Falling Ashes (7 page)

I accepted the warm gesture, returning the hug with enthusiasm..

‘Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!’ she said, rushing to the shop door, and flipping the sign so it read ‘closed’ on the opposite side.  She turned the lock on the door so we would not be disturbed. ‘Isn’t Jack with you?’

‘No,’ I said. ‘We were separated.’

‘Oh, that’s a shame,’ she answered, leading me towards the spiral staircase that led upstairs to the Greenwood’s apartment. ‘Why did you break up?’

‘Oh, no,’ I said quickly. ‘Not like that. We’re still … still together.’

It felt weird to say it.
Together
.

‘That’s good!’ Mrs. Greenwood beamed. ‘Come in! Come in!’

‘Oh, you don’t need to stop work because of me-’ I said.

Mrs. Greenwood waved a hand, dismissing my statement. She ushered me up the stairs and into the sitting room. ‘Sit, sit. Can I get you something to drink?’

‘Water, please.’ I perched myself on the edge of the sofa, feeling nervous.

Mrs. Greenwood was being awfully hospitable.  She made a fuss, bringing me cookies and milk on a tray. I noticed that the tray rattled a lot as she put it down. Her hands were shaking quite badly.

‘Oh, you really don’t need to-’

‘Nonsense!’ She pressed the glass of milk into my hands.

‘Um, I’m really sorry to stop by so unexpectedly,’ I began.

‘Don’t be silly. You and Jack are welcome here any time.’

‘Well, I am hoping that Jack will arrive here within a day or two, actually.’

‘Really? Oh, that’s wonderful! My husband will be so pleased. He has talked of nothing else for the last two months!’

‘Where is Mr. Greenwood?’

Mrs. Greenwood glanced out of the sitting room window, which looked down upon the busy street below. ‘He went out to do a bit of grocery shopping.’

‘Oh.’ I forced a smile. ‘Jack and I were separated, and this was the only place I could think of that he might go.’

‘You’re not in trouble, are you?’ she asked, snapping her attention back to me.

I frowned. Mrs Greenwood must have seen the posters around town by now. Had she not left the shop all day?

‘A bit,’ I admitted. There was no use in lying at this point. She would find out eventually. ‘Where’s Jaime?’

‘Oh, Jaime is at school today.’

‘Really? It’s Saturday.’

Mrs. Greenwood’s face became pale. ‘Oh, yes. I mean he is at a friend’s house. They’re doing homework together.’

I placed the milk on the table and took a deep breath. ‘Look, I hate to ask, but I really need somewhere to spend a night or two … just until Jack arrives.’

‘Of course,’ Mrs. Greenwood gave a wide smile that did not reach her eyes.

‘I really don’t want to put you out-’ I said.

‘It’s no trouble at all. Oh, my goodness, how rude of me. You must be starving. How about a proper meal?’

‘It’s okay-’

But it was too late. Mrs. Greenwood was back in the kitchen before I could properly protest. I could hear pots and pans banging in the adjacent room.

Mrs. Greenwood had been very hospitable when we had spent the night a few months ago, but I couldn’t help but get the feeling that she was acting strange today.

I followed her into the kitchen to find her trying to light the fire under her stove. Her hands were shaking so badly that the kindling could not catch.

‘Mrs. Greenwood, are you all right?’

She jumped up, laughing at herself. ‘Oh yes, Dear. I’m fine. Be a sweetheart and light this for me, will you?’

I obeyed, and stepped in front of the grate. It was ignited only a moment later.

‘Thank you, Dear,’ she smiled, yet avoided eye contact.

Within half an hour there was a steaming bowl of potato and leek soup sitting in front of me. It was so delicious that I went back for seconds.

‘Now, Dear, I’m just going to quickly pop into town, okay? You stay here and make yourself comfortable.’

In any other situation, I would have offered my company. However, a venture into town was far too risky given the current circumstances.

