Ember: Echoes of Ashes - Book 1

by Jessica Schmidt

“Hey!” Midiga snarled at Elwyse. He either didn’t hear her or paid her no mind, continuing to try to snatch Laderic and Prysmi out of the air. Prysmi was tired, and it was starting to show. Her movements were becoming more sluggish. It wasn’t long before Elwyse would be able to catch her.

  “Leave him alone!” cried Alleria, firing a bolt of white light at his ever-growing legs. It didn’t do a ton of damage, only singing a hole in his giant pants, but it was enough to get his attention.

  “What—you!” Elwyse boomed, voice deep and sluggish sounding. He turned his gaze to the ground. The others had circled him, slashing, biting, and clawing at his legs. To Elwyse, it was nothing more than a minor annoyance. “I should have ended you when I had the chance. Now… I will crush you all!”

  He bent his knee as if he were going to raise his foot and smash them beneath it, but his foot was stuck. The ground bulged under pressure but did not break. “What?” he growled, trying again to lift his foot, but it was wedged beneath the cavern floor. As he tried to rip it out of the ground, he lost his balance.

  Laderic seized the opportunity. “Now!” he roared, pointing toward Elwyse’s chest with his sword. Prysmi bared her teeth, folding her wings in a steep dive, and ramming into the necromancer’s chest with her shoulder. Her metallic scales acted as a wrecking ball. The force crippled him, his ribcage cracking loudly. He fell backward, displaced so suddenly that he could not catch himself. His feet tore through the earth as he came down on his back, ripping from their rocky graves. Boulders cascaded from the rubble into the pool of water, filling it nearly to the brim with dirt and stone.

  The instant his feet came out of the geyser of magical water, he began to shrink. As he shrunk, the power left his body in a mass exodus, pouring from his pores in a swarm of purple light. It was blinding. Alleria and the others on the ground shielded their eyes and turned their heads to avoid looking at it directly.

  When the light died down, they breathed a sigh of relief. Elwyse was unconscious but still breathing, back to his normal size on the ground. The risen undead scattered around the room had collapsed, the magic holding them together dissolving into the air.

  The geyser had been completely clogged, the glow vanishing as whatever connection it had to Amarantae was lost beneath the rubble. All that was left appeared as a normal pond. Reia walked over to sniff it, gingerly dipping her paw in and pulling back quickly in case it was still dangerous. But it was naught but cold and wet.

  Prysmi and Laderic landed hard on the ground, Laderic nearly falling out of the saddle. His heart was racing—the dive they had taken to tackle Elwyse had been terrifying, to say the least. Prysmi was breathing hard, her muscles shaking beneath Laderic’s legs, trembling with exhaustion.

  Mavark ran to the dragon as she landed, putting his forehead against hers, and closing his eyes, murmuring soothing and comforting words. Laderic slid down her back, onto the ground, his knees nearly giving out as he hit the floor. Alleria and Midiga ran to his side.

  “How do you feel?” asked the felid, concerned. As he leaned on his thighs, he gave her a thumbs-up without speaking. She eyed him, unconvinced.

  “That was amazing!” cheered Alleria, clasping her hands together. She glanced around at them. “All of us, we did it! I can’t believe it’s over so… suddenly.” Reia ran to her side, and she picked up the kitsune, stroking her russet fur tenderly. “And you were so great, too,” she said with a smile, squeezing her soul partner tightly.

  Laderic stood up straight finally, noticing Emery hanging back near Elwyse. “Glad to see you made it.” He grinned, making his way toward her slowly so he wouldn’t get dizzy.

  “Well, if the dragon-man hadn’t got here when he did, this might have been a different story,” she admitted, scratching her arm. She was inspecting Elwyse’s body. He looked sound asleep. “So, what exactly happened?”

  Laderic filled Emery, Mavark, and Prysmi in on what had happened to himself, Midiga, Alleria, and Reia in the last several hours. “He was this close to killing Midiga when you burst in,” he finished, holding his thumb and pointer finger a hair’s width apart. Midiga subconsciously held her hand to her neck, swallowing hard.

  “So, I guess now, the question is, how did you find us?” Laderic asked Mavark directly. “He said the tunnels were intricate and vast, impossible for anyone to find their way in or out without knowing the way… So how?”

