Ash Fallen Read online

  Startled, Rosalie wiped her tears with the back of her hand, then turned to face her.

  Othelia’s cheerful smile vanished when she saw her friend’s distress. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she lied, not wanting to speak ill of Ash, no matter how upset she was with him.

  “It doesn’t look like nothing.”

  Rosalie offered a wan smile. “Ash and I got in a small fight. It’s fine.”

  Not wanting to pry, Othelia picked up another brush and joined in. The two women worked in silence for a better part of an hour before Rosalie spoke up again.

  “Where’s Charlie?”

  “Charlie?”

  “You know, the chestnut mare. Beautiful coloring.” She offered a feeble smile. “Terrible attitude.”

  “Ash let one of the prisoners, err, recruits, have him.”

  Rosalie paused with her brush in mid-air. “He… he let someone have Charlie?”

  “Yeah. I guess there was a recruit who needed to go back to his village. Ash agreed. Gave him a horse and everything. Let’s see, what was the man’s name? Tarlyn or something.”

  “Talon?” Hope welled up inside her.

  “Yeah, that sounds right.”

  A surge of relief rushed through her. “Please excuse me.” She dropped the grooming brush and raced back to her room.

  “I’m an idiot,” she said the moment she burst into the room. Her cheeks were flushed, more from shame than her brief run.

  Ash was sitting in a chair in the corner, tying his shoes. He looked up and caught her gaze. He wanted to be angry, but he was too relieved she’d changed her mind about him. He also didn’t want her to press him on his reasons for letting Talon leave. He forced a smile. “It’s fine,” he said.

  She felt guilty. “No, it’s not fine.” She approached him slowly. “You did a great thing, and I accused you of something terrible.”

  When she was standing in front of him, she crouched down so she was eye level with him. “I’m really, really sorry.”

  He grinned and pulled her onto his lap, kissing her. “Forget it.”

  “So, what did happen yesterday?” she asked.

  “I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about it.”

  Rosalie didn’t press him. Relaxing her body, she rested her head on his shoulder. She knew he’d tell her in time. At least, she hoped he would.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  “Did I see a female brought in?” Rosalie asked Ash upon his successful return from Grockdurn. She tried to sound casual.

  “Yes. Lexis. But admittedly, she found us. When the gas didn’t work on her, she marched straight up to us, told us she’d heard rumor of the Alliance’s existence, and asked to join us. She’s a Soother, actually, like you.”

  Ash was animated. It was obvious the woman impressed him.

  “Explains why she’s able to walk around so freely,” Rosalie said. “And, like me, will she be staying with you?” As hard as she tried, she knew she failed to mask the jealousy and bitterness in her tone.

  He rubbed his chin, as if considering. Rosalie’s eyes narrowed and she held her breath.

  Face splitting into a wide grin, he laughed. “Of course not. She’s going to bunk with Othelia.”

  Relief washed over her, and her face brightened. “I mean, it would be okay if you wanted her to.”

  “You’re a terrible liar.” He pulled her in for a kiss and held her tight. For such a confident young woman, he was baffled by her bouts of insecurity.

  When Lexis joined Rosalie in the laundry room that afternoon, Rosalie was determined to keep quiet. She didn’t want to strike up a friendship with this woman. There were too many unknowns, too many variables.

  The problem was, Lexis was hard not to like. She had a quick wit and a disarming sense of humor. In a camp full of men, and in contrast to Othelia’s quiet, calm demeanor, Lexis was a refreshing change. Rosalie found herself warming to her. They swapped stories and laughs over a mountain of laundry.

  “You ladies look like you’re having a good time.”

  Rosalie turned to see who spoke. She didn’t recognize the man who stood in the doorway. He was massive. With his flannel shirt and bushy beard, he looked like a lumberjack. He offered a toothy grin but something in his demeanor was off-putting.

  “May we help you?” Rosalie asked. Her tone was unfriendly. She didn’t want to encourage him.

  The man ignored her and stared in Lexis’ direction. “I heard Ash brought in a pretty, young thing.” He licked his lips.

