Ashes in the Wind

Walking out of the castle, we turn a corner, and I see stables in front of me. Jean and his men were already mounting up. My stomach flips with dread at the sight of them all sitting with ease. Catching my expression, Hannah giggles a little and hugs my arm.

"You really don't like them, do you, Dad?"

"For good reason. They're dangerous at both ends and wily in the middle. There has to be a better way to travel."

"Dad, we're in a medieval society. Not a modern one."

"There's a reason we invented motorcars. So, we didn't have to ride these infernal creatures." Looking at the horses, I shudder.

"Well, if you like, I could summon a dragon for you to ride." Walking around the corner, leading a beautiful white horse, Ellavessa gives me a warm smile, and for a moment heat rises to my cheeks.

"I would almost prefer a dragon to these things. Back on Earth, I was a homicide detective, not a mounted patrol officer. And you know why?"

"Cause unlike Mum and me, you can't ride a horse?"

"Because I can't ride a horse." At my flat response, Ellavessa and Hannah both look at each other and burst into laughter. Looking at Hannah, I see the smile go all the way to her eyes. Something I haven't seen in a long time. Coming over to me, Ellavessa offers me her hand.

"Well, if you're not against it, you can ride with me if you like." Looking at her horse, I swear I saw its ears twist back at her words and its eyes narrow.

"I think… ill… walk. That thing looks like it wants to eat me."

"Don't be silly, Oscar, you can't walk all the way to Maplefall Watch. It's too far."

"I'll give him a ride." Stepping out from the shadows, Marianne's announcement startles the soldiers, causing them to stare at her, their mouths wide open. As she passed them, the breeze blows and her gown flaps in the breeze. Coming towards us, I hear a bucket drop and a curse and then everyone finally starts moving.

"You can't be serious, Marianne."

"Why not? I'm heading that way anyway, so it will be no trouble at all. And to be fair, I can understand hating horses. They really are annoying, and they don't even taste that good." Looking at Ellavessa's horse, her eyes flash, causing it to whinny and dance back a few steps. Laughing, she turns away, walking back past the knight and beckoning me to follow. Feeling like I couldn't say no, I followed her. With a single flourish, her gown flies off, and her body changes in a flash that blinds me for a moment. Bigger than she was when I faced her in the garden, I look at her with awe as her tails snap through the air, brimming with power.

"Really, Marianne, a light flash. For an ancient being, you can be such a child." Huffing, Ellavessa hoists herself up onto her horse, ignoring the men staring at her. Turning to look at me, her red eyes glow for a moment, and I feel a piercing pain in my mind, and my entire body tenses up.

"Relax Human. If you don't, the backlash will hurt." Hearing her voice in my head, I breathe deeply and force my body to calm down. As my breathing slows, the pain disappears, and my mind becomes clear as if a fog had been lifted from it.

"Good. It seems you possess some talent. Come, climb aboard and we will be off." Turning to look around, I find Ellavessa staring at me coldly as she sits on her horse, her whole body rippling with tension. Shrugging to myself mentally, I turn away and walk over to Marianne in her full Fenrir form.

"Where do I climb onto?"

"Here." Moving faster than I could imagine, she turns and diving between my legs with her head, lifts me up and onto her back.

"Easier than you making a fool of yourself trying to climb on me like I'm one of those dumb things." Settling in on her back, I check on Hannah, finding her looking between Ellavessa and myself with an exasperated look on her face.

"We good to go?" Looking at me as I talk, she gives me a nod and with a few words and tugs on the reins gets her horse moving. Waiting for everyone to start moving, Marianne slides in behind the convoy of horses, and we begin to make our way out of the city. Following the horses in silence for a while, the building quickly gave way to fields and then forest as we moved along at a steady pace.

"Will you stop moving up there? You're very bony for a human, and every time you move, they dig into me."

"I'm sorry. This is a first for me, you know. Riding on the back of a Fenrir. Honestly, until I came to this world, I had taken every precaution never to get on the back of anything that wasn't powered by a motor or some kind of mechanical gears."

"Haha. You are strange for a summoned human. There have been others before you. Many over the years. But none have done more than strike a glancing blow against the Demon King."

"Is he truly that powerful?"

"He is both powerful, cunning and arrogant. He has been the strongest being in the realm for so long that he has not had to be afraid of anyone or anything."

"Then that is his weakness. The arrogant and powerful often overlook those they think are beneath them. It's a tale and a flaw as old as time. Surely the mighty Demon King wouldn't fall prey to one of humanity's most prominent flaws."

"Anything that possesses an ego has the potential to fall prey to it. That is a universal law, no matter where you are from. You show remarkable insight for one as young as you are." Laughing out loud at her reference, I shake my head.

"I'm not that young. I'm halfway through my life by Human standards."

"By my standards, you are still a pup. Barely old enough to walk, let alone have a pup of your own. But we see the world through different lenses, you and I. I think perhaps I shall entrust you with it."

"Entrust me with what?"

"Everything." At her words, I feel sadness and hope and a small tirade of other emotions I couldn't put a finger on come down the link between us. Looking at Hannah's back, I see her talking to Ellavessa again, the two of them smiling and joking quietly as the horses walked along at a decent pace.

