Falling Ashes (6 page)

‘Who are you?’ I said at once. ‘Get out of my house!’

He twirled a small dagger in his hands before using the pointed end to pick something out from underneath his fingernails.

‘I don’t think this is a very safe place for you,’ he said, inspecting his nails lazily. He had a strange accent, one I had not encountered before. 

‘You’ve stepped into a Fire-Mage’s house,’ I said with as much venom as I could muster. ‘My family will be home any minute now-’

‘No, they won’t,’ he interrupted.

My bluff had been obvious, though it was worth a shot.

‘How do you know?’ I asked.

‘Because I saw them pack up and leave last night,’ he said. I could not detect a lie in his voice. Perhaps I wanted to believe him, because if what he said were true, that meant that my family had managed to leave the house unharmed.

‘Look, if you don’t leave right now-’ I began.

‘You’ll what? Set me on fire? Sweetheart, I could have this dagger in your throat before you can conjure a single flame.’

He twisted the dagger between his fingers, the shiny blade glinting menacingly.

‘Why didn’t you do it while I was hanging upside down in your trap?’

‘Not my trap,’ he said. ‘A man from the village set it up last night. I expect he will be here to check it soon.’

I was still on the floor. Slowly, I shifted my legs beneath me to try and get better leverage. If I sprang into action, it might catch him by surprise. I could race for Hawthorne and be in the air before he managed to throw that dagger at me. The chances of success were unlikely, but what other choice did I have? My only other option was to talk my way out of this situation.

‘You don’t have to do this.’ I tried to fix my face into an expression he might sympathize with. ‘Please.’

As an emotional person, it was rather easy for me to pretend to cry. With wide eyes, and a trembling lip, I hoped he might let me go.

‘
Please
.’ He rolled his eyes. ‘Don’t try that crap on me, kid.’

‘You’ve got me all wrong, I swear.’

‘The Realm doesn’t issue an arrest warrant for just anyone, you know?’

I needed a new angle. Clearly, he was not a sympathetic man.

‘You’re not from around here, are you?’ I asked quickly.

He grinned. ‘That obvious is it, Sweetheart?’

I shifted my body into a crouching position and was glad when he did not retaliate.

‘W-where are you from?’

‘You wouldn’t know it,’ he said, tapping the handle of the dagger against his palm. I could see he was growing tired of conversation.

‘Try me.’

‘Heard of the Americas, Doll?’

I nodded. I’d heard of it. We were taught in school that America was one of the worst affected countries of the apocalypse. I’d never met an American before, which explained why I hadn’t recognised his accent.

‘What are you doing in England?’ I asked, trying to stall him for as long as possible.

Slowly, I brought myself into a standing position, and once again, he did not retaliate.

‘Not the weather, that’s for sure.’ He allowed himself a smile, his emerald eyes crinkling at the sides. ‘Work brought me here.’

‘W-what do you do?’

He smiled wider now. ‘I’m a Hunter,’ he said.

My throat became dry. ‘Is that your Power?’ It was hard to keep my voice steady.

‘I am an exceptionally good finder,’ he said, hoisting himself away from the door frame, into an upright position.

‘So, I take it you’re here for that bounty?’

‘Ten thousand is a lot of money,’ he agreed, folding his arms across his chest. ‘But I’m not in it for the gold.’

‘What else is there?’ I asked, narrowing my eyes.

‘The thrill of the chase,’ he shrugged.

‘You’re kidding, right?’ I said disbelievingly. ‘You’ll turn me in for the
fun of it
?’

‘Not for the fun of it, no.’ He took a step closer. I mimicked him and took a step backwards. ‘Like I said, I’m a hunter. It’s in my blood. A wolf doesn’t catch his prey for fun, he does it to
survive
.’

‘Please,’ I said, taking another step back. ‘You don’t need to do this. If you’re not in it for the money, can’t you just let me go?’

