running down his face. The ground turned muddy as he ran.

The music led him to a cliff and beyond that was the endless ocean in front of them. Sitting on the edge was Lyre and she was holding the old lute. Next to her was a worn out gravestone. In front of her was a display of water, wind and lightning; all dancing around as if they were individual characters in a ballroom and suddenly off in the distance a wave in the shape of a dragon roared and crashed into the side of the cliff. Ridley approached with caution.

“Okay...So I’m guessing either she's a witch or not human.” He thought to himself. Dark clouds started to form around them accompanied with lightning and thunder. Fear wanted Ridley to turn back and run. But he grit his teeth and approached Lyre.

“Lyre..?” Ridley said in the calmest tone he could but there were clear hints of fear. The music stopped. Lyre picked up her head but didn’t turn around. She kept looking out towards the horizon.

“I’m sorry.” She struggled to say. Ridley took a few more steps.

“Uh, it’s alright.”

“NO!” She shouted and suddenly a burst of wind exploded from her. Ridley almost toppled over as the gust of wind blasted him unexpectedly. “It’s not alright.” She said in a demonic scraggly voice. “It can never be alright.” She repositioned her fingers and started to play the lute once again. And once again the wind and the water started to dance accompanied with thunder.

“Shit..” Ridley whispered to himself. He looked over at the gravestone. “I’m guessing they were a friend of yours?” Ridley asked. The music started to slow down the tempo and Lyre Ridley could hear soft crying.

“Yes.” She said in a soft voice. The wind slowly became calm but there were still dark clouds circling above them. Ridley took a few more steps forward.

“Tell me about them.” He asked.

“She was wonderful.” Lyre said. “But now she’s gone and I am here alone and I feel so empty. Lost in a void without meaning.” The tempo started up again. A flicker of lightning cracked in the dark clouds. Ridley looked up at the clouds with worry. He let out a nervous chuckle.

“I am sorry to hear that.” Ridley said as he struggled to keep his composure. “How about that song you got playing? That's a real knee slapper.”

“She wrote it.”

“Sounds...nice.” Ridley said nervously.

“I hate it.” Lyre said in a growling voice as she continued to play.

“You what?” Ridley asked.

“Music. I hate it.” Lyre said. “It’s a terrible thing. A curse. A blight upon the soul. I don’t understand it. And yet I play. It’s like hypnotism. It’s a magic I cannot comprehend.”

“Well sure yeah. But music isn’t all that bad. It can go either way I guess. It can be both nice and down right miserable at the same time.” Ridley said. The music started to slow down a bit.

“That’s what she said. She would say that music is the most potent kind of magic ever to exist. It’s the kind that can reflect someone’s true self.” Lyre said as she continued to play. “Whenever she played this song it was captivating. It was beautiful. We would dance endlessly into the early dawn. But now as I try to play it, it comes out sad and terrifying.” Lyre said as thunder boomed over the airspace and the waves crashed into the cliff shaking the ground. Ridley wobbled a bit but was able to prevent himself from falling down. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck starting to rise and tingle. Off in the distance he heard a mighty roar and can see a silhouette of a dragon beyond the clouds approaching fast.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

“Shit, got to try a different approach.” Ridley thought to himself.

“You said the playing music reflects the soul. And you feel upset by her death. Yeah, that makes sense.” Ridley said as he looked around at the storm. “Maybe let’s talk about what made you happy about her? Because I don’t think she would be happy seeing you like this, right?” Ridley said in a scared voice. For a few seconds the music stopped and the storm around them calmed.

“Something...that made me happy?” Lyre said quietly to herself. Ridley was stunned at the display and the calmness he wasn’t paying attention to what Lyre was saying.

“Her smile. It was...contagious. When she laughed I laughed. Her softness and warmness. She had a wild personality. And…” Lyre stopped for a moment and then repositioned her fingers on the lute. Ridley caught this and prepared for the storm to pick up again.

“...Hopeful.” Lyre said to herself as she started to play.

The wind carefully picked up again and the water below slowly swirled with ease. The music that came out this time was a lot calmer.

“She would look me in the eyes and with absolute confidence say that everything will be alright. She would tell me that no matter how cruel the world is that there’s always kind people in it and no matter what happens there will always be a silver lining. She was insane like that but I loved hearing it.” Lyre said as she smiled. “I feel so foolish. I guess...in my grief I forgot about that. Maybe...I can try.”

Ridley frantically looked around, expecting the storm to pick up. But as he stood there he realized that nothing to that level was happening. He stared in amazement as the clouds and wind danced together above and then light broke out from the horizon.

“Holy shit.” Ridley said to himself as he sat down on the wet ground. The music continued for a while before stopping completely. Lyre stared at the rising sun and smiled. She turned around and saw Ridley sitting in the mud with an innocent dumbfounded expression on his face. She let out a small laugh at the sight and motioned him to sit next to her on the cliff. Ridley scurried over like a terrified crab and sat next to Lyre. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Lyre spoke.