‘No!’ I said, quickly. ‘Can’t you stay here?’

What if Mrs. Greenwood saw the posters in town? Would she send me away for putting her home in danger?

‘What? Why not?’

‘Please … um, I don’t want to be alone.’ My voice cracked at the right moment.

Mrs. Greenwood’s face broke into an expression of sympathy, and she rushed forward to hug me. I buried my face in the crook of her neck to hide the fact that I wasn’t really crying.

‘It’s all right, Dear. Oh, you poor thing. Something terrible has happened, hasn’t it?’ She held me at an arms length.

I nodded, but kept my face hidden by my long hair.

As a Healer, Mrs. Greenwood was very kind and nurturing. I wondered if Jack’s mother had also been a very maternal woman. Jack was a kindhearted man, though sometimes he didn’t fully understand pain.

After agreeing to stay with me, Mrs. Greenwood kept checking the clock on the mantelpiece, and looking out of the window, as if waiting for someone or something.

‘Is everything okay, Mrs. Greenwood?’ I asked an hour later. We were playing cards in the sitting room, but she kept getting distracted.

‘Hm, what?’ She averted her gaze from the window. ‘Yes, everything is fine. The boys should be home soon enough.’

I nodded, and found myself rather eager to see Mr. Greenwood. He was, after all, Jack’s father.

However, several hours passed, and neither Mr. Greenwood nor Jaime came home. The sun was beginning to set when I questioned Mrs. Greenwood about it.

‘Where do you think they’ve gotten to?’ I asked.

‘Oh, I expect Jaime is off playing with his friends. He is so popular, that boy. He’s always losing track of the time.’

‘Aren’t you worried about him? Shouldn’t you check to make sure he is safe?’

Mrs. Greenwood waved a hand. ‘Oh, he’ll let me know. I’m sure he’ll be home any minute.’

‘What about your husband? I thought you said he went grocery shopping? That was four hours ago.’

‘Don’t worry yourself, Dear. You just worry about your own man.’

I pursed my lips. If I didn’t have a bounty over my head, I’d go out looking for Jack at this very moment. However, if I weren’t a wanted criminal, I wouldn’t be in this position in the first place.

Jack and I would have finished our conversation yesterday. It felt like forever ago.

As I thought about my life, I felt it appropriate to sit back and reflect upon my future options.

How long would the Realm search for me before they gave up? It was unlikely that they would just forget about the whole thing. The way I saw it, the outcome could only be one of three things.

One, they would capture me and imprison me for crimes against Mage-Kind

Two, I could spend my whole life on the run, constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if I was being followed.

Or Three, they could capture me, and kill me.

Was there a fourth direction my life could go? I could always fake my own death, but how would I manage that? I thought about Georgia Deveraux, the shape-shifter, and how I wished she would impersonate me again. That would wipe the smug smile from her face.

No, that was a horrible thought. No one deserved to be imprisoned when they were innocent. Still … I did not like Georgia at all.

I could adopt a new identity. I could change my face, my hair, and my name. Everything. There must be a Mage somewhere that could change the physical appearance of others.

‘So, Avalon. What do you want to do with your life? Do you have a career path in mind?’

Mrs. Greenwood’s question snapped me back into reality.

‘Oh, um. I don’t know.’ Honestly, the fact that I was a Fire-Mage put my career opportunities into a rather small category. ‘It’s difficult … when people are afraid of my Power.’

Mrs. Greenwood waved a hand. ‘Nonsense! You just need to be confident, and you can achieve anything.’

‘There’s no way to say ‘Hi, I’m a Fire-Mage’ in a positive way.’

‘Sure there is.’ Mrs. Greenwood pursed her lips and thought about it for a few moment. ‘You’re a …
daring
fire artist.’

‘Fire artist?’ I repeated, with a raised eyebrow.

‘Yes! You can entertain people by … swallowing fire, or something scary like that! People would pay to see it.’

