Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  I processed her guilt-ridden words laced with pain and frustration. An essential part stuck out in my mind. “Did Ella have our parents killed?”

  She shook her head slightly, almost as if clearing a memory from her head rather than responding negatively. “I can’t be sure, but in my heart, I feel she may have... somehow.”

  It was possible, and stranger things certainly had happened. At the same time, I felt we may be looking for someone to blame for their deaths rather than accepting that sometimes life isn’t fair and people die before their time. It made no difference and changed nothing about our present situation, but there was one thing Ella had done that cut me to the bone, one slight that I could have prevented if I’d had my head screwed on properly.

  “I can’t believe I got Dannie killed.” It was another thought I meant to keep to myself, but once it was out, I realized I needed to talk about it. “I let my mind get too scattered, and I didn’t focus on the important things... I just... how could I let her run away like that? Why didn’t I chase after her until I found her?”

  “Sierra, you can’t blame yourself for what Cinderella did,” Jemma reasoned.

  “Perhaps not, but I knew what I was, and I made friends anyway. I should have kept to myself, and she would still be alive. She wanted to be a trauma surgeon, did I tell you that?”

  Jemma shook her head and let me talk about my dead friend.

  “She was leaving for med school in two weeks, and now her family won’t even know what happened to her. That’s... I can’t imagine the pain. I should have... I don’t know, but I should have done something. Maybe Jack and Ely were right? Maybe I did let Ella play me, but they just don’t get it.”

  Jemma pulled my hand toward her and held it tightly in hers. “I do. It wasn’t so easy for me those first years either. Not as bad as you but... I get it.”

  It was the first time Jemma had admitted her few years in foster care weren’t pleasant, but the look on her face made it clear she had no intention of talking about it further. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pressed on.

  “Dannie was amazing. Once Cecily was so sick, and the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Her kidneys started shutting down, and Dannie was ready to donate a kidney.” I chuckled a bit, remembering the incident. “Of course, it wasn’t so bad Cecily needed a transplant, and if she did I would have been the obvious choice, but that was just Dannie’s way. She was a giver, and she rarely thought of herself.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think you are a brave and selfless person, too. You were ready to die for Jack, and I think you would have done the same for Dannie. No one expected this, not really. This is all... I guess it’s just hard to wrap your mind around when you don’t understand all the parts.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” I said, ready to move on. I was in danger of losing control and sobbing all over her, so I changed the subject. “As to what you said earlier, you shouldn’t feel guilty for not reaching out. I think Fiona was right in some ways. It sucked, but if you’d told me this at thirteen, it wouldn’t have gone well,” I admitted. “Not that it went well when Ely told me, but probably better than it would have at puberty.”

  She snickered, skepticism written all over her face. “I’m not so sure there’s ever a time this makes sense. Wanna talk about something else?”

  “Oh gosh, anything else!” I said, finally able to discuss something other than curses and wicked aunts for even five minutes.

  Jemma and I had a lot in common, other than the obvious, of course. I found myself wishing I’d spoken to her in high school as we rambled on about memories of school, what we’d been up to since graduation, and everything else under the sun until we both grew too sleepy to stay awake. I fell asleep against Ely, and Jemma zonked out snoring softly with her head against the window.

  I had dreams—remnants of what I thought was a previous life mingled with parts of my current life, all jumbled into one distorted dream that made no sense. The moment I opened my eyes fully the visions were gone, but the feelings remained. Ely was still asleep, his dark hair falling into his face. I brushed it away, waking him. He startled a bit but settled when he saw it was only me.

  An attendant made an announcement over the intercom, waking most everyone on the flight. We were only a few minutes from landing, which meant we’d all gotten several hours of much-needed sleep, probably a good thing since the jet-lag would surely be miserable. Once off the plane, I discovered those hours were useless. I was still exhausted.

  “So, I should warn you,” Ely began as we wheeled several suitcases of Fiona’s books through the airport. “When you meet my family, it’s gonna be weird. I’m assuming once they see you, they’ll remember you like I did. My mother thinks there’s a crossover with the curses, something that blocks our memories of others whose curses have yet to be broken until we see them.”

