De'Vas Chronicles Book 4: Chapter 34

Ash’s legs hurt as they neared Castle Markal around dusk. They had pushed themselves hard to make the journey back quicker than they had to the Exiled Princes’ castle.

The sound of the trumpet rang out from the ramparts, alerting everyone inside the castle to his return.

“I hate that damn noise maker,” Blake growled.

Ash chuckled.

“Think we could steal the trumpet and bury it in the woods somewhere?” he suggested.

Blake’s scowl shifted to a toothy grin.

“I can already picture the bastard trying to find the damn thing,” he laughed.

The castle gates opened while Blake was still chuckling, and two individuals raced through them. Ash swung the backpack off his shoulders, setting it on the ground as Selena arrived at him first.

The unicorn’s eyes looked him up and down before she wrapped him in a hug.

“I was worried you would be injured,” she said, her arms squeezing him tightly.

Before she released him, he felt her kiss his neck.

He saw Haylee standing not far behind Selena, though the otterkin’s eyes were focused behind him, and she had a slight frown.

“Welcome back, Ash,” Haylee said, her frown shifting to a smile.

Just like Selena, she hugged him. Only to give him a deep and passionate kiss as they broke away. Ash didn’t miss her eyes darting to the side of him and knew what was up.

“Oh, you made a friend,” Haylee said, looking at Rachel.

The elf quickly moved to hide behind Eva.

“We did, this is Rachel,” Ash said, looking at both Haylee and Selena. “I need to talk to both of you in private.”

Haylee’s eyes widened as they darted from the elf back to him.

“I don’t like the sound of this!” she said, frowning.

She kept casting glares at Rachel as they all returned to the castle. Eva took the elven woman to find her a room, while the party dispersed. Ash, Selena, and Haylee went to the meeting room. As soon as the door was closed, Haylee said what was on her mind.

“Faylen is not here to give her blessing to the elf!”

She crossed her arms as her ears went flat and looked ready to counter any argument he raised.

“Yeah, that’s not something we need to talk about,” he said and caught an eye roll from Selena.

He started to unzip the backpack and pulled out the silver ball. Both Haylee and Selena let out a gasp as he set it on the table in the meeting room. He then took a seat and gestured for the girls to do the same.

When Haylee finally left the door and moved to a chair, Ash started telling them about everything that had happened. He told them about Rachel and the device in her neck, about encountering Kaito and what he said about Cleo. He even told the girls about his arm mysteriously growing back.

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Selena said. “At least not for a hum—”

She stopped, and her lips thinned.

“At least not for most magic. Even my healing magic wouldn’t be able to restore an arm in seconds,” she quickly finished.

Ash let out a sigh.

“You had it right the first time,” he said with a faint smile. “We have other things to worry about, though. I refuse to believe Cleo is dead, but I do think she and everyone else in District 114 are in danger. Getting home is our top priority, and we need to figure out the runes on the Silver Ball. The other issue is Rachel. I want to try to remove the device from her neck.”

Selena seemed to be in her thoughts for a moment, then met his gaze.

“When?” she asked.

Ash recalled how many days Rachel said she had before WillCo would pull her back. Then he shook the thought from his mind.

“Tonight, if possible,” he answered.

Selena took a deep breath and looked to Haylee.

“Can you get Eva to bring Rachel here?” she asked. “I’ll gather supplies.”

***

Rachel slept as Eva held her. The half-full cup of tea Grace had made for her still had steam rising as it set on the table. Selena stepped forward and wrapped a white wool blanket around Rachel.

“What did you put in that?” Ash asked Grace.

Selena had run into the wolfkin while gathering supplies, and Grace offered her help. She arrived at the meeting room with a steaming kettle not long after Eva had brought Rachel there.

“A soothing herb. A relaxing tea is made from it, but if the brew is too strong, it knocks one unconscious,” she answered.

Ash looked at the sleeping Rachel.

“Thanks, Grace. I’m glad we don’t have to do this with her awake,” he said.

When Ash explained what they were going to attempt to do, Rachel agreed instantly. He had been expecting her to hesitate, or need reassurance that they would do their best. She just smiled and said something that made Ash’s blood boil.

I don’t have any magic items. If I return, they will be mad at me, and I’ll be punished.

“Okay,” Ash said, drawing a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

Ash picked up the makeshift scalpel Haylee had made for him from one of her arrows. She did this by breaking the shaft and reshaping the head into a single blade. Selena lifted her hand and used her Light Magic to summon a floating ball of light, brightening the room.

