Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  I heard a sharp intake of breath, then Calla said, “This was supposed to be over. This was supposed to be my happily ever after, but there is nothing happy about this.”

  “I’m sorry,” I began, but she cut me off.

  “Don’t apologize to me for something that’s not your fault. Just help me figure out how to kill this woman, then help me flush out who’s behind the bigger picture. I want this done,” she proclaimed, then marched from the courtyard back to the dining hall.

  Someone rested his hand on my shoulder, and I spun around, ready to fight again.

  “Easy, it’s just me,” Jack said. “Let’s go to our room.”

  “Now is not the time for rest, Jack,” Cecily scolded, though we were probably all ready to collapse from exhaustion.

  “You need sleep, Cec. If you don’t sleep and regain your strength, then you’ll be no match for a chipmunk let alone a powerful sorceress. Have you seen the chipmunks here? They’re big, fat gooses with nasty-looking teeth.” He urged us both to our room, but we went willingly.

  “I think those actually are geese, Jack,” Cecily said, her voice tired.

  “Geese, chipmunks... whatever, just go to sleep young lady!”

  Once inside our room, Cecily sat on the edge of her bed staring at her shoes. I wanted to get into her brain, to pick it apart and find out what was going on in there, but she was already confused and scared enough. I could ask her all the things I wanted to know after we’d slept. She exhaled and scooted back onto the bed, not bothering with her shoes before succumbing to sleep quickly.

  I smiled at her, still like a child in many ways. She always fought to stay up as late as possible, then fell asleep on my shoulder before midnight every time. Jack nudged me with his hip, then nodded toward the bed.

  “You too, go on.”

  “Oh no, this chickadee is getting a bath first. I feel disgusting,” I said. “You figure out how to put that mess of blankets back on the bed before I get back.”

  “Yes ma’am,” he said, then saluted me before getting to work.

  I grabbed something to sleep in then went in search of one of the twenty-two bathrooms. As I passed a room I heard talking inside, hushed whispers that sounded like Wil. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but... well, I did.

  “She needs you, Jeanine. She puts on a brave face, but she needs her mother, the one she’s known all her life.” It was quiet for a few moments, then he said, “Yes, thank you. I’ll let Caleb know you and Gerald will be flying back with him and Julianna. Use that incredible insight of yours to decode their guest, Bianca, I think her name is. I find her a bit odd if I’m honest.

  After another moment he chuckled, then said, “I suppose so. I love you, too. Be safe.”

  I scurried away and found a bathroom, shut the door behind me and drew a scalding hot bath. My mind wandered, wondering just how many secrets this old castle held. Many, I assumed, as I drifted to sleep in the tub.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I woke with a start surrounded by cold water. I felt like a raisin—a soggy, wrinkly, old raisin. A soft knock on the door cleared the last of the fog from my mind. I raised myself from the tub and reached for the towel, then wrapped it tightly around myself. I glanced at my watch on the floor and understood why I was a raisin. A two-hour soak would make anyone look like an old lady.

  “Sierra, are you in there?” Ely’s voice was muffled by the heavy door.

  “Yes, just a minute,” I replied. “I fell asleep.”

  He was silent for a moment, then said, “I... I just need you.”

  It pained me to hear the brokenness in his voice knowing there was nothing I could say or do to make it better though it was all he’d done for me since arriving in Philadelphia. I dried and dressed quickly, my skin a bit sensitive after the long soak. I pulled open the door to find not only a broken man but one who’d been crying for some time. His eyes were red and swollen, his cheeks stained with tears. He was dirty from running in the forest and a bit bloody from where branches had torn at his flesh as he ran.

  I reached for him, and he fell apart again.

  “I was so close, Sierra. So close, it should have been me! I would have survived, but Henry pushed me away.”

  Even with Ely’s invincibility, Henry still had the urge to protect his family, a noble trait if I’d ever seen one. Stupid, in hindsight, but noble all the same.

  “We don’t know what will happen, Ely. Maybe Ravenna and Fiona will find something to help them? We can’t give up hope, not yet.”