  “Sounds... delightful,” I replied, thinking about how much fun it would be to stay in a castle with a dozen or more people who knew me, yet I knew nothing of them.

  “It’ll be fine. My family will love you even if they don’t remember you.” He draped his arm over my shoulders and hugged me against his side. I felt closer to him after the dreams, and I wondered if there was some way Fiona or Heidi, maybe even his mother, Ravenna, could bring those dreams to the surface. If they were actual memories, perhaps that was the key to remembering who I was?

  “I wonder if they’ll remember me?” Jemma asked. “I didn’t spend a lot of time in Schwarzwald, just when we received the annual invitation to the Harvest Ball.”

  “Ah, the Harvest Ball,” Heidi said dreamily. “We should have another of those someday.”

  Ely chuckled, then saw Brody waiting for us, my sister, Jack, and Felix with him.

  “What are they doing here?” I asked.

  “Not sure, but we should definitely get to Schwarzwald and under the cloaking spell as soon as possible,” Heidi said.

  She walked up to her husband and gave him a quick kiss, then immediately engrossed herself in conversation with him. Jack spread his arms wide, and I fell into his hug. The hug was dual-purpose, which I discovered when he whispered in my ear.

  “I think your sister is totally over Brian. She and Felix didn’t shut up the entire flight, so if I’m cranky today, it’s because I got zero sleep.” He squeezed me again, then released me to my sister who was tugging on my coat.

  “I missed you so much. I’ve been so worried, but Felix kept my mind off things, so that’s good,” Cecily said.

  I managed to give Felix a sideways glance over my sister’s shoulder, but he was too busy joking with Ely to notice. If Ely hadn’t mentioned his suspicions of something in Heidi and Felix’s past, I might not have been overly concerned. But, since my sister was fresh out of a long-term relationship, I worried she was rebounding with a man who may still have feelings for his married friend. No one needed relationship drama on top of the evil aunt drama.

  “Our flight was delayed at the changeover, so we only landed an hour ago. Figured it would be safer for us to move together, so we waited,” Brody said. “That said, the rental is waiting, so...”

  He motioned for us to follow and handed a key to Felix. Before I knew it, all nine of us were stuffed in a van and traveling down a highway in Germany. I hadn’t given much thought about how we got into Schwarzwald, but I assumed I would soon find out. Cecily and Felix continued talking until he turned off the main road onto a bumpy dirt road. We traveled a long way, then stopped in the middle of nowhere.

  Jack looked around, then to me. “Soo... is this the part where you tell us this was a big joke and there’s no Schwarzwood... Schwarzenwilder... Schwarz....”

  “Schwarzwald, and it’s very much a real place,” Brody said. “Watch this, it’s the coolest thing ever.”

  We watched as Heidi got out of the van and stood in the forest to the right. Ely had gotten out of the other side of the vehicle without my noticing and stood on her right whi
le Brody stood by her left.

  “This is weird,” Jack said.

  I climbed on top of him, planting myself in his lap so I could see out the window better. He made a muffled noise when I accidentally elbowed him in the gut but soon settled when Heidi raised her hands, and things started happening.

  A wispy fog settled over the forest floor, and woodland creatures scurried about. I thought to search for a hiding place, but when they began lining up to watch the show, my jaw fell open. The trees spread apart and the earth began to split. I felt Jack’s grip on me tighten as the crevasse grew, but after a moment the gaping hole became a cobblestone road. An entire village lay beyond the horizon, surrounded by a wrought-iron gate. On the door, a blood-red emblem in the shape of a shield was proudly displayed. In the center was the head of a howling wolf, surrounding his head the words: The Royal House, Salien.

  “Well, isn’t that a nifty trick?” Jack asked, but Cecily and I couldn’t peel our noses from the windows long enough to acknowledge him, let alone reply.

  “It is fascinating,” Jemma said, reminding me that she and Fiona were also in the van. Fiona was probably used to all sorts of magic, but even she watched Heidi with awe.

