Falling Ashes (33 page)

‘Whatever you can catch,’ I said.

‘I’m a fisherman, Lass. Do yeh see an ocean here?’

I shrugged. ‘Well, you’d better learn quick.’

‘I can help the useless boy catch his breakfast,’ came Fae’s voice. She joined us with her bow and arrow in hand. ‘Or perhaps he is a girl with all the fainting he’s been doing.’

‘Yeh’d like me better if I was a girl, wouldn’t yeh?’ he snapped.

‘
Dagon
!’ I scolded, outraged at his implication. ‘Both of you! Stop it! We’re meant to be a team. How are we going to accomplish
anything
if we can’t get along? Fae, this isn’t about your prejudice, it’s about getting Ræven back, remember? Stop baiting Dagon, and treat him like a human being.’

‘Aw, c’mon Lass! I’m tryin’, it’s just hard with her teasin’ me all the time.’

Fae crossed her arms, but looked ashamed, avoiding eye contact with either me or Dagon.

‘If you two can’t get along, I’m leaving you both behind and continuing on my own. I can’t afford any more stress-’

They both began to protest at the same time, talking loudly over one another.

‘He is slowing us down!’

‘She hates me, and I haven’t done anythin’!’

‘He’s nothing but a burden-’

‘She dampens the Power of others,
including
us. She makes us
weak
.’

‘I use my bow and arrow!’ Fae retorted. ‘Holding your breath underwater isn’t exactly useful on a battleground!’

‘I’m
strong
,’ snapped Dagon. ‘I could lift yeh over my head with one arm-’

‘Try it,’ Fae dared.

‘Shut it!’ I yelled, but they didn’t listen.

‘Yeh hair’s as fiery as yer personality. Yer unstable!’

‘A bit like your flying abilities,’ spat Fae.

Sending a fireball towards them was the only way to get their attention. The ball of fire shot between them, leaving a blazing trail through the grass. Both Dagon and Fae jumped back, alarmed. They fell silent immediately, eyes wide and mouths open.

‘Right,’ I said, hands on my hips. ‘I’m making a few rules, got it?
I’m
in charge. You do as
I
say. If you’ve got a problem with that, you can leave now. I’m not messing about. I want revenge on the Realm, and I won’t let two squabbling children get in the way. Dagon, I’m going to help you find your friend. Fae, I’m going to help you find Ræven. This means you two have to do something for me, and that is to follow orders.’

I glared at them, daring either of them to challenge my authority. Dagon gulped and nodded. Fae reluctantly nodded, too.

‘From here on in, we are an army.
The
resistance. We are only three Mage’s and three adult Vulmessians, but we are going to gather followers; human, beast and Mage-kind alike. Together we can do great things, but you must co-operate. Understand?’

Once again, they nodded in unison.

‘Are you with me?’ I asked, raising my voice.

‘Yes, ma’am!’ Dagon shouted whole-heartedly.

‘I’m with you,’ said Fae, her voice strong.

‘Right. Let’s get started. Fae, catch us some breakfast, please. Dagon, gather more firewood.’

They nodded once more and scurried away, apparently afraid that I was going to set them on fire. It wasn’t the approach I’d wanted to take, but it was necessary. We needed to be a team, and in order for us to do that, Dagon and Fae had to get along.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Messenger

JACK GREENWOOD

During his spare time, Jack wandered around base camp, listening in on various conversations. He’d visit Merry Legs and take him for a ride around the perimeter, as well as frequenting the local tavern each night, after midnight. Tonight was no exception. Guards were able to do as they pleased in their free time, but as Jack had transferred from the Realm’s army, things were a little stricter.

That didn’t stop him, however. Every night, Jack walked into town and met H.W.L at their headquarters for their nightly meeting. They greeted him cheerily; they had come to trust him over the last three meetings as he provided valuable information.

Not only that, but the number of members had increased from thirty to fifty in just three days, some of them human, too. Members had told their family, and word had spread. There was also news of five other human activist groups in Concord City alone, though many were reluctant to reveal themselves in case they were betrayed by imposters. The H.W.L group, however, was in a unique position to sniff out imposters, with Cecilia, the living lie-detector, on board. This is why their numbers increased so quickly. She could tell who was sincere, and who was not.

‘The Fire-Mage will unite all groups across the country,’ said Cecilia to her fifty H.W.L members, who nodded enthusiastically. Jack kept his mouth shut. He was one-hundred percent certain that Avalon was in hiding, and
not
building an army.

‘Now, we’ve got another five new members today,’ Cecilia continued. ‘Less than yesterday, but still great news!’

The room was so packed that Jack hadn’t even noticed the new faces. He only knew the names of a few select people.

‘We have contortionist Mr. Jeremy Pike of Scyre. Welcome, Jeremy.’ There was a small smattering of applause, during which Jeremy waved nervously from the middle edge of the room.

‘Next, there’s metal-man Hans Braun of Munich, who can transform into living steel,’ Cecilia continued.

Hans Braun was of gigantic proportions, and seemed extremely stern. His applause was far more hesitant. Jack wondered how he hadn’t noticed him earlier. Other members were giving him a wide berth in Cecilia’s sitting room.

‘Here we have Xara Swanson of Concord City, a multiplier and advanced intellect Mage. Good news, everyone. Xara works
inside
the Realm headquarters.’ Cecilia pointed to a Mage who sat beside her.

Jack felt his jaw drop. He knew Xara Swanson; she was the holographic Mage that had greeted him and Avalon at the Realm Headquarters. She was an emotionless girl that could complete hundreds of tasks at once. It made Jack wonder how many versions of her were around at this very moment. Regardless, the Xara that stood before them looked like the real deal. She did not flicker or fade like an image.

