Falling Ashes (3 page)

The woods were quiet. I couldn’t even hear footsteps.

‘Hawthorne!’ I called again.

This time I heard distant trotting. A few seconds later, Hawthorne emerged from the trees, looking sheepish.

‘Hey,’ I said, slightly miffed. ‘Where have you been?’

He slunk to my side, pressing his nose against my arm as an apology.

‘Got better things to do, huh?’ I asked, ruffling the fur on top of his head. He seemed to be acting strangely guilty.

‘You want to go for a ride?’ I asked him. He could use the exercise. I’d noticed a change in his weight over the last two months of inactivity. He’d put on a few pounds.

Hawthorne looked over his shoulder, as if contemplating the decision. Had he really been too busy to come when I called?

I looked past him, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was looking at. I couldn’t see anything.

‘Well?’ I pressed.

Obediently, Hawthorne lowered himself to the ground so I could clamber on top of his back. I rested my knees in the crook of his wings as he straightened up. Any moment now, I would feel the rush of the wind as it blew through my hair. The anticipation was almost as exciting as the act itself.

I dug my heels into Hawthorne’s sides, and he stretched out his enormous, white wings that spanned over twelve feet each. There was barely enough room amongst all these trees.

As he beat them hard, dust lifted and formed a mist around us. Slowly, Hawthorne’s paws left the ground as the beating of his wings became harder. Soon, we were coming level with the treetops.

‘Higher!’ I called to Hawthorne, smiling widely.

He obeyed, soaring high into the sky.

My hair was whipped back as we swooped and dived, pulling up just in time before we touched the tops of the trees. I couldn’t help but grin as we rode the wind. It was natural.

Hawthorne, however, seemed distracted. He often glanced over his shoulder to see if I’d had enough, or scoured the ground as though looking for something.

I could tell that his heart wasn’t in it this morning. Giving up, I directed Hawthorne back to the ground, where I dismounted unwillingly.

‘Is everything okay?’ I asked, stroking his long snout.

His shocking blue eyes penetrated me, yet he showed no signs of distress.

‘Well,’ I said, burying my hands in the pockets of my dress. ‘I’ll be at the house. Come home soon, okay?’

Hawthorne nudged me with his nose in acceptance, and I reluctantly trudged away from the forest.

Chapter Three

Becoming Jack’s

‘Good timing, Red,’ called Jack from across the lawn.

He marched across the grass, meeting me at the front porch.

‘Are you done with work already?’ I asked.

He nodded, jingling his pockets to indicate that he had earned money for his house-visit.

‘All done. I can’t work all day on your birthday, can I?’ He grinned at me.

I had already forgotten that it was my birthday. My mood had been rather deflated since Helena and Hawthorne.

‘What’s the matter?’ asked Jack.

I chewed the inside of my cheek, looking over my shoulder towards the forest.

‘Is it just me, or has Hawthorne been acting strange lately?’

Jack followed my gaze and watched the tree line too.

After a moment of silence, he shrugged. ‘He is just becoming more independent. He’s not a pup anymore, Ava.’

Perhaps this was true. In fact, Hawthorne was nearing one year of age. I wasn’t sure how fast Vulmessian’s matured in comparison to Mages. Maybe Hawthorne was turning into an adult.

‘Stop worrying,’ said Jack.

‘You’re probably right,’ I agreed.

‘Let’s do something exciting. It is your birthday, after all.’

Jack demanded that we have some fun, so he walked me into the centre of town and bought me a cheese-bun with the money he had earned from healing the other villagers. I was very appreciative of the gesture, and my mood had improved considerably by noon.

We spent the day at a small pond, feeding the ducks pieces of bread, talking, and laughing, like normal people do. Finally, at the end of the day, Jack and I walked home, hand in hand.

‘You know, your dad thinks I am your boyfriend,’ said Jack as we dawdled home. The sun was setting behind the hills, casting a pinkish hue over the horizon. Finally, the heat of the day was fading away.

‘Mmh,’ I said, noncommittally as I kicked a large stone along the path.

‘We haven’t really talked about it,’ he continued, slowing his speed to a snail's pace. ‘You and I.’

I remained silent, watching my feet as we walked.

‘Things just … kept getting in the way, right?’ he said.

‘Right,’ I agreed.

Jack stopped walking and gripped my hand. He pulled me towards his chest and embraced me tightly.

Looking up at him, I smiled. ‘What’s this for?’ I asked.

‘I know you’re afraid,’ he said.

‘Afraid?’ I repeated.

‘You’re afraid to commit. I know you think you’re not good enough,’ said Jack. ‘You’re worried that you can’t give me the attention I want. But you’re wrong.’

He was right. That was exactly what I thought.

‘How can I commit when I am so close to a break-through with Helena?’

Jack took a deep breath, but held his tongue.

‘Jack, she tried to say my name again today.’ I wished he would believe me.

‘I understand you want to believe it’s true-’ he began.

‘It
is
true.’

‘You are projecting what you desire onto Helena. You’re hearing what you
want
to hear.’

This made me angry, and Jack could tell instantly, for my core temperature rose over thirty degrees within a matter of seconds. I tried to break free of his embrace, but he held me tightly.

‘Is this really about Helena?’ he asked.

I wasn’t sure anymore.

‘I’m trying so hard, Avalon, but you’re pushing me away. You can’t keep feeling sorry for yourself all the time. You need to stop feeling guilty, and start living. I mean, if you had any feelings for me at all, it shouldn’t be a problem, should it?’

‘How can you say that? You know how I feel-’

‘That’s just it,’ said Jack. ‘I
don’t
know, because you won’t talk about it. Obviously I care about
you
far more than you care about
me
.’