  Once the image was complete, the fog dissipated and Heidi Grimm fell into her husband’s arms. Ely helped him get a better grip on her, then Felix opened the car door for them. Brody placed her gently onto the seat, fastened her seatbelt, then climbed into the back with us.

  “I-is she... is she okay?” Jack asked.

  “Sure. She’ll sleep it off by the time we get to the castle. That kind of magic takes a lot out of her, but it’s the only way to protect the kingdom,” Brody said, gently brushing his wife’s blonde hair from her face. I glanced at Felix to gauge his reaction, but he was watching the road ahead.

  After some time traveling down the cobblestone road, we approached a walled area with a behemoth castle jutting out from the middle of a sprawling courtyard. Once the gate was lowered, Felix drove through. Surrounding the castle were smaller stone buildings, a few wooden structures, and what appeared to be a town square where dozens of villagers stared at us as Felix parked and we exited the vehicle.

  What do they think of all this?

  “They think the van is an instrument of death, which to be fair isn’t entirely wrong,” Ely said. “But mostly, they’re unsure of what will happen. They trust Marcus, but they’re scared.”

  “Me, too,” Cecily said, and Felix squeezed her shoulder.

  “All will be well, you’ll see,” he said, then, “Princess Saskia, do you wish to meet with the others or go to your quarters first?”

  He was suddenly very proper, and the rigid military man in him was front and center. “I... um... c-can you just call me Sierra, please?”

  “As you wish,” he said. Another guard approached, interrupting him. The two carried a short conversation, then Felix turned to Ely. “Princess Anneliese and Princess Susannah are in the east wing with...” he hesitated, then said, “with the children. Prince Christian and Princess Isabella have gone to investigate the incident in Schattenland and are expected to report back in the coming days. I am also informed King Agustus arrived a few minutes ago and eagerly awaits his daughters.”

  Cecily’s eyes popped nearly out of her head. “King Agustus? As in our father?”

  “Yes, Your Highness,” Felix responded. “According to Thaddeus, he is quite giddy with anticipation.”

  “Highness? Yeah, I’m with Si on this one. Please call me Cecily,” she said, then linked his outstretched arm with hers. I glanced at Ely, but he was busy cursing the heavy suitcases. It appeared Jack and I were the only ones who noticed the interactions between my sister and Felix.

  I honestly had no idea how to feel about the prospect of meeting my biological father. Cecily and I had been tossed around so much, it didn’t feel much different from meeting a new foster father. The only father I ever cared for had died in a plane crash, and I was uncertain if this man—King Agustus—would have any impact on me at all. Ely, however, was coming apart at the seams.

  “He’s gonna kill me. He’ll kill me dead tonight, right here in this castle. Doesn’t really matter which life this is, I did a lot of stuff in that first life he... well, let’s just say he has a lot of good reasons not to like me. I’m a dead man walking, Sierra. So, just in case I die tonight, I love you,” he said, then leaned down to kiss my cheek before guiding me toward the castle.

  “It couldn’t have been that bad. I mean, sure, you did attempt to steal me away in the night after marrying me in secret, but there are worse things,” I said, and he stiffened momentarily.

  “Yeah, like getting her pregnant or something before you dropped off the face of the earth,” Jack said and chuckled.

  “What he said,” I replied, laughing with him.

  Ely said nothing but continued on his mission—his walk of death, so to speak.

  Once inside, we were met by a beautiful woman with long, dark hair and red-painted lips. She walked right up to Ely and hugged him tightly, so I assumed her to be his mother. She pushed away from him and observed his presence.

  “You look a bit thin. I’ll have Sarah make you something to eat, all of you,” she said sweetly, then let her eyes settle on me. They widened, and her head tilted slightly, then her lips curled into a wide smile. “I was right. I remember you now as if it were only yesterday! Heinrich and I were constantly fighting to keep you two apart.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Ely began. “Look, I didn’t know I was such a brat back then until I remembered Sierra, but I hope—”

  “Prince Eliot Salien of Schwarzwald,” a booming voice echoed through the main hall just inside the entrance. Ely and Cecily both tensed beside me though for entirely different reasons. Ely slowly turned to face the music while Cecily floundered around looking for my hand. I offered it, and she squeezed it so hard I lost feeling within seconds.

