Burning to Ashes

by Evi Asher

  They had been traveling for two hours when they turned onto a road and Archer frowned and pulled over, putting the SUV in neutral and getting out of the car to meet Tate as they pulled in behind the SUV.

  “This isn’t supposed to be a dirt road. You’ve taken a wrong turn somewhere,” Tate said as he slid out of the Impala and strode up to Archer.

  “I know how to read a map. This is our turn off, and I didn’t take a wrong turn.” Archer flattened the map on the back of the car as Scarlet twisted around to see what the males were doing.

  “I’m telling you, you must have taken a wrong turn. This is supposed to be solid tarred road.” Tate pointed out their approximate position on the map, then gestured to the road in front of the cars. It was dirt road, and beat up, with potholes and ditches, and big boulders in the middle of it.

  “This road leads nowhere, so we turn around, and this time I’ll take the lead.” Tate insisted.

  Archer opened his mouth to protest.

  “Damn it, Arch, just let Tate lead the way. He won’t stop nagging until you do, and I don’t feel like dealing with old-woman-wet-pants the whole trip.” Heath then leaned out of the passenger side window of the Impala.

  Tate raised his middle finger at Heath.

  Archer snapped his mouth closed and swallowed his argument. He turned and walked to the driver’s side of the SUV, then looked over his shoulder as he got into the car. “You better not get us lost, Tate.”

  * * * *

  Tate had been leading the way for a half an hour when he made the turn off, but within a foot of turning, he pulled the Impala over to the side of the road and got out. He leaned on the trunk with his arms crossed over his chest, and waited for Archer to get out of the SUV.

  Archer slammed the driver side door shut behind him. “I told you not to take a wrong turn.”

  Scarlet got out of the passenger side of the car, and moved around to the front. She had made an observation and she wanted to tell them before the males could really start yelling.

  “Forgive me if I’m wrong here, but this kind of thing has been happening to me way too much for me to call it coincidence.”

  “What is it, Scarlet,? We don’t have time for speculation now.”

  Tate scowled at her, causing Archer to growl low. “Watch your tone.”

  She ignored them both and sighed. “Did it occur to anyone that someone wants us on this road? I’m pretty sure it’s exactly the same as the last time we made a turn off.” Scarlet pointed at a lightning damaged oak tree on the left hand side of the road, then at a large boulder sitting a fraction from the middle of the dirt road.

  Sophia rolled down the window on the SUV. “Scarlet is right. It’s the same road.”

  Archer let off a string of curses. “What now!”

  Heath had gotten out of the car and walked over. “We could turn around and try to keep going the way we’d planned to.”

  “That’s so pointless, it’s laughable.” Sophia then opened the car door. “Whatever is making this road appear will continue to make the road appear until we take it. This is heavy magic.”

  “And how could you possibly know it’s heavy magic,” Heath asked with a raised eyebrow. “Magic isn’t your thing, remember?”

  Erik joined the impromptu roadside conference. “She might be guessing, but I know for sure, this is magic and it’s the strongest I’ve felt in a long time.”

  “So what do we do?” Zane asked.

  All eyes turned to Archer.

  He was quiet a moment, staring into the distance where the road led.

  “We gear up and follow the road. Be ready for anything, and don’t let your guard down.”

  He focused on Tate. “You take point in the Impala. I want a buffer between whatever is ahead, and Scarlet.”

  “You don’t have to protect me all of the time. This could have nothing to do with me,” Scarlet protested.

  Archer opened the car door, and got back in. “I know this has to do with you. I’m so sure, I’m about to bet our lives on it.”

  Scarlet said nothing. There was no point in arguing with him when he got that stubborn look in his eyes, so she shut up and got back in the car.

  The air in the SUV was thick with tension as they drove further up the road. Soon the Impala was struggling to get through the overgrown and pot-holed parts of the road. The SUV fared better because of its four-wheel drive, but if the road became much worse, they would have to abandon the Impala and all squeeze into the SUV.

  As sudden as the dirt road began, it turned into a cobblestoned driveway that wound around a hill. As they rounded the bend, there was a collective gasp.

  “What the?” Zane breathed.

  “Now that was unexpected.” Erik shifted, knocking his elbow into Sophia.

  “Watch it, you big lug,” she complained, but no one took their eyes off the magnificent mansion they were driving up to.

  It looked more like a hotel, and it reminded Scarlet of the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King’s The Shining. That gave her a couple of apprehensive goose bumps.

  The grounds in front were spectacular—a circular section of landscaped lawn resplendent with topiaries, but not in the shapes of animals as might be expected. These topiaries were shaped like mythical creatures. There was a dragon, a mermaid, even a troll.

  The Impala parked at the top of the rounded driveway at the foot of the stairs led up to the double doors of the mansion.

  Tate and Heath waited at the foot of the stairs for the rest to join them.

  Archer parked the SUV next to the Impala so they’d have a quick getaway if necessary.

  Scarlet felt her nerves tingle. Yet another unknown. If she wasn’t as used to change as she was, she was sure she’d be losing her mind by now.

  Roll with the punches, duck the disasters.

