Ember: Echoes of Ashes - Book 1

by Jessica Schmidt

  Chapter 9

  Alleria watched Laderic as he disappeared into the woods after Midiga, clutching his enchanted pack in her arms. She frowned as she wondered again what it was a few nights ago that had put him so on edge. All day he had been looking over his shoulder, hands flinching to his sword whenever he heard something snap in the woods. Everyone had noticed, but no one said anything to him. No one wanted to.

  Reia had left as well, scouting the forest and searching for berries to bring back and share with Alleria. She somehow always knew which ones were the sweetest and would bring them back wrapped in a giant leaf for both of them to enjoy.

  Months ago, Alleria had been very sick while they were fleeing from the bloodhungry canidae. They had only just met, still not quite understanding their alamorphic bond, but knowing in their hearts, they were in this together. They struggled to push through the woods, and eventually, found a cave by a thin creek that flowed with crisp, clear water.

  Reia spent all day and night—for several days—running into the woods and finding different kinds of berries that the animals in the forest would eat when they themselves felt sick. Using a shallow bowl, she would collect water from the creek and bring it back to Alleria to drink, making sure that she stayed hydrated. They tried dozens of different berries, but none of them seemed to work. Both Reia and Alleria finally realized she would have to get real medicine from the nearby city of Wakeston, and the kitsune ended up having to sneak into an apothecary that night to steal some medicine that Alleria knew would break her fever.

  Alleria’s adoptive mother was an apprentice in their village’s apothecary, and Alleria herself was always fascinated with medicine and the different compositions of both herbs and magic used to make potions and powders for healing. Her mother had always sworn by dusksand—a midnight blue glittery powder that was to be mixed with water and drank. It had the power to cure most common illnesses, and if not cure them, at least lessen the symptoms enough to help build back the body’s natural strength to fight the illness itself. Her mother always kept a clay pot filled with dusksand in their pantry and used it for practically everything.

  And so, at night, Reia was able to squeeze through a crack in the floorboards of the Wakeston apothecary, and it didn’t take her long to find the dusksand. Her sense of smell was better than most, and Alleria had told her that one of the prominent ingredients was mint. Humans could only taste the subtle hint of mint when drinking the dissolved powder, but Reia could smell it quite strongly in the pantry. She grabbed a small bag of the powder and sprinted back to Alleria with all her might.

  It worked like a charm, and they were able to get back on the move that next day. They did everything they could to hide Alleria’s scent since she was sure it was all over the cave, but they knew they wouldn’t be able to hide it completely. Instead, they decided to backtrack and throw the wolf people off her trail, knowing that if they continued on their current path, the canidae were sure to catch up with them once discovering the cave. Changing their route caused them to get lost for a while, but she hoped if they themselves were lost, then the canidae might lose her as well.

  Alleria shook her head, clearing her thoughts from the past, gently setting Laderic’s pack on the ground beside her. Emery had landed on the forest floor and was walking around inspecting the greenery around her, occasionally lifting a branch or stroking a leaf, muttering to herself and shaking her head.

  Her wings, when still, were gorgeous in the sunlight. They looked just like the wings of a dragonfly. Alleria admired them from her seat on the log, as this was the first time since they had started traveling together that the fae woman had stayed still on the ground long enough for her to get a good look. They were long and thin, as summertime fae have the longest wingspan of any type of fae. Her wings layered in three pairs on her back. The top pair, closest to her shoulder blades, had the broadest wingspan. They were delicate and appeared scaly, extending far past her shoulders horizontally. In the layer below, there was another pair of wings, just slightly shorter and fatter than the ones above. Finally, below those sets of wings was a final third layer that attached close to the small of her back. These two looked very different, appearing triangular. They were not translucent, and looked like upside down, vibrant green butterfly wings, with the downward facing corner extending out wide in a curved hook. These smaller wings were what allowed the fae to make sharp turns, even when flying fast.

