Ashes, Ashes

by M. A. Bronson

I woke up sometime later. The room was brighter than before, I didn't know how. The pain was still strong in my abdomen but had dulled a little bit. Someone had brought me clothes from my house, I assumed it had been Will. I dressed in black and white checkered skinny jeans and an Asking Alexandria tee shirt. I threw on an Invader Zim sweatshirt because this place, wherever it was, was fairly chilly. As I was pulling the zipper up, Will came into the room. His was dressed I his usual attire of all black. From his jeans to his tight jacket and combat boots, he was also wearing a black cloak that swished around his legs. Time ticked by as we stared at each other.

  “Come, we have to get back to Crosswood.” He took my hand in his and led me out into a hallway. The walls of which were covered in potraits, with eyes that seemed to follow us.

  “We're not in Crosswood anymore? Where are we?” I asked, excited. I had never left my small town before.

  “Drekenhall. Fern's cottage, to be specific.”

  “Who's Fern?” Did the hallway never end?

  “I forgot, you two haven't officially met. She's the woman I was talking to earlier.”

  “Oh, I don't like her,” I said as we continued through the house.

  “I wouldn't say that too loud.”

  “Why not?” We rounded a corner. Sitting in what could have been the throne of a king, was clearly Fern.

  She was beautiful, of course, in the cold, predator way of a vampyre. Her hair couldn't seem to decide whether to be a fiery red or the green of the surrounding forest. Her eyes were black like Will's. “Because I might not help the ungrateful human,” she said, smirking. Her fangs were stark white and shining.

  “Sorry,” I muttered, looking down.

  “Never mind.” She waved her hand as if to dismiss me, then addressed Will. “You need to leave now.”

  “We're going.”

  “Not her. Just you. You have business in the forest.” Will took on a tired look, he was clearly reluctant to accept Fern's words.

  “What does she mean? Where are you going?” I asked.

  “Vampyre things, in the forest. I'll be back soon, promise.” He leaned down and I waited for a sweet kiss. My eyes closed and I felt him kiss my...cheek. My eyes opened to find him wearing a fake smile. I refused to let childish disappointment show on my face, though so I smiled back. He turned and walked slowly, almost reluctantly into the forest, before he disappeared in the trees.

  Fern sat her chair casting me an appraising look. “Well, human, what do you want to do?”

  “I don't know. I've never been here before,” I answered shyly.

  “Of course you haven't. This is the enchanted forest. Very few humans come here. Or leave. Anyway, it's a lovely day. Why don't we sit outside.” It wasn't a question.

  I followed her out the door, thinking that her tree might not go all the way to the top branch.

  It was strange outside. The sky was black as a raven's wing and yet light glowed from several odd trees. Strange almost neon colors emanated from large trunks that seemed to go on forever. They reminded me of a glow stick I had once bought at a baseball game.

  A call echoed among the trees but I could in no way tell what type of creature gave a cry like that. It reminded me of a cat hissing. But only slightly.

  There were other trees, different than the glowing ones, that were smaller and gave off no light. However, the glimpses I caught of them showed gnarled branches and twisted limbs that were reminiscent of a corpse. One tree oozed a sap so thick and red that it looked exactly like human blood.

  Shadows fluttered among the tree. There weren't very many clear, discernable sounds, but buzzes and various calls echoed throught the forest every so often. There was a sense that this forest was alive, with secrets and power, friendly creatures and not-so-friendly creatures. It was a fascinating place.

  “Here, sit down and look at the forest. You'll be surprised by what you find,” Fern said as if we were old friends. She was clearly nuttier than fruit cake but she was also starting to grow on me.

  Two chairs sat against the stone of her cottage. One looked similar to her chair inside, with a velvet seat in a deep pink and elegant golden arm rests. Not something one usually expected to find outside in the woods. The other was a cheap lawn chair that had seen better days. Somebody had tried to fix it with...duct tape. Black duct tape with vampire fangs to be precise. They didn't do a very good job either. Both chairs couldn't have looked more out of place if they tried.

  I stepped back to give Fern the nice chair and was therefore extremely shocked when she gracefully plopped herself down into the beat up lawn chair.

  “What? You didn't expect me to let you set here, did you?” she said with a slight outrage to her odd voice.

  “No, of course not,” I replied as I sat down. The chair was a bit uncomfortable but it made me feel quite regal. It took all my strength not to laugh.

  “Don't worry about staying awake, he won't be back for awhile. Just let your mind wander.... Open your eyes....” Her words faded from my hearing and yet ran through my mind as if they were on replay. I looked out into the forest as my world changed.

  The mist that hung in the air began to cling and climb it's way up the trees, almost like vines. Like smoke from a fire, it moved as if with a mind of it's own. The colors of the forest swirled together until they blended and become something else. Then, like an old-fashioned drive in movie theater a picture formed and began to play out before my eyes.

  Scenes took place before me, humans and other creatures. Glimpses of their lives and most of them included what looked like very dangerous situations.

  “What did you see?” The question was abrupt and jarred me from...well, from what I couldn't say. I hadn't been dreaming but it was something else entirely. Something I had never experienced before.

  I shifted in my chair. “Nothing, there's just trees.”

  “There's no reason to lie, I know what these woods can show. Once again, what did you see?”

