"A lot of people in this room have sworn oaths today, promising to fight and die for me, and I haven't asked for any of that. I am still the same girl I always was and no one ever wanted to die for her."
"That is not true, Ashkellion," Sabras said. He looked at Meghan Hawthorne, and then at Ephram Wanderer, Targyn Fae, Ratko, even the tiny light of Rain as she sat on the little dwarf's shoulder. "There were a lot of people willing to die for you even before you knew who you were."
"That is not who I am," she said. "I am simply Ash." It felt right, half the girl she had been, half of the girl she was born to be. Ash.
"As you wish, Queen Ash."
"Anyway, we were talking about your loyalty," Sabras's expression hardened. Ashley realised she was going to have to tread very carefully here so as not to slight the king and unwittingly cause some sort of diplomatic incident or tribal war in the Moonlands. That wouldn't be a good way to start her reign. She smiled slightly, and the old Wolfen's face lit up. She wasn't used to that sort of reaction in a male—of any species. "I do not doubt for a minute you are the most loyal supporter I could wish for. We are Pack," she said, earning a nod from the Wolfen King. "So together, as Pack, we must decide what to do with Blackwater Blaze."
"He has been declared Lone Wolf," Sabras said, as though that ended the matter.
"By a traitor who intended to kill. And why was he declared Lone Wolf?" She didn't wait for Sabras to answer. "For protecting me. And as you and I are Pack, by extension, he was protecting you."
"That is true," the Wolfen King, conceded grudgingly.
"Then it is wrong to banish him from our Pack."
"You are wise my Queen. What would you do with the Alpha?"
"I need someone I can trust at my side. Someone I know will cross this world and any other one to save me. I would have him as my first knight."
Sabras turned to Blaze. "There is great honour in this, if you are willing to become the first of Queen Ash's Pack?"
"I live to serve," Blackwater Blaze said.
"I need to know something," she said to Ephram as the flames of the funeral pyre crackled.
"If I know the answer, it is yours, Ash."
They were all there, assembled in the Bone Garden. The Bone Garden was inside the wall, on the other side of the Shard to the Eternal Market. It was a quiet, solemn place after the endless hubbub of the stalls. It had taken a few hours to gather the wood for the pyre, but Ashley had wanted to do it with the others, not just assign some Redpelts to scavenge. It seemed important that she do it. That she used her hands. It connected her in some primal way to the whole ceremony.
They had laid the King Under the Moon's body on top of the wood, like some Guy Fawkes dummy waiting for the fireworks to start off Bonfire Night, and as the moons gradually shifted colour once more, this time into the Silver of the dominant moon, Ratko pressed a firebrand into her hand. Ephram and Targyn Fae nodded, and Ashley pushed the burning torch into the oil-soaked wood to light the pyre.
It burned so brightly for so long it seemed almost as though the sun had finally risen redly on the Kingdoms.
"It's something Blaze said to Grimtooth, the Rock Troll, when he first found us."
"Yes?"
"He said the Oracle had foretold that the Fae Queen had the power to set him free." Ephram nodded, waiting for her to continue. "How do I do it? How do I set him free?"
"I do not know, my queen."
She looked at the black sword in the sheath at her hip. "That's not exactly the answer I was hoping for," she said with a lopsided grin. "Can't I just… I don't know… stab it into the rock and it split open to set him free?"
"Perhaps," Ephram said, but he didn't seem convinced. "But I'm reasonably sure that would just blunt Midnight."
"I want to help him," she said.
"As you should. And if the Oracle foretold it, so you shall, I am sure. The Oracle was never wrong."
"Then I should ask her how to do it," Ashley said decisively. She started to turn her back on the flames as though she intended to march halfway across the world to find the Oracle right there and then, her journey of a thousand miles beginning with this one step.
But she didn't get to take it. Ephram said, "She will not be able to tell you."
"Why not?"
"Because Elspeth Grimm is dead. Blackwater Blaze killed her."
"Aunt Elspeth? I don't understand? She was the Oracle?"
