The Ashen Queen

by Sidney Gray

  An hour later the sun had completely set, and she was terrified. Following her tracks had not been as easy as she had thought, once the sun had started to go below the tree line it became harder and harder to see until she couldn't make out any tracks at all. She was also worried that what she thought were her tracks might not have been at all, it wasn’t like she had any experience tracking, it was a stupid idea, and she should have just stayed where she was, she berated herself.

  The woods reminded her of the darkness she had been trapped in when she was inside the mountain and panic started to creep in. She couldn't go through that again. She hadn't been able to sleep without a light on since then.

  She heard a snap of a branch behind her and spun around trembling. She couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean there wasn't something out there.

  Its ok, she thought trying to calm herself, nothing can hurt her if it couldn’t see her. She took a deep breath and tried to pull her invisibility over her, but nothing happened. She tried again, but still nothing, and she started breathing hard. She had never had trouble using her invisibility, and she felt helpless without it. She couldn't think rationally anymore so she did the only thing she could think of, she climbed a tree. She didn't even bother trying to find a large one she just climbed the tree closest to her, at least then she wouldn't be on the ground where any animal could stumble across her. The forest had gone quiet now, too quiet; having grown up in the palace, she wasn't used to this kind of quiet. Memories of the darkness in the mountain came rushing back to her. She sat on a branch halfway up the tree with her arms wrapped around the trunk of the tree and her cheek pressed against the rough bark. Every now and then she could hear the soft sounds of the wind rustling the leaves of the tree, and it calmed her fractionally. The darkness in the mountain had been dead quiet, the slight noises of the woods were reassuring.

  She tried to distract herself by thinking of home, but it only made her feel guilty for not being there. Had she made a mistake staying? She wondered miserably. Maybe she should have gone home? At least then she wouldn't be lost in the dark woods, scared and alone.

  She heard a noise below her and stiffened in fear, she peered down shakily to see the face of a hunter staring up at her. She gasped in relief, she had never been so relieved in her life. She shakily clambered down from the tree, and the hunter passed Sofia his coat before he turned, without a word, and led her back to the village. He barely said anything the whole time, but Sofia was too relieved to care and too tired to question how he found her, she just made sure to keep as close as she could, so close she almost ran into the back of him a couple of times.

  They arrived back to find the whole village in chaos and people came rushing towards them when they saw Sofia. Azalia was the first to reach Sofia, pulling her into a tight hug.

  “Are you okay? Have you been hurt?” She asked, frantically examining her for cuts or bruises.

  “No I'm okay,” she stammered, she was still shaking and was starting to feel embarrassed by all the attention. She was supposed to save everyone, but she couldn't even handle being lost in the woods for a couple of hours. Luckily Azalia seemed to sense her discomfort and sent everyone away. She wrapped an arm around Sofia and led her through the village to the meeting hall. She looked around surprised to find the hunter had disappeared as well; she hadn't even had a chance to properly thank him.

  “We’ll just let everyone know that you're okay then get you off to bed.” Ella's mother said soothingly as they entered the meeting hall, nobody noticed them enter they were all focused on Ella and Reed.

  “How could you be so careless, she could be hurt!” Ella screeched at him, looking close to tears.

  “Ella sweetheart, she's fine,” Ella's mother said interrupting them

  Ella gasped and ran up to Sofia and pulled her into a tight hug.

  “I’m so sorry Sofia. I should have been with you, I’m sorry,” she babbled.

  “I’m fine.” She said pulling away “I just want to sleep.”

  “Of course, you must be exhausted,” Elder Sage said sympathetically, “Ella why don't you take Sofia back to get some rest.”

  “Sofia, we are truly sorry, and I promise you, this will never happen again.” Elder Yarrow added with a pointed look at Reed.

  Ella walked her back to her house, apologizing the whole time profusely.

  “I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you, I'm so sorry I let you down if I hadn't been so… distracted. Argh Reed, I could kill him.”

  “It’s ok Ella it not your fault.” She said tiredly for the fifth time.

  Ella made her drink some tea before she went to bed, she was exhausted, but she struggled to get to sleep, she heard Ella arguing with Reed in the other room before Reed opened the door quietly and stuck his head in.

  “Sofia,” he whispered hesitantly.

  She closed her eyes pretending to be asleep, she was not in the mood to talk.

  She heard the door close quietly, and she finally drifted off.

  The house was empty when she finally woke the next day; she made herself some tea and went outside to sit on the rock under the tree. It had taken her a while to fall asleep the night before, her mind buzzing with questions.

  The day before had made her question if she had really made the right decision in staying and it had terrified her that she hadn't been able to use her invisibility when she needed it. She practiced a couple of times while sitting on the rock just to make sure it was working. She didn't have any problems, but she wasn’t scared and alone. She had never felt fear the way she had in the woods.

  To her surprise, while she sat practicing, Shade came up and sat beside her. She tensed, unsure of what to do but the big cat ignored her, intent on cleaning one of its paws and she soon grew used to her company. It was almost as if she knew Sofia didn't want to be alone.

