Falling Ashes (32 page)

‘Is she always this frightening?’ Dagon asked me, watching the arrow with apprehension.

‘Drop it, Fae.’ I said, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. ‘I don’t want to be your babysitter.’

Fae put the arrow back in her quiver, glaring at Dagon with dislike.

‘Are we ready?’ I asked, slinging my rucksack over my shoulder. They nodded. ‘Great. We’ll take to the skies in just a moment. Dagon, make sure you’ve got everything you need.’

‘Skies?’ he repeated, his face losing all of its colour. ‘Yeh didn’t say we were going to fly.’

‘How else do you think we’ll get to the capital?’ I asked. ‘I’ve walked that path once before, and it takes weeks.’

‘Lass, I can’t fly. I’m … I’m a water breather, yeh know? My place is on the sea, not in the sky.’

‘Don’t tell me you’re
afraid
,’ said Fae, smirking.

‘I’m sorry, Dagon, but it’s the most efficient way to travel,’ I said.

‘I knew he would be a burden,’ said Fae, coldly. ‘He wants to slow us down.’

‘C’mon now. Yer being a little harsh, don’t yeh think?’

‘Will you fly, or not, Dagon?’ I asked. ‘I’d really like you to come with us.’

Dagon seemed to be struggling with a great fear, but tried his hardest to keep a brave face.

‘I’ll try it, but I ain’t promising nothin’.’

I clapped my hands together, rather pleased. ‘Well, what are we waiting for?’

I led Dagon outside to where Hawthorne, Emilija, and Shadow waited for us. They jumped to their feet as we approached, tails wagging eagerly.

‘They, erm, look happy, I guess,’ said Dagon.

‘They’re gentle, I promise,’ I said.

‘Which one will I be ridin’?’

‘You can come on Hawthorne with me,’ I said. ‘Emilija doesn’t like to be ridden by anyone.’

‘Feisty one, is she?’ he asked, edging around the female Vulmessian with care.

I laughed. ‘No, it’s not that. I guess she doesn’t trust us yet.’

‘Well, maybe she just needs a lad who has a way with the ladies.’ Dagon winked, and my face turned scarlet.

‘Surely you can’t mean yourself?’ asked Fae, throwing her leg over Shadow’s vast back, with Willow and Rue clutched in her bag.

Ignoring Fae, Dagon approached Hawthorne timidly. ‘Hey there, big fella … are you sure he’ll be able to take my weight?’

‘For a short while,’ I said, mounting Hawthorne. ‘You’re much heavier than Jack, so we’ll only be in the air for twenty minutes at the most before taking a break.’

Clumsily, Dagon mounted Hawthorne, sitting behind me. I felt his hands hold my waist tightly.

‘Feckin’ hell woman, yer burnin’ up like a furnace,’ said Dagon.

‘Don’t sit so close then,’ I said, my face becoming pink.

‘When you two have finished flirting,’ said Fae icily, ‘Can we go, please?’

‘She’s a right piece of work, ain’t she?’ Dagon muttered in my ear.

Ignoring both of them, I leant down to tell Hawthorne, ‘Head towards Scyre – the Greenwood’s home. But take a rest whenever you get tired. I know he’s heavy.’

Groaning at the prospect of carrying Dagon’s weight, Hawthorne stretched his wings out wide. Even this simple act seemed to scare Dagon out of his wits. He clung to me like a child seeking protection from his mother.

‘Try not to fall off,’ I called over my shoulder.

Dagon swore under his breath, clearly scared out of his wits. I felt bad for making him do this, but what other choice did we have? If we walked the whole way it would take over a week.

‘Let’s go, Hawthorne,’ I said, giving him a soft kick in the side.

‘Oh, dear, oh, no, bloody hell,’ Dagon’s profanities continued. 

With a giant leap, and a beat of his wings, Hawthorne launched into the sky. It was a bumpy ride, as he wasn’t used to the extra weight, but eventually, we rose higher and higher. Dagon was swearing at the top of his lungs, his arms around my waist like a vice.

When we finally rose above the cloud bank and land was no longer in sight, the journey finally became smooth. Hawthorne glided on the wind, the tips of his wings skimming through the clouds.

