Fall of Ashes (Spirelight Trilogy Book 1)

by C. Ellsworth

  Addy groaned as she rose to her feet, then she made an effort to brush the mud from her clothes, but it made little difference. It was everywhere, including in her hair. Karine would have hated that. Addy swallowed, throat tight.

  Ryan came to stand at her side, his lean form just as muddy as hers. He gave her a weak smile and reached up to wipe something off her cheek. More mud. “Are you all right?”

  Addy nodded. “Bruised but not broken.” Then she turned her eyes back toward the Tower. “Let’s be done with this.”

  The last fifty paces brought them to the base of the Tower, where they walked along the outside until they came to an opening with no door. She exchanged a glance with Ryan before they both entered, crossing the threshold into a lengthy hallway. Addy gaped. All sound of the storm outside ceased, and in its place was a faint hum like that of a thousand bees. Bees made her skin crawl, but they were better than the chaos outside.

  The passage stretched ten paces or so into the distance, sides lit by vertical bars of pale blue light that seemed part of the walls themselves. The passage opened into a room, but at this distance, it could be empty, or it could be full of skeg.

  Around them not a speck of dust could be seen, save for what they had tracked in on their booted feet. And the air smelled pure and clean, much like that of the waterfall outside the barracks. At any moment, someone could rush out and scold them for their barn-bred manners, tracking in mud as they had, but there was no one to be seen. For the moment anyway.

  They continued on in silence, the drumming of her heartbeat loud in her ears, seeming to thrum in time to the pulsing of the Tower. The time had come. What was it she was supposed to do again? She had received a script from Phineus back at the barracks . . . Oh, yes. Greet the Lord and introduce herself, ask for his blessings, and then activate the Affirmation Stone.

  Beside her, Ryan was stoic. How could he be so calm?

  At the end of the hall sat a room, which appeared to be perfectly round and perhaps fifteen paces across. And in the center stood the Affirmation Stone—three feet high and made from a dark, polished stone or metal—looking exactly like the Proving Stone in town. All around the room, the walls glowed with pale bars of light like the hallway behind them. Her pulse quickened further.

  Ryan gave her hand a squeeze. “Go ahead,” he whispered, nodding toward the Affirmation Stone. “I’ll be here, waiting.”

  Addy smiled, her eyes searching his. Up to this point, she had been certain she was doing the right thing by going through with this, the Affirmation. But now that she was here, the mayor’s voice kept clamoring in her head. What if she was making a mistake? Should she stop and wait out the last moments with Ryan by her side? Her heart ached.

  Time to make a choice.

  She stepped forward, letting her hand trail behind her until her fingers slipped from Ryan’s grasp. Her heart begged her to stay with him, his arms wrapped around her, but that couldn’t be. One way or the other, she had to finish what she had come here to do.

  She stepped toward the Affirmation Stone, her hands coming together in fists. Her stomach writhed. At her feet were engraved lines, encircling the device at intervals that decreased in distance the closer she got to the center. The patterned floor looked similar to what was in the town square, except here the floor seemed made of brushed steel instead of stone. Above her the ceiling rose in a dome, the bars of light coming to a point in the center like a star.

  The Affirmation Stone sat before her, the holy device of the Lord. She took a deep breath. Steady, Addy. You can do this. Her heart drummed on. She closed her eyes. Greet the Lord, introduce myself, ask for blessings, and then activate the Affirmation Stone. She opened her eyes, gaze rising to the pinnacle of the dome. She clutched her hands together at her chest and began reciting the words she’d prepared. “Lord of the Tower and the radiant Spirelight, I have come to ask for your blessings on behalf of the people. Will you speak with me?”

  Silence was her answer.

  Addy paused for a long moment, eyes searching the ceiling. Stories told that one day the Lord would speak with one of the Proven, that he would bestow upon them the secret to curing the Faege. But all Addy got was silence, and that hum that made her bones quiver. “Lord, please. Help me. Help us. Tell me what I must do.” But still there were no words from the Lord. Had she done something wrong, said something wrong? Was she not worthy? Lord, tell me what to do!

