Ember: Echoes of Ashes - Book 1

by Jessica Schmidt

  “Ugh,” Midiga groaned, making her way toward the dark hallway. “This is not the time to be petty.”

  Alleria was putting on her shoes with haste. “Come on, Emery,” she said, pulling the last one on and standing up, running to join Midiga. “We need you!”

  Emery said nothing, and Midiga shook her head. She pulled Alleria’s sleeve, heading into the darkness. Alleria stared wistfully at Emery, who still hadn’t moved an inch. She sighed, turning and jogging after Midiga, with Reia at her feet.

  “It’s dark in here,” Alleria said, looking around. She could barely see the walls around them and couldn’t see Midiga’s smoke colored fur at all.

  “Sorry, I forgot you can’t see in the dark. Can you not use your magic to light the space?” Midiga asked without turning around.

  Alleria frowned. She hadn’t ever used her magic like that, but it couldn’t hurt to try. She focused, remembering how it felt when the magic ran through her, from her scalp to her collarbone, down through her shoulders and into her fingertips—

  A golden light began to shine from her palms, and she raised them to her face, staring. Fist-sized golden orbs had manifested in her hands, and they weren’t hurting anybody.

  “Hey, Midiga, look I—oof!” She ran straight into Midiga’s back, blinded by staring at her light for too long.

  The felid had stopped suddenly. “Down there,” she whispered. Alleria looked around her. To their right was a staircase leading up, toward another floor. To their left was another staircase, leading down into pitch-blackness.

  “What’s down there?” she asked nervously, keeping her hands lowered so the glow from her magic wouldn’t blind her again.

  “There’s light down there, I can see it. It’s dim. Laderic must be down there,” she said, sure of herself. Reia nodded in agreement. She could also see the light—if very faint—with her night vision. Kitsune could see in the dark, but not to the same level as a felid.

  They hurried down the stairs.

  Alleria’s eyes adjusted as they walked down the spiral staircase. The glow from her hands illuminated the area around them just enough for her to see a few steps ahead. Soon, she started to see the glow in front of them and panicked a little bit, worried that they might see her magic’s light.

  “Midiga,” she whispered. “What if they see—”

  “Can you make the lights smaller?” asked the felid, stopping. “If not, you’ll have to stay back while I go in first and make sure it’s safe.”

  Alleria nodded, staring at her hands. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and concentrating on shrinking the balls of light, but not making them go away entirely. She stared at them, and slowly, but surely, they began to shrink, until they were the size of acorns. She could close her fists completely around them, and hide the light entirely.

  Midiga smiled, impressed by her progress already. “Good job,” she purred, patting Alleria on the head. The elf blushed.

  They carefully made their way to the bottom of the stairs, taking one step at a time as they got nearer, peeking around the corner. Alleria had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out in shock. In front of them, a bony skeleton with bits of rotted flesh sticking to its body marched back and forth, guarding a wooden door. The smell was atrocious. It hadn’t appeared to notice them yet. On the ground beside it was a pile of bones.

  Midiga reached behind her back, grasping at only air briefly before remembering once again she no longer had a bow. Groaning, she flicked her wrists, unsheathing her claws. She took a deep breath, steadying her nerves. She eyed the skeleton, searching for a glow. Then she remembered Alleria.

  “Have you ever fought undead before?” she turned and whispered to the young elf. Alleria shook her head, still staring wide-eyed at the skeleton that was walking right in front of them. “Okay, well, you have to look for a glow on their body. That’s where the necromancer will have placed a seal to bring them back to life and bind a soul to their body. You have to destroy the seal to take them down. Do you understand?” Still silent, mouth agape, Alleria nodded again. “Good.”

  Midiga turned and lunged then, jumping from behind the wall. “Mrrrrow!” she yowled, striking out at its chest with her right paw before it had a chance to react. She shattered it’s sternum with one strike, cracking the seal. It crumpled to the floor, right beside the other pile of bones.

  “Looks like Laderic made it past here,” she said, bending down and examining the two skeletons. The sternum of the other skeleton had also been shattered in a similar fashion.

