Ashes to Ashes

by M. J. Padgett

  “Sure, I understand. We’ll just get Heidi back so Ravenna and Fiona can help her, then we’ll return to start cleaning up this mess.” Even as I said the words, I wasn’t sure it could be fixed.

  The forest was destroyed all around the castle, and the fields to its rear were scorched. The castle was in ruins, but it paled in comparison to the surrounding landscape. Deep crevasses and new hills and mountains had changed it entirely, and for that, I assumed there would be consequences.

  Jack readjusted the exhausted witch on his shoulder. “We should get back. The others will be worried, and there is much to discuss.”

  I glanced at him, a bit thrown by his unexpected militaristic behavior, but I supposed it came with regaining his memories. I wanted to know exactly what had happened to my brother, but I also wanted to hug my son and wake his father, so I nodded and followed Jack into the forest.

  Caleb and Jemma stayed behind with my father to begin sorting everything out while the rest of us returned to Schwarzwald to recover and figure out the next step. Seline, who was still distraught over Henry, stayed in wolf form and trotted along beside Jack. I had all but forgotten about trolls lurking in the forest but was also unsure if they even existed any longer with Ella’s magic gone. Those that fought in the battle had turned human again, so my worry was significantly decreased. I chose to stay in human form, which made hiding the dagger much easier. I couldn’t shake the feeling something was out there, waiting and watching, so I wanted to keep it close.

  Cecily stayed human beside me, occasionally sniffling. Losing Felix would leave a deep wound in my sister’s heart. Their relationship developed fast, but it was also real and had brought out an independent side of my sister that was a long time coming. In truth, I was probably the one holding her back out of fear, but Felix had helped me see she was capable and prepared for life—maybe not this life, but for life in general.

  I was thinking of what I could do to honor him when a distraught man crossed our path. He stumbled along, making Jack give pause. Seline stopped beside him, prepared to eat the man if he came any closer. Marcus and Calla, who had been bringing up the rear, shifted and growled. Everyone is on edge. Hmm, wonder why?

  “Because we were almost slaughtered by an evil queen, that’s why,” Jack said. “You were sarcastic out loud again, Si.”

  The man stopped in his tracks, fear on his face. “Please... I’ve just woken from...” He looked around, taking in his surroundings. “Where am I?”

  Marcus shifted, no longer fearing the confused man. “You are just inside the border of the Kingdom of Schwarzwald. Who are you? Where have you come from?”

  The man’s eyes settled on Marcus again. Old and grey, they were still quite confused. He was roughly fifty or so years, dirty and tired, but managed to speak again.

  “I’m Pieter, and I live here, in Schwarzwald, but... but it’s... I’m dead, I think,” he mumbled. “I was attacked by a monstrous creature with oozing skin and... are you King Marcellus?” he gasped, only then registering who he was addressing.

  “I am. You’re clearly distraught. Let us take you along with us. We’ll feed you, and you can clean up, then we can discuss what’s happened.”

  “A troll,” Pieter said, his thoughts shifting back to his previous statement. “I believe it was... yes, here.” He pulled his shirt up and revealed a deep scar, bite marks.

  “You were bitten by a troll?” I asked. “And you survived it? How?”

  “No, no, I died. I am certain,” Pieter said.

  “How can you be sure? Maybe you only passed out or...” I happened to look at his hands and realized why he was so dirty. I gasped, and my own hands flew to my face. “You dug yourself from your own grave?”

  He nodded, and my sister shifted and took off through the forest. I jerked the dagger from its safe place in my belt and pushed it into Marcus’ hands. He immediately tucked it away and gaped at me as I shifted and ran after my sister. I knew she was running to Felix, but I feared she may not find what she wished for.

  She had a good head start, but I soon caught up with her. I ran beside her, praying her hopes wouldn’t be dashed again. It was the first thing in her life I couldn’t fix, the first real pain I couldn’t heal. When we approached the area where we’d left Felix’s body, we found it empty. There was no sign of him. Cecily howled, but there was no sound in response. She lowered her head to the ground, trying to find his scent, but I’d already tried that. The stench of troll masked him.

