Forest of Ashes

Chapter Six (Rough)

"What did she do?"

Ivan's words sliced through the noise of the forest, making everyone stop what they were doing and stand to attention. Not quite sure how to react, Owen scrambled up from his seat and wrung his hands.

It was morning and the light was breaking through the treetops, casting speckled light onto the ground. Ivan's face was illuminated by the sunlight, showcasing his harden expression. Lips pressed together, he frowned at Bree. She slept, unaware of his glare.

Turning to face his soldiers, Ivan directed his anger towards them, "We need to move. Now."

Everyone shot into action, his words evoking a sense of fear that frightened them more than the Mortem herself. At least with her, they knew what the outcome would be.

"Will. " It took Owen a couple of seconds to realise Ivan was talking to him. Jogging over, he waited for the commander to tie his hands back up. Roughly, the man restrained him.

Although he didn't realise it, Ivan wound the rope so tightly that Owen couldn't feel his hands.

Trying to move his fingers, he looked up at the commander who had just slung Bree over his shoulder. It looked like he was only carrying a bag of flour, not a human being. Even though he was holding her, she still remained unconscious, her face looking much younger when she didn't have a permanent scowl on. A slight bit of dribble slipped down her chin, making a small wet patch on the commander's shirt.

"Will she wake up?" Owen words were quiet, and as he spoke he looked at the ground. A heat was beginning to creep up his body, but he tried to push it down. The boy had figured out that emotions played a key role in his new found power. Every time he was angry, anxious or frightened he could feel the fire flicker in anticipation.

"Of course she'll wake up. Stupid girl. Just hope it's not the Mortem who's there to greet her."

Not quite sure what to do, Owen followed the commander as he gave out orders for the soldiers. A part of him wanted to run, they were all distracted, but he was curious about the

Mortem that they kept going on about. Marie would make sure she knew what she was getting into; she wouldn't run off with no idea of who was chasing her.

Wriggling his fingers, he tried to stop the fire in his body from reaching his restraints. "Who is the Mortem?"

The commander paused.

Fists clenched, he was silent for a few seconds. Taking a breath, he looked around and noticed that the camp had been cleared away and his soldiers were ready. "We need to get moving. Sam at the front. Kiera tailing."

Everyone formed a line of pairs, a behaviour which looked like second nature to them. Silence wrapped the soldiers, their eyes and ears waiting for any unnatural sounds in the forest. Owen tried his best to keep up with their fast pace, but he just ended up stumbling over tree roots and rabbit holes.

It was a few minutes before Ivan answered the question. Keeping his voice low, he moved closer to the boy. "She came from your land, Sanus. At that time, she was known as Tyra and was the Queen's sister."

Owen recognised that name. Tyra and her sister were from a small neighbouring land and rose to power when the king decided to wed the eldest. While the Queen was a prominent figure in Sanus, Tyra was never seen at processions and royal balls. Marie hadn't even caught a glimpse of the women, and she practically lived at the palace.

"Tyra was blessed by Noctis. But she kept it a secret. Not even her sister knew about it. A dangerous place, your land. Doesn't treat magic kindly." Ivan's words made  Owen's stomach clench: how would my family react if they knew the truth? He couldn't hide the fire burning inside him. Even now, he was using most of his energy trying to keep the burning sensation at bay.

Noctis' powers were said to be the embodiment of the darkness itself. If Owen thought his powers were hard to deal with, then hers would be a different story.

"How strong is she?"

Ivan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Bree told me my powers were strong. Free from human blood." Grabbing onto his necklace, he looked down at Ivan. While Owen was tall and thin, the commander was broad and slightly shorter than him. The boy wished his height would make the man seem less frightening to him, but it did the opposite.

Ivan readjusted Bree's hand, which had fallen off his shoulder and was swinging by his side.

"It ran in the family, but only showed itself once in a generation. The power was a secret no one knew about. That was until the King of Sanus gave them attention."

Owen knew little about where Tyra and the Queen came from, but he did know that they kept marriages inside the family. Marrying the King of Sanus was seen as controversial in their land, it was breaking the blood bond their ancestors had kept for generations.

He guessed that the blood, unsullied from outsiders, must have kept the power of Noctis strong.

"So she's powerful?"

Ivan laughed, but it was empty and devoid of humour. "Oh yes. She's powerful."

Owen's stomach clenched, and he fought back the feeling of nausea. Clenching his eyes, he took a deep breath while still trying to keep up with the group's fast pace. His foot tripped over the root of a tree, and he fell face first into the ground.

Something scratched his face. Bringing his hand to his face, he looked up at Ivan. But he wasn't looking at him. Instead, the commander's eyes were staring at a spot a few feet in front of Owen.

He looked forward. There, on the ground, was the metal coin he had used to free the stag. It must have fallen out of his pocket when he fell. He was just about to grab it when a bird swept down, landing a few centimetres away from the token.

It looked like a common tawny owl: its round eyes were pitch black and a mixture of white and brown feathers covered its small body, fluttering slightly in the breeze. When Owen looked closer, he swore he could see specks of light in the animal's dark eyes. The small spots blinked at him. It looked like the stars.

Slowly, he moved his hand out in front of him to grab the metal token.

Ivan whispered beside him, "Will. Don't."

Confused, Owen turned around to question the commander. But a pain shot through his hand, making him cry out in surprise. Looking at the animal, he saw that it had gashed his wrist and blood were now dripping off its small talon.

"Move away, boy. Slowly." Ivan's words were hushed, and he was breathing heavily. Owen knew his hitched breathes weren't because he was carrying Bree. He was strong. Was he scared?

Clenching his eyes, Owen forced down the heat that was building inside of him. Something felt wrong here. Ivan seemed frightened. Deep inside of his body, a fire was beginning to break free. Cheeks flushed, he tried to remember what Bree had told him: "focus on the light."

But all that came to mind was that stupid token and something else that she had said, "Don't ever get it out unless I say so." Owen didn't know why, but he listened to that small voice inside of his head and grabbed the coin.

He told himself it would be something Marie would do. He should probably stay with this scouting party, follow their instructions, until he could find a way back home and to his sister. Something told him that following Bree's orders would probably keep him alive. But these were all reasons to hide the one grain of truth, the only thing that made sense to Owen in this new world: something was pulling him towards that coin, telling him to protect it.