Falling Ashes (19 page)

‘Why?’ I asked. ‘Why didn’t you tell me – show me … anything?’

Hawthorne began licking Emilija’s face, cleaning it of the dirt and debris that had become matted in her fur.

The two Vulmessians crossed the stream to meet me. I raised a hand and gently ran my fingertips along the bridge of Emilija’s nose. She closed her yellow eyes and let out a purr.

‘Oh dear,’ I muttered. ‘You don’t look good.’

Emilija swayed on the spot, her eyelids fluttering.

‘C’mon, Hawthorne. We need to get her back to the windmill so she can lie down.’

By ‘we’ I actually meant Hawthorne. I would not be much use in shifting a one-ton animal. I couldn’t even shift myself, for that matter.

Clambering onto Hawthorne’s back, we began to herd Emilija into the direction of the windmill. I muttered under my breath all the while.

‘I can’t believe you kept this from me,’ I said to Hawthorne. ‘Is this why you were so distant when we got back to Mortlock? Was she living in the forest with you?’

Hawthorne ruffled his wings indignantly.

‘It’s not like I would have minded,’ I continued. ‘I mean … even if she is the pet of a slaver. I guess it’s not her fault.’

Hawthorne sighed audibly.

‘How long has she been ill for?’ I asked. ‘And why did she follow us if she was in such bad form?’

I had so many questions that Hawthorne was unable to answer. Part of me felt as though this was my own fault. Had I done this to Emilija?

We arrived at the slope that led to the windmill. Emilija struggled up the incline, her knees wobbling dangerously. Once or twice, she buckled under her own weight, her knees becoming stained with the blood from the grass.

Finally, after much pushing and shoving from Hawthorne, we made it to the top of the hill, where Emilija staggered into the windmill and collapsed instantly.

I slid from Hawthorne’s back and hobbled to her side. I thought I should check her temperature, however, due to my Power, I had no way of telling whether she was boiling up or not.

‘Hang in there,’ I told her, stroking her neck. Hawthorne sat by Emilija’s head and began to clean her face with his tongue.

‘What does she need, Hawthorne?’ I asked him. ‘Has she eaten? Does she need water?’

Judging by the size of Emilija’s stomach, food was not the problem. She couldn’t have survived the last few months if Hawthorne hadn’t been hunting for her. Even Martinez had mentioned that he did not allow his Vulmessian to hunt her own food. I, on the other hand, had not been able to afford luxurious meals for my animal companion, and he’d learned to hunt on his own, something for which I was grateful.

Hawthorne nuzzled Emilija’s neck, and I suddenly felt extremely awkward as I watched the two beasts sharing what appeared to be a tender moment.

I averted my gaze and stared at my lap, listening to the purring and whining between Hawthorne and Emilija.

I was helpless. I didn’t know what to do to help her. All I could do was sit by and watch her slow, labored breathing.

All of a sudden, Emilija stiffened. Her breathing became harsh, and she whined piteously.

I hurried to her side, not quite sure what I could do.

‘What is it, girl?’ I asked. ‘Where does it hurt?’

Whimpering and panting, Emilija seemed to be going into a state of shock. She tensed up, and for a moment I was sure this would be the end. 

Something near her tail moved. Shock rooted me to the spot as I watched what was happening.

‘What the-’ I gasped as the realization of what was happening struck me. Something large, grey, and writhing was pushing its way out of Emilija’s body. At first I thought it was her innards, but a moment later, I recognised the squirming mass as a hairless, baby Vulmessian.

Chapter Fourteen

Joining the Guard

JACK GREENWOOD

‘Come
on,
you stupid, bloody animal.’

Merry Legs refused to walk. They’d been riding for only an hour today, and the horse had gotten bored and decided to graze on a patch of grass instead.

Jack, still astride the beast, was doing everything within his power to make the horse pay attention to him, but Merry was having none of it. The steed could tell that Jack was inexperienced, and was taking full advantage of it.

Jack shook the reins, dug his heels into his sides, and even smacked him on the rear end. All Merry did was eat and whip his tail back and forth. Jack even tried whistling, and shouting ‘Yee-haw’ though he felt quite foolish afterward. He could imagine Avalon laughing at him whilst astride Hawthorne.

‘Useless bloody animal,’ Jack cursed, sliding from the horse's back. Rummaging through his bag, he pulled out an apple he’d been saving for himself.

‘Oi.’ He waved the apple in front of the horses face. This seemed to get Merry’s attention; his head shot up at once, and he made to grab the apple, but Jack pulled it out of his reach. ‘Nuh-uh, buddy. You gotta earn this apple.’

Merry grunted impatiently and tried to get the apple again, but Jack took a step back. At least he had the animal’s attention. After all, they were only a couple of hours away from Concord city.

~

Bribery worked wonders on Merry Legs. Jack had the genius idea of tying the apple onto a self-made fishing pole and dangling it in front of Merry’s face whenever he showed signs of slowing, or disinterest.

He arrived in Concord City quicker than he’d planned; Merry had galloped a little bit of the way, and Jack decided he didn’t completely hate the animal.

Jack quickly sought a lodge with stables so he could house Merry, and himself for as long as he needed.

As he’d expected, Avalon’s face lined the streets of the Capital city. There was even a poster at the reception of the lodge.

Jack stared at the it. Ava’s face stared at him from the parchment; the huge ‘wanted’ lettering standing out like a sore thumb. But it wasn’t the poster that caught Jack's  attention. Directly beneath Avalon’s wanted poster was another that read:

OUR WAY OF LIFE IS IN PERIL AS HUMAN EMPATHISERS THREATEN MAGE-KIND.

The Realm is seeking young men and women to join the
War against Humans
and protect our way of life.