  She opened her car door, but didn’t get a chance to step out before Archer was there and using his body as a shield for hers.

  “Next time, wait until I’m here before you even open the door,” he told her in a low voice that wasn’t meant to carry any further than her ears.

  She chose not to tell him to go jump. The poor male was only looking out for her.

  The front door of the house swung open wide, and Scarlet found herself shoved down and into the side of the SUV.

  Archer stood over her, a nine mil grasped in his hand pointing it at the opened doors.

  The others had done the same, and they formed a phalanx around Scarlet.

  “Put your weapons away,” a woman’s voice called from the door.

  Scarlet rose a little to peek around Archer. He couldn’t protect her from her innate curiosity.

  The woman stood in the doorway. She had long blonde hair braided in an intricate pattern around her head. A flowing diaphanous gown in the palest shade of pink clothed her body, but it didn’t leave much hidden. Scarlet found herself fighting the urge to tell Archer to turn around and keep his eyes on her, and not the hussy showing off her assets in the doorway.

  “Who are you, and what do you want with us,” Archer called out.

  “Me? I’m no one. A servant, and it is not I who wants something from you, but you who wants something from my mistress.”

  The word mistress had Scarlet glancing over at Zane. The vampire’s stance had become tense as if he was expecting to fight.

  “You talk in riddles,” Erik yelled, “We don’t want anything from you. You made sure we came here.”

  “Riddles are our way, but please…” She turned to the side and waved her hand showing them to enter the house. “My mistress is expecting you.”

  Scarlet watched Tate ask Archer what to do with a look. Archer’s nod was terse, the whole group still tense.

  Tate took the first step, followed by Sophia, then Zane. Erik was next, then Scarlet was pushed forward, Archer close enough behind her to step on her heals. Heath took up the rear.

  Scarlet paid close attention as they entered the house. The foyer floor was mar
ble with pink veins. The walls had a shade so pale it was almost white, but Scarlet could still discern a touch of pink.

  It seemed that pink was the color of choice for the décor. The servant led them deeper into the house, down a long passageway. They passed doors along the way, all closed and all painted in the pale shade of pink, so the walls and the doors appeared seamless.

  There were double doors at the end of the hall, a little less imposing than the front doors. The servant reached them and threw them open.

  Scarlet followed the others into the room, then stopped. She found her breath stolen away by what she saw.

  Chapter Eight

  What the hell are we walking into now?

  Archer’s body was in fight mode, loose, and ready to drop and start dealing damage at the hint of trouble.

  The group stopped just inside the doorway of a large open plan room. It had Corinthian columns spaced at equal distances along the rectangular length of the space.

  Floor to ceiling windows covered the south wall, open and letting in the breeze. Cobweb-thin pink curtains danced in the moving air.

  The far end of the room was covered with scattered pillows—not the bean bag variety so prevalent in every male college dorm room, but seriously girly ones that looked more like confectionary than bedding. All in—could have guessed it—shades of pink. Archer would need an insulin injection when they got out of there. The pink deluge was making him feel sugared up.

  His examination of the room was done in a nanosecond, then his eyes focused on the occupants. There were seven people in the room. Archer took a deep breath and scented the air.

  No, not one of them was human. What they were, exactly, he couldn’t say. Two men and two women draped themselves across the pillows. The women wore the same diaphanous pink gowns as the woman who had led them through the mansion. The men were in nothing but loose flowing pants which, thank the gods, were white, not pink. Their muscular bare chest had Archer growling low in his throat and pushing Scarlet behind him.

  She was proving stubborn, though, and simply stepped around him again. Archer clenched his teeth and put his hands on her shoulders.

  The last two men stood on either side of a large oval shaped bed. Archer didn’t know how else to describe it.

  On the bed was a woman, lying on her stomach, her hands under her chin, an elfin smile on her lips. Bare feet kicked up behind her, and she swung them as a child would.

  “Have you all looked your fill now? We really don’t have all day for this, you know. You have places to be.”

  She squinted her eyes and frowned, “Yes, a very important appointment by morning for you. You are lucky that I like you. I’ve been watching you.” The smile widened a bit. “So I’m not going to kill you for wanting to see me, Scarlet.”

  Scarlet slipped free from Archer’s grip and moved to the front of the group. “How do you know my name?”

  The rest of the group seemed to be in some kind of trance. None of them moved. Archer would have had to check to see if they were even breathing. Great, just when he might need some back up, they’d all gone to lala land.

  He gritted his teeth harder, and pushed past the others to snag Scarlet’s arm, and try to force her behind him. They had no idea what they were dealing with. She couldn’t put herself out in front, in harm’s way.

  He’d have to sit her down and explain the concept of bodyguard until she got it through her stubborn skull.

  The woman on the bed sat up and stood in a motion that was otherworldly with grace. She started walking towards Scarlet, her bodyguards flanking her. Another woman who didn’t know the meaning of the word bodyguard.

  Archer stepped in front of Scarlet again.

  “I know who all of you are.” Her beauty was mesmerizing. Ignoring her, Archer focused on trying to get Scarlet to step behind him.

  “The question I pose to you, Scarlet, is who am I? If you can answer me this, I will give you leave to pose a question. If you get it wrong, you will all die.” The woman said it as if she was discussing a trip to the movies.

