Falling Ashes (41 page)

‘Hello,’ Cecilia smiled warmly, turning away from the fireplace.

‘Are you Cecilia Pinchmidt?’ asked the woman in a soft voice. Her eyes were wide and fearful. She didn’t completely enter the room. Instead, she stood in the doorway so only half of her body was visible.

‘Yes, that’s me,’ Cecilia smiled, taking a step across the room. ‘What can I do for you?’

The woman licked her lips nervously. ‘I heard my husband joined your association. My name is Anya Redding.’ Anya stepped away from the door, opening it completely and revealing a small child. ‘And this is my human daughter, Helena.’

Chapter Thirty-One

Whispers

AVALON REDDING

‘What did I tell you?’ Fae whispered to me. We sat by the fire’s side, talking in hushed voices. Fae was consoling me, with one arm wrapped around my shoulders. The others were fast asleep, unaware that Fae and I were awake at this late hour.

I hadn’t been able to sleep; my mind was plagued with thoughts and images that churned my stomach. Fae had awoken and found me sitting alone, by the fire.

She had proved to be a good friend, and was always happy to lend an ear. At the moment, however, her attitude was a little smug. She had seemed pleased when I told her of Jack’s betrayal, though she hid it well.

‘What?’ I asked as I wiped my running nose on the edge of the knitted shawl. Fae had put it around my shoulders, despite the fact that I did not feel the cold. I figured it was a friendly protocol, in order to comfort someone who was upset. I was thankful, regardless.

‘Men,’ she said. ‘You can’t trust them.’

‘You’re not going to say
I told you so
, are you?’ I grumbled.

Fae smirked. ‘Would that make me a bad friend?’ she asked.

I sighed. ‘No. I guess you were right.’

Fae rested her cheek on my shoulder and squeezed me comfortingly.

‘Men will lie to get what they want,’ she whispered. ‘You cannot trust anything they say.’

I shifted uncomfortably. I knew what Fae was doing. She was trying to turn me against men in general. I still cared for Jack deeply; nothing was going to change that. But I felt hurt and betrayed, and everything Fae whispered into my ear made sense, and fuelled my hatred.

She was trouble, in that way. Fae enjoyed changing people’s minds to her own way of thinking. I’d learned that about her, so it was important to be mindful of what she said. Her intentions were good, though. She only wanted to protect me from hurt, however, I recognised when she was becoming manipulative.

‘Jack was different,’ I said after a long while in silence. ‘He talked about living together. I thought-’ I broke off, mid sentence, stopping myself from saying what had been buzzing through my mind all day.
I thought he was the one
.

‘Don’t worry about him,’ said Fae, waving a hand. ‘There are far better people out there for you. Those who respect your Power, and admire your strength.’

I glanced at Fae out of the corner of my eye, wondering what she was implying.

‘Just take a look at the followers you have gained since returning to England,’ said Fae, squeezing my shoulders. ‘They are all willing to put their lives on the line for you.’

Honestly, I didn’t care about them. All I cared about was Jack.

‘Tomorrow we will reach the Realm and fight for justice,’ said Fae. Her change of topic didn’t work. All I could think about was Jack.

‘I wish I could talk to him right now,’ I sighed.

Fae narrowed her eyes. ‘Who? Jack?’

I nodded solemnly.

‘Why? He’d just lie, and tell you it wasn’t true.’

‘Maybe that’s what I want to hear,’ I said, realising how foolish I sounded.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ said Fae.

I sighed. ‘There might be another side to the story. I mean, what if Camryn just wanted to hurt my feelings?’

‘You are blinded by affection for this boy,’ said Fae.

She was right. Perhaps I didn’t want to believe the worst of Jack. After all, I thought I’d known him well. Regardless, I needed to hear the truth from him. Yes, I was angry and upset, but Jack had always been good to me.

‘He’s helped me a lot,’ I said. ‘He was always there for me.’

‘There for you? He was only there because you resembled this other woman. Do you think he would have given you a second glance if you looked nothing like her?’

I tried to ignore the things Fae said. ‘Please. You don’t know Jack. He’s … a good guy.’

Fae rested her chin on my shoulder, watching my face closely. Her gaze made me feel uncomfortable. For someone so young, she was extraordinarily opinionated.

‘Why are you defending him?’ she asked, slightly annoyed.

‘Because he’s done so much for me. Helped me. Saved me. If you knew him, you would understand.’

‘But … he lied to you.’

I sighed. ‘Sometimes people lie, I guess. I know I do. A lot.’

‘What have you lied about?’ asked Fae, her expression one of suspicion.

I rolled my eyes. ‘I lied about Helena being a Mage for the last ten years.’

‘That isn’t a lie,’ said Fae. ‘You’re protecting your family. What
he
did was inexcusable.’

I closed my eyes and exhaled through my nostrils. ‘Maybe he had a reason.’

I had considered talking to Mr. Greenwood about the necklace, but had decided against it. After all, he’d never shown any recognition towards it. Besides, I didn’t want him to know that I was currently furious with his son. Despite this, however, I still had the locket on its broken chain in my pocket. I’d decided to keep it on my person as a reminder of the betrayal.

‘You’re making excuses. You just don’t want to believe the worst in someone you care about.’

‘You’re right,’ I said. I didn’t want to talk about Jack anymore. It stung my chest too fiercely.

‘You don’t like it when I say bad things about him, do you?’ she said softly.

I shook my head as a single tear slid down my cheek. It was not molten lava, as per usual, for Fae’s Power suppressed my own. Especially at a time such as this, when I was feeling vulnerable, her Power was particularly dominating.

Fae lifted her hand to my cheek, and wiped the tear away with her thumb, grazing it over my cheek gently. I gave her a watery smile, thankful for her company and support. Despite her opinions, she was still here for me.

