Ember: Echoes of Ashes - Book 1

by Jessica Schmidt

  The downpour was relentless as Laderic walked the dark streets of Ulandyl. Felids, with the natural ability to see in the dark, had never quite got around to lighting their roads with torches or lanterns. In their mind, if you cannot see in the dark, don’t go out in the dark. It was very simple.

  Yeah, right, Laderic thought, trudging through the mud, ducking his head into his coat to keep some of the rain off his face. The city of Ulandyl was quite spread out, covering all corners of the crossing where the rivers met. Six bridges spanned the rivers, connecting each of the four quadrants of the city. Four of them made a square atop the waters, and the other two connected diagonally above where the rivers met, forming an X shape. In the middle of the X was a tall lighthouse, the beacon shining at all times.

  Throughout the water, around the network of bridges, were houses and hotels on stilts, providing space for travelers to stay for more than reasonable rates at all times of the year. If you could overlook the fact that you were suspended above the rushing river and pointed boulders that peeked their heads through the black water every now and then, they were quite worth the bargain.

  The rivers that met were called Navanja and Servatio, running north to south and east to west, respectively. Where they met in the center of Ulandyl, the water constantly raged. As each river fought with the other to flow in their desired direction, neither gained an advantage. Choppy water and rough waves made it nearly impossible for boats to cross through the city, so the docks were spaced along its perimeter. If goods needed to be transferred downriver, they would first need to be unloaded to shore and carted across the bridges to the other docks.

  The wide bridges that created an X above the crossing were an extension of two major roads that intersected just where the rivers met. The road that led to the northwest was named Laborem. The road that led to the northeast was referred to as The Walk. These two paths were some of the most traveled roads in the Far Land, and thus, Ulandyl was quite prosperous.

  The Savage Lion Inn—the tavern Laderic had just left—was in the northeastern section of the city with the rivers to the west and south. Laderic, however, headed north toward some of the more permanent houses, where most of the felid residents lived. The streets were empty. Felidae generally out during the night were instead holed up in their houses out of the deluge. The rain poured, and as he walked, miniature rivers of mud ran around his boots as they squelched down the road. But he was close. Up another hill and around the corner, he came to a line of older houses in one of the more established parts of the city.

  Midiga’s home was a small, wooden place with one door, two windows, and a chimney. Laderic knocked on the door, huddled in his coat. “Midiga!” he called. No answer. The rain was relentless. He knocked again, harder this time. “Midiga, I know for a fact that half of your race is nocturnal. I know you happen to belong to that half. Please, open up! It’s cold!” Still no answer. “And wet!” Nothing. Laderic sighed. “If this is about that time in Padstow, for the fiftieth time, I’m sorry!” There was more silence, and Laderic was about to give up until he heard the sound of several locks being undone. The door swung open, and Laderic stormed inside, out of the rain. “Gods, Midiga, I hate water just as much as you do!”

  “Well, you shouldn’t have pulled that stunt in Padstow then, hmm?” purred a feminine voice. From the shadows of the room paced the elegant feline. Her fur was a sleek blue-gray color, like a deep colored smoke. She was nearly indistinguishable from the darkness around them, and without the dim light from the coals in the fireplace, Laderic wouldn’t have been able to see her at all, save for her sparkling amber eyes and a patch of white fur on her forearm shaped like a crescent moon.

  “It was one time. And it wasn’t my fault… Can you light a torch?” he asked, looking around, frustrated. “Not all of us can see in the dark, you know.”

  Midiga chuckled, removing a torch from its sconce and lighting it with the coals. “Better?” she asked, mounting the torch again. Her long tail swept from side to side with her hips as she walked. “Do you have that money you owe me?” she asked, raising her eyebrow.

  “Uh, well, not exactly,” Laderic stammered, having completely forgotten he owed her anything in the first place. He looked around, trying to change the subject. “I see you’ve been doing well,” he said, gesturing around the room. The house was quaint and cozy. Animal pelts hung on the walls with large metal hooks. In the corner was a mat on the floor, plush and filled with down. There was one chest, a small table, and a single chair. The rest of the room was bare.