  After a while she grew tired of worrying and decided to find the hunter who had saved her and thank him, she was also to curious to find out how he had found her. Before she could get up though, Elder Sage found her.

  Sofia was beginning to really like Elder Sage, she was the youngest of the Elders, but she was still wise and incredibly kind.

  “I wanted to apologize again for what Reed put you through, and try and explain to you why he did it.” Elder Sage said as she sat down next to her.

  Sofia looked up at her in surprise, it hadn’t occurred to her that Reed might have a reason, she had just assumed he was angry with her.

  “He thought it would help you become attuned with the land, if you just focused and needed it enough, it would happen.” Elder Sage explained.

  “So he wasn't trying to get me killed,” she replied, only half joking.

  Elder Sage looked shocked, “Of course not, Reed is young and was raised this way, he doesn't understand anything else. Our children are often left on their own for short periods of time in the woods to see if they can find their way. He mistakenly thought it would work for you; he did not take into account that you are not a child. Children are more open and intuitive. He also didn't take into account that you have grown up with a very different type of magic, it will take time for you to find your connection with the land.”

  “How exactly are you going to teach me then?” she asked.

  “Well, honestly, we are not entirely sure,” she admitted, she hurried on when she saw Sofia worried expression, “but Elder Yarrow has spent a lot of time in the mountain, more than anyone else, he is confident that in time you will find that connection. He believes it is best for you to spend time with the villagers and see how they interact with nature before you begin any kind of training, he is a very wise man Sofia, I trust him, and you should too.”

  “Do I have a choice,” she asked begrudgingly, it made sense, but it was still frustrating, not knowing how long it would take. Although Elder Sage had relieved some of her concerns.

  “Of course you do, you could leave anytime you want, no one would force you to stay,” Eld
er Sage replied immediately.

  “Really?.”

  “Yes, of course!”

  She nodded, it was nice knowing she had a choice; she could leave at any moment if she decided too, but she knew she had come too far to turn back now.

  “The hunter, did he say anything to you about how he found me?” She asked curiously.

  “No he didn't, but that's not surprising, he doesn't speak a lot, but he is one of our best trackers.”

  “Do you know where I can find him?”

  Elder Sage led her to the hunter's house, telling Sofia about the history of the village as they walked, Shade followed along behind them. Hunter Clay’s house was at the opposite edge of the village, and they found him sitting outside on a log sharpening a knife when they approached; he nodded a greeting at Elder Sage before she left.

  Sofia hesitated for a minute, suddenly nervous as he watched her silently.

  “I ahh, I just wanted to thank you for finding me.”

  He paused for a moment before nodding and turning back to his work.

  “How did you find me?” she asked curiously.

  He didn't look up, “I'm a hunter, it's what I do.”

  “Oh, well thank you,” she said again and turned away, it didn't seem like she was going to get anything else out of him.

  She suddenly realized how hungry she was and headed to the kitchens, hoping Willow might take pity on her and give her something sweet. Along the way, she ran into Elder Yarrow, and he stopped to ask her how she was, sounding concerned.

  “I'm okay, thank you,” she paused for a minute before continuing, “actually can I ask you a question?”

  “Oh, of course.”

  “When your people talk about being in tune with the land, what does that feel like?” she asked curiously, she suspected that was how Hunter Clay had found her, but she still didn’t understand how it worked.

  “I imagine it feels different for everyone,” he replied unhelpfully.

  “Yes, but how does it feel for you? I need to at least get an idea of what I’m supposed to feel.”

  “Well,” he paused for a long time before finally saying, “It feels like there is a buzz of energy around me, I am one life amongst many, all breathing and living together.”

  She stood waiting for him to continue but he didn't so she thanked him and continued on to the kitchen, thinking over his answer. It didn't make a lot of sense to her but then nothing the Ashen said made much sense to her really. Maybe Ella could shed some light, she thought.

  She spent the afternoon with the animals, she found she didn't want to be around people, and the animals were calming. She thought a lot about her home and what she had been taught about magic growing up, no one had ever spoken of magic being a part of the land, she had always been taught that only people had magic inside of them. She just didn't understand how her people didn't know that magic was all around them.

  When she next saw Ella that night, she asked her the same question she had asked Elder Yarrow.

  “Oh well I'm not sure how to describe it actually,” Ella replied hesitantly, “I guess it’s like a hum. As if there is an energy around me. Or like an insect buzzing around your face, but its constant. Why do you ask?”

  “I was just curious.” She replied, deep in thought, both Ella and Elder Yarrow’s answers had been similar, and it had given her some idea of what she was supposed to be feeling, but it wouldn’t help her much until she actually started training and she had no idea when that would be.

  CHAPTER 27

  The next week passed by quickly and she fell exhausted into her bed every night but it was a good feeling, she felt like she had done something productive instead of the endless parties at the palace. She spent her days working with animals, learning to fish, harvesting crops and helping in the kitchen. She hadn't had to go on another hunting trip, thank the gods. She was still frustrated Elder Yarrow hadn't started her training yet, but it was nice, getting to spend time with Ella and getting to know the Ashen.

