Reign of Ash

by Meg Anne

  Micha met her gaze and tensed. There was no recognition in her eyes. Nothing to indicate that she was pleased to see her son. This was not the woman he remembered. She was a cold, inhuman shell.

  “Mother,” Micha said formally, helping his sister stand. “It is good to see you well,” he lied.

  Rowena snorted, “I can’t say the same.”

  He flinched as if he’d been struck, mouth falling open in shock. Who was this imposter? This woman couldn’t have actually given birth to him.

  Rowena turned coolly assessing eyes to Gillian, noting her injuries and stating, “It’s a pity she didn’t do me a favor and just kill you while she had the chance.”

  Gillian stiffened under his arm, chin trembling as she fought against further tears.

  Micha opened his mouth to protest his mother’s harsh words, but she lifted a hand before he could speak, cutting off his air supply and causing him to choke.

  “That’s quite enough out of you, traitor,” she snapped, lifting her fisted hand higher and causing Micha’s feet to scramble for purchase as he began to rise off of the floor.

  “Mother please!” Gillian cried, “I’ve done everything you asked. You promised to spare him!”

  “I have no use for a blood traitor. He led my enemy straight to me. As if that wasn’t bad enough, you, my sorry excuse for a daughter, not only invite her in, you let her take the only leverage I had and walk back out! I’ve never seen a more worthless pair!” Rowena spat, her voice filled with venom.

  Micha’s face was red as he struggled against the invisible hands that held him. Rowena’s eyes flashed with malice and she clenched her fist tighter before jerking it quickly to the right. A loud crack echoed off the stone walls as the bones in Micha’s neck shattered and his body fell lifelessly to the floor.

  “Micha!” Gillian wailed, staring aghast at her brother’s crumpled form. Body shaking, Gillian moved to launch herself at her mother, calling what little bit of power she could to her hands.

  Rowena laughed darkly, “Oh child, as if you could ever stand against me.”

  Gillian howled in rage.

  Narrowing her eyes, Rowena lifted both her hands, palms facing Gillian. Black ropes of her insidious power snaked out, causing Gillian’s eyes to widen in horrified recognition. She’d seen this spell before.

  “No!” she shouted desperately, turning to run.

  Rowena only laughed harder. Her power wrapped around Gillian, snaking into her still-screaming mouth. Gillian’s green eyes turned milky white, black lines slowly forming within them, as her flailing limbs went still. Rowena did not stop, letting the full force of her power continue to seep into Gillian’s body. Gillian’s long limbs twisted, her body shrinking into itself as her skin turned a dull sickly gray. In opposition, Rowena seemed to swell. Her skin luminous with the power she was absorbing as she fed from her daughter’s soul. When she was done, her daughter no longer stood before her. In her place was Rowena’s newest Shadow.

  Rowena beamed at her creation, “Perhaps now you won’t have so much trouble following directions.” With that, Rowena began walking, stepping over her son’s corpse without pause. Behind her, Gillian’s soulless body followed with slow, ambling steps.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  When they arrived in the clearing, Helena staggered, bracing a hand against the rough bark of a tree to steady her while she gagged. She felt as though her body had tried to turn itself inside out. Von was beside her, looking much the same as she felt, although he’d at least managed to remain upright. He ran his hand along the length of her spine, the touch soothing, until she was clear-headed enough to stand on her own.

  “Better?”

  Her lips twisted in a grimace, “Definitely not my preferred method of travel, despite the convenience.”

  He chuckled and looked around. There was a thick fog rolling into the trees, blocking their view of the castle and surrounding them in a sparkling mist. Von paled at the sight, his eyes widening and darting over to her. Helena was quick to press her lips to his, letting the warmth of her body against his remind him that she was real and that this was not another of his horrific dreams.

  Von rested his forehead against hers, sucking in a shaky breath. “It would seem I am not as recovered as I’d hoped,” he admitted, smoky gray eyes staring into hers.

  “You will be,” she promised as they straightened.

  There was a searing pain in her side; the Jaka, reminding her that they needed to hurry. She moved away from her mate, although not far, shielding her eyes and using her power to help her see through the fog.

  “What do you see?” he asked softly.

  Helena shook her head, not having spotted anything of note, when her eyes finally found them. She let out a horrified gasp; the army of Shadows before her seemed endless as they swarmed her friends. Her eyes jumped from one to another, counting heads as she searched for one of fiery red. He wasn’t there.

  Panic began to claw at her, but she pushed it down, focusing instead on the psychic thread that told her he was there. She turned her head, thinking perhaps he’d been cut off from the others, when she saw a flash of red hidden beneath a mass of squirming limbs. They’d taken him down, she realized. Anger flared incandescent, causing her power to simmer and call her to the battle.

  Before she could join them, she needed to find the rest of her friends. That was still only five. Where were the others? Her gaze continued to scan the field, noting the snapping jaws of the wolves as they too took down Rowena’s monstrosities, but only stopping her frantic search once she spotted the last of her friends. Nial was beside Miranda, colorful orbs flying from their hands and into a wall of approaching Shadows. Serena was just about to reach them, her ax alight with fire as her mouth opened on a war-cry that had the others ducking. She let go of her weapon. It flew in tight circles, until it made contact and neatly lopped off the head of the nearest Shadow, before returning to her open hand.

