Page 26 of Beneath Swan Lake (Deadly Endings #2)

The smoke is thick throughout the forest, and it isn’t long before I’m forced to land. My wings can’t climb above the plumes of smoke and flame, and high or low it’s difficult to breathe. The forest is growing dark and dank with the reek of burned wood and lost bodies, and I force my stomach to not empty when I touch down and shift back.

People are running away from the destruction in the forest. When I step onto the main path a man and his family nearly runs me down, a large boy shoving me back into the bushes. “Move, lady! You’ve got to run!”

I let the terrified people stream past me as I stumble, their faces blurring together. Staying in the sky won’t help me anymore, and down here is utter chaos. Ray didn’t want me rushing into a fire in a feather-covered dress where I would be extra flammable, but I can’t just sit back and do nothing either.

“Odette.”

I spin around, not recognizing the voice until I find the source. Dahlia stands framed between two trees, looking back over her shoulder like she just happened to notice me. “Dahlia.”

She nods, panic filling her eyes. “Odette. You’re not with Raymundo? I thought you would be near the fires with my son. ”

I honestly can’t tell if she’s relieved that I’m not fighting fires or if she’s disappointed that I’m here with her. “Um, I’m not exactly the best person for that task. Ray wanted me back here. What are you doing?”

Her eyes meet mine briefly before jumping away. If she were escaping the fires, she would be running away from the destruction. But she looks like she’s moving towards the inferno, which I imagine is the last thing Ray or any of his siblings would want to see. From the very little I’ve learned about Dahlia since meeting her I’m actually kind of surprised she’s not in the middle of the fray already.

Another person shoves past me, and I glare at his retreating form. “What are you doing so far from the tavern? I thought you’d be right at the front helping.”

Dahlia blows out a breath. “I am.”

I wait, expecting her to say more but the tavern owner grows silent. There’s a resigned look on her face as she studies me before turning away. “There’s something I need to find.”

She doesn’t ask me to follow, but I chase after her anyway. The canteen across my body catches on the branches, and the smoke drifts around us as we move. A tragedy like this will echo in Sherwood for years to come. How many have died already from the flames? Not just people, but the animals in the forest who are just innocent victims?

Dahlia moves quickly, and I realize I don’t see any of her babies. I’m certain that she would be full of rage if something happened to any of them. They must have some type of plan as a family for what to do if a tragedy like this strikes, but Dahlia is far too determined at the moment for me to try to ask her anything at all.

We jog through the woods, her long skirts and my feathery dress catching on branches as we move. Dahlia never slows so I don’t either, but she also never turns back and tells me to leave her alone. I find it surprisingly difficult to keep up with her as we move, the smoke thinner here but still present enough that I’m coughing. Dahlia never falters; I think we’re running down a path she knows by heart.

It’s hard to determine how long we jog through the trees, and I’m gasping for breath by the time we arrive in a clearing. It’s a small clearing between the trees, barely big enough for animals to stop and graze. There’s a small stone off to one side that seems to be well taken care of. I’m panting, clasping my hands to my knees as I try to catch my breath. I thought I was in better shape than this, but my swan is too big to fly easily through the closely-knit trees and I don’t usually spend this much time running as a human.

Dahlia doesn’t break her stride, moving across the space to the stone. I take a few labored breaths before hurrying to catch up with her, and when we reach the little stone I peer down at it. There’s a name carved a little unevenly into the stone.

Jacob.

I glance at her, trying to piece together why we’re here. She doesn’t look away from the stone, keeping her eyes locked on the grave. I wait several moments, and she finally answers my silent question as she crouches in front of it. “Jacob is my husband. He used to tell such wonderful tales to the children.”

Surprise shoots through me, momentarily distracting me from the peril around us. I didn’t realize there was a grave for Raymundo’s father, and I don’t remember him ever mentioning a name when he spoke about the past.

Dahlia pushes the tombstone over, and my eyes widen as she begins to dig at the space beneath the grave marker. She doesn’t appear worried about upsetting the dead, and I can’t help wondering what her son might think. He’s literally the embodiment of Death. Surely this is some kind of offense against the dead, even if no body rests here. It's the meaning behind the grave that truly matters.

I lean in hesitantly, coughing as the air grows thicker with smoke. I don’t know if anyone can move enough water fast enough to stop the inferno before it devours trees and sweeps through Sherwood. We need rain, not cowards running away from danger.

