To Ashes And Blood Novels & Stories

ADRIAN’S POV I didn’t know why this moment felt heavier than the others, only that something about it refused to pass quietly. It lingered, pressing against my chest, demanding to be felt instead of ignored. Asher doesn’t die the way men like him expect to. There’s no grand speech. No last command that bends the world to his will. No army rising at his back in one final act of loyalty. He’s on the ground, blood soaking into ruined earth, breath coming in broken, wet pulls that rattle more than they sustain.

The closer she approached the ruined buildings of the Blood Wolves clan, the heavier her body feels. Asha took a deep breath as she entered the central square, but her steps did not continue as she fell down to her knees with a plop. The crisp sound of her knees hitting the brick ground echoed in the quiet square, and such a fall could have hurt her kneecaps heavily, but Asha’s dark pupils did not even blink at the pain as it stared straight at the bodies piled up at the center of the square. The smell of blood and the slightly rotten odor in the air managed to break through Asha’s newly created shell as tears fell down her unblinking eyes like a waterfall.

And I have walked far enough into this forest to know, it remembers me too. I smell ash long before I see it. The herb I seek, Ashbane, grows only in cursed ground. Born from the blood of wolves and witches who died here in a war no one speaks of. A war where betrayal hung heavier than victory. The kind of place Inferno calls "ripe with truth and ruin." I call it dangerous. But he insisted. So I came.

I used my air magic, so I lift the ash's off the ground and then I used earth to make a whole in the ground and place the ash's in the hole and cover it back up. Then we all go for some rest. In the morning the rain is coming down, so fast that you can hardly see through it. I look at Arizer and he is carving something and when I have a look I am gobsmacked. It is the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a mixture of symbols for witches, wolves, elves and vampires all blended with swirls and flowers. It says in the middle "Here lies the bravest men and women I will ever meet. They deserve to rest in peace. Asher Evans, sacrificed himself for the good of the world."

I took Axil's palm and tapped my finger lightly against it, watching as a dot of blood appeared and trailed onto my hand, absorbing itself into my skin. I used the podium as the center base of the barrier and knelt down and placed a hand against the wooden surface, feeling my magic boiling inside of me due to the drop of Axil's blood. I allowed that magic to bubble forward as a stream of hot blood suddenly erupted from my fingertips and dove themselves into the wooden platform beneath us. "Ashes to ashes Blood to blood Surround the masses Bring forth the flood Blood rises above all Yet seeps beneath the feet Trap these bodies within the wall

Just then Queen Morgan clutched his head with her fingers. His body turned to ash, scattering on the blood-soaked ground. Raven’s cry was inhuman. Ara, her wolf, howled through her… it was a sound of raw, soul-deep rage. “Brother!” I heard Asher scream, his voice hoarse with disbelief and heartbreak. But I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even breathe. I stood frozen in the middle of battle, staring at the ashes where Ansel had once been. My brother.. even with his flaws, even though he had lost his path ..but still my blood.. and now he was gone.

I received a letter written in blood. "Soul-bound, 'til death do us part. I kept my promise. —Kaelen" A few drops of dried, brown blood stained the paper. Marcus stood beside me. "Should I take care of this?" he asked gently. I shook my head and placed the letter in a drawer. I heard that on the night of the full moon, he severed his connection to the Moon Goddess, letting his wolf spirit dissipate into the night sky. It is the most sacred, and most painful, way for a werewolf to die.

Like something that doesn’t want to forget being open. “ELORA!” Ruby yells. “I’ve got it!” I choke. The creature thrashes, its body unraveling as the breach narrows. YOU CANNOT CLOSE WHAT YOU ARE, it screeches. “Watch me,” I snarl. The silver surges—not outward this time, but in. Wrapping the tear, stitching it together with something that feels like choice made solid. The creature screams one last time,and collapses into ash. The tear snaps shut. Silence crashes down.

Something deliberate. I leaned forward. “And the general?” The soldier trembled. “Ashes , Your Majesty.” A hush swept the hall. Burned wasn’t unusual. But he didn’t stop there. “And his ashes… were taken.” The hall’s silence transformed into shock. Even I felt my body go still. Ashes taken? Wolves do not touch vampire ashes. They hate us, yes. They kill us when they can—yes. But they leave the ashes untouched. Because they know what vampire ashes mean. They only move ashes when they're trying to cover up the scene for the pathetic humans.

I had no answer. She let me go. Her gaze shifted to the urn in my arms. "You won't take this when it's offered? Then I am taking it from you. "You will not see your father's ashes again." She reached. The blood in my arms went cold. The control I had been holding cracked. "Please… please don't. It wasn't me. I'll do anything, anything you want. Just don't." I was about to fall to my knees again. I would have. The pride and dignity I'd had walking in here had been gone for hours.