Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  I instinctively shook her, but her body was rigid and cold. There was no reason to check her pulse. Dannie was dead. I scrambled away from her, shaking. My mind exploded, a thousand memories of good times shared with my best friend, someone who always had my back and Cecily’s. Dannie was dead. Dead.

  I screamed, feeling my own heart ripping apart in the condemned remains of a house that would haunt me for the rest of my life. Ella had unleashed a psychological warfare on me I wasn’t sure I could recover from, not fast enough to save Jack.

  I began to sob, praying it was all a dream and my friend would wake up, tell me to suck it up like a big girl, and everything would be okay. She didn’t. She was dead, and it was my fault. I did it to her. I killed her.

  “Alright, that will be enough whimpering. I do have things to do, after all.” Ella’s voice echoed down the hall. The sadistic tone gave me chills, and I huddled deeper into my misery. If I could block it all out, then it didn’t happen. If I shut off my own emotions, buried my mind somewhere else, I could survive long enough—NO! Get up, Sierra! Get up! You are not a child anymore!

  “I’m waiting. Come along now, or I’ll kill this one, too!”

  I shoved off the floor and wiped my tears. Dannie’s body taunted me, reminded me that everything that was happening to Jack was my fault, just as her death was on my hands. Jack. I had to pull it together long enough to make sure he lived, even if I didn’t.

  I took a shaky step, then another until I made it down the hall to my old bedroom. I slowly turned into the room and gasped at the sight.

  Jack was unconscious, gagged and bound to a chair like a scene straight out of a horror film. He was bloodier than before, and he was sweating profusely. His jeans were ripped over both knees and bloodstained. I was so focused on my best friend, the only one I had left, I didn’t notice Ella until she spoke again.

  “Well, go on. Have a seat and let’s chat, shall we? I am sorry about your friend. I did warn her that attempting escape would be harmful to her health,” Ella said with a shrug. “Such a shame. She was a smart girl, a bright future and everything. Too bad, so sad. Now, let’s get on with our business.”

  She leaned against the wall on her left shoulder. Her hair was pinned up, and she wore a suit jacket and pencil skirt, paired with black heels and reading glasses. She looked every bit a cliché librarian or... or college professor. She did have the audacity to go after him at school.

  She motioned for me to sit on the chair beside him. I took one step toward it, just inside the room, and the door slammed behind me. I spun around, startled by the sound. My chapped lips parted in shock, and a gasp escaped. That tiny gasp did nothing to convey my shock adequately.

  “Who... who are you?” I asked, staring at a shadow. It seemed to move with the breeze, but as it came closer into view, I saw that it was a person.

  “Her name doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you do exactly as I tell you,” Ella demanded, then turned her attention to the shadowy figure. “I believe everything is under control from here. Thank you for your assistance, your Grace.”

  Your Grace? What on earth? So there was someone Ella held higher than herself, but who?

  The shadowy woman merged back into the corner where she blended into the darkness. She wore a long, flowing cloak that covered her entire body. All I could make out of her face were a pair of ruby red lips that curved upward, pleased with the situation. I was mesmerized by the woman or creature, I hadn’t decided what she was, but I didn’t have time to consider it further. She blew a burst of cool air from her lips, and fog surrounded me. Once it had cleared, the mysterious woman was gone.

  “Always so much drama,” Ella said, annoyed. “Now, let’s get back to the important part. I have an offer for you, and if you refuse I will kill this... whatever this poor excuse for a man is.”

  My thoughts swirled back to Jack, the reason I was there. Bringing me to that house, killing Dannie and leaving her for me to find, the mysterious woman with the smoke and mirrors—they were all distractions keeping me from my mission, all part of Ella’s plan to throw me off. Look at Jack! Focus on Jack!

  “Yes, do look at poor, sweet Jack. Wouldn’t it be such a shame if I were forced to rip his heart through his chest as well? Dannie did scream quite a bit, and I found it displeasing to my ear. I’d rather not do it again, so let’s settle our business. I want you out of mine, so I offer you this: I’ll remove the wolf curse and the fire spell, release your worthless friend to your custody on one condition...” She seemed to think for a moment, her eyes fixed on the ceiling, then said, “Make that two conditions as I am quite tired of coming all the way here every thirty years or so.”

