Page 2 of Ash and Roses

The sound draws the animal’s attention, and when it looks up from its kill, hot blood drips thickly from its jaws. A low growl emanates from deep in its chest as its searching eyes lock onto its next target.

Me.

It snaps its jaws in warning, daring me to run. Even if I could scramble to my feet in time, there’s no outrunning a wolf. It stalks toward me, its movements slow and decisive. My hands dig at the needle grass and cracked soil as I clamber backwards towards what I hope is the Commander or anyone with a weapon. Wolves rarely leave the forest. They fear us—or they’re supposed to. Clearly someone forgot to tell this one.

The animal crouches low on its haunches, readying to close the distance between us in a single leap. I shut my eyes tight and tilt back my head. Maybe it will be over quickly if I don’t fight. A painless death is a fair death and what else is there to look forward to? This could be a mercy.

I wait for the pain, but nothing comes.

Something whizzes past my ear, and I hear a muted thunk as the object hits the wolf. Its snarl morphs into a whelp before I hear two more thunks. I open my eyes in time to see the wolf fall; brought down by two arrows in its chest and one through its left eye.

“A life for a life,” a whispered voice says in my ear. I know that voice, but it can’t be him. Marked aren’t permitted to take part in the hunt, never mind speak to royalty. Calloused hands feel soft against my skin as they ease me to my feet, and my heart kicks up faster at his touch.

It’s him.

“Unhand her, Marked!” The Commander charges over, feigning concern for my safety. He should have been close enough to deal with the wolf himself. Out of everyone here, he has the most experience with a sword and the gall to use it. The only thing he doesn’t have is the desire to risk his life for me.

Jade backs away, hands raised in submission and eyes cast downward. Refusing an order will only result in his death, and that’s if the Commander doesn’t execute him simply for touching me. The only thing Marked are good for is reminding the people what happens when you break the law.

The Commander raises his sword. With only a single swing, he could end the life of the man he’s been itching to kill for the last fifteen years. Jade was the first Marked, and that insult still carries weight.

“Stop,” I say, putting as much authority into my voice as I can muster. I’m the first daughter of the king, but my orders often fall on deaf ears. Arabella is the favourite, the chosen heir, and the Commander in particular takes that as an excuse to ignore me whenever he can. He would have much preferred the wolf got me tonight, though he would never openly admit it.

His jaw twitches. “This is all too familiar, Princess. You cannot spare him this time.” His words are slow and deliberate, spoken through clenched teeth.

“He saved my life. He’s broken no law.” My words are for my father, who now stands a few feet away with my sister at his side. There’s uncertainty on his face, and it’s easy to see why. A Marked has used a weapon, touched a princess… but in turn, has saved her life. “Father, please,” I beg. The Commander will not wait forever.

“Sheath your sword, Tobias,” my father orders. The Commander obeys, though the hate in his eyes burns brighter than any flame. “Boy, come here.”

Jade moves forward. He doesn’t dare turn his head to me as he passes, though I can feel his sideways glance. This is the norm for us. Two people connected by the horrors of the past, yet forbidden to acknowledge each other in the present.

Jade drops to his knees at my father’s feet. The blanket of moonlight on his exposed back casts shadows over the criss-crossed scars that dominate the skin. Even time cannot erase the evidence of this lashing. Marked are whipped to near-death and spared only to remind others of the fate of thieves and traitors. Their scars are made to endure. The sight of them now, with Jade once again at my father’s mercy, has my own back burning.

“Who taught you to use a bow?” The question seems innocent enough, but I feel the weight behind it. Wisps of rebellion still linger in the minds of our people, and Jade’s demonstration tonight could be proof of the very thing my father seeks to avoid.

“My uncle, Your Majesty.” Jade doesn’t look up as he answers. Marked are the lowest of the low, and their eyes should not fall upon royalty.

“You have not forgotten after all this time?”

“No, Your Majesty.”

He’s quiet for a long moment. “We could use someone with your talents among the Guardians. Tell me, boy, would you give your life to service?”

I can’t be certain I’d heard him right, and judging by the slight tremble that runs through Jade’s body, he’s just as uncertain. This could be a test or blatant mockery. The king isn’t known for mercy—at least not without a price.

“My life is not mine to give. It would honour me to serve as you see fit.”

“Then it’s settled. Tobias,” my father barks with a snap of his fingers, summoning the Commander to his side. “Find the young man some proper clothes and a place to sleep.”

With swift hands, the Commander grabs Jade by the arms and lurches him to his feet. “What of his status?” The words are little more than a grumble.

My father turns his gaze to the now silent gathering of onlookers, their wide eyes a perfect display of the shock I feel. “Let this be a lesson to all. Even Marked have the chance at a better life, so long as they prove loyal and useful. This man has saved my daughter and slain a wolf, and for that, I shall reward him. Show him the respect you would show any in my army.”

His words should thrill me, but they have the opposite effect. Sparing Jade is one thing, but enlisting him is something else entirely. My father does nothing without reason, and his reasoning for this remains unclear. He could order the Commander to kill him during training without the risk of turning him into a martyr, or perhaps this is just another way to manipulate our people with the faintest shadow of hope.

What I do know is that Jade is no longer Marked—at least in status. He will return to the palace with us to train with the other Guardians. Our meetings will no longer revolve around the phases of the moon, and the rules separating us will lessen. Finally, after fifteen long years of silence, I may be able to speak with the boy who started it all.

CHAPTERTWO

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