Page 103 of When Ashes Fall

Is it me?

I dug my fingers into my palms, grinding some of the ashes into my skin. It felt like the full weight of the dead shifter rested on my shoulders instead of just these scant remnants on my hand.

Did I do this?

Bile burned my throat, and I couldn’t hold it back. Rushing to a corner of the courtyard, I didn’t quite make it before vomit surged out of my mouth and sprayed the ground.

My throat burned, more tears fell, and my stomach knotted as I heaved again, nearly throwing out my back as I purged all my insides. When there was nothing left to come out, dry heaves continued to wrack me until they finally subsided too.

Legs trembling, I staggered back a few steps before falling to my knees. I was a complete mess, but I couldn’t kneel in my own throw-up.

What was I supposed to do now? How did I proceed?

My gaze fell on a rose with only three petals left. The sands of the hourglass were running out fast on its time, and if I didn’t figure something out, nothing would remain of the shifters… that’s if I wasn’t the cause.

Oh, gods, I couldn’t be the reason for all of this. I’d never be able to live with myself if I were the one destroying the shifters.

If it is me, will anything be able to live around me? Is one of my new abilities complete and utter destruction? Will I ever be able to touch plants again?

If there had been anything left in my stomach, I would have spewed it everywhere at the idea of never being able to fully immerse myself in nature again. I loved everything about nature; it was a part of my soul, and I would die without it.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I stared at the wall before pushing myself to my feet. I turned to face the others; they all stared back with wary expressions. If I were the cause of this, they’d hate me.

But whether that was true or not, I had to figure out what was happening.

CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO

Briar

I sat outside the stones surrounding the tree of unity. I didn’t dare get too close, in case I was the one unwittingly causing this. Plus, I couldn’t stand the idea of going any nearer; it was too depressing. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave it either. It was dying and shouldn’t be left alone.

When a shriveled leaf fell on my book, I brushed it aside. It crinkled against my fingers before sliding off the page. Remnants of the leaf remained; unlike the rose, these didn’t cling and didn’t crumble into ashes.

That’s because the roses were once shifters. The tree was always just a tree.

But it was still a living—for now—breathing thing that deserved saving. My gaze fell on the stones binding this kingdom together. At one time, the shifters had almost destroyed each other… and now something else was destroying them.

Gizzi sat on one of the stones, staring at the tree. He didn’t climb into the branches; he was afraid of hurting it.

I flipped through the pages of the book, searching for an answer within the tome, but coming up with nothing… as I’d known I would. I slammed the book shut and brushed another leaf aside when it landed on my face.

A flutter of wings alerted me that a sprite had arrived; I looked up to discover Zephyr hovering at my side. His mouth was pinched as he gazed anxiously at me.

“Is this because of me?” he asked.

I frowned at him. “Why would you say that?”

“Did I mess up the potion?”

“No.” I rested my hand on his arm. “I already told you that you didn’t do this. I wouldn’t lie to spare your feelings, especially when that would have been an easy fix. You could have made the potion completely wrong, and it still wouldn’t have done this.”

“What about…” He glanced behind him. “What about the spider? You said they were good luck. Did I bring bad luck down on us by killing it?”

“No, Zephyr. You didn’t do this.”

“Then what did?”

I’m beginning to think I did.