  Mavark grinned, white teeth seeming to glow against his dark skin. “Well, I was on my way to Ewa’faita for a job, actually. I was hired by the Ambassadors. There has been unusual undead activity in the area, and the Ambassadors’ mages had tracked the energy to the fort.” As he spoke, he was inspecting Prysmi’s iridescent scales for injuries.

  “You’re actually working for them?” Laderic asked, incredulously. He held his tongue, though. While the Ambassadors were not exactly his favorite people in the world, he knew insulting them wouldn’t go over well with Mavark.

  The people of the Far Land were loosely governed by an elected council of representatives for each of the different races. The council, called the Ambassadors of Unity, generally kept the peace in the Far Land, controlled the rule of law, and regulated trade and commerce between the smallest of villages to the largest of capitals. The major exception to this rule were the two human factions of Rokswing and Mariscale to the south, which were now united under the banner of a single, gigantic, human-controlled kingdom, after their devastating civil war almost three hundred years ago. They had their own monarchy and their own laws, but even they had a representative in the Ambassadors to promote peace and trade between their government and the citizens of the rest of the Far Land.

  In fact, the only race that did not have a representative in the Ambassadors was the elves. This was yet another reason regular people distrusted the elves and even believed they didn’t exist. The Ambassadors of Unity was formed thousands of years after the elves disappeared into the ice, so it was only natural that the elvish race was missing from their council.

  Laderic hadn’t exactly had the best experiences with the Ambassadors in the past, but he wasn’t trying to get into that conversation with the altruistic Mavark now.

  Mavark, ignoring Laderic’s outburst, was now inspecting the dragon’s claws. “Before we had even landed, Prysmi could smell you, Laderic.”

  “That’s not a surprise,” teased Midiga. Laderic scowled at her.

  “I do not smell that bad,” he snapped. Mavark was smiling, shaking his head.

  “No, you don’t. But Prysmi is a silverback dragon. They have the most acute sense of smell of all dragons. She can track a scent for miles, which brings me to how we found you. We landed and entered Ewa’faita, and found your fae friend in the main room. She seemed quite worried, and obviously shocked to see us, but when we brought up Laderic, she jumped into action. She told me that she was with you, and you might be in trouble, so we set off to find you. It was easy for Prysmi to follow your scent through the tunnels, but eventually, we ran into these giant, locked, stone doors—but they were no match for a dragon.” He grinned mischievously.

  Prysmi bared her teeth in her equivalent of a smile. “They gave pretty easily after I smashed them down, but sometimes, it felt like the entire cave system was going to collapse as well.”

  Alleria’s eyes lit up with a realization. “That’s what the thunder was!”

  Mavark looked confused. “Thunder?” The others nodded.

  “The entire cavern vibrated every time you smashed down the doors,” Midiga confirmed. “I could hear it through the walls before the others could. It sounded like an earthquake.” Prysmi looked pleased with herself.

  “I guess a formal introduction is in order,” Mavark said, changing his tone. He had finished inspecting Prysmi and walked over to Midiga. He removed his right-handed gauntlet, extending his hand toward the felid. His wings flared slightly, and he bowed his head. “I am Mavark. This is my soul partner, Prysmi. I’m sure Laderic has mentioned me before.”
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br />   “Only recently,” confirmed Midiga, shaking his hand after a moment. She eyed his wings and tail, the true markings of a drake alamorph. He was the real deal.

  “In fact, Mavark,” Laderic interjected. “We were on our way to see you. Well, to see Ysmira, that is...”

  Mavark’s eyes twinkled, knowing. “Ah, yes… Is this about the elf that is traveling with you?” he mentioned casually.

  Alleria looked shocked. “But… how could you know?” Her hood had remained snugly on her head, save for when she removed it to ‘prove’ to Elwyse she couldn’t use magic. She had quickly replaced it during the battle. She was still wearing it now.

  Prysmi angled her head toward Alleria, inhaling deeply. “Mavark’s wife, Ysmira, is an elf, and your scent is quite unique,” she stated. “It is impossible to mistake for anything else.”

  “Well, I hope I don’t smell bad,” muttered Alleria, self-conscious. She crossed her arms over her chest.

