Falling Ashes (46 page)

‘Yeah? And why do you think that?’ Kenneth snarled.

Mackerville scoffed. ‘Clearly not a man of intelligence, I see. If you kill me, I won’t be able to restore your human’s memories.’

Cecilia and Kenneth shared confused glances.

‘Are you offering your help to us?’ asked Cecilia.

Mackerville grinned widely, showing every one of his long, yellow teeth. ‘Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves, shall we? I believe we can strike a deal.’

‘A deal?’ said Cecilia. ‘What is it you want? We have gold-’

‘I don’t require gold,’ he said. ‘I have enough of that.’

‘Then what?’ Cecilia pressed.

‘I will help you bring back the memories of every single human taken by the Realm … in exchange for … Power.’

‘Power?’ Cecilia repeated. ‘How can we give you Power?’

‘You see, I am gifted with a unique ability. I can completely absorb a Mage’s Power, but I can only do it with permission. That is how I earned the Power to gift memory. An elderly Mage offered it to me on her death bed.’

‘A Power thief,’ growled Kenneth. ‘What happens to the Mage whose Power you absorb?’

‘They become Human,’ said Mackerville. ‘I take their Power completely.’

Cecilia blanched. ‘You want … you want to take our Power?’

‘Not all of you,’ Mackerville said, stepping inside the laboratory. ‘Just one will suffice. Power is a very valuable substance, you know?’

They all looked between each other. No Mage would ever give up their Power. It was who they were.

‘I’ll do it,’ Ræven whispered. All eyes snapped towards the girl.

‘R
æven, no!’ Kenneth said at once. ‘You are young. Let me.’

R
æven shook her head. ‘Mr. Mackerville, you may have my voice,’ she said, specifically. ‘I am a Siren, and can manipulate people with my vocals.’

‘How … interesting.’ Mackerville gave a devilish grin. Cecilia was suspicious. She could tell that R
æven spoke the truth when she offered her Power to Mackerville, but there was something she wasn’t telling him.

If R
æven only offered her voice to John Mackerville, would she retain her shape-shifting ability? After all, he said he could only take Power with a Mage’s permission.

‘Do you accept?’ asked R
æven softly.

‘A very desirable Power, indeed,’ said Mackerville, licking his lips. ‘I’d be more than happy to devour your voice, my sweet.’

‘How do we know you’ll keep your end of the bargain?’ asked Kenneth.

‘You have my word as a gentleman,’ he said, bowing slightly.

‘A gentleman that takes a sixteen-year-old girl’s Power?’ Kenneth said angrily.

‘I don’t see you volunteering
your
Power, Fire-Mage.’

Kenneth scowled, but did not retort.

‘Do we have your word, Mister Mackerville?’ asked Cecilia.

‘Madam, I promise to return the memory of any human you bring to me.’

‘And where can we find you?’ asked Kenneth. ‘Who’s to say you don’t run off so we can never find you?’

‘I live in Flamethroat Valley,’ said Mackerville. ‘I’ll write the address down if you like.’

Kenneth was about to retort when Cecilia interrupted.

‘Let’s shake on it,’ she said. ‘Mister Mackerville, I am a truth seeker, and I will know if you are lying. Shake my hand while making a promise, you will not be able to break it.’

‘What happens if I do break it?’ he asked. ‘Hypothetically, of course?’

‘You’ll lose the gift R
æven has bestowed upon you,’ Cecilia said. ‘I think that’s a fair deal, don’t you?’

Cecilia had a unique ability. Her truth-seeking Power meant she was also able to bind a promise and make it into a living contract. If the promise were broken they would lose the thing they wagered.

‘A very fair deal, my lady. I would be happy to shake on it.’

John Mackerville held out his hand, waiting for Cecilia to approach him. She did, taking several shaky steps across the room towards him. She looked down at his hand and took a deep breath before gripping it tightly.

‘Mr. Mackerville, do you swear to revive the memories of each and every human we bring to you?’

