Ember: Echoes of Ashes - Book 1

by Jessica Schmidt

  Alleria pulled her sleeping roll and an extra blanket from her bag and did her best to find a spot on the floor that was neither too damp nor too uneven. Eventually, she had to settle on a spot that was a little of both. She laid her things out, frowning slightly. Outside, thunder boomed, and she jumped, feeling panicked for a second before she remembered what Laderic had told her in Acrosa. “I am not afraid,” she muttered to herself as Reia helped her straighten the corners of their bedding. The kitsune’s tails were standing at attention, quivering with anxiety. Through their alamorphic bond, she shared a bit of Alleria’s fear of storms.

  Emery, who usually slept in the trees, grumbled to herself as she dug through her tiny bag that Laderic had been carrying for her. From within, she drew an intricate golden and emerald colored quilt. Its fabric glistened in the firelight. It caught Laderic’s eye immediately. He knew very well when something was valuable, and that quilt was no exception. He silently cursed Midiga for not upping their price on carrying Emery’s things to Charandall—he would have got her there in half the time for that quilt alone. Every so often, he glanced over into her little suitcase, wondering what other valuables she had hidden away.

  “That’s beautiful,” Alleria said, eyes shining shimmery gold. She had been staring at the quilt since the fae had taken it out, unashamed. “Can I feel it?”

  Emery looked down at it. “This thing?” she said, trying but failing to sound nonchalant. “Oh, sure, if you want. Be careful though!” Alleria had sprinted over to feel the fabric, and Emery had become quite nervous. “Please… be gentle.”

  “Wow,” Alleria said, wide-eyed. The quilt was made of some of the softest fibers she had ever touched. She glided her hands over it, feeling the hand-woven patterns. The border of it had been sewn with green thread into hundreds of small forest creatures—rabbits, snakes, bears, wolves, squirrels, foxes—every creature in the Brushdeep Forest was represented.

  However, in the center of the tapestry was where the beauty truly lied. A large portrait of a doe was embroidered into the golden background. The deer stood at an angle, her whole body visible, and from her back sprouted giant eagle’s wings, flared up over her head like a halo.

  “What is that?” asked the elf, pointing toward the deer on the quilt.

  “That’s Kune,” said Emery, smiling to herself as she looked at the embroidery. “Kune is the goddess of spring for the fae people. She is one of our four gods.”

  “But aren’t you a summertime fae?” asked Midiga, curious as well.

  Everyone was staring intently at Emery now, and she felt a bit embarrassed. “Well, yes, this was my sister’s. I carry it everywhere.”

  “Oh,” said Midiga, feeling bad again. “I’m sorry—”

  “No, it’s fine!” said Emery quickly. “I don’t mind talking about it. She actually made this quilt herself. She used to make all kinds of them during her off-season for us to sell in Acrosa and Starpoint. I just kept it when she… passed away. She loved the spring goddess, and she was more devout than my brothers and me combined, really.”

  “That’s amazing,” said Alleria, sincere. She looked between Laderic and Emery then, puzzled. “I thought the goddess of spring was Lisia?” she questioned, referencing one of the human gods.

  Emery’s eyes crinkled in a smile. “Each race of mortal beings in the Far Land has their own gods and goddesses, and some of their domains overlap. They all came from the same place, though—the domain of the Celestials. The fae only have four gods, one of each of the seasons. Humans have more gods than all of the other races combined. Felidae have only a few gods, I believe…” She glanced at Midiga for confirmation. The cat-woman nodded, grinning and showing her pointed canines.

  “Indeed, though I’m partial to Fazaith, god of the hunt, myself.” She felt another pang of sorrow, thinking about her bow again.