  He sniffled against my shoulder. “Nothing ever goes right, nothing.”

  I pushed him back a little so I could see his face. “That’s not true at all! You survived Snow, and you’ll survive this. We’ll survive it all together. And when it’s done, we will find a way to save Henry if we must travel to the ends of the earth to do it. You don’t just give up, Ely. You don’t roll over and let them win. If we let Ella and whoever else is out there knock us down, then thousands of people will live in misery. I’d rather fight than live in torment, wouldn’t you?”

  The parallel to my past, being tossed around from one abusive foster home to another, it was not lost on Ely. He reached for me again and held me tightly against his chest.

  “You’ve had it rough for far too long, but you’re right. I’m going to make this better for everyone. We will win, somehow,” he declared.

  I let him hold me there for as long as he wanted, which was quite some time. Eventually, he knew he’d have to put on a brave face for his sister, but he could do that in the morning. I was sure Jack was hogging the entire bed, and rather than risk waking him or Cecily, I took option two.

  “Come on, let’s go snuggle and pretend we’re just an old married couple with a kid living in a castle,” I declared and pulled him along behind me.

  “We’re technically not married, but I’m down with snuggling,” he replied, the old, flirty Ely from the diner back in full form.

  “I said snuggling, not kissing. I’m too tired for anything but sleeping.” I chose to ignore the part about the status of our marriage because I felt that was a conversation that would take far more energy to unravel than I had to give.

  I had no idea where Ely’s room was, but it turned out to be just down the long hall from the one I shared with Cecily and Jack. His room was bigger and boasted not one, but two fireplaces both roaring with beautiful fires. There was an overstuffed chair seated by the larger fireplace, and a table stacked with books sat beside it. It looked like a wonderful place to relax. Maybe one day.

  “Maybe one day what?” he asked as he turned down the bed covers.

  I ran my hands over the velvet chair. “Just thinking about how nice it would be to relax and read here with Hans playing on the floor.”

  “Mmm, well, that’s exactly what we did for five years, but now his Mama can join us.” He paused with a deep burgundy comforter in his hand, prepared to spread it on the bed. “That is what you want, right? We haven’t really talked about what will happen if you don’t get your memories back, or even if you do for that matter. Like I said, technically we aren’t married, but... I mean, well... I’d like to be,” he said, hardly whispering the last part.

  My heart leaped again, a bit surprised by his admission. I wasn’t prepared to discuss those things, but apparently, he needed encouragement. I was a bit surprised that my feelings for him were not evident, but I supposed he was the type who needed things spelled out for him.

  I turned my gaze from him and back to the fire, assessing my feelings before blurting them out. Even with the drama surrounding us, I’d never felt more at home in a place than I did there. It wasn’t because there were guards and servants to help me with anything I needed, and it had nothing to do with the hundreds of rooms I’d yet to see. But it did have everything to do with the people inside of the castle walls, the villagers who smiled at me in the square, the boy sleeping soundly in his princely little bedroom just down the hall, and the man patiently waitin
g for my reply.

  I turned back to him absolutely sure what I wanted once Ella was dead and gone.

  “I think the first moment we can breathe, we should get remarried and give our son a happy family reunion.”

  A beaming smile spread across his face as he soaked in the moment. “Really? You’re not just saying that because you want to live in a castle?”

  I giggled and shook my head at the fool. “I’m pretty sure I have a castle somewhere in Goldene Stadt, so no, I’d say it’s you and Hans keeping me here.”

  “Eh, the castle in Golden Stadt is, like, half the size of this one.” He tossed the comforter on the bed and sat, waiting to see what I would do.

  I liked that despite his previous claims I would fall for him and he would be my king, he never truly pushed me into anything I wasn’t prepared for, aside from urging me to accept my destiny to save my kingdom. Sure, he hinted and suggested things like kissing and getting married, but ultimately, he always let me set the pace. I knew he needed comforting. I also knew he wanted to be strong for his sister and to do that he needed to be weak in front of me.

