Ash Eater

by Emerson, Joanna

  “Before I came here, as I was climbing the mountain beside the falls, there was a young elf who tumbled over the falls in a barrel.”

  His eyes grow wide and his breath quickens. His mouth hangs open as if he’s about to speak but cannot find the words.

  “I brought him to a cave for him to rest,” I continue. “His name is Galahad.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? That’s my brother!”

  “I didn’t know. There was so much confusion when I got up here.”

  “Where is he?”

  I describe the cave and its proximity as best as I can remember. “His leg is broken. I cared for him as well as I could, but I wasn’t strong enough to carry him all the way here. And the whole mountaintop was burning, I didn’t know if there would be a safe place for him.”

  “But you left him there?”

  “He urged me to find his family.”

  “I saw him jump into the barrel. I didn’t think there was any chance he’d survive the falls.”

  “I tried to do the best I could for him.”

  “I understand.” But he still sounds like he’s upset at me. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Will I ever see you again?”

  He will respond to the prayer of the destitute;

  he will not despise their plea.

  ~ Psalm 102:17

  Chapter 24

  The Cathedral

  “Help as many people close to here as you can,” Galen says. “They may not want to come in at first, because everyone in the city says the lamb is always angry. And don’t come out of the building too quickly. Always make sure the giants can’t see you leave.”

  “Okay.” I want to hug him, but it’s too awkward with all this armor on. And he leaves before my next breath. All too quickly. I hope I see his radiant smile again, I miss it already. Maybe I hope for what I shouldn’t.

  Back inside the cathedral, a strange smell fills my nostrils. It’s smoke, but not anything like the smoke smell outside the building. It’s a sweet, homelike smell, like a chimney or a barbeque. And it’s from the other end of the building. A person stands huddled over a small fire where a giant cast iron pot is suspended. And it smells like food. I’m going to faint any minute if I don’t eat soon.

  The closer I get to this huddling person, the more I see it looks like an old elf-man. He’s dressed in very simple clothes—brown trousers and a tattered white button-up shirt.

  “Hello,” he says without turning around. “I’m glad someone is finally brave enough to come inside the cathedral. You must be starving.”

  “Yes, I’m really hungry.” More than I even want to let on.

  “Well, you’ll need food if you’re going back out there.” He turns his pleasant, wrinkled face toward me. “And dressed like that, I assume you’re going back out there. It’s about time someone wore that armor again. Sit here by the fire and take some bread. I will serve the stew as soon as it’s warm enough, which should be soon. The power to the freezer shut off, which means the giants are wreaking havoc all too close to here. There you go, that bread. Tear off a chunk, don’t be shy. There’s plenty for everyone.”

  “I was thinking of bringing people in here to rescue them from the fire giants.” I tear off a chunk of the bread.

  “And I hope they follow you. Tell me, was it Galen who told you about the armor?”

  “Yes, it was.” I pull out a piece of the soft bread from the middle. It’s hearty and garlicky with herbs throughout. Maybe rosemary?

  “I’m glad. He’s very brave, you know, one of the most selfless of all the elves here. But he won’t set foot in here. The wind on the Mountain of Rejection whispers lies about the lamb and everyone hears through the filter of their own hurts. They are terrified of this place. Once, a long time ago, Galen wasn’t terrified, but he is now. Ooh, the stew is warm enough.” He serves up a bowl and holds it out for me.

  I take the wooden bowl and plain metal spoon. They remind me of home. “Thank you!” I eat a spoonful. It’s not a cheeseburger, but it’s probably more nourishing. Chunks of meat, green beans, potatoes, thick brown broth. I shovel in several more bites.

  “Not too quickly, brave one!”

  I nod. He’s probably right, but it’s so good. Especially with the bread.

  I look around the huge cathedral. “What if I brought the children in here? They are so scared and some may be very hurt.”

  The old elf sets his ancient hand on the side of my head. “Little one, you are such a blessing.”