  I’d only known Ely a few days, but I had never seen him so fearful. His forehead was slick with sweat, and his lips trembled, even his hands were shaky. Would he really kill Ely?

  “I hope not,” Ely said a split-second before he was taken into a tight embrace by the King of Goldene Stadt. Ely froze in place, practically bound by the strong arms around his torso.

  “You, fearless Prince Eliot, have earned your forgiveness tenfold,” King Agustus said, then released him. Ely fell like a wet noodle, a feeling I knew well. He stared, awestruck, at the man who towered over all of us.

  The king—my father’s—dark hair was short and neatly combed like most of the men I’d seen in the town square. His eyes were a shocking, crystal blue, a color like none I’d ever seen. There was a long scar that trailed from his forehead, down his cheek, and across part of his chin before tapering off.

  As I stared at him, he stared at me in return. Now that he was there in front of me, patiently waiting for me to choose my reaction, I felt safe and home—finally home. I fell into arms I didn’t know, yet felt so familiar all the same. He held on for dear life as I cried against his chest, only breaking the embrace once to allow Cecily into the moment. My sister cried as hard as I did, body-shaking sobs that were more therapeutic than any tears I’d ever shed before.

  “Shh... it’s alright my darlings. Daddy’s here now,” he whispered, a voice I knew but had no memory of. “Soon we will free your mother and all will be well.”

  I suddenly thought of Jemma, an orphan in her own right. “A-and Aunt Cla... Clara... her mother...” It was all I could manage to stutter out as I pointed to our cousin.

  I hadn’t noticed the number of people who had entered the room, all standing behind Fiona and Jemma. Our father raised his head to gaze upon his niece, then opened his arms to her.

  “Uncle,” she cried, then fell into his broad, strong arms with us.

  “Yes, my darlings, Genevieve’s mother as well,” he confirmed, also giving me a bit of information I didn’t know. Jemma’s name was Genevieve—lovely.

&n
bsp; “Y'all gon’ hafta to stop all that mess or you’re gon’ make a grown man cry,” Jack said, performing his best southern grandma impression. It made me giggle, and soon Cecily and Jemma were as well.

  Even our father chuckled, but when he glanced up to see who had made the ridiculous comment, his face contorted into one of pure shock. His arms went slack as he took Jack in, top to bottom. He gasped and side-stepped the three of us to get a closer look at my best friend. I looked to Ely who only shrugged, just as confused as the rest of us.

  “It cannot be,” Agustus said. “It simply cannot be. You’re dead!”

  Jack took a step back, feeling his personal bubble invaded once again. “Um... what?”

  The king lifted his hand to Jack’s face and gently placed his palm on his cheek. Jack allowed it, but with frightened, shifty eyes and a confused, uncomfortable grin.

  “Julian? It cannot be. You died just after...” He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, then said, “Perhaps not dead, but sent away as Saskia and Corrina?”

  Jack’s confusion only grew, as did that of everyone else in the hall. I glanced around at all the strange faces, catching a glimpse of Wil Grimm clutching tightly to a brunette woman who I assumed was Calla. My attention was brought back to Jack and my father when Jack spoke again.

  “Um... I don’t mean to ruin your day, but I’m not this Julian guy. I’m Jack... Jack... Jack... Sierra, what the heck is my last name?” Poor Jack had lost all his senses and stood staring up at a man who was quite sure he was looking back at his son.

  “It’s—” I began.

  “It’s no matter. I know my son.” King Agustus glanced around. “Does no one else? Does no one else know the Crown Prince of Goldene Stadt?” he begged.

  When no one else spoke, he left the room for a moment, then ran back to the group with a small canvas in his hands. “Look here, it’s the only thing I could save when I fled.”