  I crossed the room and climbed into the bed, much more comfortable than the one I was to share with Jack.

  “I think we got the crummy beds. That’s hardly fair,” I teased, then reached for him. “Come on, let’s get some sleep. We have a lot of planning to do tomorrow, including how to deal with trolls.”

  He blew out a heavy breath and lay beside me, letting me wrap my arms around him. Like Cecily, it didn’t take long for sleep to overtake him. I stared at the fire for a long time, maybe minutes, maybe hours, but when I finally fell asleep, I had a dream that took me by surprise.

  “I’m certain I told you not to follow me, Saskia. Will you ever listen to your big brother?”

  I giggled and leaped onto his back. “No, it’s not likely, but I do love listening to your speeches about how I should. Now, are you going to tell me where we’re going, or should I guess?”

  He readjusted me on his back, then began the trek up the mountain again. I waited for his reply, but when none came, I decided to start guessing. I thought for a while, considering all the possibilities, then began my game of guess what Julian is up to.

  “Hmm, are we hunting?” I asked the least likely option.

  “No, we’re not hunting. I went hunting with father last week, and it was quite boring,” he replied with an edge to his tone. He and father were fighting again, but I didn’t blame him. He had been hounding Julian to death about an arranged marriage and preparing to inherit the throne.

  “Well, are we going into town to buy pretty things?” I asked.

  “No, but if you promise to stop following me everywhere I go, then I will take you into town to buy pretty things right after this trip.”

  “Oh, bribery. Hmm, doesn’t suit you, brother, but I’ll take the deal. Where are we going?”

  He stopped and shrugged me from his back. “We’re here.”

  I looked around but saw nothing other than trees and rocks for miles. There were no people, no houses, nothing. I turned to see what he was up to and found him grinning ear-to-ear.

  “Surprise!” Julian stepped aside, and Eliot was standing behind him.

  “Eliot!” I leaped into my boyfriend’s arms and held him tightly.

  “Are you happy, sister?” Julian asked.

  I giggled. “How did you know I’d follow you?” I asked, still clutching Eliot.

  Julian approached me and playfully flicked my ear. He knew I hated it, but I couldn’t be mad at him. After all, he brought Eliot to me.

  “Dear sister, you always follow me everywhere. However, I do have another surprise for you.” He turned toward a hidden cave and called, “You may come out now!”

  The Royal Minister from Schwarzwald emerged from the darkened cave with a smile on his face. “Princess Saskia, Prince Eliot,” he began, then bowed. He rose and gave his attention to Eliot. “Shall we?”

  I turned toward my boyfriend to find him on bended knee. I gasped, but my little whimper was lost in Eliot’s words.

  “This is not the perfect wedding ceremony, but I’m afraid it was the best I could do under the circumstances. Saskia Vogel, would you give me the honor of becoming my wife?”

  I felt weak in the knees, caught entirely by surprise. Our parents had gone to great lengths to keep us apart, and we had taken to secret rendezvous in the forest. I glanced at my brother who smiled happily. My little heart pounded, but I knew what I wanted. The consequences didn’t matter.

  “Yes. Yes, Eliot, I will marry you!”

  “You will?” he asked with relief. “Now?”

  “Yes, right now!” I yelled and threw my arms around him again.

  I woke with a start and sat straight in bed. I grappled with the blankets that surrounded me and finally managed to free myself. I was desperate to find a pen and paper to write down the details of my dream before they slipped away, but all I saw was Ely’s phone. The notes app would have to do.

  Much to my surprise, it didn’t have a lock screen. I opened the app and began typing everything I could remember from the dream—what Julian said, what my surroundings looked like, how it all felt, and most importantly, what my brother looked and sounded like. It was Jack, no doubt in my mind whatsoever. I didn’t know how it was him, but it was.

