Fated Loss (Red Rose & Black Ash Book 1)

by Claudia Caren

  “Can you read that one?” I interrupted.

  “The Killing Curse,” Ariel said reading the book, “is exactly as it sounds. The only way to survive is to have a very strong reason to live. The reason must be truthful, powerful, selfless, and pure. It has to be a reason that you can't possibly die and leave them/it behind, but the intention can't be for a selfish cause. Therefore, a motive that fits this stringent and strict criteria is very hard to come by making the chance of surviving virtually impossible.”

  Cold washed over me. My mind flashed back to the battle on my fourteenth birthday. It only took Ash a second to end twenty lives.

  “Does the book say anything about how someone can actually get Dark Magic in the first place?” I asked. “To save Astella from Ash, we need to understand how she got Dark Magic to defeat it.”

  Ariel skimmed through the book. “No, just a list of spells.”

  “The author is Jameson Bennett,” Logan said. “Maybe we can find out where he lives and ask him for more information…if he is still alive.”

  “There's no address, but I think I can find him in the ABCR.” Ariel flew to a shelf and started to search through the titles.

  “And what is that long abbreviation for?” Skylar asked.

  “The Astella Book of Citizen Records. It lists every faery who is still alive and living in Astella,” Ariel said.

  I walked to the first monstrous shelf and stared up at the twenty-five feet high bookcase. There were no ladders, so I decided to search the bottom shelving since my flying was shaky, and I didn't want to bump into the freestanding bookcases and cause an accident. But the only things I found were rats and some old books that were covered in cobwebs.

  After ten minutes (Which wasn't a very long time. But ever since I learned about the six-day deadline, every second was precious.) I started to fret. The library wasn't very big, but the shelves were so high and stocked with so many unorganized books that it could take us a while to find the one we needed, and there was no librarian to ask for help.

  After hunting through all the shelves I could reach, I was about to conclude that Ether's library didn't have the record book when Ariel called I found it.

  She pulled out a large but oddly thin brown book from the highest shelf. (I really admire Ariel's special talent for finding information.) The cover was made of tattered plain brown leather and only had the title printed on it in golden ink. When I opened the book, a cloud of dust flew in our faces.

  I coughed and blew the thick layer of dust out of the way. I turned the pages very carefully since they were brittle, fragile, and yellow with age. All the words looked handwritten in an old-fashioned scrawl.

  As I looked through the index, one of the names disappeared in a golden flash of light, signaling that another faery was lost forever. A few minutes later, it happened again. There seemed to be a growing stone in my chest. If this keeps up, there won't be any faeries left at the end of six days.

  “Concentrate,” I whispered to myself, but I couldn't.

  While I looked for Jameson Bennett, I subconsciously scanned the pages for names of my old friends, hoping they were still ok. I saw Logan, Ariel, and Skylar were doing the same.

  We went through the whole B section twice but still found nobody with the exact name of Jameson Bennett.

  “He must be dead,” I said flatly.

  It was highly possible. At the rate the faeries were dying, anybody could go in any second. But then I realized what it meant if Jameson Bennett was dead. We couldn't learn more about Dark Magic than the little information we already know. And we only know that Ash can do a lot of scary things, and we have no idea how to stop it.

  “No, there has to be another way to find out for sure,” I said, not ready to give up so easily.

  “He dedicated this book to his daughter, Vendela Bennett. If we can find her, she might know if her father is still alive,” Ariel replied.

  Skylar scanned the B section again. “Found it! Vendela Bennett is on page fifty.”

  We turned to the right page.

  Vendela Bennett

  Birth: 1944

  Age: Seventy years old

  Current Status: Alive

  Residence: 643 Amaryllis Lane, Kingdom Outskirts

  “I've been to Amaryllis Lane once before while visiting a friend. Though it might take a while to fly there and back,” Ariel said.

  “It's our only shot to learn if Jameson still lives,” I replied. “Just tell me where it is and—”

  Ariel grabbed my wrist as I got up from the table. She was probably surprised at her own actions because her hand shook.

  She quickly let go and shoved her hands into her coat pocket. “Ash is trying to track you down. It's too dangerous to go off alone. I'm coming…if you don't mind.”

  I relented, “Ok fine.”

  I was half grateful that Ariel was coming because if I ran into trouble I would like some help but also half worried that I was putting her at risk along with myself. However, I could see that Ariel wasn't going to let me go off alone.

  “Logan, can you babysit Skylar and find out anything that can help us on the journey?” I asked.

  Logan nodded. “Sure—”

  “Hey! I don't need a babysitter,” Skylar protested.

  “Skylar, you are only ten, remember?” I said.

  She crossed her arms. “A very mature ten.”

  I gave her a smile. Little sisters are always thinking they're all grown up.

  “Be good, Skylar. We will meet you guys at eleven.”

  If all goes well, I thought. I didn't say it out loud, but if I learned one thing about my life, it's that my plans never seem to go as planned.

  ROSE

  Chapter 17

  Amaryllis Lane was a road with piles of wood and stone on either side. Most of the houses were reduced to huge piles of debris. The ones that were still standing were caved in and falling apart. As the wind rushed through the almost hollow structures, it made an eerie whistling sound. Combined with being deserted, it gave the place a creepy feel.