  “I like to think so,” she chittered, looking around as well, purring warmly. She smiled, pointed ivories showing. “I don’t need much.”

  She demonstrated this even in her clothing. She wore simple cotton clothes, neutral in color, and as minimal as she could get away with. Felids never wore shoes.

  “What brings you to my den?” she asked. Laderic took a seat in her chair, laying his coat on the floor beside the fire to dry. He ran his fingers through his hair, shaking the water out of it. Despite his best efforts, he was still damp as ever. He sighed, resigning himself, before turning to face Midiga.

  “I got a tip a little bit ago that I figured might interest you,” he began. He then relayed the story of the two men entering the tavern and their own story of the bloodhungry canidae. The cat listened intently, both ears swiveled in his direction. “He said there were at least six,” he finished, leaning back.

  “Impossible, bloodhungry hardly ever work together, not even in pairs,” she hissed, ears flattening against her skull. Her claws sheathed and unsheathed with anxiety.

  Laderic shrugged. “Maybe. That’s what I was thinking too, but there has to be some truth to his story, and even if it’s just two traveling together running down some poor wretch, we still might get some kind of reward out of it.” He crossed his arms, waiting for her verdict.

  Midiga growled under her breath. “If it gives me a chance to kill some dogs, I’m in,” she decided. Felidae are naturally nervous around canidae, even if they aren’t bloodhungry. Midiga, having grown up in Ulandyl where canidae were quite uncommon, scarcely tried to disguise her racism, and since she’d had quite a few bad experiences with them in the past, she believed her negative disposition was more than justified.

  Laderic nodded. “We can loot their things and see what payment the victim might provide… if they’re still alive. Maybe there will be enough to cover what I owe you, and we might get some leads on where others might be. I don’t like bloodhungry any more than the next man—”

  “Or cat,” Midiga interjected with a grin. She didn’t like to admit it, but she was excited at the idea of chasing a lead. She had been dying to get out of Ulandyl recently. It had been over a year since she had last had any excitement. Much too long in her own opinion. She was a wanderer at heart and had been sedentary for too long. She hated not having anything to do. It gave her too much time to think, to drown in her own thoughts.

  Midiga looked Laderic over once again, ears tilting in his direction as she changed her tone. “Where have you been, Laderic? It’s been a long time since your last stop through Ulandyl.” Her eyes scanned him, and she furrowed her brow, worried. “Hopefully, not getting into too much trouble.”

  Laderic’s mind flashed through his escapades of the last year. He glanced at his bag on the floor behind him. “Nothing too rough, just the same as always. Steal from the rich, give to the needy, keep whatever’s leftover—you know the drill.” He swallowed, glancing at his bag and back at Midiga. “Well… actually… gods, I don’t know if I should even show you.”

  “What is it?” she questioned, ears perking up. Her tail flicked left and right with anticipation.

  Laderic sighed, pulling his pack off and rifling through it. He pulled out a small pouch, one that fit in his palm. Midiga watching, he gently pulled the strings to open it, revealing a sparkling stone that had its own sort of light, shining with a brilliant ruby color.

  “A spe
ctral stone!” The felid recognized what it was immediately, eyes wide in awe. Subconsciously, her hand drifted toward the gem, as if drawn by an unseen force. She flattened her ears slightly, looking back up at him. “Why haven’t you sold this? You could get quite the price for this one. You’d have enough to repay me three times over!”

  “Yeah, or take the chance that someone would rat me out for having it,” he replied, putting it back in the pouch. “The goblins that had the stone didn’t know what it was, or so they claimed before I killed them.” He put the pouch back in his bag. “You know how it is. Getting caught with one of these can get you thrown in jail, or worse, sent to deal with the spectral it belongs to. I’d rather try to return it to them. It’s the only way I can see myself getting any kind of reward out of it.” He grimaced, imagining himself being caught and forced to face the spectral it was stolen from. “It’s the safest way, anyhow.”

  Spectrals are beings born with an affinity for the truest kind of natural magic. Human in appearance, they are consumed by an element before birth. Once this element comes to fruition, they are trained as powerful sorcerers, remaining aloof from the rest of the world to practice the art of magic. Once trained, they select a stone to become their spectral stone, which they meditate with each day for the rest of their lives. It focuses their power, and they are able to store energy for later use. After years of meditation, the stones become wells of energy, able to be accessed at a moment’s notice to allow the spectrals to perform amazing magical feats.