  “What?” I spat trying to control my fear, but it sounded like a puny squeak instead.

  “First, you do as I said. You send the Salien and his friends home. I don’t care how you convince them to leave but do it, or I’ll slaughter them all. Second, when the fairy retrieves her enchanted books and wand, you will bring them to me.” How does she know that? I wondered.

  I hesitated, unsure what to do next. She had me, and she knew it, but there had to be another way.

  “No... Sierra...” Jack’s garbled voice reminded me that giving in to her demands was the only way to save his life. Hesitating would only make Ella angry, and she would kill him the same way she’d killed... my heart started pounding harder. I couldn’t lose Jack, too. He struggled against the bonds, but Ella crossed the room and smacked his face.

  “Stop! Stop it! I’ll do it!” I screamed and shoved her away from him before she got anywhere near his heart.

  “Well,” Ella said, smiling widely. “See how easy that was? Have a seat, and I will enact the spell, then you may free your useless friend and be on your way.” Jack was so out of it, Ella thought nothing of loosening his restraints. Still, I was surprised she trusted we wouldn’t run off, then I remembered how easily she could kill us both.

  I did as instructed and prepared myself for whatever magic awaited me, but nothing could have prepared me for what she did. She raised her hands, and my head exploded with pain so sharp, so searing I was blinded by it. It felt like a pterodactyl had taken up residence in my head, screeching and clawing at my skull from the inside. I felt the bile rise in my throat—not bile—but whatever it was burned my esophagus severely. My ears burned, my eyes, my nose—every orifice on my head was burning. My head whipped back as a final screech echoed in the old house.

  Instantly, the pain abated, and I was nothing more than a quivering heap on the floor at Jack’s feet. He fell beside me, and with what little energy he had, he lifted me into his arms.

  Ella was giddy with excitement, her smile full and bright. “Oh my, that does feel good.”

  “All that power, thanks for the boost darling. I was growing a bit dim, but now... oh, wow, the strength and power of the wolf, the fire... this should last a good fifty years or so. Now, run along and bring me the items I demanded, or there will be consequences.”

  Jack wasted no additional time and ran through the house with me in his arms. He stumbled at the door but recovered and kicked it open. He didn’t stop running until we reached the sidewalk where he would have continued running if I’d not stopped him.

  “I can walk now. Put me down, it’ll be faster,” I said.

  He dropped me mid-stride and grabbed my hand. We ran hard and fast down the sidewalk back toward the library but made it only half a block before a thundering explosion threw us to the ground. The ringing in my ears was unbearable, but I couldn’t stop it. I rolled over and tried to orient myself, but it was useless. I saw Jack face-down beside me, but he was breathing.

  Strong arms lifted me from the ground, and I tried to fight but soon realized it was Ely. He tucked my head against his chest and ran toward the rental car parked just a few feet down the road.

  “Jack!” I screamed, but it was muffled and sounded like a whisper. I couldn’t hear his reply over the ringing in my ears, but I saw Heidi
and Jemma helping him to his feet.

  Fiona was sitting behind the wheel of the car with a very judgmental look on her face. I ignored it and focused on regaining my hearing by wiggling my fingers in my ears. Fiona scowled and snapped her fingers. Instantly my hearing returned.

  Jack slid into the seat beside me, forced to sit practically on top of me so Ely and Jemma could fit in. Heidi slipped into the front seat, also with a highly judgmental look on her face.

  “Thanks for—”

  “Do not. Do not thank us for coming for you, because frankly, I’m so angry with you I could scream. Just... just sit quietly like a well-behaved princess for ten minutes,” Heidi ordered, having lost all composure which was unlike her as far as I had seen.

  I glanced at Jack, surprised to find he was giving me an angry look. He turned his head to stare out the windshield while grinding his teeth and clenching his jaw, something I’d never seen him do. Ely was angry, but I saw sympathy and understanding in his eyes, where Jemma seemed downright annoyed.