‘No,’ I shook my head, alarmed. ‘That’s not true.’

‘I feel like I’m getting nowhere. You hold me at an arms length, but you bring me closer when it suits you. Don’t you see how confusing that is?’

‘I’m not
trying
to be difficult,’ I said. ‘I’ve never … I don’t know what I’m supposed to
do
.’

‘Avalon,’ Jack took a deep, steadying breath. ‘I’m a simple Mage. I don’t want much. I don’t want to go on adventures, or be famous. I want to work, save my money, and buy a house. I’ve never had a proper family, Ava. I don’t know what it’s like to be loved or appreciated. Eventually, I want to get married, and have children, and all of those other things that normal Mages do. And I am not afraid to admit it. But you … you’re afraid of everything.’

Was that the kind of man Jack was? A family man? Suddenly, I understood Jack’s determination to commit to me, and earn my commitment in return. He wanted to invest his future in us.

‘I told you, Avalon. I’ll follow you anywhere until you send me away. So I need you to tell me something right now, okay?’

Jack meant the world to me, but I was afraid - afraid of destroying something else that was beautiful and pure. I was a Fire-Mage and would ruin everything I touched.

‘Okay,’ I agreed, my voice breaking.

‘I need to know,’ he said, ‘if …’

He seemed to be struggling to find the right words.

‘What?’ I pressed. I’d say anything to make him happy. It was clear he had wanted to talk about this for a while.

He took a deep breath. ‘Am I wasting my time?’

It stung worse than I had anticipated. It was as though a vice had clamped down on my chest.

‘No!’ I said at once, gripping his arm tightly. ‘Don’t think things like that.’

‘I need to know … what are you afraid of?’

I closed my eyes, trying to find the right words to describe how I felt. ‘How can … how can someone as selfish as me, deserve someone like you?’ I finally asked.

Jack cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my head up. ‘You are mine, Avalon Redding, and I am going to keep you.’

His voice held such authority and determination that I couldn’t say no, so I simply nodded.

Jack sealed his statement with a kiss, which I returned gladly. Of course, I’d never tell Jack that I’d been his all along.

‘I am a selfish person,’ I said, my voice shaking slightly. ‘I act first and think later. I’ve always been that way.’

‘I don’t think you’re selfish,’ he said.

‘No, it’s true. I can give you a whole list of reasons why I am a bad person.’

‘I can give you a whole list of reasons why you are a good person,’ he challenged. ‘What about all the work you’ve been doing with Helena? That isn’t selfish.’

I sighed and looked away. ‘Why do you think I’m doing it, Jack?’

‘Because she’s your sister-’

‘No.’ I looked back at him. ‘Because I feel guilty.’

‘There’s no reason to feel guilty,’ he said, his brow furrowed. ‘It isn’t your fault.’

‘If I hadn’t run away in the first place …’ I trailed off, taking a deep breath. ‘It mightn’t have happened.’

‘You can’t blame yourself for something like that.’

‘Who else is there to blame?’

‘The Realm,’ said Jack, waving a hand over his shoulder as though the Headquarters were right behind him. ‘It’s them who did this, not you.’

Chapter Four

The Posters Around Town

‘Avalon! Avalon!’ A booming voice called my name from somewhere in the distance. I broke away from Jack and looked around for the source of the noise.

It was my father. He was running as fast as he could down the street, away from the heart of town.

‘What the-?’ I watched his progress as he drew nearer and nearer.

My father caught up to us, wheezing and spluttering, clutching a stitch in his side.

‘Dad!’ I said, grabbing him by the shoulders. ‘Are you all right?’

He coughed, doubling over, trying to catch his breath.

‘Jack, what’s wrong with him? Is he okay?’

Jack bent down and placed a hand over my father’s chest, searching for the cause of my father’s condition.

‘He’s fine,’ said Jack, straightening up. ‘For his age, I mean. Mr. Redding, you really shouldn’t be running long-distance. How old are you? Sixty?’

‘I’m fifty-one!’ he said irritably. ‘Shut up for a minute, will you?’

‘Dad, what’s going on? You look like you’ve had a fright.’

‘The Realm,’ my father wheezed, wiping the sweat from his brow. ‘They know.’

I stared wide-eyed at Jack, who looked just as confused as I felt.

‘What? What do they know?’ My first instinct was to worry about Helena.

It was then that I noticed a large piece of parchment clutched in my father’s hand. I bent down and took it from him, unfurling the paper quickly.

I stared at a perfectly accurate drawing of myself, underneath a title that said:

WANTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST MAGE-KIND

I dropped the poster as if it had electrocuted me. Jack swooped down and snatched it from the ground, looking at it for himself.

‘Is this a joke?’ Jack waved the poster in front of my father, who finally seemed to be catching his breath.

‘No joke,’ my father said, straightening up. He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. ‘Avalon, you have to go.’

‘What? Why? I don’t understand-’

Jack stared at the poster and read it aloud. ‘Wanted for crimes against Mage-Kind: Traitor, and known leader of the human-alliance. Reward of ten-thousand gold for capture.’ Jack looked up and stared at me.

‘
Leader
?’ I repeated, aghast.

‘Where did you get this, Mr. Redding?’ Jack asked my father.

‘I was in the marketplace when a flock of carrier-birds flew overhead. They dropped these posters all over the place. One of them hit me right on the head. Soon, people will step out of their front doors to find your face plastered all over the town. I daresay Mortlock isn’t the only place to receive these.’

I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of this situation. ‘You’ve got to be joking, right? I mean, how? And who?’