“Jacob went on adventures,” Dahlia goes on, drawing my full attention again. “Always. His wanderlust is a gift he passed onto the children. Long before we started our family, Jacob’s traveling partner was his brother most of the time. Jacob would go with his brother on these wild adventures into places that frightened me, and they would write down the tales together. But their lives diverged down two different roads, and Jacob fell out of touch with his brother as our family grew. The day Jacob died… well, I didn’t think I’d ever see it. I thought my husband would outlive me. I thought his brother might return and help us look for him after the giant tossed Jacob into the clouds, but he never showed up.”

I nod along, eyeing Dahlia like she’s gone mad. Perhaps losing the home she built with her deceased lover is taking a toll on her mentally.

She stops digging and pulls out a small bag. My eyes widen at the leather drawstring pouch that sits in her palm. She opens the drawstring and turns it over, spilling the contents into her palm.

“Are those seeds?” I ask her, giving her a stupefied look. I can’t believe during a fire she ran all the way out here for seeds.

“They are more than seeds,” she explains, filling the hole again before turning the stone back to its rightful place. She kisses the top and I wrinkle my nose, unable to ignore the amount of dirt and grime the headstone has likely seen. “There’s only three. It’ll have to be enough.”

I follow her lead, standing as she begins retracing our steps. “Enough? These are seeds, Dahlia. They need water and we don’t have any!”

She spins on me then, her emerald eyes sharp as she glares at me. “Don’t think I’m naive, Princess. I didn’t leave my family fighting a fire to come out here on a fool’s mission. You think it’s an ordinary fire Camelot bathed us in? We’ve been trying to put it out since the first flame dropped through the windows into my office. They brought lanterns and tossed them into the tavern during the lunch rush. They used one lantern outside for every torch. I saw it myself.”

Shaking my head, I have no idea what the point is. “So… ?”

“So Genny tried to put it out with her air magic, and the flames didn’t budge,” she snaps, getting in my face. “Nothing can stop the flames. Not water, Death, or shadow. It will burn until nothing remains. You think the soldiers of Camelot came to play fair? There are knights among the men, leading the charge.”

My eyes widen. “Knights… like the Round Table?”

“Aye.” She starts to jog again back the way we came, and I match her steps. “Camelot has a great many beasts we don’t understand. Griffins, Phoenixes…”

Her voice trails and I pick up where she left off. “You think the flame belongs to a Phoenix? That they’re throwing Phoenix fire into the tavern?”

“Can’t see why it wouldn’t go out otherwise,” Dahlia pants, refusing to slow down. “We can fight to our final breaths, but we will only contain it from engulfing the forest. We can’t stop it. Camelot is making a statement.”

“Why? You’re a peaceful tavern in the middle of the freaking woods. You’re not a political goal, or a danger to the kingdoms. Why burn the tavern down?”

“Because,” she says, her breathing growing labored the faster we run, “my son is a Reaper, and he’s friends with the other three. Camelot is angry about something, and they took a cheap shot at the one place they were certain would pose no threat.”

I scoff, my blood simmering. Who burns down a tavern with people still inside? “So, how’s the seed going to help?”