  Lexis barely glanced up from the laundry she was folding. “Someone exaggerated.”

  “Not from where I’m standing.” He stepped into the room, watching Lexis closely.

  “What do you want?” Rosalie demanded, hands on her hips.

  The man continued to ignore her. Lexis continued to pretend to be engrossed in folding the mound of clothes in front of her.

  “I’ve been sent to keep an eye on you ladies. See if you need anything.”

  Rosalie profoundly doubted his statement. Her stomach churned when she realized she’d left her knife in her room when she’d changed clothes. Her eyes darted around the laundry room for something she could use as a weapon if matters got out of hand.

  The man put his elbows on the counter, leaning towards Lexis. “You make folding laundry look sexy.”

  Lexis was doing her best to sidestep the man’s advances, but Rosalie could tell she was getting nervous.

  “If I take these clothes off right now, are you going to wash them for me?” The ill-mannered man slid his hand down his chest. He hooked his thumb in his beltloop and stared back at Lexis, as if he expected a response to his vulgar offer.

  Lexis tried to keep the conversation light. “Now, now, is that any way to talk to a lady?” She moved to the farthest washer, putting some distance between her and the brute of a man.

  It didn’t work. He sidled up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her closer.

  She pushed him off. Rosalie squared her shoulders and prepared to jump in to aid her new friend. The man was a giant. She knew they were unevenly matched.

  “You’re a saucy little thing, aren’t you?” He pulled Lexis close and clamped his lips on hers.

  Lexis slapped him. Rosalie rushed forward.

  Startled, the man grabbed his cheek and his face turned red as a beet. He raised his arm to backhand her.

  Lexis lifted her arm in front of her face to defend herself. Rosalie knew she wouldn’t get to her in time. She was doing her best to reach her when Ash spoke up from the doorway.

  “My father thought it was okay to hit a woman too.”

  The chaos of the room came to a halt. Three heads whipped in Ash’s direction. He stood tall and menacing. “I broke both his hands,” he continued as he stepped into the room. “Made sure he never raised them to a woman again. Don’t think I won’t hesitate to do the same to you.”

  The man lowered his arm and stepped away from Lexis. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  “Don’t apologize to me. It wasn’t me you tried to strike.” He arched an eyebrow.

  The man turned towards Lexis. “I’m very sorry,” he mumbled, then slunk from the room, shooting Ash a sideways look of apology as he left. Ash glared back. He’d deal with him later. There was no place in his camp for a man of so little character.

  Lexis’ breath came out in a whoosh of relief. She rushed to Ash’s side and slung her slender arms around his neck. “Thank you,” she said. Her tone sounded flirty, and Rosalie’s hands involuntarily balled into fists at her sides. She had no right to be angry. Didn’t she try to charm Ash herself when she first arrived?

  Ash patted the woman twice on the back, then stepped out of the embrace. “It was nothing. You ladies let me know if you run into further trouble, okay?” Rosalie was surprised to see he was grinning at Lexis. Worse, he was flirting.

  “Did you really beat up your own father?” Lexis asked, wide-eyed and grinning. She placed
her hands on her curvy hips, playfully demanding an answer.

  He flashed her a wicked grin. “Nah. My father left when I was nine. I haven’t seen him since. But I was convincing, right?” When he shot Lexis a wink, Rosalie slammed the washer lid closed. Lexis jumped. Ash looked both surprised and amused.

  “Thank you for rescuing us,” Rosalie said. Her voice dripped with the sweetness of honey. Lexis may not have realized it, but Ash caught the sarcasm in her tone.

  Maintaining his flirty smile, he said, “Well I’ll leave you two to it then.” He made a gesture of tipping his hat, though he wasn’t wearing one, and left the room.

  “He is dreamy,” Lexis said breathily once she and Rosalie were alone.

  Rosalie took a deep breath. It wasn’t this woman’s fault she took an immediate liking to Ash. Who wouldn’t? “He is sort of cute, isn’t he?” she said instead, trying to sound casual. Her insecurities resurfaced.