  Alleria watched as Emery walked slowly around on the ground, analyzing the foliage. She came to a thick tree trunk, finding a spot where it appeared a deer had sharpened its antlers and held her hands over the marks. Her palms glowed, and slowly but surely, green wood sprouted in the gash, healing it as though it were skin over a cut. The fae admired her work, nodded with affirmation, and continued her search.

  “Can you heal people too?” The question burst out of her, her curiosity unable to be contained.

  Emery nodded without looking back at the elf, distracted. “Of course I can, though I spend most of my time healing the creatures of the forest.”

  Alleria coupled her hands, squeezing them, nervous. “Could you... teach me how to do that?”

  Emery paused briefly, now glancing up at the nervous young girl. For a moment, she was reminded of— “Of course I can,” she said quickly, interrupting her own train of thought before her emotions could become derailed. “Well, if you can use healing magic at all, that is.”

  “I can!” Alleria exclaimed excitedly. “Well,” she backtracked, “I have only ever healed myself. I’m not sure if I can heal other people...”

  Emery nodded, her wings buzzing as she lifted off the grass to float in front of Alleria. “Healing magic in young fae first presents itself that way. You fall, cut your knee, and when you look at the cut, it starts to close up. It’s like... magic.” She smirked at her own joke, crow’s feet crinkling around her eyes. “Healing other living things, though, is more difficult. You have to feel the pain of whomever you are healing, and make that pain your own, and will it away.”

  She flew behind Alleria to another tree, searching its trunk for blemishes. After a moment, she smiled, motioning for Alleria to join her. The elf girl stood, pacing over to where Emery was hovering and pointing to the tree. The trunk had gashes all over with markings from deer sharpening their antlers. “Just lay your palm on the wound,” she instructed, taking Alleria’s hand and placing it on the trunk. “Now concentrate. Feel that cut in your very soul... and will it away.”

  Alleria stared at the bark, trying to picture it as whole again, and trying to force the magic out of her, but nothing was happening. Canning her frustration, she tried to do what Laderic had told her before—to remember the feeling of the magic flowing from her core the last time she had used it. But still, nothing. She huffed, scowling at the tree, but refusing to give up.

  “Oh!” chirped Emery, breaking Alleria’s concentration. She snatched her hand back from the tree and looked back at the fae, slightly irritated. The fae continued, oblivious. “I just remembered, there’s a sap we use to help encourage the flow of magic in young fae. It helps them more easily draw upon their power at will. It might just work for you, too!” She clapped her small green hands and looked around, excited. “I’m sure there’s some around here,” she said, and she took flight, zipping into the forest. “I’ll be right back!” she called behind her before disappearing into the trees.

  Alleria stared after her, slightly bewildered, before turning back to the bark. She closed her eyes, clearing her head and trying once more to heal the bark on the tree. She took a breath and forced herself to remember how the magic felt the last time she used it. Tingly and wet, like a coating on her skin, and just beneath it. She opened her eyes—and nothing. The tree was just as gashed as before.

  She frowned. What did she say again? Emery had said she had to feel the cut in her very soul. But what does that mean? She stared again at the gash in the tree and remembered the last time she had to heal herself
. She had been bitten by one of the canidae. The pain had opened the floodgates of her magic, and it was nothing for her to blast him away with her light. But the cut was still there, and it stung like nothing she had ever felt before. Blood was soaking her pants, along with rainwater. A layer of skin hung like a thread from her calf, and the wound was starting to slow her down. In the pouring rain, she sat on the ground, and with Reia keeping watch, she had forced the gash to close itself.

  She looked back at the tree where a deer had carved long and abrasive cuts from the bark. She tried to recall her emotions from before, the desperate need to heal herself. She imagined feeling the same antlers cutting into her, and tried to visualize the pain, and will it away. Eyes closed, she steadied herself against the tree, both hands now on the trunk.