  After one minute, Heidi whipped her head around, eyes flaming with anger. “You have—”

  Jack, however, would not be spoken over. “I cannot believe you did that!” he shouted, causing everyone in the car to wince.

  “What was I supposed to do, Jack? I wouldn’t let her kill the only person besides Cecily who’s ever been there for me!”

  “You... You’re so.... Gah! Sometimes you are so, so smart, then other times I wonder if you were dropped on your head as a baby! She played you, Sierra! I tried to tell you it was a trap, but... you say you trust me, but you didn’t trust me this time!”

  “Jack, I—”

  “Not done, do not interrupt me Sierra Monroe, or so help me I’ll stop this car!”

  “You’re not driving,” Ely said, earning a heated glare from Jack. He raised his hands in defense and let Jack rip into me some more.

  “Don’t you see? She tricked you. She siphoned your power and left you with nothing. Nothing! I’m so mad at you right now.”

  “How was I supposed to know that was her plan all along? How was I supposed to know Dannie would run away when I told her the truth? It’s all my fault she’s dead, so I think I’ve suffered enough!”

  “Si, I didn’t mean—”

  “Jack, she was going to rip your heart out just like she did to Dannie! Do you know what that would have done to me?”

  “Yes,” he said, his voice calmer, collected after my voice cracked at the mention of Dannie’s name. “The point is you’re a perceptive person, Sierra. You’re strong, and you’re a fighter. You fought hard to prove to social services you could take care of Cecily. You protected her and took beating after beating in that very house to protect her. You never gave up, never gave in. I’ve been in awe of your strength for years, Sierra, but you didn’t even try to fight. You rolled over and let her win, and she played you like a fiddle.”

  I stared at him at a loss for words. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but he had no idea what I went through in that house. How could he? I never told anyone but... but Dannie. She knew a lot of my secrets, even ones Cecily didn’t know, and it was all my fault she was killed. Not just killed—tortured, murdered, and body blown to bits. Her family wouldn’t even be able to bury her. I couldn’t even call the police to report her missing unless I wanted to risk my other loved ones lives as well.

  “I... I can’t do this right now. You don’t understand,” I said and turned my stare out the window.

  “Si—”

  “No, I’m done,” I said, shutting myself off from him, from everyone.

  The car went silent for several minutes before anyone rustled up enough courage to speak again.

  “Now what?” Jemma asked. “Now her wolf is gone—”

  “We still have nine wolves—my family, Cecily, and you. Surely nine can take her down?” Heidi asked. I wasn’t sure what she was speaking of, but I didn’t dare interrupt.

  “I’m afraid not,” Fiona said. “Now that she has wolf blood in her veins, she can’t be killed by the wolf curse. She killed two birds with one stone by siphoning your power, Sierra. We’ll have to find something else.”

  “My brothers tried everything for centuries, and nothing else worked!” Heidi said, showing fear for the first time since I met her.

  “That doesn’t mean there isn’t another way. We’ll find it, but we’ll find it in Schwarzwald. We’ll retrieve my things and dispatch as soon as possible,” Fiona said, reminding me Ella wanted her books and wand.

  I decided I should tell them what I knew even if it meant I had to break my silent treatment. I scooted forward in the seat so I could be heard without yelling. “She wanted me to bring her the books and wand. She didn’t say why she wanted them, but she’s willing to kill me and everyone I know to get her hands on them. Obviously, I don’t plan to follow through taking them to her, but what good would they do her?”

  Fiona chuckled. “She’ll definitely try to kill everyone, but she won’t succeed. As for the items, they are the source of my magic. If she controls my magic, she can use it for her own deeds.”

  “Oh,” I said, not that it made much sense, but I felt pushing anything at this point was a bad idea. But there was that other detail I wasn’t even sure Jack remembered after the beating he took. “There was someone else with her. A woman but she kept her face hidden. Ella referred to her as your Grace.”

  “She did?” Fiona asked, confused. “Are you sure?”

  I thought about it for a moment, then decided I must have heard her wrong. “M-maybe her name was Grace? I’m not sure now. It’s all a little blurry, but she was creepy.”

