Falling Ashes (12 page)

‘Where did you get that?’ he demanded, pointing a thick finger at my necklace.

I covered the locket with the palm of my hand. ‘Jack gave it to me,’ I said. ‘What’s it to you?’

‘He had no right to give you that,’ said Noah, anger flaring in his voice.

I was affronted. ‘How dare you,’ I said. ‘He had every right to give it to me.’

‘It didn’t belong to him,’ hissed Noah, his cheeks pink. I really couldn’t understand the source of his anger. ‘He
stole
it.’

‘He did not,’ I said, offended. ‘It belonged to his mother. It was given to him after she died.’

‘Lies.’ Noah slammed his fist onto the table, making me jump. ‘It never belonged to his mother.’

Many things happened in unison at that moment. Noah reached across the table to grab me by the scruff of my neck, knocking over our drinks, at the precise moment the barmaid came to collect our empty goblets. Startled, the barmaid shrieked and leapt backwards into another table, her drawers on display for all to see. It was during this distraction that I took the opportunity to jump from my seat and zig-zag through the sea of tables. I heard crashing and banging behind me as Noah fought his way through the men and women that crowded the Inn.

I was small; I slipped under people’s arms, and squeezed through gaps in the crowd.  It was mere seconds before I had reached the door and burst onto the sunny street. Dazzled by the sudden brightness after being in the dark Inn, I raced down the street, heading in the direction I knew Hawthorne to be. I only hoped he was where I’d left him.

Someone kicked my legs; I tripped over my own foot and fell to the ground, grazing the palms of my hands as I attempted to break my fall. I scuttled to my feet, ignoring the pain. A quick glance over my shoulder confirmed my fear; Noah had caught up. He was shouting my name, trying to draw attention to me. It was working; people stared as I sped by, but I was growing closer to Hawthorne, I could feel it.

I couldn’t help but feel foolish. I was an idiot. A stupid girl. Why had I agreed to talk to Noah? He was clearly unhinged. Perhaps I’d assumed there might be a shred of decency in him, but no, all he cared about was himself.

R
æven’s old townhouse loomed into view, and I knew Hawthorne would be in the alley just a few meters beyond. I ducked and swerved between the city folk, skidding around the corner and diving into the alleyway. It was empty.

‘Hawthorne?’ I hissed, just in case he was camouflaged against the brick.

Nothing.

‘Hawthorne!’ I bellowed.

Behind me, Noah rounded the corner, panting and cursing.

‘There’s nowhere to run now,’ he said, out of breath.

I licked my lips nervously, looking around for a way to escape.

‘Now,’ he said advancing on me, his penetrating gaze staring straight into my soul. ‘I promise I won’t harm you. Just give me the necklace.’

I shut my eyes tight; I wasn’t sure what made me do it, but I knew that if Noah couldn’t look into my eyes I wouldn’t be hypnotised. This presented a problem; I was now blind. The only defence I had left was my fire, and I would not hesitate to use it.

Noah’s hands fell onto my shoulders, but I kept my eyes shut tight.

‘Move your hands,’ I told him. ‘Or lose them.’

He scoffed. ‘You think that will stop me? I don’t need to look into your eyes to control you. Now … why don’t you hand it over? Nice and calm … there we go.’

I raised my hands to unclasp the necklace, against my will, But it felt different to the last time Noah had hypnotised me. I forced myself to stop, and held my ground.

‘Come on now,’ he coaxed, placing a hand on the small of my back. ‘There’s no need for resistance.’

‘No,’ I said. ‘I don’t think I will.’

I was in control. Keeping my eyes shut tight, I allowed myself to be engulfed by flames. It felt wonderful to release them from my body, as if I had been holding the fire prisoner within myself for days. Noah cried out in agony, removing himself from me at once. I opened my eyes and saw him writhing on the alley floor, cradling his face in his shaking hands.

The left-hand side of his face had been badly burned. Welts were appearing across his skin, his eye was half closed, and his hair had been singed away. It was a rather grotesque sight, but I did not feel sorry in the slightest.