  Helena’s rage grew with each passing second. These were her people, the ones she’d vowed to protect. She could not let them continue to fight alone. Especially not when they were so clearly outnumbered.

  She spun to Von, her voice urgent, “I need to go.”

  “Not without me,” he countered, thick arms crossed over his broad chest.

  Helena eyed him. He was barely pieced together, but there was no way he’d willingly stand back while the others were under attack; it went against everything he believed in. Helena should know; it was the same for her. “I don’t have time to argue with you about all the reasons that’s a bad idea. Please stay safe, my love. I just got you back.” She leaned up and pressed a kiss, hot and fierce, against his lips before taking a few steps back.

  His eyes smoldered, love and desire swirling in their depths, “You as well, Mate.”

  She nodded, and let out the low whistle that would bring Starshine to her.

  When she spoke again, her eyes had begun to swirl with iridescent fire, and her voice was thick with power. “Your brother is to the west, it looks like he could use you. I will clear the field.”

  Von looked up as dark roiling clouds began to amass in the early morning sky before nodding and taking off in the direction she had indicated, using his power to cover the distance via a series of blinks. Helena watched him go, hating that he was entering a battle when he was already weakened. She would just have to ensure it was a short one.

  Determination filled her as her Talyrian came into view. Starshine had barely landed when Helena launched herself onto her back.

  “Fly, girl,” she shouted, drawing her power, every churning drop, to the surface.

  Starshine took two running steps and flung them into the air, gaining height quickly. Once airborne, they were surrounded by heavy black clouds and Starshine streaked through them like a falling star. Thunder growled and lightning cracked as the pair approached the place where her friends were fighting.

  Helena let out an inarticulate cry which caused the o
thers to look up in raw panic. Their reassurance at the sight of her was palpable, their cheers turning to battle cries that spurred them to fight with renewed vigor. Holding out her hands, now glowing with her power, she let out one savage word, “Burn!”

  Starshine roared, letting out a pure beam of fire that caused an entire row of Shadows to turn to ash. Helena threw her hands up, releasing her power into the clouds. Her hair flew behind her, the ends looking like living flame as they floated on the air. There was another roll of thunder as fiery comets began to streak through the storming sky. The world was on fire.

  Everywhere she turned, Shadows were alight. Helena channeled her power to create shields for each of her friends, using her connection through the Jaka to help isolate where they were, and using proximity to locate the others. She did the same for herself and Starshine, allowing them to fly unscathed through the sky.

  Catching Kragen’s eye, Helena pointed to where Ronan had fallen. Her Sword made his way over, easily dispatching the few lingering Shadows, until he was able to pull Ronan up. The man was covered in thick black blood, and it seemed he’d acquired several new injuries that would scar. Helena watched as long as she could, waiting to ensure he was alright before refocusing on the fight. She finally moved on, once he’d pulled his weapon out of a dead body and swung it into another Shadow.

  They continued circling the field as Helena’s power fueled the firestorm. The air was thick with ash, floating up from the charred bodies and spiraling into the air. It was getting hard to see clearly, but it looked like they were finally making a dent in Rowena’s army. Helena could sense someone watching her. The hair on the back of her neck lifted as she risked a glance toward the castle. That was when she saw her.

  It was the scene from the Keepers’ warning, but not. A blonde woman was standing on a balcony, but she was not alone. Unlike her vision, she was flanked by six others and they were nothing like the hairless, skeletal creatures fighting below. These beings still appeared mostly human, having only the same white eyes shot through with black that indicated they were some form of Shadow. All of them were clearly male, except one.

  Helena gasped, recognition shooting through her at the red-haired female at Rowena’s side. The bitch queen had turned her own daughter into a monster, taking her soul and feeding on her power until there was nothing left but an abomination. Disgust caused her stomach to roll and Helena launched a ball of Fire toward the balcony.

  Rowena’s lips curled in amusement as her own mouth opened. Two things happened at once: a large creak, like the sound of a gate being lowered, echoed over the field just as Helena’s fireball froze and began to plummet. The glittering ball smashed into the stone of the balcony, missing its mark entirely. Starshine shot jets of fire at Rowena, but they hit an invisible barrier and turned to smoke. Helena fumed while Rowena laughed.

  It was then that the second thing Rowena had done became apparent. Row after row of shadows made their way through a now open gate and onto the killing field; their mindless bodies stumbling over the corpses of the fallen. There were not mere hundreds of new Shadows, there were thousands of the creatures marching toward her friends.

  Comprehension dawned. This was where everyone had gone, why she hadn’t seen a single person when she made her way to the castle. All of the people that should have been needed to keep a castle such as this running, all of the villagers that would have helped work the land and feed them; Rowena had turned every single one of them into one of her Shadows.

  It was no wonder she had not bothered them these last months, she has been building her army. With every Shadow Rowena created, she also added to her own power, not just her fighting force.

