Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  “We’ll tackle that if and when the time comes,” I said. “There is never a good reason to run into something blind, I learned that the hard way only days ago.” Ely offered me a small smile I could only assume meant he was pleased I’d learned my lesson. “I’m the one she tricked into handing over her power, and she did it with ease and skill. We can’t be sure she hasn’t planned for an attack such as this and taken measures to prepare herself.”

  Marcus fell into his chair, groaning as he did. “She’s a much better ruler than I am, and she hasn’t even ascended to the throne.”

  Ava pursed her lips and placed her hand on his arm. “It’s been five years, Marcus. Sierra has had a little more experience managing heavy stuff than we have. Remember, this is the first time we’ve been tested since you took the throne.”

  “She’s right, darling,” Ravenna said. “You will gain wisdom with each new challenge, then you will apply that wisdom to your obstacle.”

  Felix entered the hall again, finding sad faces all around. He didn’t seem affected by it in the least but approached Marcus with his news.

  “The guards are prepared. We can leave on your word,” he said, almost anticipating the adventure. I, contrarily, wanted nothing more than to climb back into bed with my child and pretend we were living in a crummy apartment in Philadelphia rather than discussing tactic in an ancient castle.

  “The sooner, the better. You are dismissed,” Marcus said, then stood with Ava and exited a door opposite where I sat. I hadn’t noticed the door before, but then I was usually distracted when in the room.

  Ely and Heidi joined Felix, so I glanced at my sister.

  “Ready?” I asked.

  “If you’re asking if I’m prepared to go hunt a troll, then no, but if you’re asking if it’s time to go, then yes.” She looked like she may vomit her breakfast any moment but joined the others with me all the same.

  We followed Felix into the central courtyard where the guards stood in three lines awaiting orders. I was surprised to see a few women among the ranks, exhibiting just how far the kingdom had developed under Marcus’ rule.

  Ely shifted, reminding me that we were not using horses to travel this time. I was grateful because Cinnamon and I were not on speaking terms after she ran off and left me for the trolls. Cecily and I shifted after him and followed the guards toward the gate. Thaddeus lowered the metal plate that covered the main gate, then rolled it back so we could exit. Once we were all outside the walls of the town square, the gate closed behind us, and the plate creaked back into place.

  A thought occurred to me that hadn’t before. The remote parts of the kingdom were unprotected, leaving the villagers at risk of troll attacks. I felt sure Marcus would not allow his people to live in fear of such things but also had no thoughts on what he might do to protect them. There wasn’t much time to consider it unless I wanted to be left behind, so I put it in the back of my mind to discuss with him later.

  I trotted forward, catching up with the group quickly. Cecily took my right while Ely held the rear. Felix led the group of guards into the forest, and with each step, our task felt more foreboding. Miles passed, and I discovered we were heading back to the burned community where we’d encountered the trolls before, close to the border. I felt uneasy, a little thrown off.

  When we were kids, I always got a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach when something was about to go wrong. Back then, it usually meant one of our foster parents would come home drunk and use me as a punching bag, or that we’d go without dinner as a punishment for some imagined slight. Now, I didn’t know what to make of the feeling, but I’d always trusted my instinct—except that one time with Ella. Ella. She knew where to hit me to throw me off. This feels wrong, Si. It’s probably...

  IT’S A TRAP!

  I barely got the thought out before we were surrounded by trolls, snarling and closing in fast. Their oozing pustules gagged the guards, but it did not sway their steadfastness. They assumed a fighting position, but the trolls never attacked. Instead, they waited. What are they waiting for?

  Ely dipped his head and sniffed the ground. He caught a scent he recognized, and his head jerked up, toward Cecily and me.

  She’s here!

  We were wrong. Ella was more than willing to leave the safety of her kingdom to watch us get ripped to shreds by trolls. Felix and the guards could see the trolls surrounding us, but they couldn’t see what we smelled—hundreds more of the monsters closing in. They would slaughter every one of the guards, including the man my sister loved. They also didn’t know Ella lurked in the shadows, a threat to all of us.

