Ash (The Underground Series Book 2)

by Melody Robinette

  Suddenly a knock sounded on her new iron doors, guaranteed to keep out even the largest of Shadow armies.

  “Come in,” she called, moving to stand from her winged armchair.

  “It’s just me,” Luke said, stepping into her new living quarters. Now that they were the king and queen they lived at the base of Arbor Castle in Olympus’s old rooms. If Autumn had had it her way, she would’ve happily stayed in her old Branch 308. But it was tradition, and some traditions were not meant to be broken. They had broken so many already.

  Luke moved to sit in the chair across from her. He looked older than he had just a few months ago somehow. From the moment they were dubbed the new elf rulers his stance had changed. He stood up straighter, talked with more conviction, and stopped making out with every girl he saw—though Crystal might have had something to do with this, of course. And he made an exception for her.

  “Where’s Crys?” Autumn asked.

  “She’s meeting with Kyle Butler about that empty shop in City Circle.”

  “Wow, what an overachiever. We barely graduated in May and she’s already looking to buy her own courtier shop in addition to protecting the Underground from evil with the rest of the Warriors.”

  Luke laughed. “As opposed to ruling the elf kingdom in addition to protecting the Underground from evil, like we do?”

  “True.”

  “Where’s Avery?”

  “With his mom,” Autumn answered in a subdued voice.

  “Is she still not doing well?”

  Autumn shook her head sadly. “The castle Healers had to start tube feeding her. She refuses to eat anything.”

  “Maybe we should get the warlocks to see if they can do anything for her. Maybe there’s a spell or something.”

  “I don’t think they like to interfere with mental maladies.”

  Luke quirked an eyebrow at this. “Maladies?”

  “It means—”

  “I know what it means. It’s just a weird word. Just because you’re queen now doesn’t mean you have to talk like you live in the 1800s.”

  “And here lately I’ve been thinking you seemed more mature than before, but alas I was incorrect.”

  “Alas? You’re killing me.”

  “Did you need something or were you just stopping by to criticize my vocabulary?”

  “I was just coming to tell you that I confirmed our visit with that little elf school next week,” he said, standing now.

  “Oh, great. Thanks for setting that up by the way. I’m impressed.”

  Autumn thought some of her personality must have rubbed off on Luke because he used to tease her constantly about her need to “save the world.” Now, it seemed, he had finally learned to empathize, a feat she thought forever impossible for him.

  “There’s more to me than my rugged good looks after all, it seems,” Luke said with a chuckle. “Are we still meeting with Atticus today?”

  Autumn nodded. “At 2:30 for tea in the Powers Tree. He wanted to meet here, but I insisted that we meet outside of the castle. I need a break from it.”

  “Same here,” Luke said, sighing as he made his way towards the door. “Stop staring at that crown, by the way. It’ll drive you crazy. I shut mine in my closet weeks ago.”

  With this he disappeared through the door, leaving Autumn alone with her dead grandmother’s crown once again.

  VICTOR confined himself to his library, his leaf quill flying across the journal on the desk at which he sat. The journal was the closest thing he had to a confidant, filled with his innermost thoughts, secrets, memories, and pain. Long ago he had grown tired of the constant overwhelming loneliness he felt, so he sought comfort in the bare pages of a book. Its pages were now tattered and nearly full. As Victor finished his entry and gently closed it, he ran a hand over the worn dragon-leather cover.

  Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

  “What,” Victor growled.

  “Pardon me, sir, but might I speak with you a moment?” the voice of his main servant Thorn called out, muffled by the thick wooden door.

  “Make it quick,” Victor snapped, shoving his book into his desk.

  Thorn opened the door just enough to slip inside before shutting it behind him, which was a significant distance judging by the girth of his stomach.

  “What is so important that you would feel the need to interrupt my much-needed solitude?”

  “Sorry, Your Highness, but I thought you should know that the Shadows are growing restless. I’ve caught several attempting to leave the island without your order. They—”

  “They cannot leave without my order. You know that, Thorn,” Victor said impatiently.

  “Yes, sir, but they’re trying to get to Arbor Falls.”

  “As I said—”

  “I understand, Your Majesty, but they do have orders to attack Arbor Falls,” Thorn continued nervously, running his hand through his unkempt black hair.

  “I gave no such orders,” Victor protested.

  “No…but Vyra did.”

  Victor stood at this, towering over Thorn, who was now cowering in the corner.

  “Vyra is dead.”

  “I—I know, sir. She gave orders to kill the residents of the kingdom before she died, but the Shadows were unable to follow through with them.”

  Victor took a step back at this. “I see.”

  “So, what do you—?”

  “I have a plan, Thorn,” Victor said, walking back to his deck. “But it isn’t the time to go through with it. Not just yet. Meanwhile I’ll strengthen my ties to the Shadows. They aren’t going anywhere…yet.”

