Falling Ashes (21 page)

Finn pursed his lips. ‘Yes, and I get rather sea-sick too. I didn’t expect to find you in Belgium, though. But here we are.’

Belgium
; even I hadn’t known that. I’d never left England before. ‘Well, I had to give you a challenge, right?’

Finn smiled. ‘How’d your leg heal? I see you’re walking well.’

‘Fine.’ I glared. ‘No thanks to you.’

He chortled. ‘I must admit, I didn’t mean to send you over the edge. Lucky your sailor friend rescued you though. I waited for you to reappear in the water, but to be honest, I’ve never met a Fire-Mage that
could
swim. I guess it was rather careless of me, though I’m sure I would have received the reward regardless of whether you were dead or alive.’

‘How reassuring for you,’ I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm as Shadow struggled against Finn’s grip

‘This one’s got a bit of fight in him,’ said Finn. ‘What do you think his hide would be worth?’ He traced the tip of the dagger along Shadow’s pink belly.

‘No!’ I gasped, taking a step forwards. ‘Please, don’t hurt him.’

‘It seems I have a rather hard decision to make,’ said Finn. ‘I can either take these three pups and get a small fortune for each one … or I take you and claim the reward money.’ He pursed his lips as though considering the decision.

I heard the rustle of wings and crunching grass behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Hawthorne and Emilija slinking down the hillside towards Finn, their eyes narrowed.

‘Ah, Mama and Papa have decided to show up,’ Finn said with a smile. ‘You’d better tell them to back off before this one gets it.’ Finn shook Shadow again, who whimpered. The sight of the tiny pup at Finn’s mercy was breaking my heart.

I held out a hand to stop Hawthorne and Emilija. ‘Don’t move,’ I told them. ‘He has a weapon.’

The two adult Vulmessians stopped on either side of me, a low rumbling issuing from them.

‘Please, don’t hurt him,’ I begged. ‘I’ll do anything.’

‘Anything?’ asked Finn. ‘Excellent. Well, first you’re going to hand over those other … things. Whatever they are, hand those two over.’ He pointed the dagger in the direction of Willow and Rue, who were now cowering behind their mother. Emilija let out a loud growl.

‘No!’ I said, panicked. ‘You can’t have them - you can’t have any of them!’

Finn pressed the point of the dagger against Shadow’s pink flesh and twisted it slightly. Shadow squealed, and flailed as droplets of blood rolled down his round belly.

‘No!’ I cried, stepping forward.

Finn pulled the dagger away. He had not done any lasting damage to Shadow; he’d only broken a few layers of skin. Still, the sight of red against white was enough to send my heart jumping into my throat. I couldn’t bear to see Hawthorne’s offspring in harm's way.

‘Stop,’ I croaked, my hand outstretched. ‘Please, let him go.
I’ll
go with you, and I’ll do whatever you say. Just don’t hurt him.’ Tears sprang to my eyes, and I wiped them away hastily.

‘You’d really sacrifice yourself for these mutts?’ asked Finn, nodding in Shadow’s direction.

I nodded, too scared for Shadow’s safety to speak.

Finn laughed. ‘Nice try. Your pets will attack me as soon as I let him go. It’s the only reason they haven’t torn me to shreds already.’

I glanced at Hawthorne, whose gaze did not waver from Finn. I could see in his eyes that he wanted nothing more than to sink his long teeth into Finn’s body, and Hawthorne was more than capable of decapitating a fully grown man; I’d seen him do it only a few months ago. He’d ripped a Mage's head clean off to protect me. Yet with the dagger so close to their son’s throat, neither Vulmessian dared to move an inch.

‘Besides,’ said Finn, looking at Shadow. ‘I reckon he’ll bring a better price than you, Fire-Mage.’

‘I’ll do anything you want,’ I said, desperately. I had nothing to offer Finn but myself.

Surely the ten thousand gold was enough? Most people would die for that amount of money.

‘I give you my word. They will not harm you. I swear it on my own life.’

‘You’re
really
swapping your own life for these creatures?’ asked Finn, disbelievingly.