  Alleria crept around the corner, looking around the room carefully. A torch burned in a sconce on the wall, looking like it was soon to run out of fuel. Alleria focused, letting her magic flow freely once more, expanding her orbs in her palms for more light. She walked over to Midiga, examining the door. “I wonder what it was guarding?” she asked, peering closely at the wood. It didn’t seem nearly as old and run down like everything else in the fort. It was quite out of place.

  “Knowing Laderic, he didn’t wait to find out. Watch out,” Alleria moved out of the way, as Midiga crouched beside the door handle. Then, she yanked the door open, teeth bared, ready to strike. But… there was nothing. She looked around, taking a few steps inside. Then, she turned back toward Alleria. “Okay, coast is clear, come on in—”

  “Midiga!” Alleria cried. “Watch out!” A skeleton had fallen from the ceiling, right behind the felid, holding a large rock poised over her head. Without thinking, Alleria raised her arm, firing two golden orbs at the skeleton, blasting it back away from Midiga. Midiga had leapt out of the way, claws raised, but the skeleton was out for the count. On the ground, bones scattered everywhere, its fingers twitched, and jaw wiggled.

  Midiga searched the floor until she found its ribcage. Just as she had suspected, the seal was in the same spot. She smashed it, and the bones stopped moving. “Nice work,” she said to Alleria, nodding. Alleria was still breathing hard, crouched in a battle stance, adrenaline pumping. “You can relax,” Midiga said with a smile. Slowly, Alleria lowered her hands.

  “I–I controlled it!” she shouted as she jumped up and down. She quickly clamped her mouth shut. And then, more quietly, “I controlled it, Midiga!”

  Midiga was genuinely happy for her. “I know. It was good. You did well. But Laderic—” she pointed toward the wall, “is down there.”

  Alleria took a few steps forward and examined where Midiga was gesturing. An opening had been carved into the stone wall of the fort, and it opened into what looked like an ancient, natural cave system. It descended sharply, the dirt floor having crude steps crafted into it. “I bet that trick got Laderic, and whatever, or whoever, dragged him down there.”

  Alleria nodded and gulped nervously. Carefully, the three of them passed through the hole and into the caves. Reia took point as they began descending into the darkness, wondering what had become of their friend.

  Chapter 13

  Laderic found himself walking through a misty forest, squinting to peer through the fog, but only able to see a few feet in front of him. Shapes moved in the mist, but he couldn’t make them out. Occasionally, something would laugh or howl or whisper. He felt uneasy and vaguely wondered how he had gotten there, but the thought was fleeting, and he pressed on, driven by something intangible that made him feel uneasy.

  “Laderic…” whispered a voice to his right. He turned, startled, but nothing was there except for more mist and the outlines of trees. “Laderic…” another voice said, right behind him this time. He spun around, only to find more fog. “Laderic… Laderic… Laderic…” The voices seemed to come from everywhere now.

  “What!” he roared as he spun in circles. His vision went blurry, and he rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, seeing stars for a moment. When he opened them again, the mist was gone, the forest was clear, and a path had appeared in front of him, leading out of the woods.

  He frowned, puzzled, but started down the path. It was drawing him to its end. He re
ached the edge of the woods, rounding a corner and freezing in his path. It was an open field, and in front of him, his childhood home—the farmhouse.

  “Laderic!” It was Alleria’s voice, unmistakable, coming from the house. As she spoke, dark shapes began to manifest, surrounding the building. Nightwalkers, they were drawing close. “Laderic!”

  “Alleria, no!” he cried, starting to sprint, but it seemed, no matter how fast he ran, the house never got any closer. “Stop! Please!” He pushed harder. His vision blurred.

  “Laderic!” she cried out again. He could see her now, standing in the window. The spectrals had begun to cast their spell, the black fire rising around the house, flames catching easily and climbing the wood. To his left, he caught a glimpse of a cloak as pale as moonlight.

  “Laderic.” Her voice was eerily calm now, nearly soothing. As he watched, her face seemed to magnify until it was right in front of him. Her eyes were blue and sad. “It’s okay.”

