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

Kess sat awake that night, tucked into a windowed alcove in her dark room. Lightning lit the room in blue hues, and the fire burned low in the hearth, a faint amber warmth. Rowan slept quietly on the chaise, having fallen asleep while reading.

She knew she should be sleeping as well, with Rowan's nomination tomorrow. Nothing ever seemed to go as planned, and she knew she would need her energy for what was ahead. Her Fulminancy returned slowly, and with it, a sense of dread. It was odd that Rowan's strange, unfamiliar Fulminancy would feel more natural than her own, but as hers crowded out Rowan's more calming variety, Kess found herself on edge all the same.

Outside, a muffled crack indicated that another tree was lost to the storm. At night, it felt like staring out into another world, where a lurking giant stalked through the city and destroyed what it could, then retreated back into the darkness, unseen.

Giant or not, Kess felt foolish for what she'd said earlier. Communication with a city-destroying entity seemed impossible—and yet she'd heard it before, felt it before, seen the faces yawning in its churning clouds. She shared a strange sort of kinship with it even as it destroyed the city she loved. The storm reacted to her emotions, reveling in her excitement and booming at her anger. Lightstorms danced with her Fulminancy, exultant.

She clutched her locket as she sat there, listening to the wind howl just outside the window, and took a deep breath.

Then she just…listened.

She let the storm wash over her, become part of her. For the first time, she opened her arms to the storm and its whims, as each snap of lightning and rumble of thunder became a part of her very soul, and she felt the storm swirling within her, kindred to that which swirled outside.

Suddenly, recognition chimed in her mind, and emotion swirled, greeting her in a whirlwind. There was recognition there, but also desire—desire to desperately release something. The storm caressed her cheek, warm and familiar, then swirled about again, as Kess watched in her mind's eye. It seemed like it was trying to…show her something.

Pain lanced through Kess, white-hot and severe, and she gritted her teeth, trying to remain quiet. The storm swirled back in, and some of that pain ebbed, leaving her with the same sensation she'd had with too much Fulminancy, only worse—worse than she ever could have imagined.

The desire to let it go, to send it swirling into swathes of destruction throughout the city was too much, and Kess tried to sever her connection with the storm, her body all but forgotten in the chaos. Then she heard a woman's voice, deeper than her own, older, but not yet middle-aged. It spoke through the torrent of rain and wind somehow assaulting Kess's mind, the words muffled through the chaos. It was then that she recognized it as Mariel's.

…a mistake. …cannot be fixed. I tampered with nature and now…pay the cost.

Kess looked up into the swirling clouds, somehow visible, though as far as she knew, she hadn't left the confines of her bedroom. There was nothing there but rain and wind. The voice spoke again.

Come to the center, the eye. Undo it or…consume not just the city, but the world. Don't trust…powers…consume…find balance and learn…Destroy them…

But the rest of the voice faded into something unintelligible as Kess cast about, searching for the source. The rain and wind swirled around her again, choking her, smothering her, and Kess came back to the low amber light of her bedroom, gasping.

Her clothes were dry, but her hands shook, and her heart thudded erratically against her chest. The fire burned lower in the hearth, and Kess frowned. A dream, or something more? She thought.

On the couch, Rowan stirred, groaning slightly as he rubbed his neck. He sat up, spotted Kess where she perched on the windowsill, then rose and padded over to her, his footsteps muted by the rug. He stood there beside her for a moment, yawning, then sat on the floor below, leaning his head against the ledge.

"We'll find them," he finally said, his voice rough from sleep.

"I know."

"That's not what you're worried about, is it?"

"No," she admitted. "Not entirely." Her hand still shook slightly as she ran it through Rowan's curls, thinking. His presence was calming, though the world around her was falling apart. She thought he had dozed off there, but when she spoke, he answered immediately.

"Rowan."

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Hmm?"

"What if we're messing with something we shouldn't be?" she asked, voice quiet. It was something that had haunted her thoughts since the Archives, made more immediate by the voice she'd just heard. Kess was, at her core, a simple woman. She fought in rings and threw matches because she understood that world. For a long time, she'd avoided her Fulminancy precisely because she didn't understand it. And as soon as her understanding of it seemed complete, something changed. She didn't like it.

Below her, Rowan sighed.

"Unfortunately, I think it's fairly obvious we are."

"That doesn't make me feel better," she muttered, scowling at him. He smiled, though Kess could barely see in the faint light.

"What else would you have us do? Whatever the storm is, whatever those Shadows and Blockers are, they're here. Sometimes we don't get to choose whether we fight or not."