  The dragon’s chest rumbled, arcing and falling in pitch in a deep, throaty laugh. “Of course not. You smell just fine.” She turned her gaze to Midiga, blinking slowly. “Though, not nearly as decadent as your felid friend here.”

  Midiga blushed, feeling uneasy. She was unsure whether or not that was a compliment from the dragon, or whether she smelled like dinner to the beast.

  Laderic was still speaking to Mavark. “We can fill you in on the way—for now, we should continue on to Strita.” As he spoke, his stomach rumbled almost as loud as a dragon’s roar. “And we should eat, too.”

  “I could go for some food,” piped Reia, tails wiggling with anticipation.

  “Well, first thing’s first,” Mavark said, pulling a thin rope from Prysmi’s saddle. He walked over to Elwyse, who was still unconscious on the ground, quickly securing his hands behind his back. “Don’t want any surprises from our friend, do we?” He hoisted the necromancer over his shoulder. Prysmi walked over beside him and crouched down. Unceremoniously, he slung his body across the saddle like a sack of potatoes, fastening him to the seat with leather bindings normally used to keep him secure while flying.

  “All right, let’s get out of this dungeon and back into the sun!” Emery zipped toward the exit, vibrating with anticipation. Fae disliked being underground, especially summertime fae, who thrived in sunlight.

  “Okay, let’s go—huh?” Laderic had started toward the exit but heard a strange noise behind him. “What the…” Coming out of Elwyse’s room was a tiny yapping creature.

  “Arf!” it yelped, galloping across the floor toward their group. It was… a tiny zombie dog, with a giant collar of keys dangling from its neck.

  “—Odie?” Laderic asked, bewildered. The dog yipped again, doing a spin and sitting, lolling its tongue out of its mouth.

  Odie looked completely different. What was once a menacing hellhound now appeared to be nothing more than a small lap dog, but it was Odie, all right. that same collar of keys, now much too big, hindering the undead pup as he tried to walk.

  Laderic knelt down and pulled the keys off of his neck, giving the pup a kind rub. In return, Odie licked his hand with a disgusting, rotting tongue. “Good… boy…” coughed Laderic through the stench.

  “Arf!” yipped Odie happily.

  Midiga was looking at Laderic with disbelief. “Don’t even think about it,” she accused, pointing a clawed finger at his chest. He smiled, apologetic.

  “I mean… we can’t just leave him here,” he cooed, bending down and gingerly stroking the decomposing skin of the zombie puppy. “I mean, he’s so… cute?” Odie did another spin.

  Midiga shook her head, at a loss. “I’m not watching that thing. If you wanna watch it, fine.”

  “Can we please just get out of here,” Alleria whined, impatiently standing by the exit with Emery now, waiting for the rest of them.

  “On our way!” Laderic grinned. “Come on, boy!” He whistled at Odie.

  And so, together, with Prysmi in the lead, they fumbled their way back to the surface.

  Chapter 16

  They gathered their things from the fort’s entrance and exited into the fresh air. Well, comparatively fresh. The area still stunk of rotting bodies. The sun had just begun to rise, and exhaustion hit them like a sledgehammer.

  “Oh, man,” Laderic said with a yawn. This sparked a chain reaction, each of them yawning in turn. “I forgot about sleep.” He squinted in the brightness, stopping and stretching as they exited the darkness of Ewa’faita.

  Midiga arched her back, baring her teeth as she yawned deeply. “We should get some ground covered, but stop to make camp early tonight.” She looked over at Mavark. “How long is the walk to Strita from here?”

  He frowned, scratching his head, readjusting his dreads since they had been crammed in a helmet for hours. “Normally, we fly, and it takes less than a day… but since we have a prisoner, and will be escorting you guys, I would guess another two days from here at minimum.”

  Emery seemed the most energetic of all. “But it’s a beautiful day!” she cried, zipping up into the branches. “We shouldn’t stop early!” Odie, who was also excited about being outside in who knows how long, yipped and barked, turning in circles over and over again, enough to make anyone dizzy.

  “Says you. You got the most sleep out of all of us,” growled Reia, plopping her butt down on the forest floor and scowling in Odie’s direction. “I don’t know how far I could walk if I tried!”