ENLIST IN THE REALM’S GUARD NOW!

Living quarters available.

This gave Jack an idea. He could work with the Realm by joining the guard. Surely he would have a better chance of finding Avalon if he was part of a larger group that was searching for her. It was a risky move, but what other choice did he have? If he joined the enemy he would learn where they were searching.

Jack envisioned himself as a cunning and stealthy under-cover spy, working for the Realm whilst secretly supporting the human movement. Imagining himself as a spy made Jack smile.

Tearing down the enlistment poster, Jack read the fine print.

Register for the Realm’s Guard at Town Hall Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at noon until three o’clock.

Checking his watch, Jack discovered that it was half past two already, but he had no idea what day it was. Travelling tended to confuse him.

‘Excuse me?’ Jack caught the attention of a pretty woman walking by with her young son. ‘Can you tell me what day it is?’

She gave him a strange look, but responded, ‘It’s Wednesday.’

‘Thank you,’ Jack called after her as she briskly walked away, holding her son's hand.

Brilliant. It was Wednesday, and if Jack could find the Town Hall within half an hour he would be able to enroll himself into the Realm’s guard. It shouldn’t be a problem; he’d just ask a local where it was.

After asking where he could find Town Hall, Jack ran in the direction the old man pointed his gnarled finger. He felt rather foolish when he arrived as it was only around the corner form the lodge he was staying in.

The Town Hall had a paved courtyard, with rose bushes lining the walkway. At the bottom of the stairs was a man sitting behind a desk, and in front of him was a long line of men and women.

Jack approached the end of the line, standing behind a stout, yet muscular, woman with frizzy red hair.

‘Is this the line for the guard recruitment?’ Jack asked her with a small tap on her shoulder.

The woman turned to reveal a face like a bulldog. Jack recoiled slightly at her expression.

‘Yeah,’ she said in an unusually high voice. ‘You ain’t joining, are ya?’

‘Uh.’ Jack looked around nervously. ‘Yes. Why?’

It was now he noticed that all the men and women in line looked an unpleasant lot. 

‘Bit skinny, ain’t ya?’ she asked. ‘Look at them arms. I reckon you can’t lift your own body weight.’

Jack folded his arms across his chest. ‘That’s not very fair, is it? You don’t know what my Power is.’

The woman scoffed. ‘What is it then?’

Jack dropped his arms to his side. ‘Healer,’ he said lamely.

The woman turned back around to face the front of the line, laughing, and Jack felt his ears burning with embarrassment. Surely being a Healer would not hinder his chances of joining the guard?

He waited in line for a little over fifteen minutes, until it was his turn to approach the desk. The man sitting behind it was thin and middle-aged, with pasty skin and a comb-over. He did not bother to look up when Jack approached the table.

‘Name?’ he asked.

Jack wondered whether it was a wise idea to sign his real name on the register. What if he got caught as one of the dreaded ‘human empathisers’? That being said, if he was accepted onto the guard, he wanted his presence to be known to Avalon if they happened to be in the same location, however unlikely that was.

‘Sir?’ the man looked over his spectacles at Jack. ‘Your name please?’

‘Uh.’ Jack was not good at thinking on his toes. ‘It’s um-’

‘Have you forgotten your name?’

‘No,’ said Jack. ‘It’s … Greenwood.’

He jotted the name down. ‘And your first name?’

Screw it
, he thought.
I’ll give them my real name
.

‘Jack,’ he said.

‘Okay, Jack Greenwood,’ said the man, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. ‘Date of birth?’

‘First of May,’ said Jack.

‘Age?’

‘Twenty-one.’

He jotted the details down. ‘Your height and weight, please.’

‘Six-foot-one. I think I weigh one-hundred-and-eighty pounds … last time I checked, anyway. I’m not sure anymore-’

He wrote the details down, seemingly bored. ‘And your Power, Mr. Greenwood?’

Jack looked over his shoulder. There was still a line of surly looking applicants behind him.

‘Healer,’ he replied, turning to face the table again.

The man raised his eyebrows. ‘Really?’

‘Yes,’ Jack said with a frown.

‘Well, that’s great!’ he said, genuinely shocked. ‘We have few applicants for Medics. You’ll make a real difference if you join the guard!’

‘Oh. That’s good,’ said Jack, slightly dazed.

‘Medics are a very integral part of any guard, don’t you know? You’ll be directly responsible for handling any battlefield trauma.’

‘Battlefield?’ Jack repeated.

‘Oh, yes. It’s very important. You’ll get a full run-down during your orientation.’

‘Okay,’ said Jack. ‘Sign me up.’

Chapter Fifteen

Trio of Kits

AVALON REDDING

‘Oh no, oh no, oh no,’ I said over and over again. I had no idea what I was meant to do.

Emilija was going into labor before my very eyes, and I sat there and stared as if paralyzed.

Emilija reached around and began to clean the fox kit by licking its hairless body, pulling away the afterbirth that clung to its skin. The baby squirmed and flailed blindly, its eyes still closed.

It was a strange sight, watching the kit wriggle across the windmill floor. Emilija picked the kit up in her mouth and placed it near her teats; it searched for its mother's milk, its tiny pink paws unable to hold its weight.

Then it started all over again. Emilija squirmed and convulsed before another baby was born. This one was slightly larger than the last; its skin a darker shade of grey.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing; I was the first person on earth to witness this.  Martinez had gotten what he wanted; Vulmessian offspring. Too bad he wasn’t around to see it.

‘I don’t believe it,’ I said, rather dazed.

Hawthorne sat by Emilija’s side, watching her progress nervously. His ears perked up whenever one of the kits squirmed near him.

‘All this time you’ve been acting strange and distant, Hawthorne,’ I said. ‘You’ve been spending time with Emilija.’