‘Well, the money is a rather nice perk,’ he said thoughtfully.

‘I have a friend,’ I said quickly. ‘He is waiting for me in the woods. If I don’t go back to him, he will come looking for me.’ This was not a complete lie. Hawthorne was in the woods, but there was no telling how long he would wait before he came to the house.

‘Why didn’t he come in with you?’ the man sneered.

‘Because he doesn’t fit through the door,’ I said with the hint of a smile playing on my lips. The effect of this sentence was very satisfying.

He raised his eyebrows but did not seem too alarmed.

‘I highly doubt it. You are alone.’ He scratched his unshaven face thoughtfully.

If I whistled, would Hawthorne hear me? And if he did hear me, would he make it to my side before this man slit my throat?

‘So what are you going to do, then?’ I asked. ‘Kill me? Kidnap me?’

‘Well, I’m not sure. The poster didn’t specify whether they wanted you dead or alive.’ This seemed to please him.

‘Well, since I’m finished either way,’ I said, taking another step back, ‘why don’t you tell me your name?’

He smiled again, showing all of his pearly white teeth.

‘I don’t see the harm. My name is Finn Mackenzie.’ He lowered his head and winked. ‘What do I call you, Fire-Mage?’

I gritted my teeth together. ‘Gretchen Burgwall.’ It was the first name that popped into my head. Gretchen Burgwall had been a very elderly teacher who had passed away several years before.

‘Well, Gretchen,’ said Finn the Hunter. ‘You seem like a sweet kid-’

‘So let me go,’ I tried.

Finn laughed. ‘No, I don’t think so. What I really want to know is why the Realm is interested in you. You must have done something pretty bad for them to plaster your face across the whole country.’

‘They have me mistaken for someone else,’ I lied. ‘Just one of those faces, I guess.’

‘Who could forget a face like that?’ Finn took another two steps towards me. Only a few feet separated us now. The window for escape was slowly closing.

If I ran, he would surely embed that dagger in my back.

‘It’s a shame you’re going to be arrested,’ said Finn.

‘I don’t have to be.’

He ignored my comment. ‘A pretty thing like yourself, well, just my type of gal, really.’

‘Maybe we can forget about this whole ordeal, and grab a cup of tea sometime.’ Hell, if pleading didn’t work, then I’d flirt my way out of this situation.

Finn smirked. ‘Sorry, kid.’

He took another step closer. I brought my fingers to my mouth, jammed them in, and blew as hard as I could. The resulting whistle would surely reach the forest.

Finn jumped but was not overly concerned by my sudden outburst of noise. He reached forward, ready to grab me.

Something large appeared in the doorway behind me, throwing a shadow over me and Finn.

Finn looked up, his eyes fixating on the thing behind me.

‘What the hell is that?’ he said, stepping back.

‘This is the friend I was telling you about,’ I said, looking over my shoulder. Hawthorne filled the room, staring transfixed at the stranger. ‘Finn, meet Hawthorne.’

Finn blinked rapidly as though he couldn’t believe his eyes. Hawthorne let out a low, rumbling growl that shook the dust from the rafters.

‘So, we’ll be going now,’ I said as casually as I could muster. The grin was hard to wipe from my face. ‘Maybe I’ll see you around some time, yeah?’

‘Wait,’ Finn croaked. ‘That thing must be worth a fortune.’

‘You’re the Hunter.’ I shrugged. ‘If you’re an exceptionally good finder, why not start with Hawthorne? I’m sure he’d love to see you again.’

‘I found you within a matter of hours after that bounty was placed over your head. What makes you think you can run from me?’

This was true. If Finn’s Power was to hunt then surely I would see him again soon.

‘I look forward to seeing you again,’ I lied. Finn scowled, but he didn’t dare approach me with Hawthorne by my side.

I mounted Hawthorne with ease, and we backed out of my house, leaving Finn looking rather stumped.

