Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  “Um... th-there, there,” I said. “It’s okay, Hans.”

  Ely stood and walked around the back of my chair to reach the boy. He knelt beside him and placed his hand gently on his back to soothe him. Cecily and Jack watched, awestruck, but it was the look on my father’s face that made me take pause. Sadness, but not for the boy—for me.

  I lowered my gaze to the child and took him in again. Dark hair and eyes the same mahogany color of Ely’s. The more I looked, the more I saw the uncanny resemblance between them. Ely’s look of shame was the final assurance that Hans was his son—and mine.

  “H-he’s... he’s mine?” I whispered so as not to further dismay the child.

  “Um... Hans, why don’t you let Auntie Elizabeth take you for ice cream? As much as you want, eat it all for all I care,” Ely said, which made Hans lessen his grip on me slightly.

  “Will you come soon, Mama?” he asked, so sure he’d gotten his mother back.

  I nodded. “Sure, I’ll come soon. Go on now, take your... take...” I hesitated, not sure who the other child was.

  “Wil, go with Hans for some ice cream and be good for Mommy, okay?” Calla said, but she never took her eyes off me.

  The boys took off across the room where they took Elizabeth’s hand. She gave Ely one last sympathetic glance, then took the boys from the room. My gaze followed them, and my heart practically leaped from my chest to go after Hans. It was an instinctual feeling I’d never felt before, and it told me all I needed to know.

  “I can explain,” Ely said.

  “I’d like to hear this myself after all these years,” my father said, but much more lighthearted than expected.

  Ely tensed but kept his focus on me. “Okay, well... so... yeah, so it’s exactly what it looks like. We married in secret, which you already know, then planned to run away together when we discovered you were pregnant, but... well, it didn’t go according to plan. We were found, and you were taken back to Goldene Stadt. Soon after that, my father was murdered. The night of his funeral, I had planned to come for you again, but...”

  “The curse,” Calla said. “I remember thinking you were acting strangely, more so than was expected.”

  “I wasn’t planning on returning until King Agustus approved our marriage, but then, well, we all know what happened at that dinner with Snow,” Ely said, sitting beside me again.

  “Actually, not all of us do,” Jack said. Brody whispered in his ear, and Jack nodded. “Okay, I’m all up to speed.”

  Ely rolled his eyes, and I wondered how he managed to maintain any composure at all. There were dozens of eyes on him, all waiting with anticipation.

  “I wanted to tell you, but the right time never came. It’s not an easy thing to say to someone, not to mention I never want to do anything that would hurt Hans,” he admitted.

  His concern for our child warmed my heart. Our child, holy cow. What else are these people hiding from me?

  Judging from the looks on everyone’s faces, I assumed I said my thought aloud.

  “You’ve always had that troublesome habit, darling,” my father said, then, “I was once so angry with Prince Eliot, I wanted him thrown in our dungeon, but five minutes alone with Hans and I can’t imagine my life without him. He’s a dear boy, Saskia, and he misses his mother desperately.”

  Ely’s tension eased, but only slightly. He still wasn’t sure what I was thinking or how I would respond to the sudden revelation that I was a mother. I wasn’t even sure what I was thinking, but it was hardly the child’s fault we were in a predicament. I focused on my heart and what it told me. I felt a deep affection for Hans already, not unlike how I felt with Cecily. I had once loved him enough to send him away, I assumed for his safety. He was my son, I believed it. I knew it. I felt it... I wanted it.

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Okay? Is this shock, or are you fine with suddenly having a child?” Ely asked.

  “It’s probably a little shock, but this isn’t his fault. It isn’t anyone’s fault. No good will come from denying the truth. We can’t hurt Hans, so I’ll do what I can until my memories return.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course, dimwit. He’s my nephew, so he’s going to be spoiled rotten by the end of the week,” Cecily said.

  I chuckled at my sister’s excitement, then said, “I have a question though, he’s eight or so, right?”