“Before I met her I used to live alone. I was angry all the time. People wouldn’t leave me alone. They said I was a beast that needed to be killed. I just wanted to be left alone. But then she came along.” Lyre said as she slowly turned her head towards the gravestone. “And played a mystical tune that to this day I still cannot comprehend. But it was lovely. She was kind and energetic. Her favorite story to tell was in her original hometown she was hired to perform for the king. Her performance was so comical and embarrassing that the king banished her from the city entirely. Come to find out months later the king was overthrown by the people in his court due to his lack of spirit. She always likes to claim credit for that little revolt. Bit of a laugh there with that. We lived happily together here for a long time. But then one day...” Lyre said as she let out a painful sigh. “She was gone.” Ridley sat in awkward silence for a brief moment.

“How did she die?” Ridley asked bluntly. It wasn’t until after he opened his mouth that he realized he may have asked a sensitive question. When the realization dawned on him it was very obvious on his face.

“She passed due to old age.” Lyre said in a surprisingly calm tone as she slowly stood up. She eyed Ridley and gave him a faint smile of compassion.

“Let’s go have breakfast before you continue your journey.” Lyre said as she slowly turned away and started to walk back towards the cottage. Ridley turned back and saw the sun peaking over the horizon.

“Holy hell that was intense.” He said to himself as he slowly found the strength in him to stand up.

Ridley stood on the beach in front of an old longship. It had a single mast in the center with rusted shields hanging off the side. The ship looked like it had seen better days. Ridley expected it to sink at any given moment. He hesitantly approached the ship and cautiously with one foot at a time, stepped into the ship. There were a number of supplies, dry food and water canteens, at the center of the ship all tied down. Lyre came running up to him with a large sack filled with more supplies of food including dried fish, bread and other pieces of equipment.

“Right!” She said with a thoughtful gaze. “You should have enough to get you back to the continent with a little more til you find the next town.”

Ridley looked around for a bit and then turned his attention to Lyre. He noticed that the old lute was strung across her back. “Thank you. I don’t know what else to say.”

“Saying ‘thank you’ is enough.” Lyre said with a smile. RIdley shuffled his weight around on the ship.

“Want to come with me?” Ridley asked. “Come back with me to the world where I came from?” Lyre was taken aback by the request. She mumbled a bit to herself, repeating the request.

“Go with you?” She asked. “To a new world.”

“Yeah.” RIdley answered. “Might be better than living here alone.”

Lyre only smiled but shook her head. “I appreciate your offer and would love to someday.” She said as she looked back in the direction of the cottage. “But I don’t feel comfortable just yet. Some things I have to put away first. I don’t know how long that will take. But afterwards, I will leave.”

Ridley only nodded. “I understand.” He said. Lyre suddenly had an excited expression on her face.

“Oh! I almost forgot.” She said as she reached into one of the supply bags. She pulled out a blackened lamp. “Here! You’re going to need this most of all.” She said as she held the lamp in her hands. Ridley looked at her with a puzzled look on his face.

“What’s this about? It’s a lamp.” He said. His eyes danced between Lyre and the lamp. Lyre let out a giggle of amusement. Ridley gave her a sour look. After a moment Lyre recomposed herself.

“Your riddle.”

“What about it?” Ridley asked.

And then Lyre did something Ridley was not expecting and the shock nearly caused him to stumble back and fall into the water. She gently pursed her lips together and from them came a golden flame that shimmered and sparkled. The golden flame danced across the air for a bit before settling into the lamp where it rested and glowed with a brilliant yellow and white brilliance. Lyre gazed at the flame and with a soft voice spoke.

“I have many tongues but cannot taste. By me, most things turn to waste. I crack and snap, yet I stay whole. I may take the largest toll. Around me, people may sleep. Yet run when I am released from my keep.” She said as she handed Ridley the lamp.

“Fire.” He said to himself. As soon as he said that, a little voice chimed into his ear.

“Ding.” Leaf’s soft voice said. Ridley frantically looked around and let out a grunt.

“Damnit Leaf! Where are you?” Ridley shouted out. Lyre let out a not so subtle chuckle.

“She’s not here. I would have sensed her presence.” Lyre said. Ridley turned back to her. “She took your blood didn’t she?” Lyre asked. Ridley said nothing as he rubbed the side of his face where Leaf scratched him. A thoughtful gaze came across his face. “I think so.” He replied.

“She’s following you with magic. She knows where you are at all times.”

“That son of a bi-” Ridley was about to finish the sentence when Lyre placed her right index finger to her lips.

“Shhh.” She whispered. “You must learn to show a bit of restraint and respect to the fairies. They will never forget.” Lyre said as she let out a sigh. “And their pride exceeds all others.” Ridley stood there in silence.

“Ah crap.” He whispered to himself. He looked back at Lyre. She gave him one last warm and compassionate smile that made him already miss her. She slung the lute around and positioned her fingers on the strings.

“Safe journey, Ridley. I do hope we meet again.” Lyre said as she started to play a soft and gentle tune. Suddenly the waves from underneath caressed the ship and carefully carried it out to sea. The tune sounded sad, almost longing for something missing. All that Ridley could think of at that moment was his father and sister back home. He sniffed and then waved at Lyre.

“Thank you again for everything.” He shouted out to her as the ship continued to move out to sea. He let out a sigh and began to unfurl the sail. He picked up the blackened lanturn and stared deeply at the dancing golden flame inside. And then something clicked inside him. His eyes opened wide with surprise.

“Oh! She was the dragon.” Ridley said in a confounded voice. He sat down flabbergasted. He wasn’t so sure of it at the time but he thought somewhere off in the back of his head he could hear Leaf laughing.