  My nerves were shot, but the dream gave me hope. I was touching my memories; they were there just beyond reach, and if I could just get everything on paper, there was a chance something would trigger the rest. I finished typing and closed the app. I hadn’t noticed the picture on the home screen before, but I did then. It was a sweet picture of Ely and Hans when Hans was much younger, maybe shortly after he arrived in Schwarzwald. Both were laughing and happy, but the happiness didn’t reach Ely’s eyes.

  “That’s my favorite picture,” he said softly beside me.

  I jumped and dropped the phone onto the plush area rug. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t snooping. I was trying to write down my dream before I forgot.”

  He reached across the bed and took my hand, tugging it to get me back to bed. Once I was tucked against him, he said, “What’s mine is yours, Sierra. I have nothing to hide from you.”

  “Okay, but I wasn’t snooping, I swear.”

  “Hush woman, I know you weren’t. I’m just saying if you were I wouldn’t care. Now, tell me about your dream.”

  I glanced at the clock, amazed that it was nearly morning.

  “Well, Jack was in it. I’m not sure how it happened, but I’m convinced he is definitely Julian Vogel.”

  “Really?”

  “Mmm, hmm, no question. But, how do I tell him he’s a long-lost dead prince?” I asked, genuinely seeking advice.

  “You’re asking the man who stalked you at a diner, a national park, and your apartment. I don’t think I’m the guy to ask. Maybe talk to the Grimm brothers and see what they can dig up before we throw it on him?”

  “Yeah, he’s been through a lot and meeting my father the way he did... well, you were there.”

  “Hey, I was just happy I wasn’t the center of his attention for long,” he said with a snicker, then urged me to sit up. “We should join the others. I’m certain Calla is awake. She’s like a dog with a bone, and now she’s angry.”

  “Will she be... you know, okay?”

  “If you’re asking if she’ll do something stupid, then no. She’s excitable and a little dramatic, but she won’t do anything without running it by us first.”

  The way he made the statement indicated he was still a little sore about my running off to rescue Jack, but I didn’t address it. Instead, I stretched and stood, admiring the comfy pajamas Queen Ava had left for me. I also remembered my clean clothing was in the other room.

  “I’ll see you in a minute. I’ll go change and meet you in the dining hall,” I said.

  He yawned and motioned for me to go. I tried to be quiet so I wouldn’t wake anyone, but I was caught three steps outside of
his door.

  “You sly little fox.”

  I turned to find Jack leaning on the wall, the same grin on his face that he wore in my dream. Seeing him now felt so much different, and I struggled to maintain my composure. I wanted to run to him and hug him, then spill my guts about my dream. Ely, however, was right about one thing—if I threw it on him, it would not go well.

  “Hey there,” I said, drawing out the words so my brain could have a moment to find something to say besides admitting he was my brother.

  “Don’t you hey there me! Get your butt in there and change, then come with me to the dining hall. We found something.”

  “We? Who are we? How long have you been up?”

  “We are Calla and me, and for about an hour. She stayed up all night, but I joined her when I got hungry. She’s a lot like you, did you know that? Stubborn, bull-headed, strong-willed, a little dramatic, sassy—”

  “Okay, I get it. We’ll probably be besties by the end of the day, now can I go change so I can hear this grand thing you discovered?”

  He pushed off the wall and flicked my ear as he passed. It was a detail of my dream I’d almost forgotten until he did it. He knew I hated it, but he did it all the time just to annoy me. If I didn’t already know Jack was Julian, I would have known it then for sure.

  I debated telling Cecily but decided it was best to keep it to myself until I’d spoken with either Wil or Jay. My sister was still asleep in her bed, so I let her get her much-needed rest, dressed and practically ran to the dining hall. Once there, I was surprised to see not only Calla and Jack but several new faces. Ely entered just behind me, telling me who those faces were before I asked.

  “Jeanine! Gerald!” He practically ran to them, and Jeanine wrapped her arms tightly around him.

  “Ely, I’ve missed you around the house eating everything in sight!” she said, not wanting to let him go.

  “And I’ve missed your cooking. Please tell me you’re staying longer this trip?”

  Gerald laughed and shook Ely’s hand. “Calla, should we tell him the good news?”