  I wondered if that record book was correct. Who could possibly live in one of these homes?

  Looking for house 643 was harder than I thought. The painted curbs that were supposed to have the numbers were covered in snow, the mailboxes were ancient history, and we couldn't read the numerals on the front of the house because most houses had no front! Soon Ariel and I gave up looking for the exact house numbered 643. Instead, we looked for a building that was in somewhat livable condition.

  Finally, we found a teeny house. It wasn't in such bad shape as the others, but it was still pretty desolate. It had a caved-in roof that looked as if it was going to collapse any second, and the whole house was slanted sideways and looked dangerously unstable.

  We waded through the driveway and made our way to the front door. Half of the concrete doorstep was gone, the doorbell was broken, and a window to our left was shattered. I began to have second thoughts. This isn't safe at all. What am I getting us into? But then again after March twenty-fifth when did I do anything safe?

  I knocked on the door. Almost immediately an elderly faery answered. She looked like a typical grandma with medium-length gray hair except that she had clear wings and unusual eyes. At first I thought they were blue. But after she blinked, they changed to green.

  “Um, hi,” I said. “Are you Vendela Bennett?”

  “Yes, come in. I have been expect—” She stopped herself. “I mean please come in.”

  She rather roughly pulled us inside the house and locked the door. Too late to doubt if this information was worth the risk.

  The inside of her home was as inviting as the outside. It was so dark that I bumped into an overturned table. I took a step to the side and heard a crunch underneath my boot that I knew was broken glass. The only place that was clean was a couch and an armchair in front of a small fireplace with an eerie, ghostly blue fire.

  “P
lease sit,” Vendela said like an order instead of an invitation.

  She stared at me with those eyes that changed color at least every minute. I heard hazel eyes could change colors but not like this.

  When Ariel and I hesitated to sit down, Vendela repeated her invitation again—a little more harshly. I figured if we wanted to get information from her, we better be polite guests. I sat down on the edge of the couch, and so did Ariel.

  Though when I meant polite, I did not mean letting our guard down. From the moment I saw her, I could tell this lady was weird and not just because of her eyes. The way she looked at me, almost said something about expecting us, and her house being littered with evidence of a fight was not reassuring either. The faster we could get out of here the better.

  “Would you tell us some information about your father?” I said, forcing nonchalance.

  Vendela's green eyes bore into mine. “What do you need to know?” she asked slowly.

  “He wrote a book about Dark Magic, and we love his work, so we want to pay him a visit.”

  Vendela's eyes changed to blue. This time she replied without the slightest irresolution. “My father used to live here until recently.” She glanced around the room. “He was taken by Ash and is now living in a cave somewhere along the Eastern Mountain Range that is surrounding the Fifth Petal.”

  Now it was my turn to be suspicious. Who would give personal information to a stranger? But Vendela was doing just that (if she was being truthful). She also talked in a fast pace that was contradictory to her reply to our first question.

  “Why was he taken?” I asked.

  “He has learned the answer to destroying Dark Magic. Ash didn't want the secret to spill, so she wanted to spill his blood instead. And she would've succeeded if not for me.”

  A crawling sensation appeared in my throat. “What did you do to save him?”

  Vendela stared at me hatefully. Her eyes turned permanently green. Why didn't I recognize it before? Those dark green eyes were the same ones that haunted my nightmares.

  “I gave her insight into my life and promised her a reward, and here it is.” She lunged at us.

  Ariel was quick and flew out of the way. I wasn't so lucky. As I dove sideways off the couch, Vendela grabbed my right ankle. Her hands felt like burning iron, and her grip was like steel. My skin peeled and blackened. Red crimson blood made my ankle slick, but that didn't interfere with Vendela's grasp.

  “Come here, Rose. I know you are the one from the prophecy, and I finally got you trapped.”

  Vendela's voice was no longer like before. Now it sounded like a fireplace after you put down more wood, and only one person had that kind of voice. The changing eyes and what Vendela said, I gave her an insight into my life, made sense.

  I kicked her in the chest, hard, and sent her flying backward into the fireplace grate. I felt bad for hurting an elderly, but an elderly that was trying to kill me was an exception.

  The force of the kick toppled the couch, and I dropped into a backward roll. Ariel and I ran to the door. I touched the handle but instantly yanked back my hand. The door knob was burning hot. Ariel handed me a piece of the tattered window curtain, and I used it to protect my fingers. The cloth blocked some of the heat, but it still got uncomfortably warm. I tried to unlatch the deadbolt lock, but it wouldn't budge.

  “There was a window,” I said, remembering the shattered window I saw outside.

  It should've been beside the door, but when we looked there was no window. There were just solid walls that now seemed much sturdier than before.

  “There is nowhere to run,” Vendela/Ash said. “All the exits are sealed with Dark Magic. Give up, Rose. You don't even believe you can defeat me. You aren't strong enough. Surrender and I will spare all your friends.”

  Ash's voice was suddenly silky smooth, beautiful, and richer, and I began to believe her words. Why fight a pointless battle? We might not even succeed. All the sacrifice will be for nothing—

  “Rose, snap out of it!” Ariel's voice interrupted my thoughts.

