Ashes Unwritten: Oblivion's Heir [Volume 1 Complete!]

Rowan watched the light stream out from Rae's locket as gray Fulminancy crackled into the air around Kess, Rae, and Oliver. He held his sword on Niall, even as the Council approached. He wouldn't let the man interfere, and Niall still wore one of the lockets they needed so desperately.

It was hard to concentrate on Niall while watching Kess, though. Shadows crawled along her body and she had a gash on her head that leaked down the side of her face, even as she stood there with her staff at the ready. How she'd been able to fight the shadows off for so long, he wasn't sure—but he needed to make it over to her soon. Niall, though, presented a problem.

"Niall, you've done just as much research on this as I have," Rowan said. "You know that Fulminancy is temporary—we have to give it up now. It's the only way to stop the storm." Niall waved him off, brandishing a dagger.

"I don't want to stop the storm," he hissed, hand shaking. Rowan stared. Nearby, Kess's head snapped to the man, outrage on her features.

"What?"

"Now that our esteemed guests have arrived—" He nodded at the Council. "—I've won."

"What do you mean you've won, Niall?" Kess demanded, shoving past her brother with a surprising burst of strength. "What happened to stopping the storm? The city is doomed. That storm destroys the very mountainside as we speak. The dungeons aren't that deep."

"Well, I suppose you'd know, having been in them. In any case, some will survive, but no Fulminancers." He spread his arms. "In fact, all of the Fulminancers in the city are above ground. And, I suppose, a few others as well—your friends perhaps." Green light erupted from several streets over, and Rowan wondered what in the world was going on that would have kept Arlette, Eamon, and Claire from getting to safety. Niall frowned, blond hair blowing in his face. "I suppose it doesn't really matter at this point if you know—those caravans you two have been chasing were designed to separate the Fulminancers. I've spent quite a lot of time dividing up the city, you see."

"You were lying," Kess breathed. "All this time, while you were calling me a monster, you were leading us all on. Why, Niall? What does it matter?"

"Because the powers have been corrupted. I wasn't lying when I spoke with the two of you that night—Mariel believed in Seats for the people; she believed in Fulminancy that would aid and help the lives of those it touched."

"So you intend to kill every Fulminancer in the city to start over?" Kess asked, disgust on her face.

"Absolutely," he said, looking pleased with himself. "Frankly, my dear, you were a big part of the inspiration for it. I always thought that Mariel's heir would be a little more, well…" he frowned. "Political. Instead, it's been a string of bad heirs intent on abusing their powers. You were the last straw. Northmont and I convinced the Council that it would be prudent to gather more Fulminancers to deal with the Ashfall, and we cut a deal with Forgebrand—we received Fulminancers, and they received safety and supplies to weather the coming storm. As well as the promise of our best shelters for their people."

Several emotions warred on Kess's face, and those shadows crept further up her arms. Rowan moved slowly towards her, keeping his sword leveled at Niall. He placed his other hand on Kess's back, and she looked at him gratefully for a moment as the shadows retreated. Kess rounded on her brother then, genuine hurt on her face.

"And you, Oliver? Were you in on this?" Oliver looked away, trying to wrap his bloodied hand with a scrap of fabric.

"I was given instructions to contact Forgebrand, but I was never told what they were about. I was under the impression that we were gathering Fulminancers to deal with the storm." Worry flickered in his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at the approaching wall of destruction. Kess's eyes snapped to the Council. From their faces, Rowan knew they'd had nothing to do with it, and now they would die with everyone else. An older man just shook his head.

"We never knew, child. There's been a bit of a rift in the Council between the older members and the newer ones, but Lord Niall's logic was sound—though I fear we calculated both the timing and the magnitude of the storm incorrectly. Something lured it here early—a burst of power we didn't account for. We never imagined it would be this violent."

Rowan's gut lurched as he recalled his lights bursting in the city. Even as the Ashfall crept forward, little snaps of Fulminancy flashed in the darkness, swallowed whole by the storm.

"My lights," he whispered. "You didn't account for my lights."

From the grim look on the Councilman's face, Rowan knew he'd hit the mark. Predicted or not, he'd managed to lure the Ashfall here early—and perhaps send them all to their deaths.

"Well, regardless of how it got here," Kess said, "I don't have to put up with your cloudspawned rubbish, Niall." She left Rowan's side and marched towards Niall, who looked at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Rubbish?" He actually laughed. "You have the audacity to call my plan rubbish after slaughtering so many Fulminancers yourself? Tell me, Kess, do Fulminancers deserve this city? Do they deserve these powers?" He gestured forcefully at the Council, huddled together against the wall, fear in their eyes. A few tried to creep away before a giant chunk of city wall slammed into the battlements, carving a yawning gap into their only escape route. Fulminancy or not, the remaining members were elderly—they might have control over Fulminancy, but their leaping days were long behind them, and even Kess would have a hard time surviving a fall from this height. "They've been abusing Fulminancy for centuries. Let them die. Let someone else take up the mantle," he continued, eyes wild. "We can be better than this."