  She spun and trotted this way, then that way, and circled around and around until she’d worked herself into a tizzy searching for his body. I shifted, then she did.

  “He has to be here somewhere. Where could he be?” Cecily asked.

  Jack huffed and puffed up the hill, still clutching Heidi tightly over his shoulder. “Why’d you make me run carrying a fainted woman?”

  “Felix, he was—”

  “Yeah, I know. I was going to say before you ran off, the guards took him to the castle. He’s there, in... yeah, he’s somewhere in the castle now, maybe frozen into a Felix pop?”

  “Not cool, Jack. Not even remotely,” I said, then set my sights on the castle. Seline was nowhere to be found, either still with Marcus and Calla, or off to check on her own frozen husband.

  Cecily wasn’t wasting any time. She shifted and ran toward the castle. I looked at Jack, already composed and ready to take Heidi back to her home. He did, however, lower her gently to the ground for a moment.

  “Can you help me? I’m going to shift and carry her that way. It’ll be faster.” I nodded, and he transformed into the giant, golden wolf that had saved us all. Once he was ready, he lowered himself, and I rolled Heidi onto his back.

  “Can you keep her on?” I asked, “Because there is no way my belt will wrap around the both of you.”

  He nodded, then began trotting in the direction Cecily had gone. I shifted again, exhausted after turning so many times, then ran after our sister. I spied her up ahead, running as fast as she could. She stopped in her tracks when I howled, dirt flinging up in front of her as she tried to obey my command. It was nice to know she still listened to me, even when she was on a mission. I caught up with her, but she refused to continue.

  What is it? I asked.

  She shifted and stood. “What if... what if it was just a coincidence? What if he’s not...”

  I joined her and stood, brushing the dirt from my hands as I did so. “I don’t know. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t, but we won’t know if we don’t go in, will we?”

  She sucked in a breath, then took a few steps forward. The castle was in sight, just down the hill and across a small opening in the forest. We walked together toward it, her hand gripping mine tightly. I could feel her pulse, her little heart pounding so hard I almost forgot my own love was sleeping away the hours waiting for my return. When we approached, the gate cover slid up, and the gate opened. We were still a half-mile or so away, so I was surprised they opened it without first confirming our identities.

  Once the gate was clear of the path, a man ran from behind the wall and straight toward the forest.

  “Felix!” Cecily shouted, then ran toward him.

  He stopped and turned, unprepared for the woman who bulldozed him to the ground. She fell on top of him, kissing his face a hundred times. He lifted her off and sat with her in his arms as she cried. From where I stood, it didn’t look like he would ever let her go, and that’s how I knew it was time for me to move on. My sister had someone who would not only protect her but also let her grow into the amazing woman I always knew she was.

  After hearing Felix assure her he was real, and he was fine, I headed inside to find my son and Ely. The square was bustling with people preparing for something. I took in the scene and soon realized they were preparing it for the influx of wounded from Goldene Stadt. Several makeshift medical tents were erected while other villagers gathered supplies and food. They worked together, a strong unit of people who saw the entire ki
ngdom as one family. I imagined what it might be like if the world worked the same way Schwarzwald did.

  I followed the cobblestone path into the central courtyard of the castle, then tried to decide which way to go first. As much as I wanted my son, I knew he would have questions about his father, so I decided I should begin there. I made my way to Ely’s room and was met by Ravenna.

  “Oh, there you are! Come, I’ve prepared the elixir.”

  I had no clue what she was talking about but followed her into Ely’s room. He was settled on his bed peacefully sleeping.

  He’s sort of sweet like that, quiet and not running his silly mouth.

  Ravenna chuckled, then said, “He always has been a little mouthy, even as a child. Here, put this on like lipstick.”

  I took the thick red gloss she handed me and smeared it on, gagging as I did so.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot to mention the taste, but it will work provided you truly love my son.” The way she said truly, it made me feel a little put-off. I may have married another man after Ely disappeared, but it was not as if I’d had a choice in the matter. I disregarded the slight, chalking it up to worry over her child.