“I told you before, lass. We’re going to contain the flames, forever.”

~~~

We find Rapunzel further down the path, pushing people away as they pick at her golden hair. Some do have real burns, but others just look greedy. It appears everyone’s picked up on who the Golden Princess is and they want a piece of her fabled magic. Dahlia draws a dagger from her skirts as we approach and they scatter.

I still don’t really know what the plan is, but after checking that Rapunzel is alright, we follow Dahlia along the path without question. Right now all that matters is stopping the fire from spreading, and Dahlia seems to believe that the answer lies with those three seeds. She’s yelling the plan back at us as we run through the forest, and I’m just trying to keep up with her.

“So we’re going to dig three holes?” Rapunzel asks, looking between us. We slow down so we can creep along the perimeter, the flames starting to eat away at the north end of the woods. If that’s not contained within a matter of minutes we can kiss Sherwood goodbye, and I’m already doubting there’s anything that can be done to stop the destruction.

“Yes,” Dahlia agrees, eyeing the princess as we try to catch our breath. Rapunzel is in the middle of tying her hair back into a messy but tight braid before looping it around her arm so it’s less likely to catch on fire. I think it’s still a safety hazard, but I’ve got feathers all over me so it’s almost a competition who’s going to be the most flammable. “It looks like Ray and Zarev are picking off the soldiers. Maybe we will get lucky and they’ll grab a knight, but I think that they’ve already fled.”

That sounds about right. Swallowing, I hold out my hand. It’s a pretty basic plan; we’ll run to three points creating a crude triangle, dig a shallow hole and drop the seed inside. We need water according to Dahlia, so Rapunzels’ going to use her flask and I’m grateful I have mine. I’m pretty sure Dahlia’s had a flask filled with something else before she poured it out and scooped up water from a miniscule puddle on the way here. I guess anything will do as long as it’s water.

Dahlia claims the seeds are powerful, and if they are planted what grows from them should be strong enough to cut off the flames. I’m not entirely sure that I believe it could be true, but it’s not as though we have any other options that are currently working for us.

“Are we set?” Rapunzel asks, looking skeptical. We’re close enough to see into the space now, but I still don’t feel thrilled about rushing towards a fire. It’s hard to breathe at this distance and we’re only going to get closer.

Looking through the trees, there’s a sudden uproar. Between the crackling of fire and the thick smoke it’s hard to see as is, but when I peer between the trees my steps falter. “Oh Gods.”

“What?” Rapunzel snaps, but I don’t look at either of them. My eyes are locked on the woman emerging from the flames. That family just won’t die.

“That’s Ysanna,” I say, swallowing. “Ray killed her son in my courtyard two days ago.”

“Well, that’s awkward,” Rapunzel mutters, but I can’t tear my eyes from the scene. “Two days you say? How far is Swan Lake? I thought it took longer for mortals to cross the continent, right? Without shadow magic it’s a bit of a journey.”

“It is,” Dahlia agrees, and I think I hear the edge of wonder in her voice. I don’t bother mentioning that the last time that I saw Ysanna I don’t think she had any magic at all. “And I’ll bet that’s Phoenix fire she’s playing with.”

How did Ysanna get locked in with Camelot? I know Dima seemed to have some ties, but I thought his mother was an innocent person in all of this.

I shake the thought away. If we get too distracted things will end badly, and we can’t afford that. I try to take a breath but choke on the smoke, and it’s enough to snap us all back into the moment. Ysanna can be here with whatever weird magic she has, but it doesn’t change the danger of the fire.

“Ready?” Dahlia asks, and I nod. Rapunzel mirrors it before coughing herself, and I can’t help but admire the tavern owner. I don’t know her all that well, but she’s built enough faith between us that the Golden Princess and I are willingly following her back into the flames to somehow stop this inferno with some seeds.

Maybe the fumes have gotten to all of us.

“Okay, like we planned, Your Royal Highnesses. You two circle and I’ll run straight. Go!”

We burst out of the trees, and there’s so much madness no one even looks our way. Ray and Zarev are completely distracted by Ysanna as she throws fire at them, luckily with pretty bad aim. There’s too much noise around me to really hear what the three of them are saying to each other.

It’s hard to see now that the smoke is thicker, and I start coughing right away. I think I’m supposed to be crawling to get below the thick of the smoke, but I could be struck if I take that much time crossing the clearing. And from the look of the trees we don’t have the time for that.

I stumble as I run, and when I look forward again I see flashes of red-brown hair, highlighted by the burning flames. For a moment I think it’s Ray, but the figure coming at me is too short and slight for that.

Sliding on my knees, the ground shreds my skin over the scrapes from last night. I’ve managed to make it far enough into the clearing to mark my spot. I start to dig, and with the smoke this thick I can just barely see Rapunzel’s long, glowing hair in the distance. Dahlia is lost to me. Rapunzel is supposed to start spinning her hair when she’s ready, and she should have the furthest point so hopefully the rest of us are done. It’s the only signal we could come up with that would be seen through the smoke.

Gods, this is an awful plan. But for the sake of the tavern and the forest it’s all we’ve got until it rains.

The figure from before falls down beside me as I start to dig, and for a moment I ready myself to fight. But one look at the girl’s face and my worries disappear. “Genny?”