I nodded fervently, hoping he would accept my offer.

‘Fine,’ said Finn. ‘If anyone but you makes a move, this mutt is getting skinned, got it?’

I exhaled with relief, my legs feeling like jelly.

‘Now, walk over to me,’ he said, pointing the dagger in my direction. ‘
Slowly
! No sudden movements.’

‘Drop the pup first,’ I said.

Finn laughed. ‘You’re in no position to make demands, Sweetheart.’

He was right, so I did as I was told. I walked to Finn, and when I was close enough, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his body, his forearm against my throat, holding me hostage.

‘Now let Shadow go,’ I wheezed due to the pressure on my throat.

‘In a minute,’ said Finn, who seemed to be enjoying himself greatly.

We walked backwards, away from Hawthorne, Emilija, and the pups. I couldn’t get out of Finn’s vice-like grip if I’d wanted to. He was so strong I worried I might suffocate before Shadow made it back to safety.

We retreated several meters into the trees until Hawthorne and Emilija were almost completely concealed by shrubbery.

‘Now will you let him go?’ I pressed.

Finn looked at Shadow carefully. ‘You know what? I might keep him – as insurance.’

‘What?’ I yelled. ‘You promised!’

‘I won’t hurt him. I’ll just hang on to him until I’m sure we’re safe. Now, turn around,’ Finn demanded, pulling a length of rope from his belt. I did as I was told and presented my wrists to Finn, but he laughed and told me to put my hands behind my back. ‘I thought ahead,’ he said. ‘Fire-proof rope.’

I scowled and muttered obscenities under my breath.

Finn tied the rope securely so the fibers rubbed painfully against my skin.

‘And now the feet,’ he said, dropping to his knees in front of me, and tucking Shadow under his arm. Finn began to tie my ankles, and I swayed on the spot, almost toppling over.

The sound of crunching leaves in the distance reached our ears, and Finn stood up immediately, looking around.

‘Who’s there?’ he said, eyes narrowed. Finn turned to me, glaring. ‘You said they wouldn’t follow.’

But the sound hadn’t come from the direction we’d left Hawthorne; it was further into the forest. Finn seemed to realize this too, for he was scanning the trees carefully.

‘Come out,’ he demanded.

‘It’s probably just a rabbit or … or a squirrel,’ I said.

Finn scoffed. ‘I’m a hunter, I know the sound of every animal known to Mage-Kind.’

‘Well, what is it then?’ I snapped.

‘It’s a person,’ said Finn, fingering his dagger. ‘They were a man’s footsteps.’

My mind raced, thinking immediately of Jack.

Finn pocketed his dagger, grabbed me by the waist, and hoisted me over his shoulder; my long hair hung in a great sheet over my face, obscuring my view. I tried to shake it out of my face but was unsuccessful. Carrying both me and Shadow left Finn unable to protect himself against attackers.

‘Watch where you’re putting your hands!’ I snapped at Finn, who was holding me by the legs. I had to admit, his strength was impressive; he was holding my weight as if it were nothing.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

The footsteps drew closer. Finn spun around, searching for the intruder.

‘Show yourself!’ he demanded before throwing me to the ground. Unable to break my fall, I hit the leaf-strewn floor quite hard. Groaning, I rolled over and looked up at Finn, who was squinting through the trees.

‘There’s no one there,’ I moaned, trying to sit up without the use of my hands or feet. Shadow was still tucked under Finn’s arm.

But then I saw her; a wild looking female standing on a branch twenty feet above Finn’s head. He hadn’t seen her because he hadn’t looked up yet, but I could see her from where I lay on the forest floor.

She wore boots with brown breeches tucked into them, and a tight leather vest that barely covered her breasts. Wrapped around her wrists were fingerless leather gauntlets, and in her right hand was a bow. A mane of tangled red hair cascaded down her back, and a quiver was slung over her shoulder. I watched as the wild female put a finger to her lips, indicating that I should remain silent regarding her whereabouts. I didn’t know why, but I knew she wanted to help me.