‘I told you,’ I said, stepping over his shaking body.

Noah grabbed my ankle, and I responded by kicking him in the gut. He coughed and wheezed, curling into the fetal position.

I crouched next to Noah and grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at me. He was in far too much pain to use his Power against me. Looking at his face I saw that it would be badly scarred once the burns had healed. Too bad Jack wasn’t here, not that I cared much about Noah. Perhaps the scars would be a reminder of his sins.

‘Now, listen to what I have to say, okay?’ I said, slowly and calmly. ‘I’ve put up with a lot of crap over the last few days, and I don’t have the time, or the energy, to put up with you. If you
ever
touch me again, I will burn every inch of your body so you can’t see, or feel, or walk. Got it?’ I poked him in the chest and war surprised to feel something hard.

I unfastened the clasp of Noah’s cloak and slipped my hand into his inside pocket, pulling out a small satchel of coins. I turned the pouch over in my hand, feeling the weight. There had to be at least twenty gold pieces in there.

‘I’m taking this,’ I told Noah firmly, tucking the pouch into my bustier. ‘Consider it compensation, if you will. After what you did to me and Madeline, I think you deserve a lot worse.’

I didn’t hang around for a response. Getting up, I walked out of the alleyway and into the sunshine.

Chapter Nine

Port

Hawthorne got quite a scolding when I found him fifteen minutes later, rummaging through a large dumpster for food scraps, with a banana peel on his head. He looked awfully ashamed of himself as I climbed onto his back and complained of the smell.

‘Oh, Hawthorne.’ I cringed. ‘You smell awful. What did you roll in?’

Ignoring the smell of garbage juice, Hawthorne and I set off … where? I didn’t know. All I knew was I had enough money, thanks to Noah, to live comfortably for a month. I might actually be able to get a decent night’s sleep at a lodge, though I’d have to make sure it was in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t want anyone to recognise me as the human-lover from the wanted posters.

One thing Noah had said reverberated through my head a hundred times as we flew over the clouds.
I heard there’s a Mage in Germany that can alter appearances.

‘Can you imagine that?’ I shouted to Hawthorne over the roar of the wind. ‘A new face? Noah said there’s a Mage who can change appearances in Germany.’

Would I really be willing to change who I was for a life of freedom? Of course. Most people would make that decision. Perhaps, if worst came to worst … it
could
be an option.

We flew until the sky turned pink and the sun withdrew behind the mountains, casting an eerie glow across the landscape. Hawthorne was keeping an eye out for a remote lodge to spend the night – somewhere the Realm wouldn’t have dispatched a large number of posters. I wasn’t sure if such a place existed, but it was worth a shot.

We flew above a town several miles south of Frost Arch. It was close to the seaside, with an Inn that was perched on the edge of a cliff, waves crashing into the rocks. The wooden panels of the old Inn were mouldy from the constant spray of the sea, but I found the inside to be quite warm and cosy. Hawthorne looked simply ecstatic at the opportunity to go fishing, and flew out to sea as soon as he dropped me off. From the Inn, I saw him swooping and diving out at sea, trying to catch fish in his jaws.

The Inn-Keeper; a toothless old sailor with a missing arm, was extremely accommodating, and a little bit eccentric. He told me his name was Merl. I thought perhaps he had lost his mind at sea many years ago, but he was very kind never-the-less.

He hobbled up the stairs with a lantern in his only hand as I followed him to my room. He opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. The room was light and airy; it had creamy wooden walls and seashells on every surface. The large window showed a spectacular view of the ocean, which was a stormy grey at the moment. Paintings of boats and mermaids hung on the walls, and the white fireplace allowed the salty smell of the sea to drift into the room.

‘It’s lovely,’ I told Merl the Inn-Keeper. ‘Thank you.’

At the price of five silver pieces a night, I really couldn’t complain. It was a bargain, and the location gave me a sense of never ending freedom.