  “No!” he begged. “You’re going to die!” He was still running, now toward the pale-cloaked spectral. “You won’t get her too!”

  “Laderic, wake up,” she said, calmly. “Wake up.”

  “No!” he roared, nearly there.

  “Wake up.”

  “Wake up!”

  Laderic was freezing, his face numb and wet, and he woke with a shock. Water dripped off his hair and onto the dirty, metal ground where he was laying. He blinked, sitting up and looking around to gather his bearings. He was in a cage—that was certain—with bars surrounding him at every angle. He looked behind him and was greeted with another splash of ice-cold water.

  “Finally!” barked a loud voice, annoyed. “I was starting to think you were never going to wake up.” Laderic rubbed the water out of his eyes, opening them to find himself staring at a middle-aged man, cackling at him. His nose was curved, his skin pale as parchment, and he was as skinny as could be.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he snapped. “Do I have something on my face? What’s wrong with you? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” On that last word, he lunged toward the cage, slamming into the metal bars with a bone. Laderic flinched, more from surprise than fear, and the necromancer chucked, cold. “You’re pathetic, but you will be fun company for a while until I get tired of you.”

  “Who… who are you? Where am I?” Laderic looked around, but he couldn’t make out many details beyond his prison. He was in a still in a cave, that he was sure of. A small fire that had burned down to coals was beside him on the ground, and against the wall across the room, a pool of glowing purple water was bubbling up from below. Several dozen skeletons stood guard around the edges of the room, all of them glaring in his direction.

  The necromancer grinned, his teeth surprisingly well manicured compared to the rest of his body. “Me, you ask? I... am Elwyse!” he boomed, raising his arms toward the ceiling dramatically. He paused, for effect, before continuing. “I own this fort and all beneath it! And, well, you’re the first company I’ve had in a long time,” he admitted, slowly lowering his arms. He looked at Laderic, disappointed. “This introduction thing went differently in my head. You’re supposed to, I don’t know, cower in fear or something.”

  Laderic rolled his eyes, instinctively reaching for his sword, but finding all of his belongings had been stripped from him. “Where’s my stuff?” he demanded.

  “I’m not stupid,” said Elwyse. He gestured behind him where another door was carved into the cavern walls. “I’m not taking any chances. Don’t want you escaping, now do we? Not like it would matter if you did.” He smirked, cocky. “No one knows this cave system better than I. Even if I let you go, you would never find your way back to the surface before dying, either from starvation or madness, whichever came first.”

  Laderic frowned. “So, what?” he asked. “You’re just going to keep me here and torture me? Make me your undead slave?”

  “What? Of course not,” balked Elwyse. “The undead aren’t proper company.” He began to pace the room, lecturing as one might to a classroom. “When raised, they take on a false soul, fragments of those still wondering the earth, one that simply mimics life. It is impossible to bind a sentient soul to a corpse. I’m just raising bodies, not bringing the dead back to life.” He said all of this with such an air of superiority as if Laderic couldn’t possibly understand.

  As he spoke, from the shadows a new corpse emerged. Laderic peered in its direction, realizing after a second that it wasn’t a human skeleton, but one of a large dog. Elwyse noticed Laderic’s gaze and gestured toward the canine. “I see you’ve noticed my greatest success.”

  “What is that thing?” Laderic asked, unsure of whether he was more fascinated or scared. The undead zombie dog was much more intimidating than the mindless skeletons. It seemed to actually have a mind of its own, moving with purpose rather than instruction. He stood waist high, with a thick, boxy skull, and a chain of clattering keys dangling from his neck.

  “That’s Odie, my first and only successfully bound soul,” Elwyse mused wistfully. He continued pacing. “When I was but a boy, Odie was my faithful companion. I had been teaching myself the arts of raising the dead for a while when Odie tragically passed away. However, by taking swift action and performing a ritual within moments of his death, I was able to bind his soul permanently to his dead body.”

  “I thought you just said you can’t bind souls to corpses,” Laderic asked, backing away from the vicious looking dog that was now only inches away from his cage bars.