Slowly, the woman pulled an arrow from her quiver and fitted it into her bow. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Finn looked down at me, and saw that my attention was captivated. Following my gaze, he looked into the treetops at the precise moment the red-haired archer let the arrow go.

I watched it as if in slow motion. The arrow flew through the air, its aim true. Finn did not have time to blink, let alone move out of its path.

Chapter Sixteen

Away with the Fae

Finn’s body hit the floor with a thud, muffled by the leaves on the ground. His eyes were still open despite the arrow embedded in his temple. Shadow yelped with fear and jumped into my lap, shaking severely.

I could barely talk, let alone reassure the pup. I’d just seen a man murdered before my very eyes. The most I could do was gape.

The red haired woman jumped down from the treetop, landing on the balls of her feet in a crouching position. She walked over to Finn’s body and kicked him once with the toe of her boot, making sure he was dead.

Satisfied, she turned to me, her face impassive. ‘Are you all right?’ She had a slight accent, but it was not difficult to understand her.

I nodded feebly, my mouth still wide open in shock. It took a lot of effort to form the simplest of words. ‘Th-th-thank y-you,’ I stammered.

‘Did he hurt you?’

‘Well … yes, but that was a few days ago now.’

Her eyes narrowed, and she looked down at Finn’s body. ‘Men,’ she hissed, kicking him. ‘They are all pigs.’

The woman rolled Finn’s body over and dug inside his pockets, pulling out the dagger and a small satchel of coins. She got up, walked over to me and crouched down, dagger in hand. At first, I thought she was going to cut me, but a moment later she was freeing me from the rope that bound my legs. Next, she untied my hands, and I was able to move again.

At once, I wrapped my arms around Shadow and held him close, trying to comfort the trembling ball of fur.

‘How long were you his prisoner?’ she asked.

‘He’s been chasing me for over a week,’ I admitted, rubbing my wrists until feeling came back to my fingers.

‘Did he touch you?’ she asked seriously.

‘I – what? No … nothing like that,’ I said quickly.

‘He looked like he might,’ she crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Why else would he tie you up?’

I swallowed and looked for an excuse to change the subject. ‘What’s your name?’ I asked.

‘That’s not important,’ she said, slinging her bow over her shoulder and pocketing the dagger. ‘I’m keeping this knife. Is that okay?’

I nodded. ‘Yes, of course.’

‘This money,’ she shook the pouch at me. ‘You can have this. Your compensation for his actions.’

I shook my head. ‘No, you keep that too. You deserve it.’

She threw the pouch into my lap. ‘I have no use for coin.’

‘All … all right,’ I said, pocketing the money.

‘This man,’ she pointed at the body. ‘What is his name?’

‘His name is Finn,’ I said. ‘He’s a boun-’ I stopped. I’d almost said bounty-hunter. I didn’t want this strange female to know there was a prize over my head. Then again, she’d said she had no use for coin. ‘He’s a hunter,’ I finished.

‘This animal?’ She nodded to Shadow. ‘He wanted this … what is it?’

‘He’s a-’ I stopped talking because I could hear footsteps winding through the forest, and knew Hawthorne and Emilija were coming to investigate. At once, the woman grabbed her bow, strung an arrow and aimed into the trees.

‘No!’ I said quickly. ‘It’s all right! It’s his family.’

As the Vulmessians approached, the rogue woman lowered her weapon, but her stance was defensive.

‘What are they?’ she asked. ‘I’ve never seen them before.’

‘They’re my friends,’ I said quickly, getting to my feet.

Hawthorne saw that Shadow and I were unharmed, and hurried to my side. He pressed his nose to my cheek affectionately, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. ‘I’m okay,’ I said to him. ‘So is Shadow.’

Shadow bounded over to his mother and siblings, who immediately lathered him with attention.

I looked to Hawthorne. ‘She saved us,’ I told him. ‘She … she killed Finn.’

Willow and Rue proceeded to inspect Finn’s dead body, the hair on their backs standing on end as though they expected him to spring to life at any moment. Shadow, however, seemed to have taken a great liking to the red-haired woman, and was bounding up and down in front of her, barking for attention.