‘We also have Patton … who does not wish to disclose her real name. Fair enough, I guess.’ Cecilia shrugged. ‘She is a human, ladies and gentlemen!’

Loud applause sounded throughout the room.

‘Patton has been living as a Mage for her entire life. Only members of her family know that she is Human. Patton, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you tell others when they ask about your Power?’

Patton, a woman of Asian heritage, smiled slyly. ‘I tell them I know their secrets. That usually shuts them up pretty quick. No one ever wants me to blab, do they?’ She looked to be in her late twenties, and was very pretty, indeed.

‘And that concludes our new members. Oh, no! Wait. We’ve got one more. Where is she? Oh, yes! Hiding up the back there we have Ræven Blacklock.’

Jack spun around, aghast. It was true. Standing in the furthest corner of the sitting room was R
æven, looking as beautiful as ever, her blue-black hair shining in the candlelight. Their eyes met, and Ræven gave a knowing smile. A few of the men in the room smoothed their hair and eyebrows.

‘R
æven is a Siren, or perhaps a better term would be song-bird, as she can also transform into a bird. She has volunteered to be our official messenger.’

A murmuring of approval passed over the room. Jack tried to catch R
æven’s eye, but she didn’t look at him again. 

~

At the end of the meeting, Cecilia served beverages and snacks, as usual. She was a very gracious host. Jack wound his way through the throng of H.W.L members, fighting to get to Ræven’s side. It wasn’t an easy task; many of the other men had taken it upon themselves to welcome Ræven to the group. They fussed over her, bringing her food and wine, and talking about themselves excessively. Of course, Ræven didn’t speak, limiting her conversation to nods.

Finally, Jack was by her side. ‘Excuse me, gentlemen, I need to liaise with the messenger.’

‘All right, but don’t take too long,’ said a man who was far too old for Ræven.

Jack looked down at R
æven, his eyes wide. ‘What are you doing here?’ he breathed in awe. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it. On the one hand, it was nice to see a friendly face. On the other hand, it was a dangerous place to be.

‘The same as you,’ she said softly. Immediately, Jack’s legs felt like jelly. It wasn’t because he harboured any feelings for R
æven – it was just the physical effect Ræven’s voice had on him.

‘And what is that?’ he said, his jaw lax.

‘Fighting for human rights,’ she said.

‘Fighting?’ Jack felt himself becoming increasingly brain dead.

‘After Martinez, I spent a month at home thinking about what we’d done. At first, I was ashamed, but then I was proud. I had aided in the rescue of innocent people. I couldn’t sit by any longer while so many humans were mistreated. I quit my job and uprooted myself, flying from city to city over the period of a month, spreading the word.’

Jack thought he might pass out if she continued to talk. Nearby, an eavesdropping male collapsed into a heap on the floor.

‘What … what word were you spreading?’ he asked.

‘The word of Avalon,’ she whispered. ‘The Fire-Mage who would set the humans free.’

Something clicked in Jack’s brain. The sheer realisation of this was enough to snap him out of the trance Ræven had caused.

‘It was
you
,’ he said. ‘You’re the one who told the Realm that Avalon was the leader of the human rebellion.’

R
æven shook her head vigorously. ‘No … no it wasn’t like that. I told only those who proved themselves worthy of the information. People like us.’

‘What did you tell them exactly?’ asked Jack.

‘I told them that there was one who would help retrieve their loved ones that had been lost. I did nothing more than spread a story.’

‘Don’t you see what that story has done?’ asked Jack. ‘It’s because of this story that Avalon is on the run. She’s in hiding, R
æven. She isn’t building an army.’

‘How do you know?’ R
æven asked.

‘I
know
Avalon,’ said Jack.

‘Did you not see the revenge in her eyes when Martinez lost his memories? Or the emptiness she felt after retrieving Helena?’ she retorted.

Jack ran his hands through his hair, distressed. This whole fiasco had started because Ræven had spread a lie about Avalon.

‘You’ve caused a big mess, R
æven,’ he said.

She shook her head in disagreement. ‘No, Jack. Don’t you see? I’ve created hope for Humans and Mage-Kind alike. Avalon is a beacon for them.’

‘The Realm is searching for her because
you
told them to,’ Jack hissed.

R
æven shook her head. ‘I was very selective about who I told.’

‘Well, you messed up,’ said Jack. ‘The story has gotten back to the Realm. Why else would they think that Avalon is the leader of some huge rebel organisation?’

Ræven looked annoyed, an expression seldom seen upon her face. ‘Do you think me stupid, Jack? I told only those with Humans in their family. I’ve asked all to come to Concord City. It is my belief that Avalon will come here too, in her own time.’

‘Come here?’ repeated Jack. ‘Are you mad? You think Avalon will come to the city where security is at its highest? No one is that daft. Avalon is
hiding
.’

‘You’ll see,’ said R
æven, mystery in her eyes.

At that moment, they were interrupted by Xara Swanson, the red-eyed girl from the Realm. She stood beside them, her expression blank. Jack and R
æven stared at her, waiting for her to talk.

‘I know you,’ she said to Jack, her tone emotionless.

‘Uh … yeah,’ said Jack, scratching the back of his head. ‘I thought you might remember me.’

‘I remember everything,’ she said matter-of-factly.

Jack thought Xara was an unusual looking woman. She was thin and pale, probably in her early twenties, but looked far younger. There was an otherworldly aura about her that he couldn’t quite pinpoint. Perhaps it was the fact that she had no eyebrows or eyelashes, and her eyes were set quite far apart. Her hair was long and stark white, which made her red eyes stand out even more. That being said, she wasn’t unattractive.

‘Did you tell anyone at the Realm about me?’ asked Jack.

‘No,’ said Xara, her tone indifferent. ‘They did not ask, so I did not tell.’

‘Well … thank you,’ said Jack.