"That was her role, yes. She was the keeper of the secrets. It was a duty handed down father to son or daughter, all the way from the brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm."
"He didn't kill her," she said, realising what Ephram had said.
"What?"
"Blaze. He didn't kill Aunt Elspeth."
"Then who did?"
"I don't know."
"Then someone else crossed over before Blaze. Another assassin. And he is still out there now."
"I can't believe I forgot to say Happy Birthday, sweetheart," Meghan Hawthorne said, putting her arm around her daughter.
"That's okay, I've got no idea what day it is anyway," Ashley said, smiling weakly.
"Sweet sixteen and never been kissed."
"Not quite true anymore," she said coyly. It took Meghan a moment to catch on. She had the good grace not to ask who the lucky boy was, but perhaps she could tell. It wasn't as though Ashley was good at hiding her feelings when Blaze was around her. "And considering the fact that I've been hunted by werewolves, dragged into another world and put on trial for my life before becoming queen of everything, and I've got my very own knight, all things considered, I don't think I'm doing so badly, do you?"
Meghan laughed. "Touché. Kiddo. Or should I say my Queen?"
"Ha! Please don't. I don't think I'll ever get used to the way they all look at me, like they think I'm special."
It was only a week since the funeral of the King—the right and proper mourning time for the loss of a ruler, Ephram had insisted. A lot could happen in seven days, but equally an awful lot could stay exactly the same.
"You are special, love. Now, they're all waiting on the other side of that door to watch you crowned. That's something I never expected to say."
They were in the auditorium on the other side of the great hall where the Council of the Moon had gathered. The others waited by the main door. The last time they had set foot inside that room it had been a battle royale, with them barely escaping with their lives—and the baby that grew up to be Ashley Hawthorne. It was obvious from their expressions they hadn't forgotten that day. A lot had been won back then, and a lot had been lost, for all of them.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Anything. You know that."
It was hard though, some things you didn't want the answer to, not really, not deep down. Ashley chewed nervously on her bottom lip, and then blurted out, "What happened that day? I mean… Why did you take me in?"
"That's a lot of questions, Ash. Honestly," she took her daughter's hand and squeezed it. "You were everything in the world to us. When Elspeth turned up at our door with you, there was no way we could turn you away. You were perfect. You were our daughter. You were all we ever wanted. We'd tried and tried, and given up thinking we'd ever be blessed, and then there you were. Our baby girl. And you are still our daughter. Every day I come in to wake you up for school, every night when your dad comes in to watch the world at night with you, looking up at the stars and the moon, we're just amazed you found us. Out of all the people under all of these moons, you found us. We love you, Ash. We do. Unconditionally. Totally. And you might have a knight who would cross worlds for you, but you've got a mum and a dad who would, too."
Ashley squeezed her hand back. "Let's get this thing done," she said.
Meghan laughed. "You make it sound like you're going to the dentist. You're going to get a tiara. Doesn't every little girl want a tiara?"
"Not once they turn ten, mum. After that it's just sad."
"Ah, shame, I would have though the Queen of E
verything could pull it off."
"Oh, I'm not saying I couldn't pull it off," Ashley grinned, but then turned serious. "I just don't want to. I want to go home, mum. I don't belong here. I want to go back to school tomorrow. I want to hang out with Mel and do stupid stuff like a normal kid."
"Maybe we should stay here then," Meghan smiled, but this time Ashley didn't join in with the joke. When she realised how serious Ashley was, she hugged her and held her close. "You don't have to stay here if you don't want to, you know that right? You'll always have a home with us. Always. It's where you belong."
"I want to go home, mum."
"Of course you do, kiddo. Most sixteen year olds are content with just being Queen of a Small Part of the World, you had to go and be Queen of Everything."
This time Ashley did laugh. "Okay, okay, fine, let's do this then."