  Alleria knelt next to her soul partner, scratching behind the fox’s ears. The kitsune closed her eyes, panting slightly with enjoyment. “I’ll carry you, don’t worry.” Soothed the elf, lifting Reia into her arms.

  Mavark looked on, smiling fondly. “So, you’re an alamorph too?” he asked.

  “Yes,” started Alleria. Then, it seemed another thought interrupted her original train of thought. “Wait, you’re an alamorph!” she realized, stating the obvious. Mavark nodded slowly, amused by her thought process. “Can you help me? I mean, can you answer some of my questions? And, like, help us, I don’t know, get stronger?”

  He thought for a moment, before nodding again. “I suppose I could show you some things while we travel,” he conceded. “Though, as a drake alamorph, our situations are a little different.”

  “Nonsense,” Prysmi said, pushing her forehead against Alleria’s side. “She is one of us. They and we are the same. Of course, we will help you.” Alleria giggled, patting Prysmi on the head. The dragon hummed warmly.

  Odie looked at Laderic expectantly. “Arf!” he barked, wagging his fleshy tail. Laderic grimaced, patting his side gingerly. Odie ran beside him, bouncing and spinning around his legs.

  “Okay! Let’s get a move on, then,” Laderic said, taking off with Odie trailing close behind. They turned back toward the road, pushing their way out of the woods and back onto the path.

  It felt good to be moving once again, even though they were exhausted. Through it all, they kept each other motivated, laughing and joking, and generally feeling positive about the days to come. Their second wind was fleeting, though, and it wasn’t long before they needed to stop and rest once again.

  “We should stop up ahead,” Mavark said, pointing down the path. “There’s a clearing not far from here and a sheltered place to make camp.”

  As he said, just a few minutes later, they came upon an opening in the woods, abruptly ending in a rocky cliff-face. They began to clear an area against the wall, making things comfortable, as they would be staying there until the next morning. A small overhang jutted from the side of the rock, and they arranged their things beneath it, in case it was to rain.

  “We should reach Strita by tomorrow night, if we make good time during the day,” Mavark assured, watching as they set up their things. He himself had a tent and bedroll fastened to Prysmi’s saddle, which he unhooked and set up within minutes.

  Midiga laid her blanket down as usual, and Alleria got out her own sleeping bag. Laderic spread his out in a soft patch of grass,
setting his bag down on top of it. Odie tried to lie down on Laderic’s things, but he was promptly shooed away. Dejected, he went over beside the rock wall to lie down where the grass was a bit shorter so he could still see everyone. Emery was content to sleep in the branches of the canopy around them.

  “We should collect materials for a fire,” Laderic said, peering through the trees. “After that, we can get some rest.”

  “I think we have enough food to make it through the next couple of days, but we will be completely out by the time we reach Strita,” remarked Midiga, digging through her things and retrieving several strips of salted meat. She passed them around to the others, even offering some to Mavark and Prysmi, who respectfully declined.

  “Dragons don’t need to eat often, another trait I have gained through my bond,” Mavark explained. He thumped his tail on the ground, and Midiga flinched and not without him noticing. He held his arms out, palms up and open. “Believe me… I know the stigma that comes with being a drake alamorph better than most. I don’t expect you to trust me right away, but I do hope you give me a chance.” His dark eyes searched hers, reading her body language like an open book.

  Midiga was slightly embarrassed, as she was hoping her demeanor toward Mavark had gone unnoticed. She nodded stiffly, turning her back to him and sitting cross-legged on her blanket. She inhaled a shaky breath, trying to calm herself into a state of meditation. It was hard, though, with a dragon so near.

  Prysmi was lying on the ground, her position surprisingly cat-like. She folded her claws in front of her, basking in the sun. Her scales glistened as she moved, each breath scattering light in new directions. Alleria was fascinated, admiring the dragon, obvious and unashamed. “Your scales… I’ve never seen anything like them,” she said as she set Reia down on the ground and reached her arm out toward Prysmi’s side. “Can I—”

  “Of course,” hummed the dragon, lifting her wing slightly to give Alleria a better view. The elf gently rested her palm on the scales, which were surprisingly cold. They felt like metal; smooth and perfectly molded to her skin. They were also thin, reminding Alleria of feathers. Her wings also spoke to this. They looked just like giant bird wings, though with scales instead of feathers.