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“Fine.” Hannah calmed her breath and her mind. Maybe the wind really was trying to tell her something. “If you have something to say, say it. I’m listening.” The air accelerated, and Hannah became enchanted with a melody that sounded like the most beautiful pipe organ she had ever heard. It was a song, but she had no clue what the lyrics were. After the tune repeated a third time, she became impatient and stomped out of the cyclone.
“Go away and leave me alone,” she grumbled. Whatever the wind was trying to tell her, she didn’t have the time or patience to figure it out. She picked up her bow and arrow, turned to the tree, and shot. The wind swarmed on the arrow, playfully moved it around and guided it with forced precision into the tree. It hit the small divot she had etched in the middle of the circle.
Elated, Hannah jumped up and down. She did it! She not only hit the mark that would one day make her a cupid, but the arrow was perfectly placed. But her celebratory mood wasshort-lived as she thought about the wind. “Again,” she called. She set another arrow, waited until she heard the wind’s musical notes, then released. This time, the wind threw it against the tree with such force, it split her previous arrow in two. She grabbed the remaining arrows and fired them as fast as she could, one after the other. She stood in awe as each was carried with pristine accuracy to the tree, splitting the arrows before it. “Wow,” she whispered with admiration as she bowed her head. She still didn’t understand what the wind was trying to tell her, but that day changed her life forever. She shed her ego and made a friend.
By her late teens, she came to learn the lyrics of the wind and listened obediently when it sang to her. She still didn’t know why the element chose to befriend her over the other archers on the island. Maybe it had tried, but none would listen. Or maybe it saw something in her that the others didn’t possess. Whatever the reason, she was grateful.
Piper joined her from time to time at the lake. She listened and watched as Hannah shot arrows and relayed what the wind said about each one. Piper began crafting more aerodynamic arrows that worked better in the hands of the wind. She experimented with different feathers and materials for the fletching and a variety of designs for the point. Each one was tested and tweaked until Piper mastered the perfect arrow that could ride effortlessly on the wings of the wind.
By the time they hit their twenties, Hannah was the island’s youngest cupid, and as per tradition, she was allowed to choose which fletcher she wanted to partner with.For Hannah, it was a no-brainer.
And now, here she was, top archer six years in a row, with her best friend by her side.
She once again bowed her head and silently honored the wind. She might be the best archer, but she was still human, and without magic, she would be no different than the mortals outside the island.
“Mortals.” She snorted as she raised her head and opened her eyes. The word was a bit of a misnomer. Those on Archer Island were as susceptible to death as everyone else. The difference was that those born in this land aged much slower, allowing them to live about five times longer than the average mortal.
The sound of laughter made her turn. She shaded her eyes and focused on two young women standing waist-deep in the water and playfully splashing on the other side of the falls. Hannah returned their waves and remembered flirtatiously splashing with a woman well-versed in the art of lovemaking. Her stomach flinched as she recalled how her body had responded under the experienced touch. How the sensation of lips and fingers gently stroking and entering her body had awakened such a hungry desire and had introduced her to a depth of passion she’d never known. She wondered if these women were lovers or if this was going to be the first time they would experience such pleasures.
Hannah smiled, shook off the thoughts, and took in the view of the falls one last time. “Well, Bella, what do you say we head to Brea’s? I’m sure the gang is waiting for us.”
Bella uprooted a huge chunk of grass as she began walking and continued chomping on the swaying clump until she successfully maneuvered it into her mouth. Once she did, she broke into a gallop, and Hannah’s soul beamed with happiness.
Twenty minutes later, she slid off Bella and thanked her for her company. Bella bobbed her head and trotted over to Piper’s palomino and the other small herd grazing in the empty field next to Brea’s.
Hannah entered the tavern to another round of cheers and applause. This was her time to enjoy the spotlight, for next week, the bakers squared off and after that, the blacksmiths with their anvils and so on. The name of the island might have the word archer in it, but it held them in no higher esteem then the other inhabitants. Every craftsperson, artisan, and occupation was acknowledged and respected, and each held a competition to honor the best among them. And the first round of drinks after each contest came with a toast and well-wishes for the winner. Today, the tradition honored Hannah.
“About time you showed up. You missed your toast. We’re already on our second round.” Piper smiled as Hannah scooted next to her on a wooden bench.
“Bella and I swung by the lake.”
“I figured as much.” Piper slid a mug of beer in front of her.
Hannah cupped the mug and took a sip. The pale amber liquid was malty, with hints of floral essences. Just the way she liked it. On her many cupid journeys around the world, she had taken the time to walk among the mortals, sample their food and drink, and try to gain an understanding of their many tastes and customs. Most of the time, she found what they consumed interesting and full of unidentifiable, yet tantalizing flavors. As for their customs, most seemed a bit of a mystery, but all were intriguing. For the most part, she’d quickly come to the conclusion that mortals throughout the world overlapped with so many similarities, yet for the life of her, she didn’t understand why they seemed to cling so tightly to their differences.
“Uh-oh, don’t look now, but Brea is giving you the eye,” Piper said in a low voice as she nudged her.
Hannah glanced at Brea, a curvy woman with long dark hair and a gentle smile. Although she was behind the counter filling several mugs, her eyes were trained on Hannah, and she raised a seductive brow, which relayed that she was in the moodfor a quick hookup. Hannah raised her mug in acknowledgment but shook her head in a signal that now was not the time. Brea playfully pouted but nodded.
“Not now,” Hannah whispered to Piper. “I still have my duties.”
“Ah yes, the never-ending job of spreading love. But my question is, when are you going to find the same love you give to others?”
Hannah released a long sigh. Although she had shared herself with a handful of the island’s women, she hadn’t chosen to settle with any of them. And even though her body lusted after each one, her heart never followed. “I just haven’t found the right woman yet.”
“Maybe one of these days, I’ll craft a set of arrows just for you and shoot them at you and a would-be lover.”
“Don’t you dare.” Hannah wagged a finger. “Sadly, I don’t think love is my destiny.”
“You underestimate your heart.”
“Maybe.” But to find her true love, a few things had to fall into place. First, Danika, the elder reader of the night sky and the one entrusted to stare into the vastness every evening, had to see two paired names appear among the stars. She would then write the lovers’ names down, and by first light, she would take her stack of parchment and divide the names among the fletchers. A special set of arrows was crafted for the paired souls and the tips dipped in a binding spell that bonded the two recipients upon a kiss. But if the two souls had not kissed within seventy-two hours of being shot, the spell would dissipate, and the magic would forever be lost.
Hannah had once asked why there was a three-day limit to the magic. Piper had shrugged and told her that was the way the spell had been crafted since the dawn of time, and no onehad bothered to change the recipe. Besides, Piper had once said jokingly, if they hadn’t kissed by then, the universe had obviously made a mistake.
Fortunately, the spell also had a magnetic component, and once one lover was in close proximity to the other, the laws of attraction took over, a kiss soon followed, and love took hold. That was the magic of a cupid’s arrow.
“Well,” Piper said as she wrapped an arm around Hannah. “If you won’t let me craft a set of arrows for you, perhaps the magic of fairy tales will come your way.”