  After dinner, Lexis trotted over to Rosalie, who stood stoking the campfire.

  “I came here to apologize.”

  “For what?” She kept her eyes trained on the fire.

  “I didn’t realize you and Ash were together.”

  Rosalie tensed and her ears burned. She didn’t look at Lexis. She continued to stare into the flames instead. “What makes you think we’re together?”

  “I saw the way the two of you gazed at each other over dinner.”

  “Sort of the way he stared at you in the laundry room.” She tried to hide the jealousy in her tone.

  Lexis laughed. It was a sweet, airy laugh. “Not even close to the same look.”

  Rosalie smiled and poked at the fire with a stick. Finally, she turned to Lexis and said, “There’s really no need to apologize but thank you.”

  “Good. Now, what do you say we sneak back to the kitchen and see if we can whip up a dessert?”

  Face brightening, Rosalie hooked arms with her new friend. “Okay, but we’d better make enough for Othelia too, or she may never forgive us.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  When Rosalie rolled over in bed, she was surprised to find Ash still asleep beside her. She could tell by the amount of light streaming in the window that it was late morning. She’d overslept – and apparently, so had he.

  Gently, she shook him awake. “No recruiting today?”

  Since she’d gone with him to one of the villages, she chose her words carefully. She didn’t want to offend him with terms like raid or invasion.

  He rubbed his eyes, smiling at her word choice. “No recruiting?” Then he shot up in bed. “Shyde, we’ve slept in. Today’s moving day.”

  “Moving day?” She sat up in bed and rested her back against the headboard.

  “Sorry, Roe. It slipped my mind. We have one last base camp before we invade Castle Druin. From there I’ll prepare my men with the training they need for battle.”

  Rosalie frowned, looking troubled.

  “Hey, don’t worry,” he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “There’ll still be hot showers at the new camp.”

  She slapped him playfully on the arm. “That is not what I’m worried about.”

  “I know,” he said more seriously. “I promise you, Love, everything will be fine.” He wished he felt as confident as he sounded. “I have one piece of good news,” he said, changing the subject.

  “What’s that?”

  “We’ve expanded our team of horses, so you’ll be able to ride by yourself today.”

  “That is good news she said.” But inside, she felt the tiniest pang of regret she wouldn’t be riding double with him.

  The Liberation Alliance was hours into the journey when Ash signaled his men to slow down. On the road ahead stood a family of three; their wagon parked partway in the road. The couple appeared to be in their mid-twenties; the little boy, no more than five. The front, right wheel of the family’s wagon had busted and the couple was working desperately to repair it by themselves. But the weight of the wagon was too great for them to lift on their own.

  Ash pulled back on the reins and held up one hand, motioning the men behind him to stop.

  Stryker rode up on his right, bringing his horse to a halt beside him. “Why are we stopping?” he asked.

  “This family needs help.”

  Stryker rolled his eyes. “You and your bleeding heart.” But he wasn’t angry – only amused.

  “If we get them off the road, we’ll have a larger pathway for the men to cross.”

  “Uh huh.”

  Ash grinned. “Fine, I’m a big softie.” He dismounted and walked his horse over to Rosalie, handing her the reins. She took the reins while trying to settle her own horse.

  “You’re not going to have one of the men do it?” Stryker called out.

  “You’re one of the men,” Ash yelled over his shoulder, still grinning.

  Stryker mumbled something under his breath before dismounting and joining his friend.

  Rosalie watched with curiosity and admiration as Ash approached the timid family. He extended his hand and the husband shook it hesitantly while the wife nervously rung her hands. Rosalie imagined the army of men must make an intimidating sight. Ash said a few words and ruffled the little boy’s hair as he spoke. Whatever he said, it put the family at ease. He motioned for a few of his men to help. Three of his men lifted the wagon while Stryker and Ash worked to slide the spare wheel onto the axle. The wheel put up a fight before it clicked into place.