  They can’t see them! What do we do? I directed my thoughts to Ely, who could think of only one thing to do.

  He shifted to his human form and yelled. “There are hundreds! We must retreat before—”

  His words were cut short, abruptly so, and it baffled me. He lurched forward a bit and stumbled, clutching his chest. Blood poured through his fingers as a sword made its final thrust through his chest, then retreated as he fell. Ella stood behind him, cackling before she disappeared in a fog.

  Ely fell face-first onto the ground as the trolls descended. I couldn’t control my fear, and it caused me to shift repeatedly—human, wolf, human, wolf—until Cecily’s scream brought me back to reality. She fell beside Ely, her blood-curdling screams piercing through the sounds of battle all around us. The putrid smell of trolls invaded my human nostrils, mixing with nausea that was already there. I turned and vomited everywhere, everything I’d eaten purged from my body in violent heaves.

  Heidi screamed, and I caught sight of her rushing toward us. I’d all but forgotten her, then realized the guards had been surrounding her, protecting her since she was a valuable witch who was not invincible.

  Ella had tricked me again. She waited patiently, knowing Ely would risk his own life rather than allow me or Cecily to shift and give warning. She was cunning and patient, two things I quickly discovered I was not.

  Another scream brought me back to reality. Ely reached for me, his hands covered with blood. Trickles of the thick red liquid poured from his mouth, sputtering everywhere when he coughed.

  “What can we do?” Cecily cried.

  “I’m trying! My powers... they’re not working! I can’t heal him!” Heidi screamed.

  Surrounding us, a dozen guards and Felix fought to protect us, but they were losing. Trolls fell dead against Marcus’ wishes, but I didn’t care. The shock was blocking my ability to care about anything, but I was soon snapped out of my daze for good.

  “Saskia... tell Hans...” Ely’s voice was weak, and the full weight of what happened fell on me, crushing me until I could hardly breathe.

  “Shh... You’ll tell him yourself. Heidi will—”

  “I can’t! Whatever she stabbed him with is blocking my healing powers. I can’t fix this!” Heidi was coming undone.

  Ely squeezed my hand, regaining my full attention.

  “I love you, and I know...” He sucked in a breath, then tried to continue. “I know... you will protect...”

  “No, don’t you dare die, you infuriating man!” I yelled at him. “Not now! You can’t just bulldoze into my life and make me fall in love with you, then leave like they did! You can’t!”

  Cecily sobbed beside me, and a flood of memories came over me. I remembered every painful moment of learning our adoptive parents had died, but as painful as that was it dulled in comparison to the agony losing Ely would inflict on me.

  Cecily had a moment of clarity and stopped her crying long enough to grab Heidi’s hands.

  “What about the sleeping spell? The one Ravenna used on Wil and Jay?” she asked.

  “No, no... I don’t want that. It’s too much for Heidi,” Ely said, using what energy he had left to pull me closer. “She needs her strength to protect you.”

  “I can do it. It’s difficult, yes, but... but I can’t let you die, Ely. You’re a brother to me. I’ll have enough to protect them stil
l,” Heidi argued.

  “You can’t, Heidi!” Ely cried. “Just let me die and keep them safe!”

  “She’s not going to let you die, so shut up!” Cecily scolded, never one to be a good nurse.

  Ely groaned and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position though I assumed there was no comfortable position when you had a hole through and through. His mahogany eyes caught mine again, pleading.

  “What if you don’t regain your memory, Sierra? I’d rather die than lie asleep waiting for you to remember how true our love once was, don’t you understand?”

  I didn’t remember him, not entirely. I wasn’t sure I ever would, but that didn’t change the way I felt about him. I took his hand and placed it over my heart, silly, but it felt right.

  “Trust this, Ely. Trust that the heart I have now is true. I love you, more than I would have thought possible a week ago. I was born for this mission, and I will not let you die while I carry it out. Trust in us. Trust me.”