  She turned and gave Ryan a questioning glance, but he merely shrugged his shoulders. “Try the Affirmation Stone.”

  Addy looked down. On the surface of the Affirmation Stone was an image of a hand, glowing with a pale light that matched the lights on the walls. She reached out, then stopped, her hand hovering just above. Is this what I am supposed to do? If she didn’t go through with it, would the world really be rid of the Faege once and for all? What about Papa and Gevin, and Ryan?

  Behind her, Ryan called out in a concerned tone. “What’s wrong, Addy? Is everything all right?”

  Addy’s hand trembled as she held it out above the Affirmation Stone. Lord, tell me what to do! Tell me that this is the right choice! “I . . . I’m not sure.”

  Abruptly, the whole of the Tower shook. It shook with a strength that knocked her to her knees.

  Ryan shouted through the rumble of the quake and the groaning of the Tower around them. “What do you mean you’re not sure?” He leaned against the wall for support until the tremor subsided. “What’s wrong, Addy?” He pushed away from the wall. “This is what we came here to do. Think of everyone who died so that you could be here right now. I know you can do this!”

  The look on his face was desperate. She would not let him down! She nodded, then stood and reached out with a trembling hand. Spirelight, help us!

  A fierce shout rang out.

  Ryan screamed.

  Addy spun, and there was Kergen, the blades of his two curved swords stained red as he stood above Ryan’s motionless form. Her breath seized in her throat. Lord of Light, no! She fumbled for her one remaining dagger, but the pale savage was quicker. One blade left his grasp as he threw it, the weapon twirling as hers had done when she had killed his beloved Valenda. It split the air, singing as it hurtled toward her, but an instant before it could pierce her heart, she threw herself to the side.

  There was a loud kachunk!, followed by a blast that sent her crashing to the floor. The lights on the walls turned from pale blue to angry red, and an alarm sounded, repeating in a deep moan like that of a dying beast. She scrambled to her feet, and then teetered on unsteady legs as the floor shook once again. Her eyes lit upon the destruction, and her heart sunk to her toes.

  The Affirmation Stone was broken.

  Chapter 35

  Addy stared, gaping at the Affirmation Stone where Kergen’s curved sword sat quivering, its blade buried inches into the black surface. A crack ran from the blade down to the floor. Oh, Spirelight! Kergen had broken the Affirmation Stone! How was she to complete the Affirmation?

  Ryan! She turned, eyes falling to the man lying near the room’s exit, his middle reddening through the split in his leather vest. Kergen stood blocking the way, his scarred and muscled chest marred with cuts and dark red bruises. His eyes were wide as he stared at the broken Stone, and his mouth hung open. He turned to Addy, and his gaze narrowed. “You! It is you who made me do this! I will rip your head from your shoulders! I will tear out your heart and eat it while it still beats in my hand!”

  Addy gripped her dagger, standing as steady as she could while another brief tremor shook the floor. Kergen flexed his large muscles, looking on the verge of charging. Why fight him? She had failed! The Affirmation Stone was destroyed. And everyone would be dead soon anyway. She shook her head. No! She wouldn’t give up. Her life was not his to take. If anything, it was he who should answer for the lives he had taken, the lives of her friends. And one way or another, he would pay, even if she died seeing it so.

  Addy clutched her dagger so tightly her joi
nts creaked. A slow fire ignited in her chest, building rapidly to an inferno. The Power sparked, ready to be unleashed. Her voice pitched to a roar. “If you want my heart, Kergen, then come and take it!”

  There was a flash of movement behind Kergen. Ryan rose to his feet, his long sword coming to hand in a fluid motion. He was alive! Addy’s heart leaped. But Kergen had seen her glance, and he spun about, his remaining blade jumping from his left hand to his right. Then steel clashed and clashed again, the two fighters moving around each other in a deadly dance.

  Addy moved forward, but with the two darting around each other, their blades spinning about, she couldn’t get close enough to help. Lord of Light, what could she do? She could try using her Power again, but Ryan was too close!