  I’ve never been a blessing before. At least not that I ever knew. “It’s Miya. My name.”

  “And I’m Samuel, keeper of this building, maker of stew, welcomer of those who want to get close to the lamb.”

  “Will the lamb come here?”

  He shrugs. “I never know.” He chuckles. “He never shares his schedule with me.”

  A pang of sorrow and doubt hangs heavy in my heart. I saw him die, but I haven’t seen him alive again. Not really. Only brief snippets of visions. Others have, but not me. And when he died it was to save my life. If he’s alive, would he even want to see me again? “Is he…? Would he…?” I’m tongue tied.

  “Did you hear about the Forest of Deception, then?”

  “I was there.”

  His eyes grow wide. “You saw how he sacrificed his life for another?”

  “I was that other.” And all the reasons hit me. “I’m so sorry!” Tears drip off my cheeks and land in my stew.

  “What is there to be sorry about?”

  “If I hadn’t…talked to…” I’m sobbing so hard I can’t speak.

  “Then you talk to him when you see him next. For now—”

  “Is he really alive?”

  “Who do you think told me about what happened in the forest? For now, though, there are children who will perish without your help.” He takes the bowl from my outstretched hands. “Take your shield to the river and dip it in. The leather will soak up the water.” He sets a gentle hand against my arm. “And may your arms be strong enough to bear the weight.”

  Samuel shows me a small door closer to this side of the huge building. “Make sure the giants don’t see you leave or come back to this place.”

  “Galen said the same.” I stand and walk toward the door near where we sit.

  “Their wrath will be great because their time grows shorter and shorter with more brave ones entering this safe place and leaving to rescue others.”

  I peek out the door. “No sign of them.”

  “Make sure.”

  I scan the area. A giant pounces on the house beside this building. With my head out the door I can hear his fierce growl. I pull my head back in and lean against the door frame. My heart may burst out of my chest. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

  “You can do this.” His wrinkled lips kiss between my eyes. “You can do this.”

  Outside the door, there’s no sign of the fire giant, but fires burn in its wake.

  I run around these burning piles toward where Samuel said the river is. I don’t have to run far.

  As soon as I dip the shield into the water, I can’t believe how heavy it is. The water runs off it in streams, but it’s still so heavy. I stand to my feet, staggering. If I didn’t eat that stew, I wouldn’t be able to do this.

  Screams and growls surround me. I don’t even know where to begin. And I’m so scared. I glance back through piles of rubble at the small building that’s a giant cathedral on the inside. I wish I could hide in there until all this passes. But I can’t. Not after what Samuel said to me about the children.

  The cry of a child stands out among the others. This child must not be far away.

  I scramble over wreckage toward a rundown convenience store. He’s hiding under a knocked over display.

  One of the giants turns toward me and roars. I bound toward the elf-boy and hide him with my body even as the giant reaches for him.

  I hold my shield out over the elf-boy’s body and
as much of my own body as it will cover.

  The boy screams. His scream is drowned out by a hiss and the scream of the fire giant. The giant’s wail nearly splits my eardrums and makes my head dizzy.

  It takes a moment or two for me to regain composure.

  “Stay here,” I whisper in the elf-boy’s ear.

  Pulling my sword out, I jump to my feet. The giant holds its hand to its chest and wails, his face angled toward the sky.

  Reaching as high as I can, I push my shield into its knee. It howls and swipes at me with its other hand. I jump back, block it with my shield and slash its other ankle with my sword. The shock of the impact jars my whole arm.

  But the giant teeters, and when it falls, it falls backward into the water. With a horrible hiss, the fires on the giant diminish. Its head is completely put out. And so are its hands where it hit the shield.

  I run back to the elf-boy. He’s sitting up and pointing at the giant. “How did you do that?”

  “Come with me. I’ll tell you along the way.”

  “I can’t walk. I hurt my ankle.”