  Most spectral stones are worn as pendants or found in staves or crowns. However, the one Laderic had in his possession was the naked stone on its own. A fire-dancer stone at that. If the spectral that lost their stone were to discover Laderic had tried to pawn it, he would be hunted and likely burned to a crisp. It is extremely frowned upon, even amongst thieves, to take a spectral stone, due to the extreme consequences. Laderic was putting his own life in danger just by carrying the stone on his person.

  “I don’t know who originally stole it, but somehow, those goblins had one, along with the rest of the loot that I may or may not have taken.” He finished his story, reaching into his bag again. “I had enough to get my pack enchanted with an expanding charm to make room for my things. And enough to buy these.” From his belt, he drew two long daggers, each encased in thick black leather. He carefully removed one from its sheath to reveal a peculiar blade. It was sleek and iridescent, seeming to shine with all colors of the rainbow. It captured and reflected every ray of light with dazzling beauty. “I still keep my sword on me, but these are nice in certain situations.” He held it out to Midiga, letting her feel its balance.

  To test their sharpness, the felid pulled a whisker from her muzzle and held it above the shimmering blade. She dropped it and watched as it sliced the whisker clean in half as soon as it touched the strange metal. “Very nice,” she said, leaning back again. “Those are extremely sharp… Dwarven made?” she questioned.

  “I don’t know that much, but I know a good blade when I see one,” he said, sheathing it and hooking both of them back on his belt. He glanced out the window. The sun was already starting to rise, twilight peeking over the horizon. “If we are going to save this poor, hunted traveler, we should probably get moving soon.”

  She nodded, her shadow flickering in the firelight. “Right. Let me grab my things.” From the wall, she retrieved a set of thin leather armor, the heaviest armor she could be bothered to wear. Then she padded over to the wooden chest on the floor, kneeling and opening the heavy oak lid. From within, she drew a curved, polished bow and a quiver loaded with arrows fletched with black feathers. She bared her teeth in a wicked smile, feeling alive once again.

  “Let’s go.”

  Chapter 3

  The light of dawn was just beginning to show, and the rain calmed as the two headed out toward the southeastern section of the town. Just past the last dock to the south, the dark forest loomed. This was the northernmost section of the Weald, which spanned most of the southern part of the continent, becoming thick jungle as it neared the equator. These woods south of Ulandyl were notorious for being thick and inhospitable. The trees extended far to the south, making up the territories of several traditional felidae kingdoms, and almost completely surrounding the closer, coastal human city of Mariscale to the southeast.

  Midiga and Laderic made good time, reaching the edge of the Weald just before sunrise. It was still early morning, only a few hours since Laderic had heard Harlan’s tale in the Savage Lion Inn. Quietly, they exited the city and darted into the woods.

  Moving with the swift grace of a hunter, Midiga wasted no time searching for tracks in the mud or signs of a disturbance. Deeper into the forest they traveled, keeping their eyes peeled, not only for clues but for signs of the dark creatures that cared to reside in the woods, as well. Laderic could handle many kinds of unforgiving creatures, including bloodhungry, quite well in his own opinion, but that didn’t mean he would welcome any unexpected surprises.

  After nearly an hour of searching, they came upon a lead. “Here,” breathed Midiga, waving Laderic toward a tree with her paw. “Look.” He walked over, feet sinking into the muddy forest floor.

  In the bark of the young tree was a prominent claw mark. The mark carved was deep in the trunk, revealing a green-tinted interior.

  “It’s fresh,” Laderic murmured, running his fingertips over the mark. “Otherwise, the exposed flesh would have died and turned brown already.”

  “You’re telling me this as if I don’t already know,” chided Midiga softly. Her whiskers twitched, sensing the delicate changes of the air currents. “The angle of the mark suggests they went… this way,” she concluded, gesturing east. Laderic nodded, and they continued their search.