  Spinning full circle, Ryan brought his blade around in an upward swipe, but Kergen’s was there to block it once again. Then Ryan feigned another swing before kicking out with a booted foot, catching Kergen by surprise. There was a cracking sound as foot struck knee, and Kergen stumbled back. Ryan didn’t hesitate, his blade giving a soft ringing sound as it sliced through the pale flesh of his opponent’s left arm just above the elbow. Kergen cried out, but the gushing wound seemed only to enrage him further.

  Left arm hanging useless now, Kergen brought his sword down in an arcing attack, and Ryan raised his to block. But at the last moment, Kergen twisted his grip and his blade changed directions to come in from the side. Ryan barely managed to bring his weapon around in time to prevent himself from being cut in two at the middle, but the move left him exposed. Kergen answered with a backhand stroke with the pommel of his sword, striking Ryan in the temple and sending him spinning to the ground.

  Addy shrieked. She took a step forward, dagger rising, Power surging. Now was her chance! But before she could do more, Kergen dropped his sword and grabbed Ryan by the front of his vest, plucking him up from the floor. He lifted him high with his one hand, eyes narrowed and glaring. Then he gave a great shout and heaved Ryan through the air toward her.

  Addy leaped to the side as Ryan flew. He landed with a loud grunt, sliding a foot or two before crashing heavily into the broken Affirmation Stone where he slumped heavily to the floor. There, he lay unmoving, blood pooling beneath him. Lord, no!

  Her eyes moved to Kergen and narrowed. The fire inside her grew hotter still. “I will kill you.” Her voice was the whisper of a blade leaving its sheath.

  Kergen grinned, he large mouth stretching across his face. “I will find pleasure in choking the life from you.” Then he slammed his one good fist against his chest, gave a great battle cry, and charged toward her, limping as he ran and leaving blood trailing behind him.

  Addy screamed, releasing the Power. A section of the floor exploded at Kergen’s feet, but the skeg leaped sideways, and the blast mostly missed him. There was no time for another. She paused for the briefest moment, then she, too, charged.

  One, two, three steps she took before they met somewhere in the middle, his fist swinging, and her blade slashing. She moved with a purpose, dodging this way and that, slicing red lines into white flesh. But if those cuts affected him, he slowed not a whit. Her Power raged, but now she was too close!

  Abruptly, Kergen’s fist slammed into her chest, sending her reeling back a few steps. Darkness closed in at the edges of her vision. Her ribs felt shattered. She took a deep breath, blinking at the sparkles in her sight. Then she darted at him again, a guttural roar shooting through her clenched teeth.

  Like a dance, they moved around each other, bending first one way to swing a fist and then another to thrust a blade, all the while Kergen holding his bleeding arm to his middle and half stumbling on his injured knee. She would have been dead in three breaths if it hadn’t been for that.

  Still, she had managed to mark him at least once on every side, including a deep gash along his forehead. Her breath came in ragged gasps now, each inhale burning beneath her throbbing rib cage. How much longer could she go on like this? Kergen had already struck her half a dozen times, all glancing blows so far, but painful nonetheless. She had to end this! Somehow.

  Kergen paused to wipe the blood from his eyes, looking a shade paler if that was possible. He seemed to be tiring as well now, finally, his own breath coming in heaving gasps. But could she outlast him? It didn’t matter; she would fight until she could fight no more, even if it meant surviving for just a few minutes more before the Lord cleansed them from existence. Maybe she could spend that brief time at Ryan’s side.

  Then Kergen stumbled. Now was her chance! She moved in, dagger racing toward the man’s neck, but just before it could pierce his throat, he spun around on his heel and drove his fist into the side of her head. Her vision exploded into a multitude of shimmering lights. She flew backward, back slamming onto the floor. Her dagger flew from her grip.

  Kergen rose above her, appearing as a blurred, pale shape in her clouded vision. He spoke several words in that barbaric language, sounding smug and triumphant. Then he added in that same tone, “It is over for you now, Adele Swift.”

  He took a step closer.

  Addy exhaled. Kergen would end her life at any moment. Her head spun wildly. Papa . . . Gevin . . . She focused on that image. Gevin was sitting on Papa’s shoulders, the two of them smiling and happy, just the way she liked to think of them. Then she saw Mama, singing softly and smiling. It would be so easy to just drift off and—

  No! The fire in her middle raged again. This would not be the end! She would not die like this!