‘Of course, my sweet,’ he smiled widely.

‘Do you swear to continue living in Flamethroat Valley, and to remain in contact with us after this day?’

‘I do.’

‘Do you promise to keep this deal a secret?’

He paused. ‘Of course.’

‘If you break this oath then you waive the right to Ræven’s Power, and it will be returned to her.’

‘I understand,’ he smirked.

‘Then we have a deal.’

‘Excellent. A deal,’ he agreed.

Cecilia let go of his hand and took a step back. Looking over her shoulder, she caught Ræven’s eye and gave her a nod.

R
æven took a shaky step towards John Mackerville, her face set.

‘Thank you, R
æven,’ Cecilia whispered. ‘Although you have lost no human relative, your generous deed will help thousands of innocent people.’

‘I have witnessed the loss of memory,’ said R
æven in a barely audible whisper. ‘I know what it’s like to not be remembered.’

‘You’re a hero, R
æven,’ said Xara, her bland tone not reflecting the gravity of the sacrifice.

‘Thank you, Xara,’ said R
æven.

‘You don’t have to do this,’ said Kenneth, hurrying forward. ‘What would your parents say?’

‘They wouldn’t say anything, Mr. Redding,’ she said. ‘They don’t even know who I am.’

‘Surely there is someone else … another Mage … someone older, who will volunteer.’

‘It is too late,’ said Mackerville. ‘The deal has been struck. Now please, my sweet. Your Power, if I may?’

R
æven walked up to Mackerville and stood before him.

‘What do I need to do?’ she asked.

‘Stand very still,’ he said, a smile playing over his lips. ‘I will extract the Power. You may feel weak afterwards.’

R
æven closed her eyes and took a deep breath as Mackerville placed his index finger on her temple. Nothing seemed to be happening for several moments, but eventually, a faint glow issued from the point where his finger met Ræven’s skin.

The glowing grew brighter, and whiter, forcing Cecilia, Kenneth, and Xara to shield their eyes.

As quickly as it had happened, it was gone. Ræven staggered, and Kenneth rushed forward to secure her.

Mackerville inhaled deeply and smacked his lips, as though taking the Power had been extremely tasty.

‘Oh, that feels nice,’ he said. Immediately, Cecilia could hear the difference in his voice. It was an otherworldly echo, as Ræven’s had been. ‘Thank you for the Power, my sweet. It was delicious.’

R
æven steadied herself against Kenneth, her face pale.

‘I must congratulate you,’ said Mackerville. ‘Many pass out once their Power has been taken. You must be a fighter. So tell me, little one. How does it feel to be human?’

Cecilia felt her head spin at the sound of his harsh voice. He did not speak softly, as Ræven did. It made her head cloudy.

‘I am not human,’ said R
æven in a soft voice. She sounded different; like a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She seemed to realise this too, and perhaps, for the first time in her life, she was able to talk at normal volume. ‘You only took my voice.’

Mackerville sneered. ‘Yes, I took your Power, precious. That makes you Powerless, and thus, Human.’

Ræven shook her head. ‘That is not my only Power,’ she said. ‘I am also a shape-shifter.’

Mackerville’s face fell. ‘A shape-shifter you say? How … how interesting.’

Ræven smiled. ‘I promised you my voice, not both of my Powers.’

Mackerville smiled. ‘You chose your words carefully, my sweet. How clever of you.’

Ræven smiled. ‘I thought so. Enjoy the voice,’ she said.

‘Oh, I think I will,’ he licked his lips devilishly.

‘I never did like it,’ said Ræven. ‘It became more of a curse, after a while.’

‘You wanted to be rid of this Power?’ asked Mackerville. ‘Why?’

‘No one wants to befriend a Siren,’ said Ræven. ‘Be prepared for a life of silence, Mr. Mackerville.’

He sneered, but something flickered in his eyes. Regret, perhaps? Regardless, John Mackerville bowed deeply to R
æven.

‘Thank you for your business, my pet,’ he crooned.