  I put my sword away. “Grab hold around my neck. I’ll carry you.” My arm still feels jarred, but if he holds onto me, I can do this.

  As we near the cathedral, the elf-boy wriggles in my arm. “I can’t go in there. Mommy said the lamb is always there and always mad at me.”

  “Shh,” I whisper into the elf-boy’s ears. “She was lied to. You don’t have to be afraid. Samuel’s in here with some delicious food for you.”

  “Will he hurt me?”

  “Not at all. He may hug you.”

  The elf-boy buries his face in my neck. “Okay, you can take me inside.”

  As I set the boy down near Samuel, he gazes about at the stained glass. His mouth hangs open and the edges curve into a smile.

  I look up at Samuel. “Any sign of Galen?” I know it’s too soon, but I can’t wait to see him again.

  Samuel shakes his head as he sets a bowl of stew into the elf-boy’s hands. “Will you be going back out?”

  I nod, afraid that words may damage my resolve.

  The next elf-boy I find, a little older than the first, is far more apprehensive about entering the cathedral. And I’m not carrying him, so it’s definitely got to be his decision. It takes me a full two minutes to convince him. By then, both he and I are coughing from all the smoke in the air.

  “Okay.” He timidly steps over the threshold. And the same smile overtakes him as overtook the last elf-boy. “It’s so big. And so awesome.”

  “I thought you would like it. Samuel has food for you. And I have other children to find.”

  I scan the cathedral once more before I leave. Still no sign of Galen.

  I run outside too quickly. A fire giant jumps in front of me. It swipes at me. I block it with my shield. My body thuds against a wall. I groan. My head spins. The giant neither howls in pain nor shrieks, but roars even louder than before.

  I forgot to drench my shield. How could I forget?

  The giant reaches to grab me.

  With a swipe of my sword, I knock its hand out of the way. There’s a light hiss and the giant backs away, nursing its hand.

  While it’s distracted, I run toward the river.

  Roaring, the giant bounds after me. Its heavy stomps shake the ground beneath my feet.

  I run through narrow alleys. The giant stomps the houses to either side, shooting heated rubble everywhere.

  Another giant bounds toward me from one side, and a third from the other side.

  I scream, slashing haphazardly with my sword.

  The river is close, but so, so far way. I’ll make it in twenty steps if I can get one step forward.

  The giant closest to me swipes at me again. I block with my shield. I fly through the air, but land on a patch of dirt closer to the river. The wind is knocked out of me.

  The giant’s foot comes stomping toward my face. I roll out of the way toward the river. One of the other giants pounces at my side, his mouth aimed toward me. It howls as a hiss cuts the air. It must have landed in some water. I push at its ankle with my shield and swipe at it with my sword. It crashes into the river with a horrible hiss and sizzle. Steam rises from the surface of the river.

  I roll closer to the river bed, coughing in the heat and steam and smoke all around me.

  The other two giants stand not too far away, as if they’re afraid to get close to the water, but want to catch me the moment I step away from the riverbank.

  The stone-like corpse of the giant who fell in the river acts like a dam, and water pools around my side. It drenches my shield. It pours over my weary legs, arms, face. I climb to my feet to face the giant guards.

  They run off, howling. One trips and falls into the river. Its body makes another dam. The other continues to cry as it runs down the mountain.

  Running through the pooling water, I see an elf-girl who looks no older than eleven. She hides under a counter at what may have been a restaurant. She trustingly reaches for my hand.

  “I’ll go anywhere,” she confesses at the door to the cathedral, “as long as it’s safer than out here.”

  My body is so tired that by the time I lead her inside, I collapse, sitting beside her. My mind goes blank. The echoes of those giants’ roars still clamor in my ears.

  Still no sign of Galen or Galahad. I want to sleep until they get back. But only a coward does that. Except I’m so tired. I haven’t had a full night’s rest since I left the faeries’ cottage five nights ago.

  I run out again.