‘I don’t know how yeh do it, Lass,’ he said in a shaky voice.

‘Don’t worry,’ I said, grinning. ‘You’ll get used to it.’

‘I feel a bit dizzy, actually,’ he said. I felt his hold on me slacken slightly, and for a moment, I thought he’d gained the confidence to ride hands-free. On the contrary, however, Dagon slumped to one side, completely unconscious.

‘No!’ I cried, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. I barely caught Dagon before he slid from Hawthorne completely, but I couldn’t hold him long. Dagon was heavy, and my biceps burned with the effort it took to keep him upright.

Beside us, Shadow and Fae appeared. ‘What’s he doing?’ Fae demanded.

‘He fainted!’ I said, panicked. ‘I can’t hold him long!’

Shadow flew beneath us just in case I dropped Dagon. At least then his fall wouldn’t be from such a great height.

‘Hawthorne! We need to land! He’s out cold!’ I cried, hoping he would hear me over the rush of the wind.

Hawthorne dived, falling beneath the cloud bank within seconds. I watched as the earth below came to meet us at an alarming rate. A field came into view ahead of us; the perfect landing spot.

‘There!’ I yelled. ‘In the field!’

Hawthorne did as I commanded and headed for the grassy plains. His toes skimmed the top of the grass for a few moments before he landed as gently as possible. Just in time too; my muscles gave way, and I dropped Dagon, who slid from the Vulmessian’s back and into the long grass five feet below, apparently unharmed.

I jumped off Hawthorne and knelt by Dagon’s side at the same moment Shadow and Emilija landed a few yards away. I slapped Dagon across the face a few times, as if it might help him regain consciousness.

Fae dismounted and ran to our side at the same time Dagon seemed to be coming around.

‘What happened?’ asked Fae. ‘Did he fall very far?’

‘Only the few feet from Hawthorne’s back,’ I said.

‘Oh.’ She seemed disappointed.

‘What … what’s going on?’ said Dagon, groggily. He tried to sit up, but I stopped him.

‘You fainted,’ I explained.

‘No, I didn’t. I just closed my eyes for a second. Where are we?’

‘We’re on the ground,’ I said. ‘We had to land before you fell off.’

Dagon frowned. ‘No, I don’t faint. I never have.’

I smirked. ‘You fainted. Trust me. You were out cold for a good few minutes there.’

‘It felt like only a second or two.’ He frowned.

‘Well, there goes our plans of flying,’ Fae said, a nasty bite to her voice. ‘I knew he was going to be a burden!’

‘All right, all right,’ I said, holding up a hand to silence her. ‘There’s no time for arguing. Dagon, how do you feel?’

‘Better now I’m on land,’ he said, sitting up and looking around. ‘Hey, I know where we are. The fields a few miles from Port.’

‘Yes, well, we didn’t get very far, did we?’ snapped Fae.

‘We can still travel fast on the backs of the Vulmessian,’ I said. ‘Dagon can even ride Emilija, if she’ll allow it.’

‘Anythin’, Lass. Just don’t leave me behind.’

‘I won’t leave you,’ I promised. ‘But if you faint again, I’m going to kick your butt.’

‘Point taken,’ said Dagon.

~

The three Vulmessians carried us for the next four hours without stopping. They could tell the journey was important to us, so they carried on despite their aching legs. Finally, at sunset, I announced that we would make camp for the night.  We stopped in a large, open field surrounded by shrubbery. It was rather magical, with the blanket of stars hanging above us. Dagon and I played a game, seeing who could spot the most bats flying overhead.

‘There!’ he said, pointing skywards as a small, black shape soared above us.

‘Whatever,’ I scoffed. ‘That wasn’t a bat.’

‘Okay … there!’ he said again.

‘Didn’t see it. Doesn’t count.’

‘Aw, c’mon!’

Laughing, Dagon and I continued our game while Fae walked the perimeter of the field. We hadn’t asked her to; she’d insisted upon it. She carried her bow in her hand, flinching at small noises.

Hawthorne, Emilija, and Shadow had gone hunting, looking for food for Willow and Rue, as well as their human companions.