Meghan nodded, and Ephram and Targyn Fae opened the doors to the great hall. There was a fanfare of trumpets as Ashley, arm-in-arm with her mother, entered the hall. They walked slowly down the aisle towards the twin thrones on a raised dais at the front of the room: the Fae Queen and the Elf King's thrones. Ashley tried not to look from side to side but the hall was crammed with people eager to see her crowned. She was shaking. She didn't stop shaking until she saw a familiar face pushing out just ever so slightly from the wall behind the thrones: Grimtooth Stonewalker grinned at her.
"I will get you out of there," she promised, even though no one but Meghan could hear her.
The chair was ornately carved from the blackest of woods. There were hundreds of images in it, patterns, leaves, shapes but it was only as she walked around behind the Elf King's chair that she saw the huge carving of a dragon that both of them together formed. It was incredible. Breathtaking. The Dragon Seats.
Ashley took her place on Tanaquill's throne and exhaled. She had no idea she'd been holding her breath until that moment. She looked out over the sea of faces. It felt weird to think that her mother—her other mother, as she was coming to think of the Fae woman she'd never met—had sat in this very spot once upon a time…
The assembled Kings and Queens, tribal elders and pack leaders sat on smaller seats flanking the Dragon Seats on either side. She noticed Ratko standing to one side; again he had the sword, Midnight, to present to her as part of the ceremony. Beside him, a pretty young maiden in a homespun dress with flowers braided into her flaxen hair held the Fae Queen's Briar Crown waiting to be called forward.
This time she couldn't reach out and take her mother's hand for comfort, guidance or strength. Meghan was all of those things and more, but right here, right now, she was alone.
The great doors closed.
Looking out at them all, and being confronted by their stares, hopes and expectations, Ashley couldn't have felt less like the Queen of Everything. She shuffled uncomfortably in her seat.
"Friends," Ephram Wanderer called out, his voice carrying pitch perfect to everyone in the vast hall. He walked to the centre of the dais and held up his hands, palms out, calling for silence. Everyone looked at him, and for a moment that meant they weren't looking at her. Ashley was grateful for that. All the world might be a stage, but that didn't mean she wanted to spend her life living in the spotlight. She was much happier behind the scenes. "These are strange times," Ephram continued, breaking her train of thought. "But we are blessed because they are good times, too. We are here to celebrate the return of Ashkellion, our beloved queen's daughter, as she takes her rightful place in the Dragon Seat. It is a solemn occasion as we cannot help but remember those that are not here to enjoy this moment. We have lost friends along the way. Good people like Elspeth the Grimm, our Oracle, Marissa du Lac, who gave her life so that Ashkellion might live. Guerin, the skin-changer fell along the way. Not least, we have lost our liege lord, the King Under the Moon, Elbegast, so even as we look forward with hope we must look back with sorrow at what came to pass for us to reach this joyous moment."
Someone out in the audience grunted their agreement; it was a particularly animalistic sound, like a dog or a wolf. Ashley suspected it was Sabras, who had lost as much as anyone.
"Will the Sword Bearer present Midnight?" Ephram asked.
"I will!" Ratko said, jumping up to his feet and rushing a little too eagerly to the Dragon Seats. He knelt before Ashley and balanced the sword across his palms for her to take.
She did.
"All hail She Who Wields Midnight!" Ephram cried, and every single person in the great hall echoed it: she who wields midnight! She who wields midnight! She who wields midnight swelled to fill the room, echoing over and over.
The dwarf tipped Ashley a wink and moved back to the sidelines, his part in the proceedings carried off with aplomb.
"Will the Briar Maiden bring forth the Crown?" Ephram called, and the young girl carrying the crown took a step forward.
Ephram took the crown from her, holding it gently in both hands.
"Ashkellion, Daughter of Tanaquill and Elbegast, rightful queen of the Fae, kneel as the heir and accept the crown of your mother."
She stepped down from the throne and knelt for Ephram to place the Briar Crown on her head.
"Arise Ashkellion, Fae Queen!"
She didn't move.
She didn't look up.
She closed her eyes.
Her breathing came fast and hard.
Her pulse raced.
She didn't want this.
She didn't want any of it.
She just wanted to be a normal girl.
Just for once. She wanted to grow up and fall in love, forget to be cool and go to school and just be an ordinary girl.