  “Sentient souls,” clarified Elwyse, exacerbated. “Dogs aren’t quite sentient, though they are intelligent. And, although what I did was difficult, it was done in the ideal circumstances and was a true success.” He walked over next to Odie, stroking his skull fondly. “And my faithful companion has been with me ever since, guarding all that I own, right by my side.”

  Odie turned his zombie head toward Elwyse, wagged his fleshy, rotting tail, and lolled a disgusting, reeking tongue out of his mouth. Elwyse grimaced briefly. “No panting, remember?” he said, quickly taking his hand off Odie’s head. “You’ll stink up this whole room.” Odie lowered his head, ashamed, tucking his tail between his bony legs.

  Laderic slowly relaxed, realizing Odie was not a vicious hellhound, but simply an undead pet. While he had been speaking with Elwyse, his mind was working overtime, trying to figure out how he was going to escape. Midiga will come look for me, right? But he sighed. If what Elwyse had said were true, no one would be able to find their way in if they also couldn’t find their way out. Guess I’ll have to talk my way out of this one.

  “So, what now?” Laderic yawned, appearing bored.

  Elwyse opened his mouth to speak but said nothing. After a moment, he frowned, snapping his mouth shut. “I… don’t know, honestly. I haven’t had company for so long.” He turned away from Laderic, muttering to himself as he went to sit in the lone chair beside the purple water.

  The geyser intrigued Laderic. “What’s that,” he asked, pointing toward the glowing purple pool. Elwyse looked at him, and then back at the water.

  “Ha!” he laughed, excessively loud. “As if I would tell you any of my secrets!” His words echoed back at them from the walls.

  “Well, aren’t I here to keep you company? And you’re just going to kill me eventually, right?” Laderic was reeling him in. “And there’s no way I could possibly escape to the surface?” His words were smooth and convincing.

  Elwyse went to talk again, blinked, and then shook his head. “I suppose you’re right.” He seemed worried as if he were breaking some unspoken rule. But, after a moment, he grinned. “Okay, I’ll tell you,” he said, seeming much too eager to talk about it, like a child doing something he knew was wrong. “This water is magic,” he said softly, walking over to the pool and crouching beside it. “It amplifies my powers beyond their usual, awesome power.” Laderic rolled his eyes, suppressing a groan. Elwyse didn’t notice. “It comes from underground, and is deeply connected to A
marantae, the spectral tree of life.”

  “What?” Now that caught his attention. Amarantae was one of the most mysterious magical places in the Far Land. No one knew where its power came from, or how it had the ability to birth spectrals. “This… is connected to the spectral life force?”

  Elwyse nodded, solemnly. “Yes, and I alone have its power,” he said. “It allows me to raise many more dead than I normally could and gives me the power to guard this place against all others!” He dipped one of his hands into the water, holding the other one out toward Odie. He closed his eyes, muttering a quick incantation. Purple energy flowed up through his arm, entering his body and exiting through his outstretched hand in the form of eerie, green light. Odie began to grow even larger. His large teeth protruded even farther out of his mouth. After a moment, Elwyse stopped, removing his hand from the energy source.

  “You see,” he panted, newly exhausted. “This power source makes me unstoppable! But…” he frowned, crossing his arms, “it means I can’t leave here without taking the chance that someone else could find it.”

  “Why don’t you just leave and take some of it with you?” Laderic asked. Elwyse, without saying a word, picked a bucket up from beside the wall. He filled it with the glowing water, walked to the center of the room, and dumped it onto the floor. It came out clear, and cold.

  “It turns into regular water if it is removed from its source,” said Elwyse, monotonous and strangely sad. “I can’t leave.”

  “What do you mean you can’t leave?” asked Laderic, confused. “You could leave here at any time. This power is more important to you than… daylight? Friends? Even just social interaction?”

  “Why, of course,” said Elwyse quickly. “This power means more to me than anything. I could never leave it!”

  His forced tone piqued questions in Laderic’s mind. Something wasn’t adding up. “What use is all of this power if you just sit down here alone and rot for the rest of your life? No offense,” he said, directing that last part toward Odie. The zombie dog lolled his slimy tongue out of his mouth again, panting happily.