Burning Ashes

by Jadyn Chase

  “Kill Cyrus and leave the Sentinels,” I tried reasoning with him again, “We should be able to-”

  He cut me off, “We aren’t going to do anything. I’m going to do what I followed them all the way here to do. Black Harbor has always been their destination. They’re not leaving. The fighting, the tracking, the rituals, all of that stops here. And you keep trying to spare those two, but how are you even going to get close enough to them? They’re going to try to capture you again and turn you over to Cyrus. Instead of worrying about those two traitors, your loyalty needs to focus on the Scalers of your city. What do you think Cyrus is going to do when they can’t find you? He’s not exactly the most patient, and he likes to make shit up as he goes along. I don’t even want to think about what he’s trying to convince the Sect about his inability to bring you back for them.”

  With so many things happening at once, I didn’t realize the Scalers of Black Harbor were in danger. I thought it was just me.

  “How many Anthros are in Black Harbor?” he asked me.

  “I don’t know. They stay hidden mostly in underground stations. The only ones up top are pets of Scalers.”

  “Exactly. Cyrus has a gift of making people follow him. If he gets enough Scalers and Anthros on his side, Black Harbor will fall into the hands of the Sect of Zion. You don’t want that. If they have a major city with access to build a port, who knows how far he’ll be able to spread his poisonous beliefs.”

  “You’re right, I wasn’t thinking of the consequences of me leaving and them staying behind.”

  “They’re still going to search for you, but the end game for Cyrus is to set up a city for his believers.”

  “We have to get back there to warn everyone. I can’t let him…” My voice trailed off as the memory flooded my senses like it was happening all over again. That awful stench was radiating off of a young Cyrus as he managed to trap my mother. My father going ballistic trying to set her free, and them both telling me to get out of there. The coolness of the water washing over me calmed my fears, but only until I resurfaced. I just knew my parents were right behind me, but they weren’t. They overpowered my father and destroyed the only home I knew. I didn’t want to think about what happened to them after that. All I knew was if they’d been able to capture them, I wasn’t nearly as strong enough to do anything about it.

  Julian’s hand on my shoulder pulled me away from those memories. His eyes locked onto mine before closing them and resting his forehead against me. “I didn’t come to this decision lightly, Aya. I swear to you if I thought there was another way. My calling is the same as yours, but taking out these two will save hundreds.”

  “I understand. I want to get back to warn everyone I can.”

  “Maybe I should bring you to their camp so that you can see what we’re up against. It will help you explain why they need to be prepared to attack when Cyrus finally decides to lead the group into the city.”

  “How do you know he hasn’t already?”

  “The sounds of war are never silent. We’re still fairly close. How many clans are here?”

  “Three.”

  “The flames would have ignited across the sky. We would have seen, heard, and felt the battle. Let’s get to their camp and see if there’s a way we can stop them from ever bringing it to that. I don’t want a war. I want justice. I want revenge. But, I don’t want any other Scalers to get hurt.”

  “Except Six and Axel.”

  He growled low with frustration, “Don’t start. If it makes you feel better, I’ll think about sparing them, but I can’t make any promises. I don’t know how my rage coupled with wings and flames will handle mercy.”

  “I can help you,” I told him. I was reasonably sure he didn’t want my help in that area. He fixed his vengeance toward the Sentinels when all of it should have been toward Cyrus. I didn’t know how I was going to convince him, but more importantly, I needed to figure out how to tell the Heads of Clans what was coming. If I didn’t believe Julian, I wasn’t sure how well they’d take it even though it would be coming from me. The more I could tell them the better. But first things first; my gaze drifted down at my ankle, I had to see how well it healed. It was time to set my scales free.

  13

  Julian

  Aya’s determination to save Six and Axel almost made me question my resolve. I couldn’t just walk away from everything I’d been through these past few months. While my anger still lingered to see their blood spilled, the beauty of her understanding and forgiveness was slowly seeping into me. I couldn’t get enough of her. It’s the first time in a long time that another Siren touched me the way she has, and no, not how she did in the shower, although that was amazing in its own right.