  I blinked. Raspy hissing filled my ears once again.

  “She is putting you in a trance. We have to get out of here,” Ariel said.

  “Yeah, but how?” I replied.

  We didn't have any resources to use our powers on, and the only thing I could make out of thin air was fire. But if I set fire to this place in hopes of burning a hole through the walls, the building might collapse on top of us before we could get out.

  “That's right. There is no escape,” Ash's voice echoed all around us.

  Enjoying our anguish, Vendela/Ash slowly approached Ariel and me. The flickering blue fire illuminated her face just enough to see her gleaming dark eyes and her thin lips that were twisted into a cruel smile. I didn't know grandmas could be so scary… Hold on a second! The chimney could be our way out.

  I caught Ariel's eye and tried to convey a silent message. Dark Magic appeared in Vendela's hands, and she threw it at us. We dived in opposite directions and ran toward the fireplace.

  At first I thought putting out the flames was going to be easy, but it wasn't. I concentrated and willed the fire to go out, but nothing happened. I tried again. This time I used all my willpower against the flames made of Dark Magic. I could feel Ash's spell fighting against me, and it was winning.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ariel distracting Vendela by having a dangerous snowball fight. But instead of snowballs, they used broken plates and cups. (Good thing our winter jackets were thick.) However, Ariel was losing.

  I needed to put out these flames quick! But it felt like an invisible fire was burning inside me. The harder I tried to extinguish the fire in the fireplace, the fiercer the invisible blaze flared. Ash was right. She is stronger than me…

  No! I can't believe that. This is a contest of will, not physical strength or how much or what type of power we have. Ash might have Dark Magic, but I have friends that counted on me. And I will get Ariel to safety.

  The fire died out at once with a soft hiss.

  “Come on, Ariel,” I said.

  We knocked over the grate, and she flew up the tube. I went next but not before I caught a glimpse of Vendela/Ash just as she pounded a fist against the wall.

  I joined Ariel, and we quickly flew away from Amaryllis Lane. Finally, we stopped a few blocks from Ether to catch our breath.

  “What happened in there?” Ariel panted. “Why did her voice start changing a-and everything?”

  I was so tired I wanted to pass out, but I explained.

  “Ash knew we would try to find Jameson, and that was probably one of the reasons she took him and created this trap. For her father's life, Vendela let Ash use and control her body, but they still had a power struggle. That is why her eyes were changing colors, and her actions were contradictory.”

  Ariel shook her head and kicked some snow, but then she realized I was watching and stiffened.

  “Why do you hide your emotions?” I asked.

  Instead of answering Ariel looked at her watch. “It is already eleven fifteen. Do you think they will be worried if we are late?”

  I could see that she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't press.

  “Let's find out,” I said.

  ROSE

  Chapter 18

  In fact, they were worried. As soon as we opened the library door, Skylar leaped from her chair and stomped over to me with an expression of half relief and half anger.

  “What kept you?” she demanded. “You said you would meet us at eleven not twenty-five minutes after eleven. If you are late that means you are dead!”

  “Aw, so you do care,” I replied.

  “Of course, I—hey!” She crossed her arms.

  I would've laughed—Skylar is always hiding under that tough exterior, but on the inside, she does have a softer personality—but my weak ankle momentarily gave out.

  Logan pulled up a chair for me. “Are you�
�”

  He noticed my bloodstained pants and got first-aid supplies. I sat down, and Logan rolled up my wet pant leg, drawing a sharp breath at the sight of my injury. His fingers were cool against my skin that felt like it was on fire. After he applied healing cream with a gentle and expert hand, he bound my ankle with gauze, and the pain finally began to ebb.

  “Dr. Hart, where did you learn all this?” I asked.

  He laughed. “I'm no doctor, and I certainly don't have a doctor degree. But my mom was a nurse, so I do know a few basic things.”

  “So,” Skylar said, “what happened?”

  “We barely got away with our lives, but we did get Jameson's location,” I replied.

  I told them about our visit to Amaryllis Lane.

  Logan glanced at my ankle. “I should've gone with you. If you didn't get out…” His voice trailed off.

  He looked disappointed with himself, but there wasn't anything he could have done. If everybody came we all would've gotten trapped. We also needed someone to plan our journey through the Fifth Petal.

  “All that matters is that we are here now,” I said. “And thank you for watching Skylar.”

  “I did not need a supervisor,” Skylar grumbled. “But anyway Ash's castle is at the very end of the Fifth Petal. Right now the Fifth Petal is about the length and size of the United States.”

  My headache came back. “What?”

  “Yup.” Skylar showed me a holographic map. “It is growing at the rate of a hundred miles per day, and it will get faster the longer we wait.”

  “You mean we would be crossing the distance of the East Coast to the West Coast of the USA on wings? And we only have five days including today. Can't we make a portal or something?” I looked to Ariel.

  “No, we can't make portals. The only portal that exists is the Crystal Tree, and since Ash banned all use of vehicles and ways of traveling except wings, factories don't make any more cars.” Ariel replied.

  “Can we do it?”