  Heidi had already begun the spell as I distracted him, not that it was by design, but I didn’t care. I bent over him to give one last kiss before sleep took him away from me. Just as my lips grazed his, the lights went out, and my brain exploded, transporting me to another time and place.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “I think you’re doing it wrong, sister,” Corrina said, shoving my hands away. “Try it this way.” Her fingers worked quickly, folding the paper until it resembled a swan. She tossed it into the air, and it flew gracefully toward the water. When it landed, it instantly transformed into a live swan.

  “Mother, stop showing off,” I teased. She smiled brilliantly, her dark hair a stark contrast to her pale skin.

  “Fold another! Fold a whole flock!” Mother squealed, so Corrina and I began folding paper birds as quickly as we could, and each one transformed into a beautiful swan the second it landed on the water.

  Genevieve skipped around my mother’s legs, fascinated by her abilities.

  “What are you four up to?” my father asked as he approached, smiling at his beloved daughters and niece, playing under the watchful eye of his queen.

  “Passing the time until the ball,” Genevieve said.

  He rounded the three of us into a tight hug, and my ten-year-old mind couldn’t imagine a more perfect father. Though Genevieve was not his own daughter, he treated her as such since hers had perished in battle weeks before her birth.

  “Your maids are beside themselves worrying over where you are. Better get back inside the castle grounds.” He shooed us toward the castle, but I caught sight of someone approaching the lake from the opposite side.

  A boy, around the same age as us, crouched at the side of the lake and took a long drink. His dark hair was a mess on his head, and it was made messier by the boys who joined him at the lake. One, a taller boy perhaps a little older, ruffled his hair before shoving his face into the water.

  “Marcellus! Stop it!” the first boy shouted, and I giggled at the sharp squeal. His head jerked in my direction and his gaze caught mine. His eyes were dark as far as I could see from my side of the water, and a cheeky grin spread across his face.

  “Come on, sister!” Corrina called, distracting me from the boys.

  “This was the absolute worst time for this to happen,” I heard Heidi yell, but I couldn’t orient myself to where she was. I heard fighting all around me, then my sister’s cries. I tried to sit to get to her, fearing the worst, but just as I moved a centimeter the memories flooded me again.

  “I don’t think you have a clue what you’re talking about, Saskia. We’re twelve-years-old, how do you suppose we can get away with it?” Eliot asked.

  “Well, if you act twelve, people will treat you as if you’re a child, but if you act more mature, then people will naturally assume that you are older regardless of how you look,” I explained, desperate to get the rowdy boy under control so that my father wouldn’t forbid us from spending time together.

  Eliot Salien was my one and only friend aside from my sister and cousin, a side-effect of being born to the King of Goldene Stadt. Though father wasn’t necessarily feared, he did carry a certain kind of intimidation that kept the other children at bay.

  “Ah, so you want me to act as an older child instead of enjoying my youth, is that it?”

  I instantly felt horrible for insinuating he wasn’t quite good enough just as he was. After all, his mischievous behavior was what I liked best about him. I sighed and settled on the bank by the lake, accepting that Eliot Salien would forever be Eliot Salien. There was no changing his ways, nor did I truly want to change him. He lived his life unencumbered by the weight of the crown. Others, like me, felt an inexplicable need to be perfect.

  “No, you’re right,” I admitted.

  “I’m what?”

  “Hush, you heard me. We should get to have fun, but these royal rules are so constricting sometimes I can hardly breathe.”

  Eliot’s eyes got that sparkle, the one that told me I would regret whatever he was about to do. The curve of his lips into a cheeky grin—his usual ill-behaved look—confirmed my thoughts.

  “I dare you to let go for one day. Just stop being a perfect princess and have fun with me,” he begged, not the first time he’d done so, but this time I was inclined to take him up on the offer.

  “Fine, one day. Show me how to have fun, Eliot.”

  He didn’t need to be told twice. He clutched my hand tightly in his and took off toward his kingdom, just a quarter mile or so from where we sat near the border. I barely kept up with him, and the constant stumbling finally wore on his nerves. He paused and glanced down at the ridiculously frilly skirt of my dress.