  Reed was especially kind to her, he had apologized many times before Sofia had forgiven him, he did seem to feel truly bad about what he had done. She knew he had been punished by the Elders although she didn't know what that entailed. In Selinus, they would have locked him in a dungeon, but punishment in the woods was probably very different. But she understood that Reed had just been trying to help so she couldn't stay mad at him forever.

  She soon realized Ella was right the about the Ashen, they were like a very large family, everyone looked out for each other. There was no violence, nobody was even trained in combat or any kind of fighting, and if one person in the village was sick or injured, everyone stepped in to help them. They also had meetings weekly where everyone in the village was encouraged to voice their ideas and opinions. She couldn't imagine that ever happening in Selinus but she supposed it was a lot easier in a small village than a city as large as Selinus.

  During that time she spent a lot of time worrying about her ability to turn invisible and why, when she needed it the most, she hadn’t been able to use it. It had never happened to her before, and she didn’t understand why? She had trained her whole life and even when she had been attacked by Parker her invisibility had worked.

  She wished Mal was there, he would know what to do, she thought.

  A couple of weeks passed by with the Ashen and the middle of summer arrived and with it a huge feast to celebrate the summer solstice; apparently, it was a big celebration every year. Everyone was excited but the realization that her birthday wasn’t far away just made her nervous, but Ella said there would be music and dancing and a huge bonfire and Sofia had never seen a bonfire before so was excited for that.

  She spent the day in the kitchen helping to prepare all of the food for the celebration. It gave her a chance to get to know Ivy and Holly more, and she could see why Ella was friends with them. They talked a lot and often at the same time, which she found entertaining, they also liked to gossip which reminded her of Bree, but mostly they were just carefree and fun. They spent the day telling Sofia all about the village and everyone in it. It was surprising how much gossip there was in such a small village. They also told her about Ella's crush on one of the hunters, and she briefly wondered if that was why Ella had blamed herself for being distracted when they were hunting, not that it was Ella’s fault anyway, she didn’t know her brother was going to leave her stranded in the woods. But she would have to remember to ask Ella about him later, she was curious to find out more about this hunter.

  After they had finished preparing the food, they all gathered at Ella’s house to get ready for the night. Ivy braided her hair with flowers while Ella and Holly ruffled through Ella’s clothes trying to find something for her to wear. Holly noticed her necklace as they were getting dressed and started to ask her about it but she quickly changed the subject, she didn’t want to get into a conversation about Alex, it was just too complicated.

  Once they were all ready, they made their way to the clearing in front of the meeting hall where the celebration would be held. There were already tables and chairs set up and an abundance of flowers surrounding the clearing. There was also a soft glow over the entire clearing, Ella explained that the hunters had gathered glowworms and placed them all over the trees and vines above their heads. It wasn't as fancy and spectacular as the parties back at the palace, but she preferred it that way.

  There was plenty of food, and she ate until she couldn't fit anything else, they talked and laughed until someone brought out a guitar, and a few of the Ashen started singing, and soon everyone joined in. They sang songs Sofia had never heard before, songs of trees and mountains and adventures, they told stories with their music and Sofia listened mesmerized until the tempo changed and everyone stopped singing and started dancing, and not just the people but the trees too, she stared mesmerized as the branches swayed to the rhythm of the music. Ella laughed at her shocked expression before she dragged her out to dance, but she was hesitant a
s she didn't know the steps, she quickly realized that nobody cared, they were too busy laughing and dancing to even notice.

  They danced late into the night, but after a while she retreated back to one of the tables and sat back watching, feeling strangely peaceful and happy. She still missed home, but it was nice being surrounded by so much happiness. Ella came over to where she was sitting and handed her a mug; she assumed it was tea, but after taking a sip she quickly realized she was wrong, it smelt strong and tasted bitter, she almost spat it out.

  “It's our version of wine,” Ella told her laughing.

  “Really? It tastes nothing like wine.”

  “Yes but it has the same effect, or so I'm told,” she added with a shrug.

  They both laughed before Ella was pulled away by one of the hunters who asked her to dance, she wondered if he was the one Ella had a crush. Judging by the color in Ella’s cheeks, it was, she thought. Ella seemed to really like him, he made her laugh a lot at least. She felt a twinge of jealousy, she envied them, no one was watching their every move, dissecting everything they said. She wished she had had that with Alex, maybe if they hadn't been forced together, they would actually have fallen in love. Instead, she was consumed with feelings she didn't really understand. If he was just a boy and not a prince she could imagine herself falling in love with him, he was kind and funny, and handsome. But they had never really gotten the chance to just be them; their responsibilities seemed to always get in the way. Also, it was hard to get privacy in the palace, she had gotten so used to it, she hadn't realized how much it bothered her until she was here, with all this space.

  Reed appeared from behind her and took a seat next to her on the rock. “I thought you liked dancing,” he said quietly.