Kess stood quietly for a moment, the storm howling closer, the sounds of destruction echoing across an otherwise eerily silent city. She appeared to wrestle with something, her grip tight on her staff. Kess used to believe the same thing, Rowan realized. He thought of the Bloodcrawler who'd shown up on his doorstep a year ago, hating everything the Fulminant stood for. Hating even the mention of those powers. Hating herself. She wasn't that woman anymore. Finally, she sighed, and when she spoke, her voice was strong, even over the wind.

"You're right, Niall. None of us deserves our powers. I've abused mine—I won't deny it. Perhaps the Council abused theirs as well." She paused, running her hands along her staff. She met Rowan's eyes before looking back at Niall. "But it would be a dark world if everyone got what they deserved." Her grip tightened again as she looked up at Niall. "I can be better than this," she said. "I will be better than this. And I won't let you murder half my cloudspawned city."

She walked towards Niall, steps sure and confident.

Fulminancy and shadow twined together around her limbs, a macabre dance that told Rowan they were running out of time.

Kess lunged for Niall's locket, wasting no time. The element of surprise was a strong one, even if it failed her this time. Niall thrust his hand towards her, and though she wasn't close enough to touch his Fulminancy, the amount of power that coursed through him shocked her. Kess met it with her own. Rowan's touch had calmed that sinking feeling of chaos inside, but it wouldn't hurt to burn off as much power as she could.

She immediately regretted it. She cried out as Niall's powers flared around her, warming the flagstones beneath her feet with a white-hot heat. Even with every bit of power she had, her feet slid across the plaza. Straining, Kess dug further than she ever had, reaching for that well of power she'd only touched on desperate occasions, but then paused.

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In the past, she'd been alone, without bystanders to worry about. Rowan stood nearby, his sword out as he inched around Niall, trying to get at him from another angle. Oliver had mostly collected himself and eyed his destroyed locket with distaste, and Rae stood with that cat-like grace of hers, powerless, but ready to pounce when the opportunity presented itself.

Kess couldn't use her Fulminancy here—not without control. She'd blow them all off the plaza, with the Council members to boot. Still, she tried to pull more power slowly from that well, leaning her body towards Niall's shield. If she could get close enough, she could still snatch the locket.

Niall met her eyes and then smiled. The shield dropped, Kess lurched forward, and Niall's Fulminancy pooled into spears near her gut. Kess gasped and turned just in time, trying simultaneously to grab the locket and keep herself from being disemboweled.

It almost worked. Spears sliced through her ribcage and one of her arms, but missed vital organs. Kess bit back the pain and reached for the locket again, but Niall flung her back in a blast of Fulminancy. Her hand just missed grasping the chain as her fingers slipped through it, slick with blood. She hit the wall and blacked out.

Rowan charged at Niall from another angle. He didn't care that he wasn't really Fulminant. He didn't care that Niall had just put a woman he knew to be one of the most powerful Fulminancers in the city out of commission. He simply charged, sword in hand. Kess was down, and they were running out of time.

Niall stumbled back, his chest heaving from the bout with Kess. He wielded his Fulminancy well, but Rowan knew that even Niall had his limits. He narrowly missed plunging his sword into Niall as the man leapt back, dagger still in hand, and bared his teeth at Rowan. From the corner of his eye, Rowan saw Oliver move, but Rae swore, and Oliver disappeared from his vision with a yelp.

Niall blasted Fulminancy at Rowan, who clumsily brought his sword up to block the blow. As it hit him square in the chest, sending him back several feet with a crack in his ribcage, Rowan felt foolish. Why block Fulminancy? Didn't I see what it did to Kess? She had been fighting it with her own. Even with his own variant, Rowan knew he couldn't match Niall blow for blow with Fulminancy.

Still, there was something odd in Niall's eyes as Rowan raised his sword again, trying to ignore the storm as the wind grew stronger and several pieces of debris flew through the air. It was shock. Niall was surprised about something. He watched his hand, as if curious, and his eyes snapped to one of the broken lockets on the ground.

Is his Fulminancy not working right? Or… No. Rowan felt that blast. It had been fully formed, as Fulminant as any attack he'd witnessed in his life. That searing pain in his side was indicator enough of its effectiveness. If Niall had used the same amount of power as he'd used with Kess, it should have blasted Rowan clean off the palace walls. And yet he remained standing. Why?

Rowan circled the man, then saw his sword shimmering faintly with his own Fulminancy. When the next blast from Niall came, he didn't think—he met it with his sword, willing that power to reflect and hold. It did so, and Niall's blast backfired.

Though it was Niall's Fulminancy to begin with, he couldn't weaken the blow entirely. It sent him careening backwards, and Rowan charged, ignoring the pain in his lungs to pull back his sword and swing.

