Crown of Embers

by Meg Anne

  “The Kiri and her people have not harmed, nor do they have any reason to harm, any of the Forest tribes,” Miranda said, holding up her hands as she took a tentative step toward Helena.

  “And yet they call us the Forsaken. Those forgotten by the rest of Elysia, left to fend for themselves.” The people encircling them shifted warily, their weapons visibly leveled on each of the Chosen.

  “I would not be here if I thought that way,” Helena countered.

  “It is true!” Nial spoke up, startling both Helena and Von. “The Kiri has already lifted the ban on my people. She seeks to unite Elysia, not continue to divide it.”

  “We have come to seek your help,” Timmins added.

  “What could the Mother’s spoiled children want from us?” For all that the words were an insult, they were truly curious.

  “It is as he said. We are here to ask for your help. I believe we share a common enemy.”

  Helena spoke calmly. These people were looking for any reason to attack; they had probably intended to attack first but had been surprised by Joquil’s revelation. Helena had no doubt he was the only reason the Night Stalkers had stayed their hands.

  “We have nothing in common,” the man standing before Von said, twisting and spitting at his feet.

  Von grinned, malice and danger rolling off him in waves. “Do that again.”

  Ronan and Serena stepped forward, their expressions each holding the promise of violence.

  The man glowered, his black paint smeared down the better part of his face and giving the impression he was still cloaked in darkness.

  “Ryder, enough,” their leader said. The man bit off a curse but stepped back.

  “Not the time,” Helena told Von. She felt his desire to return the man’s insult, but he remained quiet.

  “Reyna, this woman arrives unannounced and with an army at her back, mere days after the attack on Duskfall, and yet you let her live?” The question came from behind them.

  “I think I know who may have attacked your people. If you were to take us to the site, I would be able to confirm it.” Helena’s words caused the others to go still.

  “It is a tainted, unholy place. We will not go back there,” Reyna said in a cold, hard voice.

  “I can help with that, as well,” Helena offered.

  There were murmurs as her words were repeated through the crowd.

  Reyna tilted her head, staring at Helena as she considered the offer. “You can help the spirits find peace?”

  “I can try.”

  Silence greeted her response. After another long, measured look, Reyna said, “Very well, let us see what you can do. Ryder, stay here and stand guard with your men. The rest of you, with me.”

  Ryder looked like he wanted to protest, but only grunted his assent before calling swirling shadows around his body and disappearing back into the trees. A handful of men followed suit, each one seamlessly blending into the shadows of the forest.

  Helena found herself wondering how the Night Stalkers were able to do that, and if she would also be able to cloak herself that way.

  “Jealous?” Von asked, catching the trail of her thoughts.

  Helena smiled. “Maybe just a little.”

  Von’s expression didn’t change, but she could feel his amusement. “All that power and yet you still want more.”

  “What? It’s a useful trick.”

  “Coming?” Reyna asked, already a good distance away.

  Helena nodded and quickly caught up while Von’s silent laughter and the others followed close behind her.

  Something was definitely wrong here. Given the animals’ whines, they were clearly in agreement with her assessment. They’d been walking for a few hours and with each step the sounds of the forest grew quieter. The air felt thick and oppressive, and Helena’s senses were screaming for her to run back in the other direction. She’d even looked up, multiple times, to check and see if the sun had disappeared, but it was still there.

  “Do you feel that?” she asked.

  “Aye.”

  The strained tone of Von’s voice had Helena pausing to look at him. There was something wild about the look in his eyes, his nostrils flaring as if he could smell something in the air. Helena sniffed delicately, trying to see if she could sense anything, but all she detected was the rich scent of pine. That wasn’t to say there wasn’t anything there. Von had told her once that the reason he’d been able to defeat so many enemies was that he could sense and counter their magic before they even realized he was upon them. He’d never been a fan of what he could not see or touch, but it’d never stopped him from using it to his advantage.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Von shook his head. “I’m not sure, but it feels familiar. I would bet my life that we’ve felt this magic before.”

  “If it’s Rowena that should not be a surprise.”

  He hesitated, considering. “It does not feel like Rowena. Her corruption grates at my senses, and even though I can feel the wrongness in the land, this is different. It feels more sinister. As if death itself is here.”

  Helena shuddered.

  Reyna halted a few steps ahead of them, her face grim. “This is what remains of the Duskfall village.”

  Helena glanced around, still seeing only trees. Joquil brushed shaking fingers against her arm, before mutely pointing up. Helena tilted her head back, gasping at the village hidden in the treetops. There was an entire city spanned in the trees above them. At least, there had been.

  Huge circular houses were interconnected by spiraling stairways and roped bridges. The wooden structures looked almost untouched in places, and completely demolished in others. It almost made it worse, to see the beauty of what once was beside the horror of what was left.

  Parts of the houses were still smoking, as if the fire had only just gone out. Huge holes allowed her to peer into the skeletons of the houses. It was heartbreaking to see the evidence of life; like the soft pink of a child’s blanket abandoned beside a half-torn doll. There had been happiness here, but now all she could feel was the joy someone had taken in destroying it. For that was what Helena felt as she looked at the charred remains: joy in destruction and pleasure in others’ pain. Rowena had definitely been here.