  “Nine, to be exact. He was four when he showed up in the forest just behind the castle walls. We assumed he began aging again when he entered Schwarzwald since our curse had been broken,” Ely replied, all eye still on us. I felt it was probably a conversation we should have in private, but it didn’t seem anyone else agreed.

  “So, for at least four years he grew in Goldene Stadt?”

  “Yes, darling. When you and Corrina disappeared, so did Hans. Now I know he was here all this time. One can only assume you sent him here to find safety,” King Agustus said.

  “So, if I understand this, you were cursed by Snow, then four years later I was cursed by Ella. Somehow Hans escaped Ella and fled here, but you only discovered him when you defeated Snow roughly five years ago? I mean, the math is a little suspect, but if I’m doing it right, then Hans spent over fourteen-hundred years from the time I was cursed until you freed Schwarzwald from Snow’s curse. Was he hiding out somewhere in Schwarzwald? And who was he with?”

  “I’m afraid that’s one question we don’t have an answer for,” Ravenna said. “We have tried asking him, but he gets too upset.”

  “I can imagine so, the poor kid. But I wonder...” I paused to think, perhaps a moment too long.

  “You wonder?” Ely asked.

  “I was just wondering if that’s the key. Maybe if we lure Ella out, her power would weaken? She obviously couldn’t find Hans once he left the border, so maybe she’s weaker outside the walls of her kingdom?”

  Henry seemed to debate my rationale, then said, “It’s possible, but we can’t be sure without testing the theory, and I’m not keen on testing her in any way.”

  I had to agree. The last time I interacted with the woman she single-handedly eviscerated my friend, stole my power, nearly killed Jack, and blew up a house—and she was happy. I couldn’t imagine what she would do if crossed. There was a collective sigh that demonstrated the frustration of everyone at the table, but Henry pushed on with his planning.

  “There is something I have kept from you all for a long time, for your protection, of course. I believe now may be the time to bring the truth to light.” He placed a leather satchel on the table, worn and ragged from the centuries, but still useful for holding whatever his secret was. It made a thudding sound on the solid table, gaining everyone’s attention.

  “I once thought this was the tool to killing Snow, but it seemed other means were just as effective. Still, I’ve kept this item safe and hidden away in case its use ever became necessary.”

  Henry lifted the worn satchel, and a dagger slid from inside. A bit tarnished and dirty, but beautifully crafted with ornate detail on the hilt. At the bottom of the handle was a blood-red ruby. Henry lifted the dagger carefully and displayed it in his palms for all to see.

  “This is—”

  “Der Siphon-Dolch...” Ravenna whispered. “I thought it was a legend or a whimsical tale of hope at least.”

  “I found it amongst Snow’s possessions just before the final Salien child arrived. I believe Snow used it to kill King Heinrich,” Henry said, glancing around the table, no doubt bringing up painful memories for many seated around me.

  “I’m sorry, what is a Der Snickerdoodle?” Jack asked. I wanted to know myself but was too afraid to interrupt what seemed to be a critical conversation.

  “The Siphon Dagger. It’s said to possess the magic of thousands of witches, anything magical really. Its purpose is to remove magic from its victim, rendering them mortal—if it doesn’t kill them, of course,” Heidi informed, ignoring my best friend’s butchering of her language. She gave her att
ention back to Henry. “Is this what you took from the castle on our last mission?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry I didn’t inform you or Felix, but I thought it best only my life be at risk. The two of you were needed for the cause, so I was only trying to ensure our longevity.”

  “It’s fine, I was only wondering when you found it. There have been reports of a similar dagger showing up all over the world; could there be more than one?” Heidi questioned.

  “Oh, no. This is the true dagger. I would know,” Fiona said.

  “How, pray-tell, would you know?” King Agustus asked, his crystalline blue eyes bearing down on the woman who showed no intimidation under his gaze.

  “I saw it once before, in the land of Weisserwald while on consultation with the Twelve Fairies,” she stated plainly as if we all knew who the Twelve Fairies were. She was astute enough to take note of the blank stares and elaborated. “They were experiencing a string of disappearances, including that of their thirteenth sister. The dagger was there at the time, but evidently, it has been in your possession for at least five or so years, yes?”