‘We’re like a pack,’ said Dagon, lying back and watching the stars. He stretched and placed his hands behind his head. ‘And you’re the alpha female, Avalon.’

I snorted, resting my head on my rucksack. ‘And who’s the alpha male?’ I asked.

‘I reckon that big one, what’s his name? Shadow? He looks pretty scary.’

‘He and Fae are a good match,’ I smirked. ‘Actually, Hawthorne is Shadow’s father. I think he’d be the alpha male. But we’re all equals here. Each of us are outsiders.’

Dagon fell into thoughtful silence at the same time Fae rejoined us.

‘Shouldn’t we get a fire started?’ she asked.

I sat up. ‘I’ll collect some wood.’ I made to get up, but Dagon held up a hand to stop me.

‘Let me take care of it, Lass. It’s the least I can do after our little … erm … problem today.’

Shrugging, I lay back down in the grass and watched Dagon scour the field and shrubbery for wood and kindling.

Sitting next to me, Fae wrapped her arms around her knees, bringing them to her chest. ‘He is trying to impress you,’ she said, disapprovingly.

‘Stop being so negative,’ I scolded. ‘He wants to help us.’

‘I don’t trust him-’

‘Because he is a man?’ I finished. ‘You need to snap out of it, Fae. Not all men are monsters. Surely, you know a few that are kind.’

Fae shrugged. ‘
Ræven’s father was a good man.’

‘Was?’ I repeated.

Fae shrugged. ‘He became distant after he got his memory back and realised Ræven had run away. That is why I am here. I promised to find her, for him.’

‘You’ll see her,’ I promised. ‘Soon.’

Dagon returned, depositing the firewood in front of me, looking proud of himself.

‘Thanks, Dagon,’ I said, hopping to my feet.

‘Let’s get this fire going,’ chimed in Fae. ‘I’ve got the chills.’

‘Good thing I brought some blankets and a sleepin’ bag. We can all snuggle up for the night-’

‘Shut your mouth, Paddy,’ snapped Fae. ‘There will be no snuggling.’

‘It was a figure of speech,’ he retorted.

‘Quiet, both of you,’ I said, rubbing my hands together and producing sparks. It was always a little more difficult to produce fire when Fae was around, except, of course, if I was particularly emotional.

Once the firewood had been ignited, the three of us sat around it in silence, watching the sparks floating and vanishing into the night. An hour later, the Vulmessian’s returned and lay with us. I rested my head on Hawthorne’s belly; his soft fur tickling my nose.

I think I was the first one to fall asleep. I had tried to stay awake as long as I could so Dagon would not be left at Fae’s mercy, but I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I was too comfortable on a bed of grass, with a furry pillow. Hawthorne’s breathing soothed my soul and sent me into a deep sleep. Every now and then, I’d wake up for a few seconds because of a crackling log or shifting body, but I simply rolled over, using Hawthorne’s long tail as a blanket.

Long after the fire had died, and all that remained was the glowing embers, I heard movement in the camp. I took no notice of it, as the footfalls did not sound threatening. It was probably Dagon getting up to go to the toilet in the nearby bushes.

I succumbed to sleep once more, only to wake up minutes later with a body curled around me, huddling for warmth. I lay perfectly still, pretending to be asleep. I assumed it was Dagon, trying to get close again.

I rolled over, coming face to face with my night-time cuddler. It was Fae.

‘I was cold,’ she whispered. ‘You’re so warm.’

‘It’s all right,’ I yawned, grateful that it wasn’t Dagon.

‘Can I stay by you?’ she asked.

‘Mmhm, ‘kay,’ I murmured, already on the brink of sleep.

Fae leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek. ‘Thank you,’ she breathed.

~

When I awoke, I found that Fae had curled herself around me during the night. I dislodged myself from her limbs and went about my morning as usual; going to the bathroom and cleaning myself in the water we had brought with us. Hawthorne watched me as I went about my business. While I was brushing my teeth, Dagon stirred. He staggered around the camp, disorientated by his surroundings. Once he’d gotten his bearings, he grunted ‘
Mornin
’’ to me.

‘Morning,’ I replied. ‘Hungry?’

‘Starvin’. What’s on the menu?’