  AUTUMN and Luke sat in the Powers Tree with Atticus, sipping tea and munching on pastries. There were so many memories there. Autumn felt like it had been decades since she’d first stepped through the doors, intimidated by all of the other elves who had such amazing and impressive Powers.

  “How have you been adjusting to life as rulers?” Atticus asked.

  Autumn and Luke exchanged weary glances.

  “It’s much more difficult than I’d ever imagined,” Autumn admitted. “Especially with the war going on. It’s hard to keep up with everything.”

  Luke nodded his agreement, stuffing another cookie in his mouth. Even with the stress of being king, he still hadn’t lost his ravenous appetite.

  “I understand. I imagine that would make things rather difficult. Just know that I’m here for you if you ever need anything.”

  “Thanks, Atticus,” Autumn said with a grateful smile. “You know, without you, we wouldn’t have been prepared to handle something like this. You really were instrumental in getting us to grow up.”

  Atticus chuckled. “Well, thank you, but I hope you haven’t grown up too much. Don’t ever lose that passion and drive you both had when I first met you. Our minds are most imaginative and open when we are young. As we age and experience difficult things, our mind has a way of closing in on itself.”

  “I noticed that on our quest,” Autumn agreed. “The children of the other creatures were much more open to accepting us than the elders were. They were more curious and listened to what we had to say. That’s how we got the merpeople to consider us initially.”

  “Yes, I would assume as much.”

  “How is your new set of students?” Luke asked Atticus. “As good as we were?”

  Atticus chuckled. “Of course not. Your group was exceptionally talented. Though, the kids this year definitely have promise.”

  “I wish Warriors were recruited every year,” Autumn said. “Give everyone a chance to prove themselves. Not just the elves that happen to be in their fourth-quarter on the year of the Warrior Test.”

  Luke jumped in. “And, rather than picking ten Warriors, they could just pick two, and they could do away with the partner thing, like the warlocks. I think having partners just causes more problems than anything. Everyone should work together as a team.”

  Autumn nodded her agreement. “I wish the Warriors were more of
a unified group, and not just five separate rotations. The young Warriors could learn a lot from the older Warriors and vice versa. Don’t you think?”

  “I’ve been saying that for years,” Atticus said with an amused smile. “But, you know how Olympus valued his rules and traditions.”

  Luke laughed in reminiscence. “That’s the truth.”

  “Yes, but so many of the rules are outdated. And we are the rulers now,” Autumn said. “Maybe it’s time we made a few changes.”

  “I think that’s precisely what we need, Autumn,” Atticus said, raising his glass to her. “To change.”

  Autumn and Luke raised their glasses as well. “To change”

  After the twins returned from tea with Atticus, Autumn gently knocked on the door to Avery’s branch. The trek up from the base of the tree was a long one. She missed the days when all Avery had to do to see her was leap down from his balcony to hers. He opened the door with a tired look upon his face. Without speaking, he reached for her hand and pulled her to him, embracing her tightly.

  “How’s she doing?” Autumn asked delicately.

  He shook his head. “I almost wish she would just let go. It would be easier than this.”

  “I know,” Autumn said, giving his hand a squeeze.

  “Any more Shadow attacks?” Avery asked, closing the door behind him and coming to sit on the stairs beside her.

  “Too many to count. There were reports from the trolls yesterday, and this morning the vampires sent word of two more attacks on Blood Valley. The Shadows are growing out of control, multiplying at an unbelievable rate. We have to find a way to kill Victor. Like, yesterday.”

  Avery nodded, staring unseeingly ahead of him. “Yes, except Victor is nearly un-killable. He snuffed out Vyra’s life as easy as blowing out a candle. Vyra, who the Warriors have been trying to defeat for years, and he just—” Avery snapped his fingers.

  “I know,” Autumn sighed. “On the bright side, though, the elves are really starting to warm up to the warlock Casters.”

  Avery raised up his thumb in false celebration and Autumn frowned. “Look, I know things sort of suck right now, but Luke and I are trying, okay? It’s not like we’ve been thoroughly trained on how to be elf rulers. Olympus thought he’d have more time.”

  “I know. I’m sorry,” he said. “I need to get out of my branch more. I think my mom’s mental illness is seeping into my own mind somehow.”

  “I think some of the Warriors and Casters are meeting at Arbor Lake this evening if you want to come.” She purposefully failed to mention that part of the meeting would be dedicated to discussing the Shadow attacks.

  Avery smirked. “That seems so amazingly ordinary.”

  “That’s the point.”

  “Sounds perfect,” he murmured, meeting her hazel eyes with his gray ones. Somehow this still made her heart feel like it was about to fly away.

  “And, uh, if you want…you can stay in my room tonight. You know, to get out of your branch for a bit.”

  His pupils dilated and he bit his lip, trying to hide a smile.

  “Only if the queen says it’s okay.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, I’ve already cleared it with her. In fact, she’s all for it.”