She’s coughing but nods, and I’m proud of myself for remembering her name after such a short visit the last time I was here. “What are you doing?”

She sounds like hell. She’s been in the smoke too long as it’s getting to her. Her face is ashy and eyes red. There’s a dirty cloth in her shaky hand, and she needs to get out of here. “Help me dig. I have to water this but the rest is yours.”

Genny doesn’t argue, and the seed disappears into the ground in no time. With it goes all of my hope; this is beginning to feel like an unavoidable disaster. Pouring the water over the seed only takes a moment, and I’m coughing hard when I shove the canteen at Genny.

When I look, Rapunzel is almost impossible to see even with the glowing hair. The smoke is too thick. We’re losing. I failed to wait for my signal to water the seed, but it doesn’t matter now. I need to move before the smoke makes me pass out.

I heave and beside me Ray’s sister chokes on the water before handing the container back to me. We need to move before we can’t .

Something inside me snaps as I stare at the tavern, more smoke than flame. It’s going to be ash in a few minutes I think, and then all of my Reaper’s earthly possessions will be gone. His home and so many others will be nothing but ash.

It’s unfair, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Tugging on Genny’s arm, I struggle to get up, my lungs screaming with each breath. I’ve done exactly what Ray feared and got stuck in the smoke. We stumble together, moving sluggishly. I don’t even look for Rapunzel and the others anymore. Not even Ray, who would be infuriated if he knew how close the two of us are to danger. We need to get out of here.

But everything feels so damn heavy.

“W-what’s the plan?” Genny asks, stalling. She hesitates, pressing her hands to her mouth as she takes a shaky breath. When she lowers them, she seems a little steadier. My flash of relief is tempered when she suddenly reaches out for me.

My eyes widen and I try to step back. When she closes her hands over my mouth and nose I panic but no sooner than she’s applied pressure do I feel a rush of cool air, breathing a little easier.

Oh, Air magic, of course. I cough before pointing back. “Thank you. I can finally breathe again. Your mother wanted us to bury these seeds-”

I’m cut off by an eruption, not from the flames or the crumbling tavern. Instead the spot we just buried the seed at sprouts a gigantic, green vine, as thick as I am. Genny clutches at me and we move further back together .

Through the haze of shadow and ash, it shines like a brilliant green beacon, streaking skyward. Its speed is almost unreal, slicing through the smoke like a blade and leaving behind a trail of clear, untainted air.

Around us, I can see two more sprouts of green rising from the dark, growing from the earth.

And they are rapidly expanding.

Grabbing Genny’s hand I pull her with me, watching the base widen as the top rises higher into the sky. The green column doubles in size in a matter of seconds, and it just keeps growing.

The smoke can’t fight against these sudden intruders, and while the stalks aren’t clearing the air, it’s making it harder for the smoke to stay condensed. With the breaks in the smoke I can see a little better, and I spot Ray.

He’s still standing with Ysanna, whose arms are coated in flames. Her face is twisted with hate, and as the smoke clears more I can see a large gleaming blade. Zarev is there with him, but I don’t see anyone else. Maybe the soldiers ran, or the Reapers killed them. Thankfully, I don’t spot anyone that reminds me of Ray’s siblings either.

Dahlia is still too far away to see, but if there’s three columns of green she must be okay.

The vines grow and continue to thicken, not only spreading towards and above the treeline but inwards towards the tavern. The space for the trio to stand is shrinking by the second, and as far as I know only two of them can slip into nothing.

“We need to get back!” I tell Genny, tugging on her arm. She’s been deep in the smoke longer than I have, and her body moves sluggishly in response. I try to keep my eyes on Ray as he dodges the fire Ysanna wields, and Zarev does something that moves him between the two momentarily before he jumps back again.

I look up, watching the green pillars disappear into the sky. They grow, reaching beyond what I can see, and I don’t know if we’ve created a solution or a brand new problem.

“Girls! Genny!”

Turning with Ray’s sister still clinging to me, I look through the haze. Someone from back in the trees rushes at us, the ground shaking as the vines tear through the earth.

“Thomas,” Genny gaps. As he draws nearer I recognize the deep color of his hair and I realize this is one of her brothers. He’s smudged by dirt, blood, and ash when he reaches us.

“Let’s go,” he says, tugging on our arms. I turn back, needing to see where Ray is in the chaos.

The vines are closing in on them, and panic seizes my chest as the earth rumbles. “They’re going to be trapped in there!”

Even with the inferno fighting to overtake the green pillars, the three green towers remain unbothered by the smoke and flame. The towering vines are rapidly closing in on the tavern and the trio fighting within, the burnt wood creaking and breaking as the bases thicken to an impossible size. It’s kind of like filling up a bowl, but it looks like the three green stalks are going to keep closing in until there’s no space left .

“They have the shadows,” Thomas reasons, tugging on our arms. “They’re Reapers! Let them do their work!”

I get the feeling Thomas has given his siblings this talk before. Reluctantly I let him pull me back, Genny letting him drag her away. Her hand is back at her mouth, and I have the feeling she’s using her magic to breathe again. Smart girl.