  The cool wetness of her magic began to spread itself out from her core, onto her skin. She noticed it, but kept her concentration, willing it toward the tree with anticipation. She felt the coolness spread through her wrist, to her fingertips, and out from her body. She could feel herself inside the tree then as if they were connected. Her magic was like an appendage, seeping into the trunk and exploring its recesses. She felt the gashes in the bark as if they were part of her own skin. Then, they began to shrink, until she felt whole again. She opened her eyes and gasped. The tree was perfect once again, and a faint, white glow was fading from the bark. She removed her hands and felt the connection disappear, and instantly, she felt tired. She placed her hand back on the tree to steady herself, familiar with the lightheadedness she was feeling. But even her exhaustion couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.

  She looked around for Emery, but the fae was nowhere in sight, probably in the forest looking for that tree sap still. She went and sat on the log again, feeling hungry. She decided to get into Laderic’s bag to find that meat from before since she didn’t think he and Midiga would be back for quite a while from their hunt.

  In his bag, she found the strips of meat and took a couple out, careful not to snoop too much through his things. She would be mad if someone went through her stuff and tried her best to be respectful. She chewed on the delicious jerky as if she hadn’t eaten in days, enjoying the weather, and the cool, spring breeze.

  She sat for a while on her own, waiting for someone to come back. Then, in the back of her mind, she felt Reia coming back into their range of telepathic connection. Since their bond was new, their range was quite short for an alamorph. Midiga could have shot an arrow farther than Alleria could feel Reia’s presence. She felt comforted for a moment as her partner neared, but the closer she got, and the stronger the connection, the more Alleria became concerned that something was wrong. She stood and began to walk toward the forest, toward where Reia would appear any second, when suddenly—

  —Need your help! Can you hear me? Alleria!

  Reia! Alleria began running toward where she felt the kitsune’s presence. I can hear you now. What’s going on? She stumbled for a moment on a root, regaining her balance, and then picked up her pace.

  It’s Laderic! I heard running... Just hurry! Alleria could feel the panic in Reia’s mind, and she felt a lump in her throat. The adrenaline in her veins kept her running for a moment longer until she spotted them in the trees.

  “Laderic!” she cried. She saw him turn toward her voice and shuffle toward her through the woods. He was out of breath, and it was plain to see why. He had hoisted Midiga over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes.

  He looked tired and worried, scanning the forest frantically. “Where’s Emery?” he gasped, looking over her shoulders. “We need her!”

  “What happened?” asked Alleria, looking Midiga over, trying to decipher what had happened. The felid was unconscious, and Laderic looked roughed up. He had blood on his face and arms and a grim look on his face.

  “I need Emery!” Laderic said, not really hearing Alleria’s questions, and sounding slightly panicked for the first time since she had met him. She swallowed, anxiety gripping her gut, watching as he gingerly set the unconscious Midiga on the ground. Laderic looked around again. “Where is she?”

  “She…” Alleria tried to talk, but her mouth was dry. Midiga wasn’t moving and was hardly able to breathe, barely gasping for air in her passed-out state. Alleria licked her lips and tried to talk again. “She went into the woods to find some plant or something, for me—”

  “What?” Laderic seemed to panic more then. “Emery!” he shouted into the woods, seeming to forget about his previous desire to draw as little attention to their group as possible. “Emery, we need you, please! Emery!” He was calling out into the forest in all directions. He was yelling so loud, his voice cracked. “Emery!” His words were desperate, dousing Alleria with dread like ice-cold water.

  “I’m going to go find her. You guys stay here and take care of Midiga,” Reia said, tiny voice shaking. Her ears flattened against her skull as she stared at the cat-woman. She took a couple steps backward before she turned tail and dashed into the woods back toward the campsite, trying to find the fae’s scent.