  Emery nodded, looking back at the quilt fondly. “She made one for my two brothers and me, as well, with our respective gods adorning their face. Mine, which I left back in Charandall, has Uruso on its front, the god of summer, and also of heat, growth, and courage. He has several forms, as do all of our gods, but on our quilts, she embroidered them in their animal forms. For Uruso, that would be a bear. For my brother Issio, my autumn sibling, she sewed Hie, the god of fall, and also change, rain, and rebirth. He looks like a griffin, with the front end of a barred owl. For Ponchi, my winter brother, she sewed Lupia, goddess of winter, and also ice, death, and silence. She is a white wolf. Personally, I think Ponchi’s quilt is the prettiest.” Emery scowled with playful jealousy.

  “Ice, death, and silence…” murmured Alleria. “Is Lupia… evil? Those don’t seem like very positive domains.”

  “Nonsense!” said Emery, quite passionately. She was talking with her hands once again. “None of the gods are purely evil, just as no gods are purely good. They all fall on a spectrum, somewhere between the pure domains of the Celestials. Do you—how educated are you on the heavens?”

  Alleria frowned, embarrassed. “I have no memory from before I was a teenager, remember? And my parents only worshipped a few of the human gods, but they never really explained any of it to me. I just know we were to leave offerings for Lisia, of spring and harvest, and Saina, of storms and growth. Both of them were really important to the farm, I guess, but I never really noticed a difference between days when we made offerings versus days when we—well, when I—would forget.” She looked sheepish, wringing her hands as she spoke.

  “Oh, well, don’t worry! It’s really quite simple.” Emery got comfortable on her quilt, crossing her legs and clearing her throat. The fae people were known for being very devout, and for good reason. Their magic stemmed directly from their gods, and they were able to see firsthand the work of their deities. “So, each of the races in the Far Land has their own gods, as I said before,” she began, in full teaching mode. “This includes all sentient races, even creatures like dragons and griffins.”

  “And kitsune?” asked Reia, looking puzzled. Emery shook her head.

  “I don’t believe so, but I’m not a kitsune so I couldn’t tell you. Seeing as how kitsune are only partially sentient, I wouldn’t think that they have their own gods. All animals, though, technically answer to the fae gods of nature. So, since you have gained your full sentience through your alamorphic bond with Alleria, it would likely be appropriate for you to worship a fae god of your choosing. And, might I suggest Uruso because of your affinity with fire, and his command of flames as well? And also, well, he’s the best.” Emery puffed out her chest a bit, delivering her sales pitch.

  Reia thought for a moment. “I’ll… have to do some thinking,” she said finally.

  Emery looked disappointed but shook her head, moving on. “Anyway, before there were any mortal creatures, and before there were any gods, there were the four Celestials: Caine of Chaos, Ostro of Order, Gildia of Good, and Evon of Evil. Each pure of their domain, seeing all things in black and white. There is no gray area for the Celestials, and so they created the gods, hoping to expand their influence over the others.

  “However, the gods were not as the Celestials wanted them to be and fell between their domains—none of them completely good or evil, none completely ordered or chaotic. Like I said, they fell on a spectrum.

  “From the many gods came the mortal creatures of the world, also created in their own image, hoping to expand their own influences. They created the animals first, before groups of gods began to unite, conspiring with each other to try to create the perfect beings to worship them and thus gain power. From these groups of gods, came the first sentient creatures of the Far Land: the dragons and mythical beasts. Though sentient, they were still quite similar to their animal counterparts. Then came the felidae, the canidae, and the fae. These were the closest true sentient beings to nature, with the fae worshipping the same gods as the animals, and the others taking on the appearance of animals.

  “Then came the humans, another step away from nature. More gods
united to form the humans than any other race, so the gods expected them to be the best. This was not the case. Humans were courageous and insightful but had the shortest lifespans and the most fragile bodies of any of the sentient creatures.

  “Soon after came the dwarves, stout and strong. They were gruff and not the most, er, aesthetic of the gods’ creations. However, they lived longer than humans did, and though they were smaller, they were definitely tougher.

  “After that… the elves.