Niall brought up his daggered hand to block the blow, as Rowan knew he would. Fortunately, he wasn't aiming for Niall. He snagged the locket with his other hand, snapping the chain, and at the same time delivered a booted kick into Niall's midsection, his Fulminancy flying at the man. Niall fell still, and Rowan tossed the locket on the ground, spearing it.

Kess came to slowly and begrudgingly. Everything was dark. Had she turned into a Shadow already? But no, she was aware—she knew where she was, and more importantly, who she was. Her arm ached fiercely, and her side was no better. Blearily, she pulled her hand away from where she'd been grasping and found it slick with blood. Nearby, Oliver sat bloodied and beaten, his Fulminancy a memory. Kess would have to ask Rae how she'd managed that—if she survived at all.

Rowan fought Niall, his actions graceful and practiced even as outmatched as he was. Kess wanted to tell him to run—that Niall would kill him—but she could barely move, and her breath was too precious to yell with.

Rowan clumsily blocked Niall's attack with his sword, then paused, as if considering something. The next attack didn't go through at all. Rowan was on the man, sending him flying as he took the locket, slammed it to the ground, and speared it with his sword.

Kess blinked.

That only left her locket. Dizzy, sick, and exhausted, she pulled her own out. The Ashfall approached, tearing up streets not far away now, and random debris hurled their way through the air, forcing some of the people on the battlements to dodge. Nearby, several of the Councilmen ran for cover against what remained of the palace wall, leaving only the old man left—the one who'd given Kess back her locket in the first place. She looked at him, and then at Rowan, who watched her expectantly, and then, hands slick with blood, she plunged her knife into the locket.

She waited.

Seconds passed.

Minutes passed.

Nothing happened.

No Fulminancy hit her. No burst of power spiraled into the air to tangle with the storm. The silence was damning.

Nearby, the roof of a house was blown off as the storm wall approached, whirling through the air like a plaything. It was getting hard to keep her purchase on the stones as the tempest worsened.

"She lied to us," Kess breathed.

"It's going to kill us," the old man whispered, his words nearly devoured by the wind. The black storm wall marched towards them, unfathomable in its depths. Mariel had been wrong. It couldn't be stopped now. Unless—

"Niall," she said, voice rasping. The man opened his eyes across the plaza where he sat slumped against the wall, his Fulminancy spent. "How were you going to get enough Fulminancy to stop the storm? Before you lost your stormsick mind?"

He didn't bother scowling at her. Instead, he looked rather calm as he beheld the storm that would be his death. "With the lockets that you destroyed."

Kess pushed herself to her feet slowly, her body on fire, her mind sluggish. There was something she was missing here, but with shadows crawling up her body again and too much blood trickling out of her wounds, she was having problems thinking. Rowan appeared at her side, hauling her the rest of the way to her feet.

Kess winced, but in that moment of pain, she found clarity. "Give me a knife," she said, looking at Rowan. Rowan wordlessly handed her one, though his eyes were worried—both for her and for the storm as it crept closer. They had little time left.

"We don't need the lockets," she began, renewing the cut in her hand with a wince. "We can pass powers temporarily—long enough to give the city a fighting chance, at least." She leaned on Rowan as she spoke, a plan spinning in her mind. "Give me your hands," she said. "All of you."

In her focus on the lockets, she'd forgotten that she didn't need them to transfer powers—not if that transfer would be temporary. It would have to do, and even with Rowan's tampering, there would still be plenty of power to go around.

"Child, you can't do that," the old man protested from behind her. "Even with his touch, you'll be lost. You're already struggling to control what you have. You'll go mad, if you survive at all."

Kess winced as the shadows crawled steadily up her arms, though Rowan kept them at bay—for now. Kess shook her head. No. This was right. Oliver had been wrong. She wasn't a weapon. She wasn't forged to fight—she was forged to save. All that time spent stuffing her powers away had equipped her precisely for this moment—as a vessel trained to hold vast quantities of Fulminancy—if only she could shape it to her will.

"I've kept it under wraps for years," Kess said as she clasped hands with a reluctant and slightly terrified Oliver. "I can do it one last time." Already the power was an unwieldy and dark thing within her, a bit like trying to move a body that was too big and strong for her. It wanted to go where it willed, not where Kess wished it to.

The Council and Niall done, Kess fought waves of nausea and confusion. She nearly forgot where she was as she wandered up to Rowan, but his face brought her back to herself momentarily. She paused, then flung her arms around him, holding him for what seemed like a very long time, though she knew there was so little time with the storm approaching.

She felt tears fall into her hair, and knew that she was crying as well, but what else could they do? Rowan's powers settled into her, a calming raft in that ocean of Fulminancy she now wielded. It was too much for her. It would tear her apart, even if she was fortunate enough to control it for a moment. And well, what she planned might not work at all. But what else could they do? It was her last gasp of hope—their last chance for a second chance.

She stepped back from Rowan and nodded at him, trying to smile. She was left alone in the middle of the plaza as everyone—even Niall and Oliver—backed away from her warily. She faced the Ashfall, took a deep breath, and was gone.