  Alleria stared blankly at Midiga. Her fur was matted around her ribs where something had torn a hole in her thin, leather armor, and dried blood was crusted around a gash. Something was poking from the wound. Alleria bent on her knees to take a closer look. As she got closer to the felid, she could hear gurgling each time Midiga breathed. She peered at the wound, feeling her stomach suddenly tie itself into a knot. The thing poking from the wound… was a bone.

  She felt dizzy, sitting suddenly on the dirt to steady herself. She could feel herself panicking. Laderic was still standing and calling into the woods frantically, but his voice sounded muted, and she could clearly hear her heart pounding in her ears. Everything was spinning… spinning…

  After a few minutes, Laderic stopped shouting, realizing that it was doing them no good. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at it for a moment, hoping the pain would clear his head. He had noticed the rib sticking out of Midiga’s body while he was running, but he had pressed on. His only hope was Emery, remembering the fae had told him she could use healing magic.

  He looked down at Midiga, her face scrunched up in pain, even while unconscious, her gurgles getting louder. They were running out of time. Soon, she wouldn’t be able to breathe at all… Laderic felt his eyes tearing, and he blinked hard. Now was not the time. He looked at Alleria, sitting on the ground, staring up at the canopy of the trees. Alleria… Something clicked.

  “Alleria, can you heal her?” he asked, turning to face her, a wild look in his eyes. He knew she had never healed anyone but herself, but it didn’t matter. It couldn’t matter. She didn’t move, continuing to stare up at the leaves. “Alleria!” he shouted, louder than he had intended. She jumped, startled, bringing her attention back to him.

  “Can you heal her?” Laderic asked again, pleading this time. Alleria looked down at Midiga, frozen. In this state, she could barely focus her eyes, let alone focus her magic. But Midiga… Alleria stared at her face. Her muzzle would scrunch up each time she breathed, and it sounded like she was inhaling through a straw. Midiga, who welcomed her into her home, fed her, gave her a place to sleep… Midiga, who saved her life…

  “I…,” she said, her voice cracking, “I can try.” She clenched her fists as she said the words, digging her nails into her palm, hoping the pain would bring her back to reality. She shifted into a kneeling position, crawling closer to Midiga’s body. Carefully, she placed her trembling hands on either side of the gash. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. She could feel Midiga’s chest rising and falling, her breaths somehow more shallow than they were a few minutes ago. The air around Alleria suddenly felt heavier, thicker, and it was harder to breathe.

  It was much harder for her to concentrate than it was when she was practicing on the tree. Every time she started to feel any magic in her body, Midiga would wheeze, and she would lose her concentration. And it only got worse. The pressure was suffocating, and soon,
she wasn’t able to feel any magic in herself at all.

  Laderic watched her as he became more and more anxious by the second. Midiga’s condition was declining rapidly, and he could see he had made a mistake by asking Alleria to heal her. Nevertheless, she was trying, and if even the slightest amount of magic slipped out, it would be better than sitting around doing nothing.

  Alleria was now also starting to slip into a panic. She took a deep, shaky breath, and squeezed her eyes closed. She breathed in and exhaled harshly. She imagined herself with a wound in her side. Imagined the pain she felt. And the blood... and her bone sticking out from her side… She felt nauseous and had to consciously stop herself from vomiting. She felt the magic retreat back into her body.

  “I can’t!” she finally cried, jerking her hands off Midiga then as if they were on a hot burner. She covered her face and pulled at her hair. “Argh!” she cried to herself, tears springing into her eyes.

  Laderic’s patience finally wore out. “If you don’t do something, my friend, your friend, is going to die!” he roared. He drew his fist back, and lashed out, punching the side of a nearby tree. Alleria began to cry harder.

  Laderic pulled his fist back and looked at it, mutely noting the split skin over his knuckles. His mind was buzzing with static as if he couldn’t form any thoughts of his own. He saw red, and the edges of his vision were becoming cloudy as if he were about to pass out. He sat down suddenly on the ground. What are you doing, he thought to himself. This is not helping—