  Helena looked at where her friends were still fighting, clearly losing ground under the new assault. They’d been making progress, had almost completely eliminated all the Shadows that remained, but they would not be able to fend off a couple thousand more. Each one of them was already showing signs of fatigue. She watched as Darrin slipped, his weapon lopping off an arm instead of the creature’s head. The Shadow did not stop, slashing at Darrin with its remaining hand, causing thin ribbons of blood to appear.

  They were outmatched. Her stomach dropped, she alone would not be enough to save them. There were just too many, and if Rowena added her power to the fight, she could destroy them all. Helena needed to get them out. Now.

  Sensing her need, Starshine dove, eradicating the entire front line of the Shadows with a long torrent of flame. It was enough of a break for her to be able to shout to the others, “Back! Get back!”

  Helena watched as her friends ran, Effie stumbling and falling to her hands and knees. Darrin was already beside her, lifting her into his arms and running. Timmins and Joquil continued to fend off the remaining Shadows that were closest, keeping an open path for Kragen and Ronan to run through. Once together, the four men followed after the other two.

  She fed the storm, fire flying through the sky until there was a wall of flame between her people and Rowena’s army. It should be enough to buy them the time they needed to escape. Starshine made one last turn, ready to head back, when a blast of power hit her.

  Helena and Starshine let out twin shrieks of rage at the impact that rocked Helena so hard she was almost hanging off the side. Starshine righted, allowing Helena to climb back into place, but her wing had been damaged and each flap of her great wings was an obvious struggle. The blast of power must have obliterated the shield that had been protecting the Talyrian. Releasing some of the Fire she was still channeling, Helena pressed her hand into Starshine’s fur, assessing the injury and pouring Water’s healing magic into her. Bone and flesh knit itself back together, allowing Starshine to continue flying them to safety.

  They landed and Helena slid off, running toward the others. They were all there, some in better shape than others, but all alive. There was no time to explain what she intended.

  “Go!” She screamed to Starshine, who let out a roar and took to the sky.

  “Everyone grab onto each other!” she barked the orders, trusting they would follow without question.

  Von moved to stand beside her, wrapping his arm around her waist, his eyes never straying from his brother. Helena hastily scanned her Mate, checking for new injuries, but while he was covered in foul black ichor, there were none. She allowed herself a brief instant of relief before shifting her focus.

  Ronan was at her other side, his hand clasping and squeezing hers. The others pulled in. Serena and Nial holding each other, while Darrin still carried Effie. Timmins had hauled Miranda to him, and Joquil and Kragen filled in the spaces between them. Even Karma and the rest of the bloodied, battle-worn Daejaran wolves drew close, sensing the urgency in her order.

  “Where’s Micha?” she asked, just now realizing his red head was not among them.

  Ronan frowned and shook his head. There wasn’t time for Helena to feel more than a pang at the news, the need to get away overriding every other emotion. She pulled the small purple stone once more from her pocket.

  “Helena,” Von said tersely, “are you sure that’s possible?”

  She wasn’t. Knowing that the stones worked off charge, and not knowing how much remained, she could only hope. Safe; they needed to get somewhere safe. Her mind scrambled to think of a place she could transport them.

  “Hold on!” she shouted, squeezing her eyes shut and focusing on the image of a campsite they’d had near the border. Helena used every last vestige of power that remained to reinforce her intention as the world went black.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Several days had passed since they had made it back to the Palace. Their injuries had been relatively minor. Surprisingly, Ronan suffered the worst out of all of them, if you discounted Von. Helena couldn’t help the small snort of laughter that escaped at his reaction when she’d healed him.

  Unable to distinguish between new and old injuries, or perhaps it was because she was simply too tired to try, Helena had flooded his
body with her healing magic. When Ronan had looked in the mirror he’d scowled darkly and shouted, “Put it back!”

  Her magic had repaired all the damage, meaning that the scar that had bisected his face for so long was gone. The rest of them had been greatly amused to see the amount of female attention he was now receiving, but it only annoyed Ronan further; a testament to the fierce reputation he’d worked so hard to foster having vanished along with the marks of battles fought and won.

  “I hope that smile is for me, Mate,” Von whispered in her ear, large hands kneading into the muscles of her back.

  “Mmm,” she murmured, eyes closing, “all of my smiles are for you.”

  He nipped at her ear playfully before moving to stand before her.

  Helena looked up into eyes that were anything but playful, her cheeks flooding with color as his desire rolled over her. The air between them was charged as Von held out a hand, helping her out of her chair and pulling her into his arms.

  They had spent the past few nights tangled together, whispering until the sky began to lighten, not wanting to close their eyes and find that being together again was a dream. It had been a time of tenderness, letting bodies and hearts heal from their separation, their need to simply hear and touch each other surpassing any other physical need. But no longer. Her Mate’s intention was clear.

  He dropped his head to kiss the fingers grasping his, looking up at her through thick black lashes and grinning wickedly, “It’s time for bed, Mate.”

  Helena felt her mouth go dry, only capable of nodding. Von led her to their bed, stopping to pull back the thick purple blanket before facing her again. He let his fingers trace the edges of her dress, dipping them into the valley between her breasts briefly, before continuing his exploration.