  Smoke fills the air, chokes me. My lungs ache. Through the smoke and haze, a crowd of children run toward me. Far beyond them, up the mountain, more giants, silhouetted by smoke and flames, bound in this direction.

  Shouts fill the air, behind me, ahead of me. This smoke messes with my brain. I can’t think…clear.

  “This way!” I shout to the kids. Waving my arms wildly, I beckon them toward me.

  An elf-boy stops and stares at me. “Who are you?”

  “I’m here to help you,” I tell him.

  “Why would you do that?” He looks suspiciously at me. “What do you want from us?” And he looks suspiciously familiar, like I’ve seen him from that awful middle school or high school.

  Now I remember. He looks just like the kid who elbowed me in the shoulder the morning I showed up with purple hair. Except he looks like an elf-child. And try as I might, he won’t let me step around him.

  “If you don’t want help, fine!” I yell. “But don’t prevent me from helping the others!”

  “You’re going to steal from us, just like the rest of the people like you who came to help before.”

  I push past him and look upon the bedraggled and frightened crowd of children. “Come with me! I found a safe place to take you. It’s right over here!” I gather a few of the kids to me.

  “I’m not going there!” one of the elf-girls screeches.

  “She’s been in the river,” the first elf-boy says. “She’s dripping. She probably caused the floods. I’m staying away from her!”

  “Stay away from her!” the elf-girl yells. “Stay away from her!”

  Two fire giants pounce in the midst of the crowd. One grabs an elf in each of its fists, roaring, and runs down the mountain.

  I stand staring, stunned. I can hardly breathe. I want to scream.

  The second giant reaches for two more elves.

  So much screaming. And everyone runs.

  The giant’s hand swoops down beside me.

  I grab the elf-girl running toward its hand and pull her to me, blocking the giant’s grasping fingers with my shield. It howls and swipes at me.

  …to hear the groans of the prisoners

  and release those condemned to death.

  ~ Psalm 102:20

  Chapter 25

  Talks in the Dark

  The world spins and swirls, turning a funny shade of greenish-gray. I hold the child close, hoping I don’t crush h
er as we roll.

  When I get up, I bring the elf-girl, along with a crowd of others into the cathedral.

  I run back out to lead the others in. Smoke chokes me. I can’t see anything, but I hear roars and screams. They fade, along with the light. It hurts to breathe. I crouch low to the ground and fall on my side. It hurts everywhere.

  I have no idea what time it is. I hover between wakefulness and sleep.

  Someone or something pulls my legs. I scream and kick at the hands around my ankles.

  “Fine! If you don’t want my help, I don’t care!”

  It’s Galen. I’m sure of it, even through the haze.

  “I’m sorry,” I wail past scratchy throat. “I didn’t know it was you. I can’t…I can’t get up. I can’t get up.”

  He grabs my ankles again and pulls. The air is a bit clearer. We must be on the other side of the building, the closest that he’ll get to entering.

  I can breathe again, even though it still hurts. Everything hurts. I cough. My throat aches.

  Someone pulls the elf-girl from my arms. Hands roll my body across the hard dirt. I groan, wishing I could faint. Everything hurts. I still can’t see much. I can’t even tell if my eyes are open.

  “Will you be back?” says one elf-boy nearby.

  “I don’t know,” Galen says. “I mean, I’ll come back for you, Galahad, but I don’t know about this place.”

  “What about her.”

  He stays quiet for some time. “I barely know her.”

  “But she rescued so many,” Galahad says.

  “What do you want me to do?” Galen asks. “She’s not even an elf. She doesn’t behave anything like us.”

  My helmet is gently tugged from my head. Gentle fingers skim over my forehead. “She is beautiful, though.” Galen.

  “Why won’t you stay?” Galahad’s pleading tugs me further awake.

  I still can’t open my eyes.

  Galen’s hand brushes my cheek. “I can’t say.”

  “Are you afraid of her?” Galahad asks. “Or are you still afraid of yourself?”