Chapter Six

Scyre

I wasn’t sure where Jack was. I wished we’d had more time to arrange a safe meeting place.

My first thought was his father’s home in Scyre, where the Greenwoods owned an apothecary. It was the most likely place to find him, so it was worth a shot.

Of course, without Jack, we would be much faster as Hawthorne could carry me for longer periods. But that also meant that I would arrive in Scyre before Jack.

We flew above the clouds to stay out of sight from the people on the ground, dipping downwards every few minutes to make sure we were on the right track. Once again, Hawthorne’s sense of direction was essential to our journey. Every time we dropped beneath the clouds, the scenery looked exactly the same to me. Green fields, farms, and little villages dotted the countryside. 

I had the feeling that we must be growing close. I knew our journey would pass within a matter of hours if we flew the whole way. 

The never-ending expansion of clouds soon grew tiresome, and I found myself wishing we were on land again. Almost as soon as this thought entered my mind, Hawthorne began to dive downwards once more. I knew this would be our final descent before landing in Scyre.

As usual, we did not want to alarm the villagers by landing a monster in their midst, so instead, we descended upon the outskirts of town so Hawthorne could lay low.

I was glad when my feet hit the ground. My thighs ached from the long flight, and it felt strangely slow to walk.

‘I’ll be back before nightfall,’ I told Hawthorne, hitching my rucksack higher on my shoulder.

Hawthorne looked down at my dress, which was still ruined from my earlier encounter with the booby-trap. I had completely burned the hem, and my socks. 

‘You’re right,’ I said, agreeing with Hawthorne’s stare.

I dropped my bag to the floor and began rummaging through the contents, pulling out underpants, socks, and clothes.

I removed the black dress that my parents had made for my birthday and held it in front of me. Looking around to make sure I was not being watched, I quickly stripped, using Hawthorne as a shield.

I slipped the black skirt and chemise on and fastened the leather bustier. At least this dress was fireproof. I pulled out a cloak that Jack had packed for me and wrapped it around myself, pulling the hood over my head. This would provide a small amount of cover if anyone were to look my way.

Stuffing my ruined blue dress into my bag, I slung it back over my shoulder.

‘How do I look?’ I asked Hawthorne, giving him a twirl.

He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes.

I dropped my arms to my sides. ‘Fine. I’ll see you later, okay?’

Hawthorne nudged me with his nose before sitting on his hindquarters and watching me leave.

We’d landed right on the edge of the forest, so it was easy for me to find the road that led to Scyre.  I only hoped that I would be able to find the apothecary that Mr. Greenwood owned. Of course, I would beat Jack to Scyre. In fact, it was possible that it would be a couple of days before he arrived. Hopefully, they would let me lay low during that time.

I kept my head down as I walked along the main street, avoiding eye contact with passersby. No one paid me much attention as I swerved between the lunchtime shoppers, though I did notice a scattering of my wanted posters, strewn along every street. Some had been plastered to walls, while others lay on the pavement, dirty and crinkled. Shoppers trod on my drawn face left, right, and centre.

I rounded a corner and was pleased to find that this street seemed familiar. I was sure Jack and I had been here just a few months before.

Yes! Looking ahead, I could see the hanging wooden sign featuring a mortar and pestle. Underneath was the name of the shop ‘Greenwood’s Apothecary’.

I broke into a jog, wanting to reach the shop as fast as I could. It was not safe on the street.

Finally, reaching the shop front, I peered through the glass and saw Mrs. Greenwood bustling around the shop. She was currently helping a customer.

I waited until the shopper had left and slipped through the door quietly.

‘Hello there. Can I help you with anything?’

I looked up and removed the hood, revealing my face.

‘Avalon!’

‘Hi, Mrs. Greenwood. How are you?’ I said, relieved that she remembered me.

‘My goodness. What are you doing here?’ Mrs. Greenwood smiled, removing her apron. She slipped around the counter and reached for me with open arms.