  “Where are the bodies?” she asked in a hollow voice. Because of course there would be bodies, there was always a row of corpses to greet them when they’d come across a village Rowena’s Shadows had destroyed.

  “There are none.”

  Heads spun toward Reyna in surprise.

  “What do you mean?” Von asked.

  “No bodies and no survivors. The Duskfall tribe is gone.”

  “But you mentioned spirits,” Timmins said, horror at her words bleaching the color from his skin.

  Reyna closed her eyes, as if pained. “Can you not feel the death here? Just because there were no bodies, does not mean there was no death or suffering. The agony of it still haunts this place.”

  Helena’s blood went cold. If what Reyna said was true, then Rowena had come in and turned an entire village into more of her creatures. Those that had died had probably been the village’s defenders, the strongest of the men and women. Once the rest of the tribe, likely elders and children, had come face-to-face with the abominations and seen what they were capable of, it would not have taken long for Rowena to convince them that joining her would be a better option. The Duskfall tribe could not have known what they agreed to, or they would have chosen death.

  She swallowed back her revulsion, her own eyes falling closed as the ghost of screams met her ears. This place was indeed haunted. But it was not just the people that had suffered. The trees they’d lived in and drawn power from still held an imprint of the attack. It was a wound that could not heal, not while the forest still held onto all of the pain and fear.

  It was too much, she couldn’t stand it one second longer. Without a word, Helena let her magic free. She felt it flow out of her and over the land. Pushing it out un
til it wrapped around each tree branch and all that was left of the village. Then, like a sponge, she began to absorb the corruption into the web created by her magic. Even with her eyes closed, she could see the oily black remains of the power used here, the power that still infected the land. Helena trembled as her power came into contact with the worst of the tainted essence, but she did not stop.

  Where the corruption did not want to let go, she demanded. When it tried to get around her tendrils of magic, she snared it and pulled it out anyway. She coaxed. She tricked. She was relentless.

  By the time she was done drawing the last of it out, Helena was shaky and sweating. She was also left with a problem. Helena could not simply release her hold on this kind of toxic power; it still had the potential to destroy. She would have to nullify it completely, but the only way to do that was to purify it with her own. That would require her to lower her innermost shields and let the heart of her power come into contact with the writhing mass of corruption.

  “Helena, no,” Von demanded, completely in tune with her thoughts.

  “It’s the only way,” she replied, her voice spectral and echoing throughout the forest.

  “It’s too dangerous,” he insisted aloud, for the benefit of the others.

  Ignoring him, Helena lowered her inner barriers, pushing her essence out. The corrupted echo of power she still held onto shrieked and tried to pull away from the light that was radiating out of her body. Helena held firm. Her power slammed into the mass. Everywhere it made contact, the corruption shrank and recoiled, until all that was left was a speck of darkness that finally winked out.

  When Helena opened her eyes, they still glowed with her power. The village was still destroyed, a testament to the people that had lived there, but the land had been healed. It was at peace. But she was not finished yet. There was still one last thing she must do. Helena opened her hands, revealing a small pile of glittering dust in her palms.

  There were gasps as the others realized what she held. Not only had she pulled out the corruption, she’d also gathered the souls of those that had died. Helena blew softly, the soul dust blowing up and away from her like a sparkling cloud. It flew high, up and over the trees until it made contact with the sky. The sky flared brightly where it came into contact with the motes, and instead of the light fading completely, a star twinkled in its wake.

  “May the spirits of the fallen watch over and guide your people,” Helena said in the harmonious voice of her power.

  Reyna and the Night Stalkers were on their knees, mouths gaping in awe. Reyna’s eyes were wet with tears, smearing the black whirls on her skin. “Th-thank you, Kiri. Whatever you need, the people of the Forest are yours.”

  The Chosen had remained standing, and yet their expressions were no less awestruck. Feeling raw and over-exposed, Helena walked away from the others, needing time to find her way back to herself.

  Von followed. She could feel him at her back, quietly trailing her as she headed deeper into the forest. When she could carry herself no further, her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. She gagged, her body heaving as it purged the remnants of the contaminated magic. For all that she’d destroyed it, some of its taint had still been absorbed into her body and now her magic was forcing it out.

  Helena sat back on her heels, a shaking hand wiping at her mouth. Von rubbed her back and brushed a warm hand over her clammy skin.

  “Are you alright?” he asked gruffly.

  Helena shrugged. There were no words to explain what it had felt like to come into contact with that much corruption. No words to tell him how much it had hurt, both physically and emotionally, or about the bruises that it had left on her heart. Nor could she express what it had been like to hold the fragments of those tortured souls in the palm of her hand. It was beautiful. It was horrifying. It was more than any one person should bear.