  “The elves were perfect beings, created by only two gods. These two gods did not collaborate together for the same reasons as the others, who sought power, worshippers, or influence. No, these two gods were in love. Dietha and Bathur. The first elves were born from the womb of Dietha, created out of love between them. Because of this, the elves were as close to godlike as they could be. They lived forever and had the beauty of the goddess herself. They were smart, athletic, and the kindest peacekeepers there ever were. It’s a shame they have all disappeared. The elves, dwarves, and fae were the first people to settle the Far Land all those years ago, and only thousands of years later did the felidae, canidae, and humans finally arrive from across the sea.”

  “And the spectrals?” asked Alleria, completely absorbed in Emery’s storytelling. But Emery only shrugged, and Alleria frowned.

  “No one knows very much about the spectrals,” Emery pondered. “They just… appeared. Amarantae, the tree of life in the Brushdeep Forest, gives birth to spectrals, and they live secretive lives. They don’t really talk about their history much, and, if I remember correctly, they don’t worship any gods.”

  “Wow…” Alleria said, staring off into space, lost in thought. She had been worshipping human gods for as long as she could remember, but... hearing the names of her own gods… it was like a bell had chimed in her soul. She felt tears coming to her eyes. I have my own gods, she thought. No wonder it had always felt so strange worshipping Lisia and Saina!

  “Or,” interjected Laderic, standing and adjusting the weapons on his belt, “you don’t have to buy into this worship nonsense.”

  Emery scowled at him. “You shouldn’t speak that way of the gods…”

  He shrugged, pulling the torch off the wall. “The gods have never done anything for me. Why should I do anything for them?”

  “They’ve done everything for you,” Emery snapped. “And you would do well to respect that.”

  He shook his head. “Half of them probably don’t even exist. Humans have dozens of gods, literally. It’s sad, really. At least the fae have it together. One god for each season and you get your powers from them. That makes sense! But really, where I’m from, religion is a cult.” He frowned. “I’m not going to be part of something that I don’t believe in just for the hell of it, especially if there isn’t anything in it for me.” He turned and started walking off, deeper into the fort.

  “Where are you going?” asked Alleria and Midiga at the same time. Emery was shaking her head, stewing in her frustration.

  “I’m going for a walk. All this god-talk is boring me. Who knows what kinds of valuable things there are hidden in here? An ancient abandoned elven fort? It’s like a gold mine!” He was beyond their sight now, disappearing down one of the dark hallways, calling back to them as he went. The word ‘mine’ echoed around them as his voice dissipated, and the light from his torch faded into the blackness soon after.

  Alleria sighed, filled with worry. “I hope he’ll be okay,” she muttered. Emery laid on the ground, pulling the quilt around her body and facing the wall. She stayed silent.

  Midiga strained a smile. “He will be,” she said, unconvinced. “He always is.”

  Chapter 12

  Laderic made his way through the damp tunnels of the fort, shivering as he went. The path he had taken circled around into another main room, dusty and filled with vines and moss. Cobwebs draped over the walls like sheets, shifting slightly in the wind as Laderic walked by. The darkness was oppressive as he kept walking, with no windows on the walls in these inner parts of the fort.

  He came to a set of stairs, one leading up to his right, and the other leading down to the left. The upper staircase most likely led to the watchtower they had seen from the road. He grinned, starting up the stairs. If there’s anything worth taking, it’s gonna be up there. However, he had only just started up the steps when he heard a noise.

  He stopped, looking around, but he didn’t see anything. He remained motionless, listening, when sure enough—he heard it again. It sounded like a rhythmic rapping—as if someone was tapping two stones together to a slow, repetitive beat. And it was coming from below him, down the other set of stairs.

  Instantly on alert, Laderic turned and began slowly descending into the basement of the fort, moving carefully to muffle his footsteps. He held his torch behind him to keep its light from preceding his entrance and alerting whatever was down there to his presence before he wanted. He went down, down, the steps spiraling around several times before he started to notice something new—it was getting brighter. A soft, yellow glow was illuminating the staircase before him.