  “What does it matter? Was it even real?”

  She nodded.“Very real. You will make a fine Seer. The trees know everything, they show what will happen. They were planted by the dragons, you know.”

  Fern appeared to be able to wait forever so I saw no point in further denying what I had seen. Fern was batty anyway, so what if she thought I was nuts as well?

  “Okay, well one of the...whatever it was that I saw it, well, it was a troll. I think...and I'm not sure how I even know that and he was in pain. I don't know why.”

  “Ah, Romulus. The trolls are a dying race, like so many others. Poor Romulus has had to suffer n a most unfortunate way. But his long lost love will return soon. Only she can save him. What else did you see?”

  Her recitation of their love made it sound like a romance novel or something. “That was pretty good, do you write books, too?” I asked sarcastically.

  “Cute, now what else?”

  “There was a girl. She was tied up...and there was a group of large wolves, like really large, circling around her. And there was another girl...older, with pointed ears, like an elf. She was running from the scariest pack of dogs that I had ever seen. Are they connected?”

  “Everything is connected, Jadwige. The first girl you saw was Misty, she'll become the mate of a werewolf soon and save them from a terrible civil war. And the one running from the dogs, demon dogs by the way, is Corvina. She's half-elf, that's way her ears are pointed. Quite rare.”

  “The trees will tell you more if you let them.”

  I once again listened to the beautiful vampyre. I saw many more things. A ghost floating in front of a train. He was sad and seemed to be waiting for death. The colors swirled once again to reveal a merman in a small body of water, he was kissing a girl with red hair. The image changed to reveal a red dragon perched on top of a mountain, unlike the other pictures the dragon gazed into my eyes and flew towards me.

  I woke up gasping with my heart racing. I was still in the chair
outside of Fern's cottage. Will was back and hovering above me.

  “We have to go. You have to go to Andrew,” he said, calmly.

  “No, Will I can't, I won't.” I spoke those words knowing they weren't true. But I felt a need to say them anyway.

  “You have to. The pain will only get worse. You can feel it, can't you?”

  “Yes.” The word broke through. “I'm sorry Will, I know I have to go. I just...I'm so angry at him.”

  “It's alright, I still...care about you.” He smiled, the classic Will smile.

  “Thank you,” I whispered as I stood up and hugged him.

  “For what?” he asked, clearly puzzled.

  “For everything,” I responded, smiling as I quoted him. His smile faltered and for a moment a cold, sad look replaced it, then disappeared as quickly as it came.

  “Were leaving now,” he said to Fern.

  “Oh, alright, just let me....” She rushed back inside and we followed her. She rummaged through a cabinet and took out a teapot, a cup and several strange looking jars. We watched as she mixed the ingredients into the teapot which now floated in the air like something from a fairytale. She poured the weird tea into a cup and handed it to me.

  “Drink,” she said, smiling like she had laced it with poison. I looked hesitantly at Will, who nodded encouragingly. I downed the whole cup in one gulp. A good thing I did, too. It tasted like frogs and rotten onions. Gross. Fern's smile widened upon seeing my reaction.

  “What was that for?” I asked.

  “To make you feel better,” Will answered, though my question had been directed at Fern. Now that I thought about it, the pain in my stomach was nearly gone.

  “You're welcome,” Fern said, looking quite satisfied with herself. “Will, a word?”

  Will looked nervously at me before following Fern outside. Fern smiled at me and winked, then shut the door. It took me a second to understand that she had left the door open a bit. She wanted me to hear their conversation. I crept to the wall beside the door and listened. Will was speaking.

  “What do you want, Fern?”

  “Will, it's never a good idea to play with your food. And she is food. You'll destroy her. It's what we do. In fact, you've already begun.”

  “Is this going anywhere?”

  “The mighty William Carrington in love with a human. How tragic. Remember my words, Will. It is never a good idea to play with your food.” Will brushed past her into the house. I managed to be sitting at the table when he walked in.

  “Alright now we can go,” Will said, grabbing my hand and leading me out the door. “Farewell, Fern.”

  “Bye, Will. And goodbye Jacinda Jadwige. Stop by sometime and we can have a...drink.” I wasn't sure who she was talking to, Will or I? She closed the door and both she and her cottage disappeared into the mist.

  Will stopped us a few steps into a small clearing that I hadn't noticed earlier. The grass and plants seemed normal until I noticed a large foot print in the ground. A real dragon foot print!

  I brought my attention back to Will. “So how are we getting out of here? Call a cab?”

  “Hello,” he teased, his arms wide. “Undead.” He grinned at me and closed his eyes in concentration.

  Suddenly great black wings shot out from his back. They were each a meter long and connected from his shoulder down his arm. The weren't made of feathers like a bird. The were bat wings.

  “My eyes are up here, babydoll,” he said in typical Will style.

  “So can you turn into a bat?”

  “No, this is it. Humans blow everything out of proportion. Hop on.” He lifted me onto his back and with a surge of power we leaped into the air.

  Our journey took us over the enchanted forest which was even larger from the sky. The wind rushed over us and Will laughed, looking happier then I ever remembered him seeing.

  I don't think I'll ever forget what it felt like to fly with Will.

  It was the best feeling ever.

  Chapter 7

  Reverse This Curse

  April 27, Saturday – 5:30 p. m.