  Scarlet’s brow furrowed as she stepped around Archer one last time. She turned to him and he almost choked when she said, “Stay.”

  * * * *

  Scarlet was beyond irritated that Archer kept insisting that he shield her. She was in no danger here…well, not if she got the woman’s name right. Her wolf had better learn to listen to his gut.

  What, wait? My wolf?

  Scarlet shook it off. Right now, she had more important things to sort out.

  “I’ve never seen you before, so how could I possibly know who you are?”

  “Tut tut, Scarlet. I know you aren’t this lacking in intelligence. You were given a hint. Sadly, I can’t help you until you answer the riddle that was posed.”

  Sofia seemed to shake of her trance. “You are the Unnamed Oracle.” Her voice was a breathless whisper, but in the quiet of the room, it rang clear.

  The woman clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, very good, but it’s not enough.” She turned her smile on Scarlet.

  “You have to tell me what my name is. Only then can I help you.”

  “Your name?” Scarlet felt as if she’d been dropped into the middle of the world’s highest paying game show, and she couldn’t call a friend.

  All she got from the oracle was a serene smile.

  Scarlet felt a hand on her shoulder and looked around right into Heath’s eyes. He was fighting his trance to tell her something.

  Yes of course!

  He’d said that when he spaced out, that what he had said was important, was something she needed to memories. Scarlet pulled the words from her memory.

  I see pink, the darkest shade of pink is a name, the lightest is a color. Without pink, you will find no answers and answers will provide more questions, questions will give no answers. I see turbulence, I see fire, lots of fire, I see ash.

  Scarlet took a breath, trying to focus on the riddle, and not the woman standing in front of her waiting for her answer.

  She was sure that the fire and ash wasn’t what she needed right then. For some reason, the first part of what Heath had said was resonating with her.

  Her eyes roamed the room and it hit her—everything was in pale shades of pink. The lightest is a color the darkest is a name.

  What was the darkest shade of pink called?

  Scarlet felt like she was on the edge of panic. She needed to think, and she was struggling to focus. He mind searched with a frantic intensity for the word.

  For God sake! Suck it up. Breath, you can do this.

  “Cerise!” Scarlet shouted the word as it popped into her mind.

  The smile on the oracle’s face widened. “Well done, Scarlet. I would have been disappointed if you’d gotten it wrong, since we are both named for a color.”

  “You mean I’m right, that your name is Cerise?”

  “Yes.” Cerise held out her hands, and Scarlet reached out and took them.

  Scarlet turned her head to beam at the others, happy that she’d gotten the answer, but she saw that only Archer was grinning back at her while the rest had fallen into their strange waking sleep again.

  Cerise let go of Scarlet’s hands and prompted, “You came to ask me a question, Scarlet, but be careful. I will only answer one question, so chose your question carefully.”

  A million questions raced through Scarlet’s mind, but she didn’t know which to ask. How could she gain control of her powers? How could she stop from burning in her own flame. How could she have the Kalick removed from her?

  Archer spoke before Scarlet could formulate a question.

  “How do we get the Kalick removed from Scarlet?”

  The Oracle looked at Archer with a small indulgent smile. “Naughty, naughty, Archer. It wasn’t your question to ask. But since you’ve asked, I have to answer.”

  She paused as if making them wait in suspense was fun for her. “The only way for Scarlet to remove the Kalick hanging over her head is
for her to suffer death.”

  The words fell like broken glass, shattering all of Scarlet’s hopes. She was going to die, whether in her own flames, or by the hand of Geo and his terrifying sidekick.

  Scarlet’s stomach clenched in a knot.

  “I will grant you a boon, a question you have not asked, Archer. I will say this…the creature that lives inside you is in the right, and you are correct not to fight him on this. What he says is true.”

  Scarlet watched Archer frown for a moment, then pale, his whole body tense, his jaw muscles bulging as if he were fighting himself. “Forgive me,” he started, and Scarlet knew he was pushing it with the Oracle. “I must know if there is any way…” He looked over at Scarlet, then back to the Oracle. “To keep what fate has given me to treasure?”

  The laughter that came from Cerise’s lips was like the tinkle of wind chimes. “I will not, no, I cannot answer that question, and you know it. I have found you, even though you were looking for me. I have answered, and given a boon of more than one answer, so to give you more would be against my rules.” She took Scarlet’s hands into her own for a moment and dropped her formal tone. “I’m rooting for you, kiddo.”

  With those cryptic words, Ceries’s image wavered, and vanished.

  A knot formed in Scarlet’s stomach, and it felt like the world was falling away under her feet. She sensed Archer’s hand on her arm, steadying her.

  The world became a maelstrom blur and vanished. When Scarlet could see again, the group was standing in a patch of knee high wild grass, the cars a little distance off on the battered dirt road.

  Tate shook it off first. “What the hell? That was like drug trip.”

  Erik moved past Tate looking around in the dark. “Hard drugs don’t work on us, moron, so how would you know?”

  “Freaky.” Heath shook his head. “I could see and hear everything, but I had to fight to move in a little.”