Next, he pulled out a small piece of card from his pocket and handed it to Kenneth. ‘My home address, Fire-Mage.’

Kenneth took the card and pocketed it.

John Mackerville turned to Cecilia. ‘I expect I will see you both soon enough, Miss Pinschmidt. Oh … and it might interest you to know that the list of humans on the register is in that drawer over there.’ He pointed them in the right direction. ‘You’ll be able to track down each human that was processed and sold within the last twelve months.’

And without another word, John Mackerville swept from the room, leaving the four Mages in the laboratory, staring at one another.

‘Oh, Ræven, you beautiful girl,’ said Cecilia, rushing forward and hugging the teenager. ‘You lovely, lovely girl.’

‘It’s okay, Mrs. Pinschmidt. Really.’

‘It’s not okay. You gave half your Power to save our families. How did you know it was going to work?’

‘I didn’t,’ said R
æven sheepishly. ‘I just hoped.’

Cecilia kissed R
æven’s forehead, beaming. ‘You have saved thousands of people. Never have I met someone so selfless.’

R
æven’s cheeks burned pink from embarrassment.

Kenneth moved forward and embraced her. ‘We are forever in your debt,’ he said, his voice breaking. ‘If you ever need anything –
ANYTHING
– you let us know, okay?’

‘Thank you, Mr. Redding,’ said R
æven.

‘Your voice is so strange now,’ said Xara. ‘I’m not used to it.’

‘Don’t you like it?’ asked Ræven.

Xara gave a shrug of indifference. ‘Whether I like it or not is irrelevant.’

‘Your new voice is fine, Dear,’ said Cecilia, brushing a tendril of hair behind Ræven’s ear affectionately. ‘You don’t have to whisper everything you say anymore.’

R
æven nodded. ‘It feels as though a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders.’

Suddenly, a great rumble sounded, as if the very foundation of the Realm was collapsing. It shook the floor, and rattled the windows.

‘What was that?’ asked Kenneth, his eyes wide.

‘It sounds like it’s time to leave,’ said Cecilia. ‘The building has sustained many blows. The structure may be failing.’

They nodded in unison before dashing out of the laboratory; but not before Cecilia grabbed the human registration.

R
æven was weak, but managed to shape-shift into her bird form and fly ahead of the group.

Together, they ran down the stairs, the sounds of battle reaching their ears once more.

Men and women fought in the vast entrance hall, so chances of leaving the headquarters unnoticed were slim.

A guard met them on the stairs, his face covered in blood that was not his. One of his eyes was badly burned; the pupil white. He was clearly blind in that eye.

‘Well, what do we have here?’ he sneered. ‘A couple of snoops?’

He advanced on them, but not before R
æven swooped down, her beak sinking right into the guard’s only good eye. He screamed and wailed, holding his face. Thrashing about, he bumped into the handrail of the staircase, and toppled over it, falling two storeys and landing head first on the marble floor below.

‘Good work,’ Cecilia said breathlessly, clutching her heart.

Ræven cawed proudly and circled, landing on Xara’s shoulder. 

‘Let’s go,’ said Kenneth, urging Cecilia forward.

They continued down the staircase, Cecilia slipping in a rather large puddle of blood. After hoisting herself back up, they managed to reach the ground floor, where two women in red cloaks ambushed them.

‘Tiffany and Vanessa,’ Xara whispered to Cecilia at once. ‘Telepath and Teleporter, respectively. Tiffany will be able to read your every move, and Vanessa is almost impossible to catch.’

‘Right,’ Cecilia nodded. ‘So it’s best not to think about what I’m doing, right?’

‘Yes. Though most people don’t think before they act anyway,’ replied Xara.

‘Did you just make a joke, Xara?’ asked Kenneth.

‘Jokes have no purpose,’ said Xara.

Kenneth rolled his eyes and dropped the subject.

‘You’ve lost, Rebels,’ said the girl called Vanessa. ‘Most of your supporters have run away with their tails between their legs.’