Chapter Six

Elise felt something cold and wet in her mouth. She swallowed gratefully and it momentarily soothed her parched throat. She sighed, relaxing her stiff muscles and lay there for a while on the hard, dirty ground. After a few minutes had passed, she slowly peeled open her eyes. The moon glared back at her in all it's bright glory. She started to sit up and a wave of nausea hit her like a truck. After a few more tries, she was able to stand up very ungracefully onto her feet. She felt herself tip and wobble for a moment and threw out a hand. She felt the rough bark of a tree beneath her fingers and leaned into it to steady herself. She raised her head to the night sky and almost jumped. There was a cloaked figure leaning casually against a tree opposite to hers. She recognized the brown and gray cloak, but couldn't see any details. Only a wisp of dark hair and a glimpse of pale skin.

"How long were you standing there?" Asked Elise angrily.

"You should be grateful, I saved you." Answered a soft masculine voice.

"From what?" Elise scoffed.

He waved a dismissive hand. "Being found, for one."

Elise balled her fists in irritation. "I can take care of myself, thank you."

The man crossed his arms and Elise highly suspected he had one eyebrow raised in skepticism. He crossed the short distance between them in three long strides, bowed graciously, and offered her a hand. She rolled her eyes. Every nerve in her body told her not to trust him and most definitely not to take his hand; and Elise always followed her instinct. In one fluid motion, she knocked his hand out of the way, pinned his arms to his side with one hand, and wrapped the other lightly around his neck in a choke. Elise was breathing hard and excitement was flowing through her like it always did when it came to a fight. The man said nothing, but his surprise was given away by a small intake of breath. She looked up at the gleaming stars and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Why were you following me?" She asked viciously through gritted teeth.

"I was curious." Was the answer.

This guy was infuriating.

"About what?" She persisted, feeling the need to know.

"About you." Another useless answer.

She had no time to be confused or angry about his reply because she suddenly remembered her mission. Her gaze slid fearfully off her prisoner and into the distance. The horse-drawn wagon was nowhere in sight. She glanced back once at the cloaked man. All she could see of him was a few strands of silky black hair and a pointed chin, peaking out of the hood. The desire to pull the hood off and reveal his face was overwhelming, but she ignored her curiosity for now. Elise spun him around so he was facing her and grabbed his cloak in her hand. She pulled him towards her roughly.

"How long has it been since I passed out?" She demanded abruptly.

"Only a couple of hours." He said. "But I-"

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off as Elise shoved him to the ground and bolted. There was no way she could catch up to the wagon now. Despair welled up inside her as she ran. The wagon had been her only guide to the palace and to find her father, but now she might never get her father back. Just the thought of it made silent tears stream down her cheeks, though it may have been the dust and smoke from the ground. Right as her lungs were about to give in, she heard loud male voices and skidded to a halt. She heaved a huge sigh of relief. There was the wagon. One of the wheels had fallen off and the two guards seemed to be arguing about how to fix it.

"Just stick it back on!" Exclaimed the first guard.

"It'll fall off you idiot!"

"Hey, I'm not an idiot! You're the idiot."

She hadn't been able to see it because it had stopped behind a big boulder. The horses seemed to be ok too. The shaggy brown one was sniffing the ground while the smaller, gray one was pawing at a big rock. She inched towards a boulder and hid behind it. She peeked her face out from behind it and winced. The moon was reflecting off the guards' silver armor and made it look like they were glowing. She could see her own reflection in their polished gear and pulled her head back, still breathing hard. She sat with her back against the rock, the rough surface digging into her skin. She took in the sound of cicadas and the eerie glow on the surrounding cliffs, cast by the moon. It was somewhat peaceful and pleasant at night. She sucked in a breath through her nose. Even though it smelled like dust and sand, she could pick out the calming smells of sage and heather. Her eyelids started to droop and her shoulders relaxed. The warm summer breeze blew gently over her face, ruffling her eyelashes. She felt herself start to drift away with the air current.

Suddenly Elise had wings. They were silver with black tips as if the ends had been dipped in ink. She was flying with the breeze, over fields and pastures. She could no longer see the broken wagon or the cliffs. Only the sapphire blue of the sky, the snow-white of the clouds, the acid yellow of the spongeflowers, the emerald green of the grass, and the feeling of freedom. She twisted in midair, marveling at the feeling of control. She swooped and dived and twirled. Elise flew towards a tall tree with white bark. Right at the last moment, she looped around it easily and rocketed back into the sky at full speed. Then, Lyra was there, flying beside Elise with her white and silver wings. They soared over hills and desert and forest and finally reached a big lake. They had been taught at a young age to always fear water; that it was ruthless and unforgiving. But Elise felt fearless and free. She dove down towards the shining water, Lyra on her tail. She tipped to one side and dipped one wing slightly in the water. She shouted with joy at the feel of it. The little droplets streamed off her feathers like a waterfall. She dipped the other wing in, and water sprayed onto her face and clothes. She and Lyra shot back up into the sky, then dove back down again, barely skimming the surface. The sun shone on the water, forming tiny sparks. Elise spread her wings out and-

'Crunch'

Elise's head snapped up as she heard the swish of one pant leg passing the other. The joy and feeling of freedom from her dream faded instantly, replaced with sharp anger. There he was, standing stock-still, one leg still extended from the step he must've taken. Elise stormed over to him and once she reached him, she stomped on the sensitive nerve in his foot. He made the tiniest noise ever that sounded like a mouse, before quickly retracting his foot. Elise felt a certain satisfaction. Last time he hadn't made a noise.