  She twirled her ankle in circles as I sorted the contents of my satchel. I didn’t need much to handle the Anthros, but I wanted to keep my elixirs in line to defend against the Sentinels. Speedy recoveries were always required when battling them; not to mention being able to mask my scent gave me the element of surprise.

  “I need to fly,” Aya said abruptly still moving her ankle around.

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t want them spotting you before I’m ready to take them down.”

  “You were just out getting food. Thanks for that too, by the way. Did you smell them? Are they anywhere near us?”

  “No, and you’re welcome.”

  “Well good, I’ll scale and take a quick lap before coming down. I need to see if I’ve healed. I don’t want to come down for a landing only to have the bone broken all over again.”

  “Fine, I’ll keep a lookout.”

  Outside of the house, we both let the night air wrap around us waiting for any threatening aromas to find us. Once we were satisfied, she scaled. Teal and silver scales erupted all over as the beast she kept hidden inside burst into the night. White hair sprouted from her head trailing down her back and through her tail. Those razor sharp talons tapped the ground with apprehension. I wanted to touch her, soothe her, tell her to take off, but dealing with an injured Scaler was too dangerous in my fleshy state. As much time as Sirens spent healing others, we were the worst kind to treat.

  Aya took her time walking around tentatively, her dragon pressing into the ground with such apprehension it almost made me cringe. A soft whimper seeped out while she turned to lick the injured joint. Another few minutes of timid tiptoeing and she took off into the air. I was in awe of her. I could see the battle cry in her eyes; stay on the ground to lick her wounds or fight through the anxiety to be who she truly was.

  Aya did a little bit more than she said she would circling the air above us. Her wings shimmered a pearl white like clouds sweeping across the sky. She dove down nearly taking my head off making me duck for cover, but I couldn’t help but laugh. She looped and twisted until she’d had enough before descending back into the yard. The ground trembled as the beautiful Siren landed. I couldn’t believe how fast my pulse raced merely watching her move. I needed to be with her after this was all said and done.

  Scaling down, Aya’s face beamed with joy as she ran and leapt into my arms. Panting with excitement, she wrapped her legs around my waist, “I can’t believe how amazing that felt. I wish we could go flying right now. Thank you.”

  I swallowed deeply, anxious about her gratitude, “It was your elixir that did most of the work.”

  “I don’t know what would have happened if you didn’t come for me. And even as I rested earlier, I wasn’t sure how it would feel flying or swimming. If touching the waves feels anything like that, it’s all going to be fine. I wish we had the time to -” her voice trailed off.

  “I know, but at least we know you’re battle ready,” I told her.

  “Exactly, let’s go find this crazy Sect and see what they’re up to. I’m sure that whatever intel we get will be useful for me to take to the Heads of Clans.”

  “The who?”

  “The Heads of Clans,” she huffed out still excited from her fligh
t, “A Black Sapphire, Scarlet Wing, and Onyx Skull keep things in running order for Black Harbor.”

  “No Golden Imperials? And what about you?”

  “The Imperials keep to themselves just like we do. I don’t want any parts of governing this place. I just help who I can.”

  “While you save everyone else around, who comes to help you?” The question just came out. I wanted to know everything about her, and now with her healed and in better spirits, the time was now.

  “I don’t need,” she paused, I assumed to choose her words carefully, “I didn’t need anyone’s help before. It’s been a very long time since anyone’s come to my aid. That’s the way of the Siren, isn’t it?”

  “It is until something like this happens.” My hunger for her boiled over ready to burst free. I didn’t come here for her. I didn’t come here to find a mate, but here she is staring at me with those light blue eyes, flecks of green dancing in the moonlight … ready to make me forget about the mission entirely and fly away from here.