Ash’s hand touched the side of Rachel’s neck where the scar was, and he sent a low pulse of electricity through her skin using the spell he called Static Sonar. The way his magic had changed since his fight with Kaito made it difficult to use the spell correctly. He felt like he was using Sparky’s magic now all the time, only without the burns. Slowly, he increased the amount of magic he put into his Static Sonar until he mapped out what was in her neck.

Carefully, he made the first cut, sending a small current of electricity through the scalpel to cauterize the bleeding. Ash was no surgeon. The extent of his medical knowledge was a first aid course he had taken while working a summer job as a lifeguard at the city pool. He wouldn’t even consider doing something like this if it weren’t for his and Selena’s magic, along with the urgency to remove the device.

She’s not going back.

The process was slow as he made small cuts while sending out his Static Sonar to see what lay below the skin. Carefully, he avoided any major blood vessels as he worked toward the device.

He felt a cool rag run across his forehead and saw Haylee standing beside him holding it.

“You were sweating,” she said.

Ash nodded a thanks before returning to his work. After the next cut, he saw a piece of white plastic greet him.

“I see it,” he said.

He felt Haylee run the rag across his forehead three more times as he slowly cut the object out. Rachel let out a groan as he pulled the device free, and Eva held her tightly to keep her from moving.

“Okay, close the wound,” Ash said as Selena held out her hand.

She placed it over the wound, and he saw a bright light glow from it. Selena kept her hand there for a full minute as he placed the device in a small bowl on the table. It was a plain circular object covered in plastic that was unadorned, except for RS-12 printed on the side of it.

“The wound is closed,” Selena said to him as she moved her hand away.

He let out a sigh as the spot where he had been cut was now healed and closed. Stepping back to Rachel, he sent another wave of Static Sonar into her neck. One last check to make sure there wasn’t anything they missed.

“Eva, I think you can take her to bed,” Ash stated as he collapsed into a chair. “When she wakes up, let me know.”

Eva stood, cradling the elf in her arms, and nodded to him.

“Understood, Warchief,” she said before moving to the door.

Haylee stood and opened the door for Eva, stepping out with the orc. No doubt to help her since Eva’s hands were full. As they left, Grace walked toward the table and frowned at the small bowl.

“So much trouble from this?” she growled, shaking her head. “I don’t even see a rune on it.”

Ash looked over at the bottle cap-sized object.

“I’m sure there is under the plastic,” he answered. “Thank you again, Grace.”

He stood from the chair and started for the door, hoping for some fresh air. The smell of cauterized flesh had reminded him a little too much of Kaito setting him on fire.

“What are you going to do with it?” Grace asked.

Ash paused, looking back at her.

“I’d like to send something to those bastards that would give them hell,” Ash answered with gritted teeth.

Grace made a hum of agreement.

He stepped through the door and started walking down the hallway, heading for the stairs. He heard footsteps racing to catch up to him, but didn’t look back.

“I thought I would join you,” Selena said as she started walking beside him.

He held out his arm, which she looped hers through, and together they ascended the stairs to the ramparts.

Once there, Ash looked out over the castle yard as a cool breeze passed over him. He felt Selena’s hand rub up and down his arm as she leaned against him.

“Cleo is tough, Ash. They call her the Nightmare Queen for a reason,” Selena said.

She was, but Ash had seen her get seriously injured in the fight against the djinn. He knew she still hadn’t regained her strength from being in the safe Destry locked her in. He wasn’t sure if she would ever be as powerful as the Nightmare Queen he heard others talk about.

“I just need a runemaster and I can get us home,” Ash said.

Then he would know if Cleo was safe, if his girls, friends, and family were safe.

“Riverbend?” Selena asked.

Ash shook his head.

“Eva said it’s too small of a town for one,” he replied.

Selena bit her lip.

“There was one who lived in the town outside my father’s castle. I remember him commissioning work from them,” Selena said, her voice hesitant. “I don’t know if they will still be there. I haven’t heard much about my home since we’ve come here.”

Ash looked at Selena.

“I did promise you I’d take you back home,” he said with a smile.

She looked down at the courtyard.

“I do want to see my old home, but I also want to return to my home on Earth. If we can find a place that we know has a runemaster, we—”

Ash lifted her chin and turned to face him. His lips met hers as they kissed. She tasted sweet, and he moved to wrap his arms around her. Selena’s hands clung to the tunic he wore, squeezing the fabric tightly. When he moved to break away the kiss, she stood on her toes and tried to pull his shirt down to keep their lips together.

“I do my best to keep my promises, Selena,” Ash said. “Tomorrow we’ll head out for your old home.”