  “Indeed. Heidi, Felix, and I were on another information gathering mission here in Schwarzwald when it was still under Snow’s rule. I’d received word the dagger may have been used to kill King Heinrich, so I made a small tweak to my plan—which nearly got us all killed, I’ll add—but it was worth it. Do you think it can kill Ella? Or remove her powers so she can be killed?” Henry asked.

  “It may be our only way,” Fiona agreed. “I think we should gather more information about the curse in Goldene Stadt, specifically how it differs from the one Snow used on Schwarzwald. Ella is on an entirely different level than Snow, and we already know she amended the curse to suit herself in many ways.”

  “I agree,” Henry said. “I suppose Heidi and Felix could join me as usual.”

  “Wonderful, another mission,” Heidi said. “How many of those have we went on as a trio?”

  “I lost count after a thousand,” Felix said, then, “Who will guard the Royals while I am gone?”

  “Whoa, whoa, hold your horses there,” I said, feeling tired of being babysat and bounced around like an inanimate object. “I’m going with you. I need to see this... this... village you say was mine. I need this to be real in my head, to see what I’m fighting for, and more importantly, to figure out how to kill the woman who took my child from me.”

  “Sierra—”

  “Ely, I may not remember the boy, but a mother knows her child. She took him from me. I never got to watch him grow. I couldn’t comfort him when he needed me, and worse, she took every memory I have of him. I cannot let that stand.”

  “Saskia, you are a princess. You’re not meant to—” Our father was abruptly cut off by my sister standing strong beside me, literally. She rose and smacked her hand on the table, exerting whatever dominance her opinion had in the room.

  “I will not let anyone in this room tell my sister what she can and cannot do. She was the only mother, aside from Mrs. Monroe, who took care of me. You have no idea what this woman is capable of when she puts her mind to it. You’re all fools if you try to put her in a corner because of some stupid idea that princesses can’t kick—”

  “Cecily, I think they get the point,” I said before she went off on a spree I’d never get under control.

  “She’s not wrong,” Ely added. “I mean, she’s a bit lacking in the following instructions department, but she is strong. She’s a fighter, and this is her fight as much as Snow was ours.”

  Instinctively, Ely’s gaze went to Calla’s. She nodded, which sparked a series of nods from the rest of the Salien family, including King Marcellus—Marcus.

  “It’s settled then. Thaddeus will stay with Cecily and Jack—” Henry began.

  Jack stood beside Cecily, interrupting poor Henry again. “Um, I think what you meant to say is, Jack and Cecily will accompany Thaddeus.”

  “Accompany?” Marcus asked.

  “Yes, on the information gathering mission. I didn’t come here to sit on my butt while my girls did all the work,” Jack said.

  “You understand, the more people we take, the less covert it becomes,” Henry said. “I appreciate the enthusiasm, honestly, but I believe my usual partners along with Ely and Sierra are plenty for this particular mission. I would, however, appreciate a little behind-the-scenes work.”

  “Such as?” Marcus asked.

  “I would suggest the Grimm brothers search their tales for anything that may indicate the source of the darkness. Brody and Jack can easily help them with that. Meanwhile, Ravenna, Fiona, and Jemma can search their texts for information about the dagger. Cecily, it would be a good time for you to catch up with your father. Some discussion may trigger a memory that can help us.”

  Henry was good at making decisions for the group and had no qualms about telling royals what to do, a bonus of being married to one, I assumed. Nonetheless, they all appeared to value his opinion without question. If they all trusted him, then I would as well.

  Marcus considered what he said and made his final decision.

  “I agree with the plan. Are there any questions?”

  No one spoke, except for Calla. She leaned over to whisper to him, his face falling when she completed her statement. He grumbled a bit, then stood and said, “I had forgotten, we need to discuss the unfortunate situation that both Calla and I are two of the Seven Sworn Fiona spoke of earlier today.”