  Addy sought the spark, found and seized it, and the Power filled her once again, coursing through her body like hot metal through her veins. It grew stronger and stronger, the pain becoming too great to bare. Then she released it, the torrent flowing from her like a raging river. With her sight so blurred, Kergen could have been anywhere, and so she struck out, not just where Kergen might be, but in all directions. Everywhere!

  Oh no, Ryan! Too late.

  With a great roar, explosions erupted all around, sending debris shooting upward only to rain down again from above. The floor dropped out from under her, and then she was falling, arms and legs flailing. The blurred image of Kergen, eyes bulging in surprise, fell out of sight below her. She flung her arms wide, hoping to catch something—anything!—but there was nothing. Nothing but air.

  Then something slapped against her palm, smooth and cold. Reflexively, she closed her hand and held on with every ounce of strength she had left. Her arm jerked taught, and then she was swinging.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the hazy image of a crumbling cliff racing toward her. She braced for the blow and shut her eyes. Then she struck hard. Her hand slipped, and she dropped a few inches before she managed to get another hand up to take hold of whatever it was she was clinging to. And there she paused, holding very still, eyes shut tight and chest heaving.

  For a moment she just hung there, gasping for breath. Then she blinked open her eyes, her vision clearing a little. But her head throbbed, and her ribs ached. She looked up, careful not to move more than she had to, lest she slip.

  Addy was hanging about twenty feet down from the floor above, clinging to something resembling a thick vine, except this vine was black. Her heart sunk. It was the rope exercise all over again! Lord, no, I can’t do this! Maybe Ryan was still alive! “Ryan?” She ducked to avoid a shower of dirt from above. “Ryan, can you hear me? I need your help!”

  Ryan did not answer.

  But there did come a moan from below, and Addy felt the blood drain from her face. She looked down. Kergen! He was hanging head-down with his leg entangled in the black rope. And there was her dagger! It had somehow pierced the leather of her pant leg and now hung loosely near her foot. If she moved suddenly, it would slip free and fall into the abyss below.

  Clinging tightly, she wrapped her right forearm around the black vine, and then she took hold with her right hand. Could she hang on long enough to reach for the weapon? Careful, Addy. She cautiously lifted her leg. Ke
rgen moaned again. Just another inch, and . . . and . . . She got it! The blade came into her hand, and she brought it low, pressing it against the vine dangling beneath her.

  Kergen raised his head to look at her, blood flowing freely from the cuts on his face. Then he gave a soft chuckle and dropped his gaze to the chasm below. “I am ready, Adele Swift. I am defeated.” His voice was broken. “Send me to the Hereafter, where my Valenda will stand again at my side.”

  Addy hesitated. That was it? He was ready to die?

  Kergen jerked upward, bending at the waist, leg still tangled. He pulled himself up and clamped a large hand around her ankle. Addy shrieked. His eyes were wide and crazed, lips skinned back in a bloody sneer. In a blink, he would rip her from the rope and toss her to her death!

  “No!” Addy growled. Her blade flashed, slicing through flesh and sinew, and then Kergen fell, his tangled leg catching him for a mere heartbeat before it came free. Then he was gone, vanished into the darkness below. A severed hand clung for a moment to her pant leg before it too dropped off and disappeared after him.

  Addy clung to the smooth, black vine, heart pounding and chest heaving for breath. Already her right arm burned from the strain, and from the vine cutting off the blood to her hand. She had to move. If she didn’t, she would be joining Kergen below. Lord of Light, grant me strength!

  Addy turned her eyes upward. Now she had to climb. Her arms trembled. How was she going to do this? It wasn’t possible! She spoke to herself, muttering softly. “It’s just like the rope! Except it’s thicker . . . and quite a bit more slippery.”

  Focus!

  She pulled herself up and took hold with her left hand, then untangled her right arm and pulled herself up again. The ledge above may as well have been a mile away! You can do this! Another hand went up, and then another. Closer! Keep going! Another and another. Halfway there! Her arms burned and quivered from the strain. Her strength was fading! No! Don’t give up!