Falling Ashes (29 page)

‘He’s resisting,’ someone said. ‘He’s strong.’

‘I gave him enough to knock out a buffalo,’ said another.

‘You don’t know what his Power is. He could be dangerous. Do it again.’

The hand came down onto Jack’s chest this time. He tried to struggle, but his limbs felt like lead. Finally, everything went black as Jack slipped into a deep sleep.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Howl

JACK GREENWOOD

Jack was finding it extremely hard to open his eyes. He’d had a peculiar dream in which he had been abducted by Mages unknown. The top bunk  he was lying on felt different; it was hard, like stone. Not only that, but the camp was eerily quiet. Most of the time it was loud and rowdy.

Jack tried to roll over but found that he had been restrained. His first thought was to blame the other guards; they often played pranks on the newbie’s. But something wasn’t right.

Jack pried his eyes open and blinked against a bright light that was being shone in his face.

‘Whassat?’ he mumbled, trying to shield his eyes. Of course, his hands were restrained so he could not.

‘What is your name?’ said a woman loudly and clearly.

‘Huh?’ Jack was confused. Slowly, the memory of what had happened was coming back to him. He hadn’t fallen asleep at the camp, like he’d thought. No, he’d gone to the tavern to meet with the human empathisers. They’d ambushed him.

Coming to this realisation, Jack struggled against his bindings.

‘Don’t bother trying to get free,’ said the woman. ‘You are quite secure.’

‘What are you doing?’ Jack asked, his vision slowly returning. ‘Why have you tied me up?’

‘We can’t be too careful,’ she said. Her face was looming into view, and Jack recognised her as the tiny woman who had led the mob.

‘I came here to help you,’ said Jack. ‘Let me go.’

‘Sorry, I’m afraid we can’t do that until we know who you are, and what you want.’

More faces became clear, and Jack recognised them as other members of the mob.

‘What did you do to me?’ he asked, noticing how lethargic he felt. It was unsettling, as it wasn’t often that Jack was rendered this weak. His healing abilities meant he never got sick, or injured.

‘The Sleep can often be confusing,’ she said. ‘It will wear off soon.’

‘He shouldn’t even be awake,’ said a man. ‘He is recovering faster than anyone I’ve seen.’

‘What is your Power?’ asked the woman.

‘Why should I tell you?’ Jack said begrudgingly.

‘You haven’t got much choice, Dear.’

It was true. Jack was at their mercy. Sighing, he admitted, ‘I’m a healer.’

This seemed to shock the group of people gathered around Jack.

‘Well, that’s why the Sleep isn’t lasting,’ said the man. ‘His Power is fighting it. Most don’t wake up for a solid twelve hours, but he’s only been out for half an hour, and already he’s coming to.’

‘His Power level must be stronger than yours,’ replied the woman. ‘No need to take it to heart, Anton.’

‘Quiet woman, don’t let him know our real names!’

They muttered between themselves for a while as Jack’s mind slowly cleared. He tried to sit up, but found it difficult with his hands and feet bound by rope. The small woman hoisted him up into a sitting position. Jack looked around at the group of people surrounding him; there was at least ten people watching him with narrowed eyes.

‘What’s all this about?’ he said. ‘Why did you need to knock me out?’

‘You can’t be too careful, Dear,’ replied the small woman.

‘Who are you?’ asked Jack.

‘I am Cecilia Pinschmidt,’ she said. Cecilia looked to be in her forties, with lines on her eyes, and a few grey hairs. She had the appearance of someone who had aged quickly from stress over a short time.

‘Don’t tell him your name!’ snapped Anton.

‘Oh, be quiet. This boy is harmless. He’s a healer, for goodness sake. What’s he going to do?’

‘He could be a spy,’ hissed Anton.

‘Are you a spy?’ Cecilia asked.

‘No,’ replied Jack.

‘See, Anton?’ said Cecilia. ‘He’s not a spy.’

‘Of course he’s going to say that!’ Anton crossed his arms over his chest. ‘He’s not going to admit it. He’s a guard, remember?’