  “No,” Wil said, vehemently opposed to any discussion about the evilest evil that ever lived lurking somewhere in the world or his wife’s role in defeating it.

  “Wil, I have no choice. We talked about this,” Calla argued. Evidently, there had been a lot of talking going on I was not aware of and judging from the look on half the faces in the room, I’d guess we weren’t the only ones left out of the loop.

  “I will find another way. We can find another way, we must. I just got you back, and we have a son, Katharine. Would you subject him to a life without his mother?”

  “Of course not,” she began, “but I also won’t subject him to a world where evil lurks around every corner. We aren’t even sure what the Seven Sworn are supposed to do, so let’s just do the research and try to stay calm until we know the truth.”

  With that, Wil relented. I, however, could not let his statement go. Would you subject him to a life without his mother? His words flooded my mind until I could think of nothing else. What had happened to my son during those lost years? Had he suffered as Cecily and I had? Was he treated cruelly? Thoughts of what might have happened to him tore at my mind until I couldn’t take it any longer.

  “Sierra, are you okay?” Ely whispered beside me.

  “Take me to my son, Ely. I need to see him again.”

  “Okay, but you understand it’s a fragile situation?”

  “I’m his mother, Ely. I won’t do anything to cause him distress. Can you trust me, please?” I begged, feeling strongly that I may be able to trigger a memory, a feeling, anything if I could only hold him in my arms again.

  He rose from his chair and offered his hand, disregarding the discussion going around the table. “Alright, darling, let’s go see our son.”

  Chapter Twelve

  I took Ely’s hand as he guided me through the gargantuan castle. I’d never remember where anything was, though I tried to make a note of the important things as we passed—kitchen, central courtyard, bathroom—all twenty-two of them. We finally came to a stop at yet another solid oak door, but this one had an ornate HS carved on the front of it. I heard giggling from inside the room, Elizabeth’s laughter as Hans and Wil played music for her on their wood flutes.

  Ely pushed the door open and peered in. Elizabeth was laughing heartily as another woman danced around the room to the tune. She looked a lot like Elizabeth and Ely, but I was more focused on Hans. During my moment of secret observation, I could see features in him that were like mine. His smile, the way he sheepishly ducked his head when he
was the center of attention, even his laugh—all me.

  “Oh, brother, I didn’t hear you come in,” Elizabeth said.

  Ely pushed the door open all the way to reveal me standing beside him.

  “Elizabeth, Seline, this is Hans’ mother, Sierra,” he said.

  “Sierra? You’re silly, Papa. Mama’s name is Saskia,” Hans said, then ran to me again. “Have you come to play with us? It’s great fun!”

  “I’d love to! Will you dance with me?” I asked him, then he released my arm and bowed, before offering me his hand again.

  “Oh my, what good manners you have.”

  “You taught me, Mama, don’t you remember?” He looked afraid, of what I couldn’t be sure, but I felt it was probably the idea of being forgotten by his own mother. I didn’t want to lie to my child, but I quickly discovered a mother’s job is to do just that to spare her child a broken heart.

  “Of course, but I might be a bit rusty with the dancing. Can you teach me again?” I asked as the others watched. Little Wil played his flute, and I danced with my son, a million emotions flooding me with each step. I couldn’t place his face in the database of my mind, but I knew him. I could feel him in me, like my own soul.

  We danced, and we danced until I’d nearly forgotten that we were in a mythical land in Germany. Hans laughed when I stepped on his feet, then reminded me of the proper foot placement. When we passed Ely, he grabbed me around the waist and spun me around. Hans giggled and picked up his little drum. Between Hans and Wil, they had the most adorable little band I’d ever seen.

  Elizabeth and Seline twirled each other around as Ely did the same to me. I stumbled over a small toy in the middle of the floor, but he caught me and righted me just in time. His deep mahogany eyes caught my gaze, and for the first time since the day I met him, I saw true, unhindered happiness. I wanted, more than I had ever wanted anything in my life, to remember the man who came for me, who protected our son, and who was willing to die to protect me.