The Hour of Dust and Ashes

Grigori Tennin.

It was slow and tedious work—countless files to go through, statement after statement from eyewitnesses putting Tennin at Helios Tower on the winter solstice, reports linking him with Mynogan and the drug ash, anything to pin down hard evidence of his involvement with the Sons of Dawn. It was like trying to build a case against a mob boss, one with serious connections, wealth, and power—we had one shot to get this right, to accumulate so much evidence that no judge, no lawyer, and no political envoy could dispute the charges.

The door jingled overhead as I entered and weaved my way around merchandise and stacked bookshelves, heading toward the back counter.

Bryn’s back was to me, auburn hair pulled up in the usual sloppy-romantic twist. Soft murmurs came from her as she gently pruned dead leaves from a strange green plant.

“They’re never going to talk back. You know that, right?”

She turned, suppressing her smile. “Shows how little you know about earth crafting. They always talk back.”

God, she looked better. Standing before me was a vibrant, beautiful, feisty, softhearted person with a contagious smile and intelligent copper eyes. An earth mage with a gorgeous green aura layered with Caribbean blues. There was still the cloud of gray due to the ash addiction, but she was so much better now that the positives far outweighed the negatives. And she and Aaron had begun talking again. Talking was good. Those two were going to make it, I was sure.

“Why are you smiling?” she asked, reaching below to pull out her bowl of M&M’s so I could have some.

“No reason. Anyone here yet?” We’d finally planned a meeting today—a sort of powwow to figure out our next move concerning Hank. “Where’s Em?”

“I am in the back doing inventory,” came a very bored voice from the open stockroom door, which then mumbled, “I’d rather pick up hellhound poop from the backyard.”

I winced. “Wow. She must really hate inventory.” Because she sure as hell hated cleaning up the backyard. I winked at Bryn and called, “Well, there’s plenty of that left to do when you get home.”

“Ha. Ha. Mother, you are so no funny.”

Bryn laughed at me. “You’re so mean.”

I popped some candy in my mouth and smiled while I chewed. “How did the deposition go?”

Her eyes rolled. “Boring as usual. There are only so many times and ways the nobles can ask me what happened. I feel like if I have to tell that story one more time, I’ll turn into a toad or something.”

“Hey, I’ve had to sit there and repeat it, too. At least the nobles are accepting our story for now.” And Carreg was being hailed as a hero.

Bryn’s brow lifted in agreement, but a shadow settled over her—something I felt rather than saw. I knew thinking of the last few months really got her down.

I gestured toward the stockroom and lowered my voice. “How was she today?”

“Good. I think she really needed to get out of the house. I’m glad you let her come. The sadness will lift; you just have to give it time. I think you should consider putting her back in school soon. It might help. Be a distraction at least.”

“Yeah. About that … Emma,” I called in a stern voice, “can you come out here, please?”

“One sec!” After some shuffling and a bang, she stepped out of the stockroom and blew a strand of wavy brown bangs from her eyes with a huff. “What?”

I reached into my pocket and handed her a plain white envelope over the counter. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she opened it. “My birthday isn’t until next week.”

“It’s not a birthday present.”

She sighed and read the letter, her brow furrowing deep and then slowly easing the farther she read. Her big eyes lifted, utterly bewildered. “I don’t get it. You said I couldn’t go. You said we didn’t have the money and—”

I leaned across the counter, grabbed her face with both hands, kissed her forehead, and then looked her in the eyes. “I know what I said. But I’ve thought about it a lot. If this is what you want, then it’s what I want, too. And just so you know. I signed the papers before I went to Charbydon.”

Before we lost Daddy. I wanted her to understand I wasn’t doing this because she was sad, or because I thought it would cheer her up. I did it because it was the right decision, the right thing for my daughter at this stage in her life. She was ready. I believed in her. And I didn’t want to hold her back.

One of the great things about being a mom is watching the range of emotions spread over your child’s face when a wish comes true. When they’ve gotten something they’ve been begging for and never in a million years thought they’d get.

“Jeez, stop being all mysterious, will ya?” Bryn snatched the letter from Emma’s hand and read. She let out a low, impressed whistle and then started grinning broadly. “I knew you were good enough to get in. And partial scholarship, too. Nice.”

“Is this real?” Emma’s gaze held mine. “Are you serious?”

“It’s a done deal. You start on Monday. If you’re cool with that. If not, they said you can start the following week.”

I watched my kid smile for the first time in a week. My heart expanded with joy even as it broke—odd feeling, that.

Then she was the one leaning over the counter and grabbing my face, smashing my cheeks together. She put her forehead against mine. “Thank you, Momma.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Oh, hell, you guys … You have to stop being so … mother-daughter-y. You’re going to make me cry.” We glanced over together to see Bryn already crying like a baby, her nose bright red.

Emma laughed. We held out our arms at the same time and Bryn stepped into our hug as we laughed.

“If you all start singing ‘Kumbaya,’ I’m so out of here.”

Rex.

I hadn’t heard the door jingle. Brim walked in beside him, immediately sniffing around for Gizmo, Bryn’s little gray gargoyle. The two had apparently taken a liking to each other, much to everyone’s surprise.

“Rex, I’m going to school at the League!” Emma told him, waving the letter with excitement and then coming around the counter with her hand out. “Pay up. You owe me twenty bucks.”

Rex glared at me and dug into his jeans. “I thought you’d never say yes.”

I shook my head. Emma was bleeding him dry and he let her.

The door jingled again. This time Aaron appeared, and before anyone could say hello, the bell rang again. Marti and Amanda—free from her possession, thanks to the exorcist—looking more like her old self, which was basically a teenage version of her mother, walked in with Titus bringing up the rear. For once, he was out of his lab coat.

“Sorry we’re a little late,” Marti said, giving us a friendly smile as Emma told Amanda the good news. “We got sidetracked by the sale at Klein’s on our way in.” She glanced at Titus and her cheeks went a subtle pink color. I detected a bit of interest happening between those two. And if it bloomed into something, I couldn’t be happier.

“Aunt Bryn,” Emma said, “can I show Amanda the dead pixie in the back?”

Several stunned eyes fixed on Bryn. She bristled. “It’s a mummy, people. Pixies are extinct. What? It’s wrapped.” She gave Emma a nod. “Go ahead.”

Once they were gone, the adults chatted.

And then things turned serious …

“So your informant is sure he’s in the tower?” Aaron asked, the only one standing straight with his arms crossed over his chest. Everyone else had found a chair, a chest, a counter, or a bookshelf to lean on.

They all knew now what had happened, what Hank had gone through, and what he faced back in Fiallan. A few months ago, I would’ve gone it alone, would’ve wanted to protect everyone and keep them in the dark—my heart was in the right place in doing that—but I realized that we were stronger as a unit than as one individual. And I needed them as much as they needed me. We were a family. All of us.

“Yes,” I answered. “My guy was in Fiallan for three days, trying to get confirmation. The towers are guarded,