"She cares for you, Oscar. More than she would ever care to admit." As she spoke, my stomach did the weird flip again as I looked at Ellavessa's long black hair blowing in the breeze.

"She doesn't even know me. Are you sure you're not going senile in your old age and seeing things that don't exist?" At my words, she lets out a loud laughing bark in her Fenrir form, causing everyone to turn and look towards us. Feeling the heat rising in my cheeks as I met Ellavessa's eyes, I looked down, focusing on Marianne's back.

"You have quite the sense of daring, Oscar. I am content to leave things as they are for now. But soon enough you will see I'm right. I ask only one thing. Regardless of what happens, take care of them both. They are both stronger and yet more fragile than you think." Taking a deep breath, I clear the thoughts racing through my head and try to focus on the task at hand. If it's one thing I had been good at back on Earth, it was removing the distractions when coming into a situation where focus and clarity were needed. You don't get to be a seasoned detective without some level of intuition and the ability to trust your instincts.

"How far away are we from the town?"

"You can see it just ahead." Coming over a small crest, the trees begin to thin, leading out onto a long plain. At the other end of the plain, a fortified town sat next to a river, its white walls shining brightly in the afternoon sun. Speeding up as the trees thin, we quickly make our way down the slope, slowing as we near the town walls. Just as we reach the shadow, Marianne stops suddenly, almost throwing me from her back.

"Oscar, blood. Be ready." At her grave tone, I open my inventory and equip the Battle Vestments. Just before I closed it, my instincts kicked in, and I saw the icon for my Glock sitting there. Pressing the icon, I watch as it appears just above my hand. Feeling its familiar weight, I tuck it behind the leather straps that hold the holsters. Holding up his hand, Jean brings the convoy to a stop a few feet in front of us.

"These doors should be wide open at this time of day. Men, ready your weapons." Getting off their horses, the soldiers drew their swords. Pushing off from Marianne's back, I land lightly on the ground. Turning around as she hears my footsteps on the ground, Hannah bursts out laughing.

"The hell, Dad? Are you trying to be Butch Cassidy or the Sundance Kid?" Giving her the bird as I carry on walking past her, dread takes hold as I approach the castle walls. Coming closer to the castle gate, I can see the door sitting half open, with no sign of movement inside. Coming up alongside me, Jean looks towards the wall with a concerned look on his face.

"I don't like this, Oscar. These doors should be open during the day or closed with manned guards if they are in distress. It feels too quiet."

"Jean, have your men wait outside with the girls. You and I will go in and take a look." Before I can take a step or Jean can issue an order, Ellavessa comes up alongside us.

"I'm coming in with you both."

"As am I, Oscar. I didn't let you ride me all the way here to be put on the sidelines."

"If they're going, so am I, Dad." Looking at all three women standing there, I give up, letting a frustrated growl out of my throat.

"Fine, but stay close. All of you. Come on Jean." As I walk towards the gate, I hear Jean issuing orders to his men.

"Men stay here and guard the entrance. We won't be long." Walking fast, every step seems to echo menacingly through the dead air. Like walking through a graveyard, the whole area felt like a place I shouldn't be. Finally reaching the door, I suppress the anxiety rising in my chest and push it open a little more, slipping into the town. The sight I walked into was something out of a nightmare. Strewn all over the town, the bodies of the townspeople were everywhere. Lying on the ground in whatever positions they had landed in when they were struck down. Children buried under the parents, who had tried in vain to protect them. People were thrown through windows and the sides of buildings as if they were nothing more than a nuisance and just left, half hanging out of them. Walking into the nightmare, I suppressed the bile rising in my throat, and the horror rising in my chest. Feeding the anger building there instead. I'd seen some bad stuff in my life as a detective. Shootouts and drug deals that had gone bad. But nothing like this. In the center square, impaled on stakes, were the mayor and his family. The four of them were strung up to look like they were dancing.

"Hannah don't…" I heard the scream from her before I could even finish the words. Looking at the town's mayor in horror, it all finally got to her. Running over to the wall, she began vomiting. Her body forcing everything up that it had in it. Taking a step towards her, Ellavessa stops me with a gentle hand on my arm.

"I'll look after her. You need to deal with that." She didn't need to say anymore, and I didn't need to reply. The look in her eyes was enough. Pulling the white revolver out of its holster, I look at the words written on it in shining blue letters. AETHERIS.

"Furnace." Watching as the rounds in the gun turn red, I take a breath. Knowing what needs to be done and doing it has never been the same. And sometimes, doing it is harder than knowing. Aiming down the sights, I squeeze the trigger. The bullet became a red line that led straight to the mayor's body. As it hit, flames engulfed the entire pyre. Not waiting, I fired three more rounds, watching as the flames roared into the afternoon sun. Almost as quickly as it started, it was over. Their bodies reduced to nothing but ash blowing away in the breeze. Raising the gun, I brandished it across my body in a cross. Walking alongside me, her body bristling with anger, Marianne looks at the destruction of the town.

"This is why he must be stopped. This senseless killing. If you do anything worth doing in this world, Oscar, make sure your daughter ends this madness."

"And now where would the fun be in that, my dear Fenrir?"