  Though the sun was making its ascent, the woods remained dark as ever, the canopy of thick, green leaves shielding the ground from sunlight. A small red fox darted through the pines, disturbing the stillness of the brush. Birds were beginning to sing their morning song. Large water droplets fell from the leaves, occasionally splashing on the scalp of Laderic or Midiga. The droplets were huge and cold, soon chilling Laderic’s head, at his own annoyance.

  “I hate rain,” he muttered, lifting his leg and stepping over a fallen tree. “Especially cold rain in the spring.”

  “Quiet,” shushed Midiga, ears swiveling in every direction, listening.

  “I mean, isn’t spring rain supposed to be kind of warm?” he mused, marching through the mud. It squelched loudly beneath his boots. A branch snapped up when he lifted his foot, and, like a whip, sliced clean through his pants, cutting his leg. He cursed, frustrated.

  “I said quiet!” Midiga said with a snarl. Laderic looked at her, taken aback. She was standing completely still, on high alert. Her muzzle was raised, teeth bared. Her nostrils flared, ears aimed directly ahead. “I hear something.”

  “What is it?” Laderic breathed, barely audible. Midiga kept her head trained due east, silent. Her tail twitched. She stood motionless, hardly breathing, daring not to make a sound.

  In the distance, she could hear the shuffling of bodies through the underbrush. “I hear… at least five individuals. Moving fast.” She huffed finally, looking around them, eying the canopy of leaves. “Normally, I would climb a tree to get a good view, but these woods are so thick… it would be pointless.” She raised her nose in the air, inhaling deeply. The wind was blowing toward them, masking their own scent, but bringing with it a wealth of information to Midiga. She could smell heavily the disgusting smell that was wet canid, and also… a smell she was unfamiliar with. With that, she started moving again, faster than before, in the direction of the disruption. The thrill of the hunt was beginning to grip her, and the excitement caused her breathing to quicken.

  Laderic followed, and the two carried on for another couple of miles or so when a bone-chilling howl pierced the still quiet of the morning. This was not a lonely howl from a sad hound dog. No… this was a hunter’s
call. A signal that prey had been sighted. They froze for the duration, an eerie few seconds of ominous tension. It sounded like it was coming from right in front of them.

  “We might be too late.” Laderic grimaced, starting to move once more and taking the lead. The ground had elevated to an incline, and they were nearing the top of a steep hill, and at its crest, a shocking scene revealed itself.

  From their position at the hilltop, Midiga and Laderic spotted six canidae moving through sparser trees in formation, closing in on a rocky cliffside to their left. A small waterfall no more than four stories tall cascaded over the wall and crashed to the forest floor below where a smaller river raged, swollen with the recent rain. The waterfall formed from a small fork in the Servatio River to the north. The forest floor below met the rocky wall, perfect for cornering unsuspecting prey. The canidae were on the same side of the river as Laderic and Midiga, but the blanket of trees below hid their target from sight.

  “Let’s go!” urged Laderic, running down the hill toward the pack of canidae. Few trees grew on the steep decline, and his feet moved so fast that he felt nearly out of control. He could sense Midiga’s presence beside him as he ran. Several of the canidae that had been moving in formation paused, snapping their heads around, intrigued by the new scents moving closer to them. They fell out of formation in confusion, now turning their attention to the west where Laderic and Midiga emerged.

  A high-pitched scream pierced the early morning, coming from the rock face, and most of the canidae turned back around to continue pursuing their prey. Three of them stopped and squared up to Midiga and Laderic, teeth bared in hateful snarls. Behind them, the river roared without pause. The area in which the two groups met was only dotted with trees as the forest thinned out along the river, favoring tall grass instead in the clearing.

  “Oh look, a stray,” one canid spoke with a snarl. It was gray in color with its red eyes standing out against its fur. Red eyes—the mark of a bloodhungry. The other two growled deeply in their chests, gripping short swords and holding them at the ready. All three of them wore crude tan leather armor. The gray one also wore a helmet, embellished with a golden coin that looked hastily glued onto its surface. A crude symbol of leadership. He addressed Midiga directly, brandishing his own sword toward her menacingly. “You should mind your own business, cat!” With that, he barked in the canid language, and the others lunged forward to attack.