  She looked up at him with pleading aqua eyes. Nameless emotions swam in his own as he looked at her, assessing the damage and all that she could not say. In silence he wrapped his arms around her, holding her trembling body tight against his own. Von used his strength to provide the comfort his words could not. He held her until she felt strong enough to stand. And then, together, they returned to the others.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Helena did not recall much about the walk back to Reyna’s village. Like Duskfall, it too was practically a city hidden in the trees. For their quadruped companions, who didn’t think much about such things, there were a series of nearby dens where they could make themselves comfortable. Starshine, as usual, took to the sky to find her own sleeping arrangements.

  In order to get access to the treetop village of Penumbra, Reyna pressed on a nondescript knot of wood causing golden light to spill forth as a hidden door fell open. Just beyond the door a staircase spiraled up and into the massive trunk of the tree. From what Helena had gathered, it was not the sole means of entrance to the city, but all others were known only to those that called it home.

  Once they’d returned to the village, the runners were able to use the Kaelpas stones to bring the remainder of their people from the Ebon Isle to the Forest of Whispers. To say they were worried would have been an understatement. Unfortunately, there hadn’t been an opportunity to send anyone back before then, especially in the midst of a potential ambush.

  Before she’d wandered off, Reyna had mentioned that dinner would be served in something they affectionately referred to as the crow’s nest. It was a communal structure located in the middle of Penumbra where all the villagers took their meals. As it was the only building that was enclosed by windows on all sides, providing a fully panoramic view of the forest, Reyna said they’d have no trouble finding their way when the bell rang.

  There was not much in the way of additional space, at least not for housing forty unexpected people, so Helena found herself sharing rather cramped quarters with Von, Ronan, Darrin, Nial, Serena, and Effie. How the seven of them managed to end up together, Helena could only guess. Perhaps it was the similarity in their ages, or the tangle of shared relationships and history among them. More likely, it was the Mother having a bit of a joke at their expense. While there was no outward hostility amongst any of them, there was an undeniable underlying tension.

  Ronan had it the worst. He’d handled Serena and Nial’s budding relationship with more grace than she ever would have expected from one who’d shared that kind of intimacy with her. There was no doubt that he certainly handled it better than she would have. The image of Von from her trial, thrusting into another woman while grinning wickedly up at her, was still one she could not manage to unsee, at least not completely. The thought alone was enough to set her blood boiling with jealous anger. How Ronan could manage to stay pleasant around his ex-lover and her new one eluded Helena. But while he was tolerant, it didn’t mean he cared to be slapped in the face with their relationship more than was absolutely necessary. Some heartaches were not easily mended, and there was only so much his pride could stand. He’d taken one look at Serena and Nial setting up their joint bedroll and dropped his pack on the floor with a muttered, “I’ll be back later.”

  Shortly thereafter, Effie and Serena had wandered off looking for a place to clean up. Still unsettled from the day’s events, Von had wanted to explore their surroundings and establish a watch rotation. Nial had gone with him, still enjoying the freedom his newly healed legs granted, which left Darrin and Helena alone for the first time in weeks.

  Helena was slowly unpacking what she needed for the evening when Darrin sat down beside her.

  “I’m sorry,” he groaned, scrubbing his hands over his face. At the raise of her eyebrow, he elaborated, “For earlier. With my comments. You know how I get…”

  Helena sighed. That she did. Darrin’s mouth ran without the consent of his brain more often than not. It always had. All things considered, his muttered comment was a non-event, but it could have been the difference between an alliance and an attack. For that reason, she cou
ld not simply let it go.

  Her voice was weary when she spoke, “There is so much at stake, Darrin. We cannot risk offending potential allies because of hearsay. Where did you even hear such rumors about the Night Stalkers anyway?”

  Darrin shrugged uncomfortably, his eyes not meeting hers as he answered, “You know how gossip is. A soldier knows a guy, who knows a guy, who met a Night Stalker once…”

  Helena’s stare was weighted, but she did not chastise him further. She was not his mother, for all that he still acted like a child.

  “Can you at least try to keep your comments to yourself? If only when we are around any that aren’t part of the Circle? I value your opinions—” Darrin opened his mouth as if he would disagree, but Helena spoke over him, “even when you see fit to constantly contradict and undermine me. I know that your concern for me stems from love.”

  His green eyes were warm as he smiled wryly. “It does.”

  “As does mine,” Helena said, squeezing his arm before returning to unpacking.

  Darrin took a deep breath. “I know, Hellion. That has never changed.”

  They shared a smile, their years of friendship apparent in the knowing gazes. It was because of that friendship she broached the other subject between them. “So, when are you going to tell a certain blonde about your feelings for her?”

  Darrin went crimson. He protested immediately, sputtering, “There is no blonde. That is, I have no feelings one way or the other about any woman. I took a vow!”

  Helena rolled her eyes. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to, Shield. I can feel the lie through the Jaka.” She scratched at her side where her tattoo faintly buzzed to prove the point. “Not to mention one need only look at you to see it on your face. You are falling for her.”

  It was not a question.

  Darrin’s shoulders slumped. “I have tried to fight it. I know that nothing will come of it.” He looked so hopeless that her heart ached.