Kess nodded absently. There was no path forward from this that would take them out of it all without dooming the rest of the city. But still, she wished there was a better way. She was tired—more tired than she wanted to admit, and every bit of progress she made towards finding her brother seemed to end in something worse ahead. It was all a bit demoralizing.

"What if we don't know what to do?" she asked as thunder rumbled overhead. "What if we can't fight it?" For several moments, the low crackling of the dying hearth and the storm outside were the only sounds. Then Rowan spoke.

"Fortunately for us, humanity has a long history of being extremely under qualified for tasks that they somehow accomplish anyway. Stubborn people like you seem exceptionally talented at it," he added. "We'll find a way, Kess."

Kess nodded, turning to watch the storm again, content to sit there in silence with Rowan as she ran her fingers through his hair. She didn't know how long she would have with him, but she knew she would at least not have to face the future alone.

That thought terrified as much as elated her.

Still, it gave her some comfort, and the noise of the storm outside lulled her more than it should have. Kess drifted off, hoping that tomorrow, at least, she would have answers.

Kess woke the next morning with a steady sense of dread and inevitability. The manor's occupants were busy boarding up windows and reinforcing the roof, a last ditch effort against the ever-strengthening storm. Kess tried on several occasions to reach out to it again, but apparently the storm had lost its ability to communicate long distance, because she was met with silence. It simultaneously frustrated and relieved her; she wasn't sure she liked the idea of being able to communicate with it to begin with, especially with the way it had swirled around her that night at the garrison.

With Rowan's coaxing, Kess managed to eat a little bit around lunchtime, though her thoughts were already Uphill. At this point, her worries were three-fold, involving the politics of Rowan's nomination, as well as a search for both Oliver and Rae.

The day passed, and the evening arrived, unbidden.

Kess didn't know if she should expect politics or violence, so she dressed for both. She was fitted into a gorgeous, sparkling, blue and gold gown, the voluminous gossamer a perfect cover to the regular clothes she wore underneath. If the evening came to it, Kess would have other options than fighting in a dress all night. She hadn't planned to take her weapons, though it pained her to leave her solid staff behind—there was just nowhere to hide it, even collapsed, and ladies weren't expected to bear arms at court, anyway. Rowan, fortunately, didn't have that problem, as men were allowed to carry ornamental staffs and swords—only Kess knew that his sword was anything but ornamental.

Kess tried to feel better about her lack of weaponry with the idea that she could form Fulminantic daggers with a little bit of concentration. They were nothing like Rae's sword, but they were long enough and lethal enough to do some serious damage. Kess had tried to make them longer, but the attempts usually ended with the power backfiring, sending her straight into whatever wall was behind her.

Finally, Kess stood with Rowan and Eamon at the entrance to the underground and their awaiting carriage. She looked at Rowan, and nearly forgot her fear as she admired him. Months ago, she'd begrudgingly admitted that she was rather fond of him, but the last few months had hardened him and given him a confidence that he hadn't had when she'd first met him. Kess found that she liked the change. She smiled at him as he noticed her attention.

"Funny what a few months of going undercover to fancy parties will do for your love life," Eamon said, cackling. Kess felt her face grow warm, and Rowan shot him a look, but there was a hint of a smile there. Eamon's laugh petered out, and he beheld them both with serious eyes. "You two be careful, you hear? There's too much brewing in this city, and you two are right in the middle of it."

Rowan nodded, clasping arms with Eamon. "We'll do our best," he said. Eamon nodded, satisfied, then turned towards Kess. He fished a slim dagger out of his jacket, the blade polished and sharp.

"I asked the tailors to leave you a place for this," he said, tugging at his own sleeve. Kess checked the interior of her sleeve and found the perfect place to nestle the dagger. Eamon handed it to her, and she sheathed it there. The sleeve fell in a way that made it impossible to tell she was armed. Eamon watched her, dark eyes serious. "Just in case, lass."

"Just in case," she whispered back, suddenly nervous. She embraced Eamon, the smell of leather and baked goods thick on the man, then returned to Rowan's side.

Kess and Rowan made their way into the underground and out to the carriage which would deliver them Uphill. Inside the carriage, with the drumming of the rain overhead, Kess clenched her fists to keep her shaking at bay. There was a finality to it all as they clattered through the city. Kess had no illusions that her identity would remain safe forever, and it seemed it had remained safe for too long as it was. They might be marching straight into a trap. She could only hope that she would be able to keep Rowan safe long enough to get some answers from her brother. After all, Oliver wouldn't work for the Council without a very good reason.

Would he? A part of her whispered.