  Fiona sighed, “Well, I suppose we will add that to the ever-growing list of things we need to figure out.”

  After that, a stony silence fell over the car as we rode back to the library. Heidi and Jemma gazed out the side windows lost in thought while Jack stared at his own feet. He was still upset with me, but he did slip his fingers between mine and held my hand tightly for the rest of the ride.

  Moments later, Ely said, “I’m sorry, Sierra. I’m truly so, so sorry.”

  I wanted to let his words comfort me, but they didn’t. Dannie’s death was mine to own, and I would until the day I died.

  Chapter Nine

  Once we were back at the library, I started to get out of the car.

  “Where are you going?” Ely asked

  “I thought we were planning a heist or two?”

  “We worked out the details while you were on your little adventure which is why it took us a minute to realize you weren’t wandering the aisles anymore. You, Princess, are going home with us.” His tone was harsh, but I let it slide. However, he’d never quite looked at me like that before.

  “You’re mad at me, too?” I asked.

  “No, I’m absolutely thrilled that the love of my life wandered blindly toward certain death,” he snapped, then got into the driver’s seat Fiona vacated.

  “I’ll ride back with you and meet the others,” Jemma said, trying to ease the tension a little.

  I decided the best thing to do was to only speak when spoken to and keep my trap shut until we reached the apartment. Cecily would be furious with me, but I did hope she would go easy on me since Jack had already laid out the cold, hard truth—I, Sierra Monroe, was a big, fat dummy head. I walked right into the trap even though I knew it was a trap. Why on earth would anyone of sound mind do such a thing? You’ve never been of sound mind, Si.

  Jemma glanced at me around Jack but ignored my nonsensical outburst and went back to staring out the side window. I laid my head on Jack’s shoulder, and his stiff frame relaxed. He settled his own head on mine, and within minutes I was asleep.

  I had more dreams as I slept in the car. Nightmares, to be exact, but when I opened my eyes later, I couldn’t remember a thing about them. The details slipped away with each bit of consciousness gained. I looked around and found I was in my own room. Jack lay beside me, his sleepy eyes taking me in
as I stared back.

  “Hey pretty lady,” he said, then shifted his weight to a sitting position. He glanced at the bedside clock. “Wow, we’ve been asleep for two hours.”

  “How did I get in here?” I asked, glancing at him. I noticed the cuts on his face had disappeared. Every wound was gone. “How did you heal so quickly?”

  “Heidi has some cool magic tricks. I feel better than I did before I was kidnapped. You fell asleep in the car, so I carried you in. Actually, I had to pry you from Ely’s arms first. He’s a weird guy, did you know that?”

  I smiled, the most I could muster. “Where is everyone?” I sat up beside Jack after hearing hushed voices down the hall.

  “Prepping for the break-ins. Wow... kinda crazy how easily that slips from the tongue like it’s not a big deal to break into two museums with guards and pressure sensors and lasers and—”

  “Jack, this isn’t an action movie, honey.” I crawled around him and set foot on the carpet, a bit shaky. “I’m not sure I’ve eaten a thing today. Want something?”

  I heard my sister’s distinct giggling from the living room and realized I missed her terribly. I wanted to see her, so I hurried to the living room to find her sitting in the middle of the floor with Felix playing a board game. Brody sat with his feet propped on Dannie’s old coffee table. I cleared my throat, and he glanced at me, realized his mistake and removed his feet with a sorrowful look on his face. Heidi, Fiona, Ely, and Jemma were hunched over a stack of papers on the kitchen table, bickering amongst themselves.

  Cecily giggled again and shoved Felix who laughed and fell backward, on purpose I might add. I eyed the guard, but he didn’t seem to notice my heated gaze. If he so much as touched a hair on her...

  “Sierra? You’re up. How are you feeling?” Fiona asked.

  I took a moment to assess my state. Other than being hungry, I felt about the same. “A little tired and hungry, but otherwise fine.”

  “Hmm... after what you went through this afternoon I’d have expected you to be flat on your back for nearly a day, maybe longer.”