  “I will admit that you and what’s happened between us is unexpected, but we serve to care, to nurture, to heal and we’re quite territorial. I don’t want to leave Black Harbor, Julian. And I’m not sure if I want you to stay either.”

  The excitement fell from her face as she made her way back into the house. The tightening of my chest only reminded me of why I never slept with anyone during the Height of Passion. She was level-headed and logical, while I was letting all of my emotions guide me. From rage and anger to lust and hope, I set myself up for this heartbreak. I don’t know why I expected her to invite me into her life. Fulfilling our urges because that’s what our nature called for was something far different than picking our mate. I wondered how hard I should fight to convince her that this wasn’t the Height talking. I wanted this, and didn’t even know it until I met her.

  I couldn’t find the words to move beyond that moment of rejection. However, the more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I wasn’t mad with Aya, more at myself for bringing it up, especially right before we had to leave to collect information on Cyrus. Of course, she’d reject me! That’s fine. After those three are dead, I’ll try again, and I’ll keep trying until she realizes that my feelings for her aren’t based off the danger we’re in or what time of year it was. My Scaler knows. My body knows. My brain knows. My heart knows. There’s no denying it, and the only person left to realize that is Aya.

  Stepping into the lab, she stood there with her box and its contents sprawled out next to mine. Aya peered up at me with a half-smile, “I’ve figured out some mixtures we can use to slow Axel and Six down. I may even have something to combat that stench Cyrus emits. I swear something about it with that damn phrase triggers something inside of us.” She paused wanting to address the tension between us, “Julian, I don’t want you to think-”

  I stopped her as the tone of her voice wreaked of pity, “It’s fine, Aya. Let’s get out of here. We’ll discuss the other stuff after my tasks with the Sect are complete. Bring everything you’ve got there and let’s finish this.”

  “Okay,” she murmured.

  The tension returned, and I knew it was my fault. Of course, it was my fault, but my emotions have always kept a firm grip on me. I couldn’t just shut them off, even when I knew they were getting in the way. For her, however, I would try. Holding up one of my vials, I shook it in front of her, “You ready for all of the mud again?”

  She chuckled a bit shaking her head, “I’m not getting dirty all over again. Why don’t we use ashes instead?”

  “I never thought to use them before,” I shrugged.

  “Of course not, you weren’t trying to draw attention to yourself. Burning a few branches to create them would have certainly done that. We can burn a few in the bathroom since that filtered vent is still working.”

  “So, you think ashes are cleaner than mud?” I teased her.

  “Not cleaner, but better and not as slippery.”

  It took every ounce of restraint not to make a joke in regards to how slippery she could get. So I took a deep breath with my greying strands and left to collect some firewood. The crutch I’d made for her would come in handy once again.

  It didn’t take long to douse ourselves in ashes to mask our scent. After covering ourselves, we skulked through the forest, weaving in and out of the brush as we headed back toward the last place I’d left the Sect. Thankfully enough, their scent lets me know they were still there. We could see torches burning around the camp with Six and Axel standing guard. The closer we got, the harder my heart thumped against my chest. I wondered how long it would take before they picked up on us, or if they would at all.

  14

  Aya

  I couldn’t ignore the look in Julian’s eyes as we covered ourselves in his elixir tainted ashes. Disappointment wasn’t an expression given to me often, but I understood what it felt like. I felt it, too. The draw between us, unexpected, invigorating, passionate … I wasn’t sure if it was the Height of Passion. I wouldn’t guarantee a future with anyone based off of sex alone. It didn’t matter how phenomenally great they were at it. A lifetime of Julian between my thighs sent shivers down my spine. Thankfully enough, the ashes covered my whiting hair to mask the onslaught of lust.

  It took us a while to get through the woods searching for the Sect of Zion’s camp. I still found it hard to believe they wanted to achieve immortality by sacrificing us. We weren’t immortal. I wonder if they knew that?