But if these vines are as supernatural as they look, they might be enough to stop the fires. We turn together, and I almost feel relieved. Maybe this insane plan will stop the fire after all -

Thomas suddenly screams, dropping his sister as they slam into the ground. I stumble as his guiding hand falls away, my knees slamming into the ground again.

His screaming continues, and I snap my neck around to find what struck him.

Ysanna.

I can’t read her expression from here, but the fast-rising vines are slowly closing her in. The light surrounding her looks dimmer too, and I can’t see the glimmer of any weapons now. I can’t see either Reaper.

As I watch, the cracking and rumbling of the earth intensifies, and the tavern is torn from the ground with enough force that I have a hard time keeping my face from slamming into the dirt. The vines have grown to a size I’ve never seen, and Ysanna and the tavern rise quickly into the sky. As the green pillars rise up, they narrow and draw together, and I can see what’s going to happen almost in slow motion .

It’s then that I notice Ray and Zarev beyond the edges of the space, escaping like the shadows they truly are. Behind them Ysanna lunges forward, her body leaping to escape the vines as they close the space. It’s happening too fast -

A blast of air flattens me and I crack my jaw against the ground but can’t tear my eyes from the scene. Ysanna is thrown back, the scattered and burnt debris soaring away as the gust of air sends her tumbling back between the vines.

And the space closes, sealing shut.

I’m frozen, holding my breath and staring between the patches of clear and smoky air at the space. The vines keep rising, twisting, and I stare at the green stalks as they climb into the sky, carrying the remains of the tavern and Ysanna away.

There should be a space beneath. I wait for the smoldering remains of the tavern to tumble out in pieces, and Ysanna’s flaming body. But nothing comes, and the vines keep climbing. It’s sealed shut.

Turning, I feel the shadows ghost across my skin, and then Ray is there. He kneels beside his brother, and for the first time I look up at his sister. Her hands still press forward, and she stares out at the space with horror in her eyes.

“Thomas,” Ray says, kneeling with his brother. Genny is still shocked, not even registering that she needs to move. “Thomas! Zarev, get Goldie!”

I scramble up to join him, shoving back my hair as the wind changes direction. A gasp escapes when I stand and peer over Ray’s shoulder, seeing the burnt flesh across Thomas’ right side and his face. He’s still screaming, but the noise is fractured between whimpers of pain.

I look around wildly. “We need Rapunzel.”

“Zarev’s gone to get her,” Ray stays, looking around. “I - I need to move him.”

I eye Thomas, who’s bulkier than Ray and crying out in pain. Even with the shadows it’s going to strain my Reaper, and I actually don’t know if moving someone so injured through the darkness hurts them or not.

“Tom,” Genny says, falling beside her brother. I look around madly again, but I can’t see anyone else. Not Zarev, Rapunzel, or Dahlia. The green stalks are the only fixture I can make out around the smoke, and my cough returns when I take too deep of a breath.

“You need to move,” someone says, startling all of us. I spin and jump back, not really excited to deal with someone else, and turn and stare.

The man approaching has taloned nails, long and pointed and dripping with blood. They remind me of claws. He has cat ears covered in pink and purple fluff, and there’s bits of red blood dripping from them.

“Who are you?” I breathe, glancing down. Ray is watching, a guarded look in his eyes. If he has to get up and fight someone, Tom could die.

“Oh, I’m a friend of Rapunzel,” he says, crossing his arm as he draws closer. “You might say we are close, we even used to share a bed. ”

I frown, unsure what to say to that. Is this man trustworthy?

All of a sudden Zarev and Rapunzel appear, and she rips herself away from him to scramble over to Thomas and fall to his side. Her hair is no longer contained by the braid, and her cheeks are red from exertion while her hair dimly glows.

Zarev is all business, his eyes immediately turning to the stranger. “Cyrus, at least be useful. Guide them back through the smoke.”

“We need to shadow hop-” Ray begins, but Zarev spins around and cuts him off. With those fearsome red eyes and a sneer tugging at his lips, he’s kind of terrifying.

“Not enough energy for that, Ray. Even combined we need to reserve our magic to save your brother. Cyrus, take the girls and go. Rapunzel has to stay with Thomas.”

“You could do it-”

“Ray,” he growls, turning back. “We aren’t far from the path and they can run from the flames heading north. I need to go back and grab your mother.”

At the mention of Dahlia his protests die, and fear lights his vision once more. “Ma?”

He nods at Ray, before turning to Cyrus again. “Lead them, now. We’ll get Thomas and Dahlia out.”

I want to stay with Ray, but there’s nothing that I can do to help so my protest dies on my lips. I can’t heal and I don’t think my swan is of any use. My chest aches when I try to breathe, and I press a hand to my heart as I try and fail to hold back a cough.

I try to look at the sky. Where early evening should be giving us a pretty pink-ish scene this time of year, the smoke and the giant stalks cover everything. We need rain if we want to see a clear sky again anytime soon.

“Come on,” Cyrus says, and I look back at the Reapers once more. Rapunzel’s hands are glowing, and Zarev is watching them intently. We need to be moving but, Gods, I want to stay. I realize that Ray has his brother and his mom to think about, and I will only cause a distraction and issues staying here. Reluctantly, with a last glance at my Reaper, I follow Cyrus through the trees away from the green giants, Genny behind me.