  Ash circled around to the back of the wagon and retrieved a small bucket of tar. Sweat lined his hairline as he again squatted beside the wagon. His brow furrowed in concentration as he used the tar to grease the wheel, then double-checked that the hub was secure. He wiped his greasy hands on his shorts as he stood to his feet. “That oughta do it.”

  The husband thanked him with a handshake. The wife thanked him with a kiss on the cheek. Rosalie’s eyes flashed with jealousy. She knew Ash couldn’t help the way women responded to him, but she didn’t have to like it. She turned the reins over to him with a huff. He offered her a sheepish grin and a wink. She melted in response. With every selfless act she witnessed, she fell further in love with him.

  The new base camp was a dream – a luxurious mansion wrapped in brilliant, white stone. Walking paths surrounded the estate, twisting into entryways, outbuildings, and luscious gardens. Ash led his men to an impressive stable located to the right of the stately home. A small crew of stable hands welcomed the group, unphased by their presence.

  Taking Rosalie by the hand, Ash led her down the walkway to the front of the house while he left his men to see to it that the horses were squared away. He knocked on the entryway door, paused for a beat, then fished a spare key from a nearby flowerpot.

  “Wow, secure,” Rosalie laughed.

  Ash grinned back at her, then unlocked the door and pushed it open.

  The elaborate foyer took her breath away. The entryway boasted travertine floors, grand chandeliers etched in gold, and a marble statue carved in the likeness of a tall, powerful-looking man.

  “Who lives here?” Rosalie said in awe as she took it all in.

  “We do. Or at least, we own it. It’s headquarters for the Liberation Alliance. It was bequeathed to us by a wealthy patron who believed in our cause.”

  “It’s magnificent.”

  “Yeah, we call it home,” Ash said, shrugging his shoulders. He winked at Rosalie as he took her by the hand and led her to a nearby staircase. “The estate includes a team of roughly twenty caretakers for the home, livestock, and the grounds.”

  “Impressive.”

  Ash gave her a tour of the mansion with it spacious, fully furnished rooms. “Is one of these rooms reserved for us?” she asked seductively, raising an eyebrow.

  “You don’t waste any time, do you?” he teased.

  She wanted to tell him she wanted to take advantage of any time they had left, but that fact would make them both sad. Instead she told him, “I’m going to take
a bath, if you’d like to join me.”

  He led her to the nearest master suite. He figured, with his men busy unpacking, his absence would go unnoticed for a bit.

  Ash slipped out of the room, leaving Rosalie sleeping soundly between the fine, satin sheets of the king-sized bed. He made his way down the corridor, to the room at the far end of the hallway. When he rapped his knuckles on the door three times, he heard the turn of the lock and the chain being slid from the door.

  The silver-haired Discerner opened the door, looking bleary eyed and tired.

  “Has there been a change?” Ash asked, not giving the man a chance to speak.

  “Come in,” Marx said.

  Ash sat on the edge of the bed and his silver-haired friend took a seat in the corner chair. “Give it to me straight, Marx.”

  “There’s been a change,” he admitted. “Your victory is almost certain.”

  Ash offered a half smile. “But?”

  The Discerner took a labored breath. “I can no longer foresee what happens to the girl.”

  “What does that mean?” Ash asked, straightening his spine.

  “I’m not certain. I think it means there are too many variables. I’m afraid I can’t say one way or the other if she’ll be safe.”

  “That could be good news then, right? I mean, this time you didn’t see her…” He couldn’t bring himself to say the words. He’d heard accounts of Rosalie’s death more times than he cared to remember. At first it was no more than an inevitable, unfortunate story. Now the thought pained him and was unthinkable.

  “Again, I can’t be certain. There are no guarantees.”

  “Then she doesn’t come.”

  “I’ve explained this to you. My visions all indicate her presence at the battle is crucial to your victory.”

  “But again, you’re not certain.”

  Marx nodded reluctantly.

  “Then she doesn’t come.” He spoke each word slowly, with purpose.

  Marx knew when Ash made up his mind, there was no arguing. “I’ll let you know if that decision changes anything.”