The Sylph of Heartbreak Woods

By Beka Gremikova

This was the last time I’d ever let Matt drive Baby, my gorgeous poppy-red ATV.

We hit bump after bump trucking up the mountain. I hung onto Matt for dear life as we rumbled over clumps of clay rocks, spewing pebbles. Finally, he swung Baby to a stop. Around us stretched Heartbreak Woods, its dense foliage fiery autumn red.

“The sylph’s territory,” Matt said, removing his helmet and adjusting the collar of his forest ranger uniform. “We’re walking the rest of the way. Still got the sylphan, Lex?”

I checked my pocket for the packet of crimson powder. One whiff of it, and my ex, James, would be freed from the sylph’s enchantment. “Got it. No thanks to your driving!”

Matt rolled his eyes. “You gave me the keys. Save your wrath for James.”

“It’s not his fault he’s under a spell!” If anyone felt my wrath, it’d be that sylph.

Matt shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he started into the trees. I jogged beside him. “What was that look for?”

He sighed. “Do you really think he’s just enchanted?”

I tripped over a tangled tree root. Matt caught my arm, keeping me upright. “He has to be! We were so happy together.” Sure, James sometimes preferred wandering alone in the woods to going on dates, but I thought it was his Lord Byron-wannabe nature.

Then Matt found James kissing a sylph on a patrol in Heartbreak Woods.

Of course, I’d dumped James, but I still felt the sylph’s devious magic was to blame for his actions. Sylphs were notorious for luring people.

I bit my lip. It had to be magic. Once we broke the spell, James would beg for forgiveness. Then he and I could start over.

Matt frowned but didn’t argue as we continued walking. Two hours later, we neared a clearing that James usually passed through on his hikes. There was no sign of him, so we hunched behind a gnarled oak, watching the sylph flit from tree to tree. Cobwebs and mist swathed her lithe limbs. Auburn leaves crowned her forehead over rosy-red cheeks and scarlet lips.

My heart wrenched. How could a gangly, muscled farm girl compete with a faery?

Do you really think he’s just enchanted?

I tugged my sleeves over my freezing fingers. “Can you approach her? I want to see how her magic works.”

If it is magic.

Matt frowned. “You sure?”

Did he guess my thoughts? I nodded.

Matt stepped into the clearing. The sylph hummed as she drifted over to him, head tilted, eyes narrowed. I leaned forward, fingers digging into the tree bark. Now she’d wrap him in a heart-red burst and turn him into a lovesick puppy.

Then I’d know for sure it was her fault. All her fault. Not James’s. Not mine.

She reached to brush Matt’s cheek.

Matt leaned back, pushing her hand away.

My heart hammered. No burst of magic. Not even a poof.

Leaves rustled. James approached the glade, eyes riveted on the sylph. I leapt up, snagging his sleeve.

He startled. “Lexi? What—”

I broke the sylphan packet and tossed the fiery powder into his face. James briefly resembled a tomato before the particles dissolved into his skin.

I held my breath.  Glancing to the left, I saw Matt moving toward us, with the sylph close behind.

James blinked. “What the heck was that?” He glared at me.

I shrank back, shivering. “Sylphan,” I whispered. “It was supposed to free you—”

James pinched the bridge of his nose. “From what, Lex? You and I are finished. Besides…”

Matt approached, his eyes flashing, just as James said, “She’s the best choice for me.”

“That’s no excuse for cheating!” Matt straightened, his tall frame looming over James. He jabbed James’s chest, pushing him backwards. “And if you think you can get away with hurting Lex—”

A flash of red behind him caught my eye. “Matt!”

His words broke off in a choking gurgle as the sylph’s hands wrapped around his neck. “How dare you threaten my love!” she shrieked, her skin nearly purple. Her grip tightened and Matt’s eyes bulged. He writhed, trying to escape her viselike grasp.

My vision went red. I leapt onto James’s back, locking my arms around his throat. He tried to wrestle me off, but I hung on. My heart hammered, and I shook with rage.

James went still. I locked eyes with the sylph. “You want him safe? Don’t hurt my friend.”

The sylph gasped, her eyes darting to James. I locked my arms tighter around his neck, and he hissed in pain.

The sylph dumped Matt on the ground. He crawled toward me as I released James, who staggered over to the sylph. She wrapped her arms around him, cooing.

“You okay, Matt?” I helped him to his feet.

He nodded, gasping, and I hurried him away from the clearing. “What about you?” Matt asked when he’d caught his breath.

“Been better.” My eyes stung. “I thought sylphs lured people away, but… I guess people run after them.” I kicked at a clump of clay as we walked back through the woods. “The sylph didn’t seem to have that effect on you, though.” I bit my lip. Was that too bitter?

Matt flushed and ducked his head, kneeling to pick mushrooms. He stuffed them into his pack. “I like someone else, that’s why,” he said softly. “Someone who deserves to be treated with respect.”

My skin felt too cold and too hot. I pressed my hands to my cheeks.

He glanced at me. “You figure it out?”

“You…like me?” He chose me over a sylph? I suddenly couldn’t stop grinning.

“A lot, actually. Would you… wanna go four-wheeling next Friday?” He got to his feet.

I snorted. “Forget Friday. Let’s go right now!” Before he could blink, I snatched the keys from his front pocket. “But this time, I’m driving.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Beka Gremikova hails from the Ottawa Valley, Ontario, Canada. She loves wolves, travelling, and exploring new cultures and cuisines. Her obsession with folklore and myth often weaves itself into her stories, multiple of which are published with Havok. Her writing has been included in Bingeworthy, A Kind of Death from Uncommon Universes Press and the Faces to the Sun collection edited by S.J. Blasko. She dreams of attending ComicCon in Princess Zelda cosplay.

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