  I leaned over Ely, pausing for only a moment to brush a stray strand of hair from his forehead. He really was peaceful that way, but it was time for him to wake up and learn that Ella had been conquered. I kissed him softly, a little embarrassed to do so in front of his mother. Even so, being near him made me feel a little less crumbled and beaten, so I pressed a little harder.

  After a moment, I felt his hands on my forearms. He brushed them gently up to my shoulders, then cupped my face in his palms. Once he was sitting, he gently pried himself from my grip and settled his forehead against mine.

  Needing comfort, I pulled him into a hug that he returned happily. “I love you so much, Ely.”

  “I know. I love you, too, Sierra.”

  I heard a deep sigh of relief from behind, reminding me his mother was there.

  “Come on, let’s go tell Hans evil Auntie Cinderella is dead,” I said.

  I started to get up, but he caught my hand and pulled me back onto the bed. “Um... what? Can you elaborate on how we went from hunting a troll to killing Ella?”

  Oh yeah, I forgot you slept through that.

  Ely arched an eyebrow, and I realized I’d said it aloud. Evidently, speaking my personal thoughts was not something Ella had cursed me with, and I was stuck with it forever.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean... yeah, I’m gonna consult a witch about that speaking my thoughts issue, but I’ll explain everything on the way to see Hans. I really want to see my son, Ely.”

  He rose from the bed and helped me to my feet. Ravenna pulled open the door, and we walked the hall toward Hans’ room where Fiona and Julianna were still playing with the boys—or so we thought. With the evil queen vanquished, they decided to allow the boys to run around in the courtyard a bit. Wil was pretending to be a dragon while Hans chased him down with a plastic sword. I leaned against the wall, exhausted. Ely leaned beside me, rubbing his chest.

  “Getting stabbed to death hurts a little. It’s a good thing Mother could fix that while I was sleeping,” Ely said.

  I chuckled. “Yeah, a good thing.” I thought about the days leading up to this, the day we’d all hoped for. It should have been a day of celebration, but instead, it was a day of devastation.

  “Tell me, darling. Tell me what I can do to make this better for you,” Ely begged still patiently waiting for me to tell him what happened.

  “I’m not sure you can. I think only time can heal my kingdom, that and hard work,” I began, then decided to tell Ely what happened, an abbreviated version, while the boys played. “Shortly after you were stabbed, I regained my memory.”

  He nodded. “Yes, I was so scared, but Heidi insisted she enact the sleeping spell. Felix swore he’d take care of you.”

  “He did, very well, then he got bitten by a troll and—”

  “What?” He pushed off the wall, and it was clear Felix had wormed his way into Ely’s heart.

  “It’s okay, he’s... it’s so strange, really. We encountered a man in the forest who’d died of a troll bite, but there he was just standing in the forest after digging out of his own—oh no! Henry!”

  I pushed off the wall and ran toward Seline and Henry’s room just as Jack entered the courtyard with Heidi. I was torn, unsure which direction to go. I decided Jack had things under control, especially with Ravenna rushing to his aid, and darted toward Henry. I was nearly out of breath when I reached the room and pushed open the door. Seline was already inside, startled by my sudden entry.

  “Sierra... my goodness, you scared me.” She dropped her hand from her chest and picked up the blanket she’d dropped. My eyes followed her as she piled it on top of a shivering Henry popsicle.

  “Oh, thank goodness,” I breathed. Ely placed his hand gently on my shoulder, pulling me back to him. He needed answers, but I wasn’t sure I could get through the entire story without stopping to check on people I was concerned about.

  “Sierra, are you alright?” Seline asked, pausing beside her husband.

  “I’m just... this is so much to take in even with my memories back,” I admitted. “First the guy in the forest, now Felix and Henry are alright. Kissing Ely woke him up, and he’s totally fine after getting stabbed... what else can happen?”

  “Ah! Don’t say such things, Princess!” Henry shouted from his bed.