‘Give us a shout, Lassie, if yeh need anythin’,’ he said, placing his lantern on the mantelpiece above the fire. ‘Dinner’s in an hour, and breakfast starts at five o’clock in the mornin’. Most are up early round ‘ere to get on the boats.’

‘You won’t catch
me
on a boat,’ I said, dropping my rucksack on the bed. ‘I much prefer the land.’ As a Fire-Mage, I’d never been in the ocean, or in fact, any large body of water. Baths were fine, but the thought of treading water sent chills through my spine. I’d never been taught how to swim. Not that it mattered. I had no intention of swimming in the ocean, though it seemed Hawthorne loved it.

Merl gave a toothless grin, his face wrinkling considerably. ‘Aye, most o’ our customers are sailors lookin’ fer work on the docks.’

‘Well, thanks again,’ I said, pulling a silver piece from Noah’s pouch and handing it to Merl.

He turned the coin over in his hand before pocketing it. ‘I’ll see that no one disturbs yeh,’ he said with a wink. ‘And don’t worry, Lass, you’re amongst friends ‘ere. Our town’s got more outlaws than the whole damn country combined.’

I stared, wondering if Merl knew I was on the run.

‘Um, thank you,’ I said uneasily.

‘G’night.’ He grabbed the door handle and closed it behind himself.

I wrapped my arms around my body and stood in the middle of the room, hugging myself. I looked around, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do with myself.

I wished more than ever that Jack was with me. I missed his company; the conversation, or rather, the bickering. I felt as though I hadn’t seen a friend in weeks.

Walking over to the fireplace, I knelt down and ignited the lumber, purely out of habit. I wasn’t cold. I never was. But if Jack were here he would have asked me to light the fire.

You’re like my own, personal heater
. That is what he had told me many months ago. I sighed and sat down on the bed, thinking about where my life was heading.

I had no plan, but at least now I had some money. I was starving; I hadn’t eaten anything for two days. The only thing I’d had was the cider at the Griffin with Noah, so I was looking forward to a good, hearty supper in the dining room downstairs. Perhaps I’d smuggle a few bread rolls into my room, too.

The chances of Jack finding me were now slim to none. I’d exhausted all of my trustworthy contacts, so following my trail would prove to be difficult. Worse yet, Hawthorne would not be able to track Jack or my parents because he was not ‘in tune’ with them like he was with me.

After waiting an hour, I made my way downstairs to the dining room where a few of the other guests were already eating. I found an empty table and sat down, picking up the menu and scanning the selection of food, which consisted entirely of seafood. Oysters, prawns, octopus, and squid were featured in many of the dishes. The very thought made me feel sick.

I wasn’t a big fan of seafood, so I chose the only thing that didn’t strike me as repulsive; grilled salmon.

It wasn’t too bad. The barmaid brought me a glass of red wine to accompany my meal, which was rather delicious.

As I ate, I observed the other people in the dining room. Most were older men who looked weather-worn, but there were a few young lads mixed amongst them.

One young man, probably in his early twenties, was sitting at the bar with an older gentleman who looked as though he might be his father. They had the same broad nose and square jaw. The young man glanced over his shoulder to look at me several times. I was highly paranoid that he might recognise me, so I kept my head low while I ate. I wished I’d brought my cloak downstairs with me; I felt far too exposed.

‘Excuse me, Miss?’

I jumped and dropped my fork. I hadn’t heard anyone approach my table; I’d been far too absorbed in my thoughts.

I stooped down to snatch up my fork from the ground, before looking to see who had spoken to me. It was the young man from across the room.

‘Hi,’ I said, placing the fork back on the table. I was rather startled that he had approached me, and my suspicion peaked immediately. However, with this man standing mere feet from me, I was able to appreciate how handsome he actually was. He was tall and broad shouldered, with tousled brown hair and an unshaven face. His deep-set eyes were black like coals, and he smelled of the sea, but it was not unpleasant.

He wore a long-sleeved, white sweatshirt and a pair of khaki overalls that were far too baggy; the shoulder straps were hanging down around his waist. His enormous boots were covered in dry dirt, and I could see rippling muscles behind his sweatshirt.