She looked up at Ephram and knew it was wrong.
"No," Ashley said, taking the Briar Crown from her head. It was as though everyone in the room took in a single collective breath and then held it, unable to believe what was happening. Her mind raced almost as quickly as her heart. "Not yet. I'm not ready to be anyone's queen. I can't stay here. I've got to go back home. I've got a life there. Friends."
"You have a life here," Ephram said, quietly so as no one else could here. "And everyone in this room would be your friend if you let them."
"I know. But it's not right."
"Are you sure? If you renounce the crown it could send the Kingdoms into civil war. The Moon-Torn are already rising. Peace has never been so fragile. Everything we have been through could be for nothing."
"But what if I give the crown to someone else until I am ready? Can I do that?"
"It has never happened before," Ephram said, thoughtfully, "but that doesn't mean it can't be done. What do you have in mind?"
"Just follow my lead," Ashley said, not sure what she had in mind herself.
"Do I have a choice, Ash?"
She shook her head.
Both of them stood together. Ashley took a deep breath. This was it. Now or never, and never was looking really tempting. "Targyn," she gestured for the juggler to join her on stage before her nerve could fail her. "Ephram," he nodded, still unsure as to where this was going. "Please kneel." Ephram knelt unquestioningly, but Targyn Fae was far from convinced. "Please," Ashley said again. Targyn Fae did as she was asked. Ashley raised Midnight, resting the cold metal against her cheek. Targyn looked up at her as though she half expected Ashley to cleave her head from her shoulders with one terrible swift blow. "I am not ready to be your queen, yet, and yet is such a powerful word. Listen to it, yet. It doesn't mean never. It just means not now. I am still learning who I am. But I know who these people are. They are good people. The best. They gave up their lives to smuggle Tanaquill and Elbegast's only child out of harms way, and spend every day after that watching over her. They have always been there, watching over me, keeping me safe, even before I met them or began to understand who they were. I can't think of two better people to continue looking out for me while I learn who I am. Watching over a Kingdom is not so different from keeping one person safe, is it? Will you do that, Ephram Wanderer?" Ashley ask
ed, looking down at the old man on his knees. "Will you watch over my Kingdom until I am ready to come home?" He didn't say anything. Ashley turned her attention to Targyn Fae. "Will you help him?"
"Always," the juggler said.
"Then, before everyone gathered here as witnesses, I chose Ephram Wanderer and Targyn Fae to look after the Moonlands in my place until I am ready to come home once and for all." Thinking of all the ceremonies she'd ever seen on TV she added, "If there are any objections, speak now or forever hold your peace," but didn't give anyone time to object.
Ashley tapped the edge of Midnight to Ephram's right shoulder, then left, and repeated the gesture with the juggler, and then pronounced, "You knelt as my protectors, now arise as my regents!"
Ephram Wanderer rose unsteadily to his feet.
Targyn Fae did likewise.
For a moment the great hall was in silence. Shock.
And then applause broke out, joined quickly by raucous cheers as the celebrations grew louder and louder until they were deafening.
Ephram looked at Ashley, shaking his head. "What on earth have you done?"
"Saved the world," Ashley said with a mischievous grin. "Now I'm going home. Don't worry, I will be back."
THIRTY-FIVE
Going Home
Ashley had an idea.
It was unlikely, but it might just work. Unlikely was so much better than impossible.
She went in search of the one person she knew could help her.
He was also the one person who wouldn't want to help her, but beggars couldn't be choosers.
Redhart Jax.
Jax had opened a Moongate when no Moongates were supposed to be open, and sent Blaze's pack through to find her. That meant Jax knew how to get them home, and right now all Ashley wanted to do was go home, even if it meant making promises to someone who had plotted to kill her. She took a deep breath and descended, down and down, deep into the Bones, down twisting dank, damp corridors where the only sounds were the echoes of her footsteps and deeper down. It was dark, but this time she was prepared; she had an oil soaked reed torch that would burn for several hours. The air was different down here. Stale. Old. And it was cold.
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