Cecilia turned to Anton, annoyed. ‘What is my Power, Anton?’ she asked shrewdly.

Anton avoided making eye contact with Cecilia, grumbling something under his breath.

‘I beg your pardon?’ asked Cecilia.

Anton grumbled again.

‘
I can’t hear you
,’ Cecilia said in a sing-song voice.

‘A truth-seeker!’ snapped Anton. ‘You don’t have to patronise me.’

‘Exactly. I’m a truth seeker,’ said Cecilia, turning back to Jack. ‘I can tell when someone is lying. This boy is not a spy. I’m sorry, Dear, but you can never be too careful.’

‘Can you untie me, please?’ asked Jack.

‘Are you going to run?’ asked Cecilia.

Jack considered it for a moment, but decided that it was not wise. ‘No,’ he said honestly.

‘Are you going to hurt anyone?’ asked Cecilia.

Once again, Jack replied, ‘No.’

‘All right then.’ She reached for the rope that bound his hands and began to untie the knots. Looking around, Jack realised that he was no longer in the tavern. It was the living room of someone’s home.

‘Where am I?’ he asked.

‘You are at my home,’ said Cecilia, releasing his hands and beginning to untie his feet. ‘We weren’t safe talking at the tavern.’

‘You kidnapped me,’ said Jack, getting to his feet. The strangers surrounding him watched his every move carefully, as though he were about to pounce at any moment.

‘No, Dear, we didn’t kidnap you,’ said Cecilia, waving a hand airily. ‘We just transported you somewhere safer without your knowledge.’

‘There isn’t much difference, if you ask me,’ said Jack. ‘Look, are you going to let me leave without any problems?’

‘
Leave
?’ said Anton. ‘You can’t
leave
. You know where our headquarters are now.’

‘Be quiet, Anton,’ said Cecilia. ‘Sweetie, what’s your name?’

Looking around, and feeling extremely overwhelmed by the situation, Jack felt he had no choice but to be honest. ‘I’m Jack Greenwood,’ he said.

‘Well, Jack, please believe me when I say that we are no threat to you.’

‘You knocked me out and brought me to your home,’ said Jack. ‘I’d say I’m feeling rather threatened.’

‘We just wanted to talk to you somewhere safe, where we can’t be overheard. Please, sit down.’

Cecilia offered Jack a seat, which he took begrudgingly.

‘Can I have a glass of water?’ he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

‘Yes, of course, Dear. Anton, fetch a water for our guest, will you?’

‘
Me
?’ said Anton. ‘I’m not getting a bloody drink for a guard of the Realm!’

‘
Now
, Anton,’ Cecilia snapped.

Scowling, Anton retreated from the room to fetch the drink.

‘Now, Dear,’ said Cecilia, sitting beside Jack. ‘You asked to meet me in the tavern at midnight. Why?’

Jack looked around at the numerous people staring at him. The light from the fireplace flickered across their faces, illuminating their expressions of loathing.

‘After what you did to me, I’m not sure I feel like talking,’ said Jack.

At that moment, Anton returned and thrust the glass of water into Jack’s hand, slopping it down his front.

‘Drink up,’ he said.

Jack sipped the water and found that it tasted normal.

‘Please,’ said Cecilia once Jack had drained the glass. ‘You must understand our situation-’

‘Oh, I understand your situation,’ interrupted Jack. ‘Better than you think. Are you familiar with a particular Fire-Mage called Avalon Redding?’

‘Are we?’ said Cecilia with wide eyes. ‘She’s famous. All human activist groups know who she is. It’s because of her we formed our group H.W.L.’

‘What does that stand for?’ asked Jack.

‘The Human Welfare League,’ interrupted Anton. ‘But we just call ourselves
Howl
for short. Each of us has lost a loved one to the Realm.’

‘The Fire-Mage is the reason many Pro-Human groups have been founded. Our mission is to find our families, protect humans, and stop the Realm,’ said Cecilia.

‘Av-Avalon inspired this?’ asked Jack.

