Land of Smoke and Ashes

Hands of the Creator

"Agreed," Edward said. "Come on."

They crept across the walkway, toward the tower. It felt terribly exposed out in the open, and Natalie instinctively crouched low as they moved forward. She noticed that in front Edward was doing the same.

"It won't be locked," Edward said. "Not when they're in there."

It wasn't. They slipped into the tower relatively unnoticed, and Natalie took a quick, furtive look around. The place was done up to look a bit like some kind of mad scientist's lab. There were wooden boxes, crates and chests against every wall, and the tables in the center of the room held beakers full of colorful liquids and powders.

In the center of the room, there was a high screen, a room divider, and Natalie and Edward froze as voices floated from behind the screen.

"Aren't you tired yet, Marion? This could all be over so fast. After so many years, you must think about it sometimes, don't you?"

A man's voice, low and soft. He was friendly sounding, but the words were laced with an undeniable threat.

"Of course I'm tired, but I've been through more than one of your kind. She tires of you faster than I do even. And then what do you think happens?"

The woman's voice sent goosebumps racing over Natalie's arms. It was soft, with the very faint lilt of an accent. She remembered, faintly, very faintly, her mother sounding like that.

Edward crept forward, grim-faced. He kept his voice low. "I'm going to take care of him. While I do that, you get her out of here."

He was going to face his father, distract him while they escaped, maybe fight him. Natalie wanted to reach out and touch his arm, but she restrained herself. Instead she whispered, "Thank you."

She'd been expecting some kind of snark in return, but Edward only nodded and kept moving forward. She slowed and let him be the first one around the screen.

There was a moment of stunned silence from behind the divider, and then the man's voice said, "Edward, what—" followed by a tremendous crash as the screen tipped over. Edward and his father crashed down on top of it, rolling across the ground. There was a flash of silver as Edward's dagger came down to meet his father's own blade.

Natalie shook herself, forcing herself into action. The screen had revealed a woman sitting in the chair behind it. She stared at Natalie in shock, unmoving.

The woman's face was pale and smudged with dirt. But she had the same heart-shaped features—though they had gone gaunt, and her cheekbones jutted more than they did in the picture Natalie carried. Her eyes were the same, though shadowed and a little glassy looking.

"Mom." She breathed the word before she could stop herself, and the woman's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Natalie? How..." Her voice was thin and trembling.

Natalie nodded, swallowing against the tightness in her throat. Tears stung the backs of her eyes, but she didn't have time to break down. Not right now. She could see the thick leather straps pinning her mother's arms to the chair.

Another crash, and she heard Edward swear loudly. When she glanced over the two men were facing off against one another, both bloodied and wary. They were across the room, partially blocked by a set of shelves, and thankfully Edward's father didn't seem to realize Natalie was there yet.

Hands shaking, she fumbled with the straps, getting the first two unbuckled.

Even as she struggled with them she couldn't help notice that her mother was alarmingly skinny, her collar bones jutting out sharply above the collar of the ragged brown dress she wore. Her arms were pale and slender, marked by dirt or bruises here and there, and her hair was long and tangled. Her eyes were huge as she stood completely still, searching Natalie's face.

She had scars on the side of her face, thin white ones, and down the sides of her neck. Natalie blinked tears back. Hopefully Edward would kill his father.

Finally, she managed to get the last strap undone, and she stood up so fast her head spun momentarily.

For a moment, Marion Porter only stared at her, eyes wide. "Natalie?" she said softly.

"Yes, its' me." Natalie darted another quick look at Edward and his father, just as they lunged at one another. Glass shattered as they knocked into the shelf. If Edward's father moved slightly to the left he would see them. "Mom, we have to go."

This seemed to knock her mother out of the stupor she was in. She blinked, gaze darting across the room to the fighting men.

"Oh. Yes, yes let's go. I—I'll ask questions on the way."

Their footsteps echoed on the way out, and Natalie was fairly certain the door slammed shut behind them, but if Edward's father knew his prisoner had escaped, he was too preoccupied with fighting his son to come after them. The hallway behind them remained clear.

They were running full tilt now, down the branching hallway she and Edward had come through. Out into the broader hallway with the slits of windows she had peered out on the way there.

"How did you get here?" Marion Porter's voice came in a gasp as they ran.

"I found your necklace in the attic." Natalie paused. "Wait, we can get back now, right? Do you know how to use this properly? To get us back right away?" She plunged her hand into her pocket and came out with the pendant, the broken chain dangling between her fingers.

Marion's gaunt face took on an expression of relief. "You have it! Natalie, honey, I can't believe you did it. I'd hoped your father would find it. That he would put two and two together. But you..."

She reached out for the necklace, and the look on her face—one of fond familiarity—was enough that Natalie handed it over without protest for the first time. This was her mother's necklace, she had been meant to return it all along.