I couldn’t help but laugh at the image that popped into my head. I imagined myself swallowing flames, while Hawthorne jumped through giant, burning hoops.

‘Entertainment is definitely out of the question,’ I said. ‘My Power is far better at destroying things.’

Mrs. Greenwood smiled. ‘Perhaps. Oh! You could become an officer for the Realm. They do like having frightening Powers, don’t they?’

The very idea made me feel sick. ‘No, I don’t think so.’

‘There’s the army, too. No? Hm. You could help others by controlling flames. You could join the fire-fighters!’

I smiled. ‘Thanks, Mrs. Greenwood, but I doubt the fire brigade would want a Fire-Mage on their team. They usually recruit the Water-Mages.’

She pouted. ‘Well, we’ll think of something! What does Jack want to do with himself?’

I thought about what Jack had said the day before.  ‘
I want to work, save my money, and buy a house. 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.
’

‘Jack wants to work, and start a family,’ I said, avoiding eye contact. 

‘But that’s not what you want?’

Honestly, I hadn’t even considered the possibility of motherhood. I’d never found it very suiting.

‘I don’t think I’d make a very good parent.’

‘Why do you think that?’ 

I scoffed. ‘I am not exactly the nurturing type. Not like Jack. He wants to help people.’

‘Yes, that’s what most Healers want. It’s in our nature, you know? To take care of others.’

‘Is Jaime like that, too?’ I asked.

Mrs. Greenwood considered this for a moment. ‘It’s hard to say at his age … he is still a boy, after all.’

I left it at that. It was clear that Mrs. Greenwood did not want to answer the question. Once again, she was looking out of the window as if waiting for something.

It was getting late, and the sun had set. Mr. Greenwood and Jaime were still not home yet, though Mrs. Greenwood did not seem fazed by this. She cooked dinner but laid the table for three people.

‘Won’t your husband or son want something to eat when they get home?’ I asked.

She didn’t answer and just hummed while she served the beef stew.

‘You must be tired, Dear,’ said Mrs. Greenwood around seven o’clock that evening.

It was still early in the night, but my eyes felt very heavy. Perhaps the poor sleep from the previous night had caught up with me.

At that moment, we heard a noise from downstairs; the jingling of keys, and the sound of a door being unlocked, followed by a tinkling bell.

‘Oh!’ Mrs. Greenwood jumped up from the sofa. ‘That will be Jack! Sorry, senior, I mean.’

Mrs. Greenwood rushed to the landing and quickly descended the steps at top speed.
What an unusual way to greet her husband,
I thought.

I could hear their voices in the shop downstairs, whispering and muttering to one another.

It was obvious that Mrs. Greenwood was telling her husband that I was here. I cringed internally. Surely Mr. Greenwood must have seen the posters with my face on it.               What would he say when he saw me? Perhaps he would throw me out.

But Mrs. Greenwood had said that it was in a Healer's nature to care for others. Perhaps this was the safest place I could be right now.

I crept across the landing and tried to listen to what the couple was saying. Their voices were muffled, but I caught a few words.

‘If we can keep her here until they arrive-’ Mrs. Greenwood was saying urgently.

‘We can’t do that, Caroline. I won’t have it.’

‘Jack, there might not be another way-’

‘I don’t care. I’ll tell her, Carol. Don’t make me-’

I heard footsteps on the staircase and quickly resumed my place on the sofa. So, by the sound of it, Mr. Greenwood was not comfortable having me in the house. It looked like he was going to ask me to leave.

I stood up as Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood entered the sitting room, smiles plastered to their faces.

‘Hello, Avalon,’ said Mr. Greenwood, crossing the threshold and kissing me on the cheek.

‘Hello, Mr. Greenwood.’

‘It’s lovely to see you again.’ His eyes narrowed on my neck, his pupils dilated. ‘Well, isn’t that a lovely necklace?’

Mr. Greenwood pointed to the locket around my neck. I’d almost forgotten I was wearing it.