Cecilia nodded fervently. ‘There are hundreds of supporters across the country. We are just a small number. There are even Mages looking for her as we speak. We don’t want the Realm to find her. We need her to fight with us.’

‘Fight?’ Jack repeated.

‘Cecilia, you’re telling him too much,’ said Anton. There was a murmur of agreement around the room.

‘I trust him,’ she shot back. ‘He knows the Fire-Mage.’

‘Probably because he’s got orders to arrest her on sight!’ snapped Anton.

‘No,’ said Jack. ‘I know Avalon.’

‘You know her?
How
?’ snapped Anton.

‘She’s … she’s my girlfriend,’ Jack replied.

Cecilia stared at Jack with eyes as round as saucers. ‘He’s telling the truth.’

‘
You
? A guard of the Realm?’ said Anton disbelievingly. ‘Why on earth-’

‘I’ve only been a guard for a week,’ said Jack. ‘I joined so I could keep on top of the news regarding Avalon’s whereabouts and-’

‘You don’t know where she is?’ asked Cecilia.

Jack shook his head. ‘No. I haven’t seen her in weeks – since the wanted posters first surfaced. We were chased by a mob seeking the reward money. She was forced to flee while I held them off. I haven’t seen her since.’

‘How do you know if she is alive?’ asked Anton.

Jack clenched his teeth together. The thought of losing Avalon was too painful to think about. ‘I just know,’ he replied through gritted teeth.

‘Do you have any idea where she might be?’ asked Cecilia.

‘I thought I did, but she wasn’t there anymore. I don’t know where to find her.’

Cecilia looked crestfallen. ‘Oh, well. I’m sure she will turn up and help us liberate the human population. She’s probably gathering followers as we speak!’

Jack chewed on the inside of his cheek. He’d never heard Avalon speak of any plans to rise up and conquer the Realm. These people were obviously idolising Avalon under the impression that she was going to lead the rebellion towards freedom. Jack didn’t have the heart to tell them that they’d gotten it all wrong – that the Realm had invented lies about Avalon being the rebel leader of human organisations. Perhaps it was a good thing they believed these lies … if it gave them hope.

‘Maybe,’ said Jack. Cecilia looked into his eyes, unsure what to make of his nonchalant response.

‘So, what is it you wanted to tell us, boy? That you know the Fire-Mage? Or is there more?’ asked Anton.

‘There’s more,’ said Jack, his heart quickening. He looked to Cecilia and asked, ‘Who is it that you lost?’

Cecilia gulped noisily. ‘My husband,’ she admitted. ‘He was born to Mage parents, and raised as one of them. I knew that he was human, of course. I could see past the façade he’d worn for so many years. His lies were useless against my Power. But I didn’t care. I loved him anyway. He went undetected as a human for forty years before the Realm found out. They have trackers, you see, that can sniff out human blood. They took him away during the night. They were so quiet, I didn’t even wake from my sleep.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Jack. ‘I know all of you have lost a loved one to the Realm. That is why I wanted to speak to you. I had to let you know that the Realm does not keep humans at its Headquarters.’

‘Then why do they take them there in the first place?’ asked Anton.

Jack’s throat felt tight and dry. He didn’t want to be the one to break the news to these people.

‘They catalogue them,’ he said. ‘They add them to their human registration.’

‘Yes, we are aware of that,’ sneered Anton. ‘The whole damn country knows about the human registration.’

‘That’s not all,’ said Jack. ‘Do you know what the registration involves?’

The group looked at one another, muttering under their breath. A few shrugged, their expressions bemused.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Jack. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘What is it, Dear?’

‘They process them,’ he began, his voice breaking.

‘Process?’ repeated Anton.

Jack nodded. ‘First they sterilise them … they’re neutered and spayed like stray cats so they can’t breed.’

All eyes in the room were on Jack as he spoke.

‘If they have lived as Mages, as equals - they are injected with a memory serum. It wipes their mind of all memories until they are a blank slate, and can be sold on the marketplace.’