  It had to be closer to midnight when we found the camp. Five torches burned around its perimeter with the two Sentinels standing guard in front of a large tent. They hadn’t budged, so it was safe to assume they didn’t know we were there.

  I crouched down behind a tree with Julian snug against me. The heat from his body warmed me while my urges threatened to surface again. I heard him inhale deeply before whispering into my ear, “We didn’t put ashes down there did we?”

  My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as I understood completely. I elbowed him thinking he was joking but he caught my blow before it could inflict any real harm or elicit any noise from that would reveal our presence. Moving in closer, I could feel his lips moving, “I can smell your sex. Calm down. Unless, of course, in front of a crowd is your kind of thing?”

  He moved his head slightly so that I could see him looking at me. That wicked grin on his face made me smile, “Only if you let me use the bullwhip on you.”

  I could feel his fingers dig into my waist pulling me back against him. While his words were barely above a whisper, I could feel his forced restraint, “Not the right time!”

  “You started it.”

  Before I could do anything, he reached in front of me cupping my crotch, “No, she did.”

  The sound of the Anthros moving about drew our attention away from our lustful debate. Cyrus surfaced from the tent. Six and Axel turned inward to face him as he spoke, “We have stumbled upon something so special in Black Harbor. While the Siren heals in a secret location where only I can tend to her, the Anthros of Black Harbor have chosen to accept us.”

  Cheers erupted, but Cyrus pumped his hands downward to hush them.

  “Now, now, it’s not going to be easy because they have a wealth of Scalers governing the city. But! That only means immortality for all of us and not just the selected few! You get immortality! You get immortality! You all get immortality!” Again cheers burst into the quiet night as he continues to fire up his followers. “Ready your weapons because I imagine this will be the greatest test of Zion. Those of you who survive the battle shall indulge in the spoils of their flash and scales.”

  Thunderous applause and shouts continued after Cyrus finished speaking. The Anthros lined up to arm themselves. I only hoped they’d wait until morning. Attacking Black Harbor at night could be considered a death wish. The Scarlet Wings didn’t tend to let militarized groups into the city without vetting them first. Although, to my knowledge, there’s never been a group trying to attack
the city from the outside. The last time, the Anthros were already here.

  Julian spun me around by surprise, quietly moving me to the opposite side of the tree as I soon saw Cyrus walking toward us with Six and Axel. With his eyes continuously darting back to the Sect followers, he gave them commands, “We’ll let the weakest attack whoever defends the city, first. Six, you head out to find our Siren. She should be healed by now. I know how fast you guys can. Find her, kill whoever’s helping her, and bring her to me. Axel, you will come with me to rally the Anthros and a few key Scalers. We need them on our side to sacrifice themselves for the greater cause of Zion. Now go. Six, you must hurry as I don’t want to have this rally without her. She will culminate the new regime of Black Harbor. The City of Zion is what I’ll call it. Members of the Sect of Zion will be welcomed with open arms, and goblets of scales and blood. The immortality will wash over all of us and-.”

  He stopped himself from rambling before letting out a maniacal laugh that sent chills down my spine. I watched as Six headed out of the camp. He scaled and took flight immediately. Julian’s elixir worked far better than I could have ever imagined.

  As soon as he was far enough away, and we were satisfied that Axel would remain with Cyrus, we retreated into the trees. We found ourselves near a lake of solid glass. Julian eyed it with confusion as bent down and ran his fingers over it.

  “What happened here?”

  “A Black Sapphire’s uncontrollable emotions,” I answered him shortly. This wasn’t the time or the place for history lessons, “What are we going to do? Maybe we should split up.”

  “No.”

  I knew not to argue with him on that.

  His eyes drifted to the sky, and he held his hand out to me. “I have a better plan. We’re going to catch him.”

  I was tempted to ask him how as I placed my hand in his, but I realized soon that it involved me. I watched Julian’s talon protrude from his finger and already knew I didn’t like where this was going. Hadn’t I been hurt enough?