  He quickly doused his torch, sliding it into his bag and arming himself with his daggers instead. He continued to creep his way down, moving slower with every step. He could still hear the rapping noise, louder now, and still just as rhythmic. He eventually reached the bottom of the steps, the yellow light flickering brightly in front of him, and he carefully peeked around the corner.

  A small dungeon lay before him, a torch burning in a sconce, and a table with two chairs pushed against the wall. He stood frozen as he realized where the noise was coming from. It wasn’t a rock. It was bone. A skeleton paced in front of another doorway, an ancient sword propped on its shoulder. Each step of its bony heel rapped against the floor as it moved, repetitive and constant.

  It hadn’t noticed Laderic yet, who still watched in shock. “A necromancer,” he breathed. Where there was undead, there was someone bringing them to life. He cursed silently, berating himself for not anticipating this after having smelled the telltale rot of risen bodies.

  He knew this lone skeleton was the least of his worries. He scanned his foe, carefully looking for the eerie glow that he knew marked the dark magic’s fixation. He had dealt with undead before, and slicing limbs and breaking bones wasn’t quite enough. But simply destroying the glowing seal on their body would release their souls back to the Otherworld where they could continue their search for the heavens. This skeleton had a soft, green glow inside its ribcage, the seal likely on the inside of its sternum.

  Once it turned around again, Laderic quietly tumbled into the room, quickly hiding behind one of the chairs in the skeleton’s line of sight. He was successful, as the boney soldier continued his mournful watch without pause. On its next turn, Laderic made his move.

  He sprinted up behind its body, and it turned around much too slowly to prevent its demise. “Hey there.” Laderic grinned as he jabbed one clean strike into the creature’s bony chest. Green magic burst from the wound for a few moments, and then the skeleton collapsed before him into a pile of bones.

  “Easy,” muttered Laderic, sheathing his weapons once again. He inspected the corpse, but there wasn’t anything unusual about it, aside from the fact that it had been very much alive a few seconds ago. I should probably go warn everyone, he thought. He had started to turn back toward the staircase when he heard another noise, this time from behind the door the skeleton had been guarding.

  Curiosity was definitely one of Laderic’s weaknesses, and this was no exception. He drew a dagger, grasping the ancient door handle in his hand—briefly wondering why every other wooden door in the fort had rotted away, but this one was somehow still intact—before he swung the door open.

  “Aha!” he proclaimed, leaping into the dimly lit hallway. But… there was no one there. “Huh, that’s weird,” he said, taking a few steps forward. The hallway was empty, the end of it blocked by what looked like a cave-in from the
upper floors. To his right, though, was a large hole that had been cut into the wall and seemed to lead into a winding, underground cave system. While the cave itself looked ancient, the hole dug through the walls to reach it was fairly new compared to the surrounding fort. It descended down into the dark, branching off in several directions, with no end in sight.

  “That’s weird...” he muttered before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. “Ah!” he cried out loudly in pain. He tried to turn around and confront his attacker, but his sight was already starting to fade. “That… hurt…” he mumbled as he slumped to his knees, his vision going black.

  “Laderic!”

  Midiga woke with a start. She had only been halfway asleep—a catnap if you will—when she had heard him cry out. She sat up, her ears perked up on high alert, drinking in every sound—but there was only silence again. She had heard it though, no mistake—he had cried out in pain.

  “What’s wrong, Midiga?” asked Reia, yawning sleepily.

  “Laderic is in trouble!” she said, standing up and reaching for her quiver. She saw the single arrow, remembering that she had no bow, and cursed. “We have to help him. I heard him cry out—something is wrong.”

  Alleria sat up, yawning hugely. “What’s going on?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. She had only been asleep for a half hour or so and felt quite disoriented.

  “Get your stuff, we are going to help Laderic,” Midiga said. “Emery?” The fae hadn’t moved from her spot on the floor, lying down, facing away from everyone else.

  “No thanks,” she said, clearly not having slept a wink. She continued facing the wall. “He can do it on his own, remember? Doesn’t need the gods? Doesn’t need me.”