  Ely chuckled, then took my hand. “Let’s allow Seline to get Henry up to speed while you tell me what, exactly, happened today.” He guided me out of the room and back to the courtyard where hundreds of people were already getting medical care. I wanted to help but felt I would only be in the way.

  “Sierra...” Ely urged I continue.

  “Sorry, I’m... distracted. Um, after Felix was bitten, Heidi lost all control. She practically destroyed the forest around Goldene Stadt getting to Ella. The castle there, it’s ruined and so many people...” My voice faded, but a little squeeze from Ely’s hand kept me grounded. “She didn’t know, well, she knew, but I don’t think it really hit her what she was doing until it was nearly over. Jack arrived and basically saved the day.”

  “He killed Ella? I’m so confused.”

  “No, I killed her, but if not for him—”

  “Sierra!” I heard Jack screaming from the other side of the yard. “Cecily!”

  Jack broke through the crowd and tore me away from Ely to wrap me in a hug.

  “What’s wrong?” I mumbled, my face squished against his chest.

  “Nothing, I just... these memories, dude. They’re messing with my head, and I feel like I can’t let you out of my sight for long. But I want you to know I’m so, so happy I’m really your brother. It all makes sense now.”

  I couldn’t comprehend how it made sense to him, especially since his story only complicated things, but if he was happy then I was content. Cecily pushed on his shoulder, causing us both to sway.

  “What is it, doofus? I was telling Felix what happened before you freaked out.”

  Jack said nothing but swallowed her into the hug with me. I’m sure I could have stayed like that forever, wrapped in my brother’s arms, but there was much work to be done and much more of the story to discover.

  “Mama!” I felt Hans’ small arms slink around my waist and he was soon engulfed in the family hug as well.

  Jack finally released us and bent to pick Hans up. He put him on his shoulders, a feat since Hans was a tall nine-year-old. Hans laughed, but I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed answers to my questions, mainly how he was alive when he’d been killed by something long before Hans was born.

  “Okay, we need to talk. How are you alive? How on earth did you end up in Philadelphia with us, and why are you such a big wolf, not to mention—”

  “Okay, okay! Calm down Saskia... Sierra... whatever, just chill a minute. I think the kiddos should go play while we talk about this. Some of it is
a bit... disturbing.” Jack lifted Hans from his shoulders and said, “We’ll pick this up later. Why don’t you go with Little Wil while the silly grown-ups have a talk?”

  “Okay, but promise you’ll be the big bad wolf again when you’re done?”

  “Promise,” Jack confirmed, then Hans ran off to find his cousin.

  There were so many people out and about, I called after Hans, “And don’t leave the castle! You’ll get lost!”

  “Yes Mama!” he replied, then disappeared around the corner toward his room.

  Ely snickered, then took my hand, and we headed toward the dining hall. I wondered if anyone ever ate in that hall, or if it was always a makeshift conference room. Once inside, we found most of the Salien family had already convened there. They were in the middle of a discussion regarding housing the homeless villagers, what to do about the dead rising from graves, and all manner of other things that seemed impossible.

  For me, the dead rising was the most disturbing. Not all the dead, of course, just those that had been bitten by trolls rose. Some of the actual trolls that were killed in battle also reanimated, but not all. It was quite confusing, but I did have hope we would figure it out once we had time to process everything, perhaps after interviewing some of the dead and infected? Fiona and Ravenna were convinced it had something to do with Ella’s magic being broken, but it didn’t explain why other spells Ella had enacted were still effective, like my mother forever stuck as a stone bird, for example.

  Brody snuck in behind us, his face was tired, and his spirits were low.

  “How is she?” Wil inquired, looking up from his papers.

  Brody shook his head. “She’s beside herself. She won’t come out of our room.”

  Jay and Wil shared a look but let the subject drop. I imagined neither knew what to do for their distraught sister, but other things needed attention before they could try anything.

  Calla approached us, dirty and tired. “So, that was all kinds of not fun, but you have to tell me where you came from because you basically saved the day, Jack.”