"Why did you do that?" He asked. "Why take relish in my pain?"

Elise crossed her arms over her chest. "Stop following me." She ordered him.

The man crossed his arms in turn and stuck his chin into the air. "You're going to need help getting into the palace."

She sucked in a breath. How did he know she was headed to the palace? "No, I won't," she said stubbornly. "And how did you know I was going to the palace?"

He dropped his arms to his side and lowered his chin. "Well, I assumed if you were following the wagon to release the prisoner you would have done it by now, but you haven't so I figured you were following the wagon to get to the palace." He kind of said it as a question, like it had been obvious and he had assumed it the whole time, but now realized that he might have been wrong. His honesty and openness was kind of touching in a way. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

"I still don't trust you. Please stop following me and find another project. She said politely.

He bowed his head in agreement. "I will do as you wish, Lady Of Ashes."

Elise took a startled step backward.

"What did you just call me?" She asked, racking her brain, trying to remember where she had heard the term. He cocked his head in confusion.

"Lady Of Ashes. It's from an old wives tale that I heard as a young boy." He said. "It means fair lady of the courts."

Elise narrowed her eyes. "Why would you- she gestured to a strand of black hair peeking out of his hood that signified he was from the Cinder Empire- be listening to stories from the Ash Nation?" She asked a little harsher than she had meant.

He flinched visibly. All of a sudden, he jerked his arm up to his head and swept the camo hood back, revealing his face. Elise's eyes widened. He was beautiful, but that wasn't what had surprised her. He had one gleaming silver eye and one black eye. He had a sharp chin and a long, pointed nose. His hollow cheeks contrasted sharply against his prominent cheekbones. Elise took another step back when she noticed the intense expression on his face. She stared at him, examining every little detail. He seemed to notice she was staring and blushed, color speckled his pale cheeks. A few strands of his night-black hair suddenly turned silver and Elise let out a small gasp. His hand flew up to his hair self consciously.

"H… how old are you?" She stammered and mentally scolded herself for caring.

He lowered his eyes to his worn leather hunting boots. His dark hair fell over his eyes, shadowing his expression.

"I'm not quite sure." He answered reluctantly.

Elise nodded awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. They both stood there, listening to the birds chirp and the guards argue in the distance.

She took a deep breath. "Well… are you gonna tell me your name?" She asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

His head perked up and a couple strands of silver streaked his hair, as if he was excited to have the answer to one of her questions.

"My given name is Wren." He told her, and deeply bowed. "It is nice to make your acquaintance."

Elise let a small giggle escape and clamped her hand over her mouth. She shook away her embarrassment and came to a decision.

"Where should we sleep for the night? Considering the royal guards will probably be up all night trying -and failing- to fix the wagon." She asked Wren with a hint of a smile. His silver and black eyes lit up and he pointed to a small overhang a few meters away. She nodded and they jogged over together. It was cramped and covered in spider webs, but it was kind of cozy. Elise plopped down onto the ground in a crumpled heap while Wren started to clear away the sticky spider webs, plucking them off the walls one by one. She watched him for a while. She wondered where he had come from and what he was doing here, alone. She got up and brushed her dusty hands on her already filthy trousers. Elise walked to the side of the overhang that Wren hadn't cleared yet. She started to pull the webs off the walls. A few minutes had passed without a word, when Elise felt something bump into her arm. She looked over in surprise. Wren's arm was still against hers. Her gaze slid up to see Wren looking at her curiously. She blushed and looked away quickly, continuing her job.

Elise spread her wings out and glided over the shining water. Lyra splashed her with lake water and Elise laughed at her friend. They flapped higher and higher into the sky together. Soon, they were above the puffy white clouds. Elise could see forests and plains and faroff mountains. The lake below them was dazzlingly bright. The two girls flew even higher into the sky, whooping and hollering. Suddenly, a net made of tough rope caught Lyra in the air. She started to fall and Elise was spurred into action. She dove towards Lyra, but right as she was about to catch her falling friend, a similar net wrapped itself tightly around her. She dropped like a stone towards the water, losing gravity fast. Elise struggled in her rope prison without luck. All she could do was stare down at the water, which was coming closer at a terrifying speed. She faintly heard a loud slap, and realized it must have been Lyra hitting the water. But the water was liquid, it wouldn't hurt when you hit it right? A huge shock went up her body as she felt herself slam into the water. It felt like she had landed on gravel. Her body was in dreadful pain and her limbs were all tingly. She started to sink below the surface of the lake. She struggled even more in the net. Her lungs were going to burst. She finally gave up trying and watched as the light faded into blackness.