Fae smiled, her eyes studying my face for several seconds. She seemed to take the lingering contact to heart because the next moment, Fae was leaning towards me. I thought I knew what was coming, though I did nothing to prevent it. Perhaps curiosity got the better of me.

Fae leaned towards me, taking my face in her hands. She pressed her lips to mine in a forceful kiss. It lasted only a couple of seconds before she pulled away, her expression expectant. I stared, unsure what I was meant to say, or do. I was absolutely lost for words.

‘Um.’ I bit my bottom lip. ‘That was … that was-’

Fae waited for my response, her eyes wide.

‘-Unexpected,’ I finished.

Her shoulders slumped, and I felt an immediate sense of guilt.

‘Sorry,’ I said. ‘I’m just … thinking about Jack. But thank you. I really appreciate the gesture.’

‘You have no idea how amazing you are, do you?’ she said, placing her hand on my knee. I shied away, rather uncomfortable with her affections. I liked Fae very much, but my heart ached for Jack.

Fae frowned and leaned away. I felt guilty about my less than adequate response. But what was I supposed to say? Fae was my friend.

‘I’m sorry,’ Fae sighed. ‘It has been a long while since I got close to another female.’

I patted her shoulder gingerly. ‘You will see Ræven soon, I know it.’

Fae nodded and rested her head in her hands. I felt bad for her loneliness, and could relate to it all too well. I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and a warm smile.

‘Thanks for talking to me,’ I said. ‘You should get some sleep. It’s very late.’

Seemingly crestfallen, Fae got up and brushed the grass from her bottom. She bent down and kissed me on the cheek before she walked over to Shadow, who was snoring peacefully. She lay between his large paws, using his chest as a pillow. I felt her eyes upon me for a long while, but I didn’t look over my shoulder to see if she was awake still.

As for me, I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. Not when we were so close to Concord City. Mere hours, in fact.

I had no idea what the following day was going to bring. One thing I did know, however, was that I would not hold back. I knew Fae wouldn’t either.

~

I didn’t sleep at all. I sat by the campfire, staring into the flames for hours on end. The crackling fire drowned out the gentle snores of the Vulmessians and my followers. Over the last twenty-four hours, our numbers had doubled, and I was beginning to feel rather cocky about my attack on the Realm. Word of our plight seemed to have spread like wildfire, and Mages were joining us from left, right, and centre without being asked. We’d walk through a town, and people would emerge from their houses with rucksacks over their shoulders. They’d begin to walk with us in silence. I didn’t mind.

Fae, however, was suspicious. She feared that we would be betrayed by the followers and attacked before we reached the Realm. I was not worried, however. Each and every nameless Mage that joined our plight had a look of sadness and desperation in their eyes, and I knew at once that they felt the pain I had for Helena.

While I didn’t know the name of every Mage who joined me, they promised to fight for human rights alongside me.

By the time we reached the outskirts of Concord City, it was mid-day and I had a plan fully formed in my mind.  Hours prior, I had delegated a duty to each and every person.  No one argued with me.

Perhaps they were afraid of me. After all, my reputation seemed to precede my abilities. Perhaps I had become the monster the Realm depicted me to be.

One thing was certain, however, I would not back down until the Realm had paid for what they’d done to Helena. They deserved it. Perhaps I
was
a monster, but was it so wrong to want justice? Fae didn’t think so.

Emilija was to stay with Willow and Rue during the attack, and remain out of harm's way. I would never forgive myself if the pups came to harm.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sirens

JACK GREENWOOD

Jack had guard duty with Ethel Jenson that evening. It was something he wasn’t looking forward to, as Ethel had been flirting unashamedly with him lately.

It wasn’t just that, though. Jack didn’t want to be responsible for Ethel getting hurt during the inevitable attack. She was a nice girl, though her morals were a little skewed because of her upbringing. Despite this, she wasn’t a bad person.

Jack took a deep breath, thinking hard. How was he supposed to heal both sides, without anyone becoming suspicious? He’d have to figure something out. He didn’t want to be responsible for the death of anyone.

Jack expected that he’d be healing both Howl, and guard members. It wasn’t in his nature to let someone suffer, no matter which team they were on.

The evening was drawing close, and Jack felt a sense of foreboding. He couldn’t help but look up, towards the skies, expecting to see Hawthorne flying over at any moment. This did not go unnoticed.

‘Why do you keep looking up?’ asked Ethel, following his gaze and squinting into the sky. It was a sunny day, and not a cloud was in the sky.

‘Uh, it’s such a nice day.’

Ethel raised her eyebrows at Jack.

Jack wrung his hands together nervously. He knew there were H.W.L members watching him at this very moment.

Ethel sniffed the air, as though she could smell danger.

‘It’s weird,’ she said, thoughtfully.

‘What is?’ asked Jack.

‘I’ve got this terrible feeling in my gut,’ she said, folding her arms across her chest.

Jack grimaced. ‘Strange.’

‘I just feel as though something really bad is going to happen soon.’

Jack scuffed his toe along the concrete, trying hard to keep a straight face. He wanted nothing more than to tell Ethel to leave, to go and hide. He didn’t want her to get hurt.

But most of all, Jack wanted to see Avalon. He missed her so desperately, and he thought that perhaps he could talk her out of this attack.

If what Cecilia said was true, Avalon’s attack on the Realm was purely based on revenge. Avalon knew nothing about the cure within the Realm Headquarters. He must talk to her at any cost.

Jack was currently within the Realm gates, walking around the perimeter with Ethel. He suspected that Ethel had put in a word with her father, ensuring that they were always paired up for guard duty.

Suddenly, the air was rent with the sound of a dozen sirens wailing in unison across the grounds. Ethel gasped and looked around, her eyes wide and alert.