  “That has to go, I’m afraid,” he said, but I had no idea what he meant until he gripped the skirt in both hands and tore it apart, then ripped it halfway up until my legs were free to move under the shorter skirt.

  “Oh, my... you’ve ruined it! My Mother... oh, she’ll kill you, Eliot!”

  “She’ll not kill me, Saskia. You’re so dramatic. Come on!” He tugged on my hand again, and I followed, leaving behind piles of silk. He was right, running came much easier after shedding the cumbersome material.

  He stopped at a tall oak tree, then urged me toward it.

  “Go on, climb to the top and look out over the kingdoms!”

  I looked up, finding nary a hair of a treetop. “I cannot climb this! It’s impossibly high!”

  “I climb it all the time, go on!” He practically pushed me up the tree, so I shed my shoes and prepared myself.

  I got exactly one inch from the ground before I slipped and fell to my bottom. “Ouch,” I yelped, shocked that it was painful from such a small height.

  “Try again, Saskia. The first fall is the worst, but now you know what not to do,” Eliot explained, then helped me to my feet and pushed me toward the tree again.

  I gripped the tree with new determination, then put my foot against the bark. I used my toes to help me grip better, and before I knew it I was five feet from the ground... ten feet... fifteen feet... I gazed out over our kingdoms, spying my castle in the distance. I’d never seen his before, but if I were to believe him, it was a grandiose structure with sweeping arches and battlements larger than any other castle in the forest—but it didn’t have a moat or a drawbridge—making me believe mine was better.

  I tried to see his castle from the tree but was still a bit too low to see that far, so I shimmied up a little higher.

  “Saskia, that’s too high! Come down!”

  “I’m fine, Eliot! I want to see—”

  I slipped on the branch and barely caught myself before falling to my death.

  “Alright, I’m coming down!” I said, now terrified. However, when I tried to climb down my fear took over. “I can’t. I’m scared!”

  “Saskia, I’m right here. I’ll catch you if you fall, I swear it!”

  “I can’t!”

  “Look at me! Don’t look at the trees or the distanc
e to the ground, just look at me.”

  I settled my eyes on him, my heart beating wildly. It was all I could hear other than his voice.

  “I will not let you get hurt. Trust me.”

  I slowly released my grip on the limb and shimmied down, little by little, until I was about five feet from the ground. I felt his hand settle on my ankle, guiding me the rest of the way. Once my feet were on dirt again, I fell into his embrace, crying.

  “I’m sorry. I should never have pushed you to do that, but I promise I will never let anything hurt you.”

  The light filtered through the trees and directly into my eyes when I opened them again. I squeezed them shut again, still unable to figure out where I was. I heard screaming and the clinking of metal against metal, combined with the inhuman shrieks of monsters.

  “The spell is complete. Keep a close watch over him while I tend to Sierra and Cecily.” I heard Heidi barking orders but couldn’t place her in the scene.

  “What’s happening?” I heard Felix ask just before losing them again.

  “Isn’t it strange that our fathers are friends, yet we never met until that day at the lake?” Eliot asked.

  “The kingdoms are quite large. Perhaps there wasn’t a good time with all of their duties?”

  “Maybe, but you’ve never been to any of the balls, and people from all over attend our Harvest Ball,” he insisted. “Even now, we never see King Heinrich and King Agustus together, though they claim to be the closest of friends. Why do you think that is?”

  “Again, perhaps they are too busy running kingdoms to socialize,” I said, but I knew the real reason. My father had grown cold, distant and aloof. No one knew why, not even my mother, but I suspected it had something to do with my brother’s choice to join the military rather than take the crown which brought me to the news I needed to share with my best friend.

  I had no idea how Eliot would react to the news that I was to take the crown and marry Prince Ulrich, but in truth, it didn’t matter. My fate was sealed, despite Julian’s efforts to sway my father. He tried, but King Agustus was nothing if not a firm ruler who never strayed from tradition.