Fallen Ashes: Fated & Forbidden Read online

  Fallen Ashes

  Fated & Forbidden

  T.F. Walsh

  Contents

  For more information…

  Fated & Forbidden

  About Fallen Ashes

  Glossary

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Epilogue

  Discover More…

  About Lone Wolf by K. de Long

  Excerpt of Lone Wolf

  About the Author

  Also by T.F. Walsh

  Cloaked Excerpt

  Copyright © 2016 by T.F. Walsh

  www.tfwalsh.com

  Cover art by Jacqueline Sweet

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. FALLEN ASHES is a work of fiction. Names, places, entities, and scenarios in this book are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locals is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  Thank you for purchasing a T.F. Walsh novel. If you want to be notified when T.F. Walsh’s next novel is released, please sign up for her mailing list by clicking here.

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  A special thanks to my critique partners who are not only incredibly talented authors, but also amazing to work with. Thank you, L.X. Cain, Andrea R. Cooper, Christine Rains, Graeme Ing, L.J. Clarkson, and Zrinka Jelic. I’m lucky to have you all on my team.

  Fated & Forbidden

  11 authors. One PNR series.

  After lifetimes of watching her creations perpetuate misery and destruction, the creator Allendra has had enough. She’s given them a month to prove themselves capable of love…and to prove they should keep their supernatural powers.

  Some will fight, and some will fall, but all will feel the power of the Blood Moon… even Allendra herself.

  Download the short prologue to the series, The Challenge, for free.

  About Fallen Ashes

  Last of your kind? Check. Being hunted by everyone? Check. Waking up magically bound to the world's most cocky and annoying assassin? Wait, what?

  Survival has always been on the top of Fallen's To Do List as being the last Dragon shifter in Tapestry had painted a target on her long ago. But after being captured and magically tethered to an assassin who could kill her in an instant, time is running out. With the fate of an entire world at stake, Fallen has to find a way to get out alive, with or without her unwanted companion...her incredibly sexy unwanted companion.

  Exiled from the Kingdom and on a mission to save his stepfather from the Collector, Saber's life is already a mess. But he never could imagine that he'd be hexed into a mindless shadow assassin or worse, being kidnapped and mystically-bound to a hot blonde vixen that has a crazy obsession with fire. Sexy/strange/fire-chick aside, he has got to find a way to get out of there but Fallen isn't in the least being helpful with their escape plan. Seriously, can things get any worse?

  Magically-bound, determined, and both fighting an undeniable attraction, can Saber and Fallen work together to free themselves and save their world by defeating the Collector? Or will time slip out of their grasp and all will be lost?

  Glossary

  Apium—A crystal found in caves where dragons used to live. Every apium is half of a matching pair. They’re known for holding magic

  Ark—Building where Noah, the Collector, keeps his prisoners. Noah changes the location of his ark frequently.

  Ash—Soulless forms crafted from clay and drae bone ash, then brought to life through magic by a Spell Forger. While they look identical to draes, Ashes are considered shadow assassins and abominations because of the task locked inside their chest, directing them to kill.

  Blood Moon—Said to be a time when the Creators gave life to magic beings in Tapestry.

  Crawlers—Clay creatures crafted with animal bone ash and brought to life by magic. They are programmed for one thing: protect the entrance to the kingdom of Vaie. Crawlers live in the soil and can sense vibrations in the ground. They have a spear-like tongue, tipped with a venomous blister. Once inside someone, the blister pops and dissolves the victim’s innards within seconds.

  Creators—Creators are gods that gave life to all non-human races, including Tapestry beings.

  Dazmeu [DAZ-MEW] (plural: Dazmeuns)—An extinct race of dragon shifters.

  Drae [DRAY] (plural: Draes)—Descendants of dazmeuns, an ancient race of dragon shapeshifters. These days, draes have varying levels of magic and fall into two factions: fire or air affiliations. But none can transform into dragons. That ability was lost long ago.

  Feaster—A wild goblin. Two feet tall with a nasty set of fangs and an unabated thirst for blood, they feed on unsuspecting children and animals.

  Furywings—Hollow creatures crafted out of clay with animal bone ash and brought to life by magic. They have one purpose: protect the entrance to the Kingdom of Vaie. Furywings are a blend of eagle and snake, their lengthy body covered in feathers. Only three feet in length, they attack anything in the sky with poisonous darts concealed in their throats.

  Guardians—Protectors of the realm. They enforce rules and follow orders set by the Queen of Vaie.

  Kingdom of Aripi [AH-REEP-EE]—Centuries ago, the Blood War had split one realm into two, and draes divided into two factions depending on their affiliation: fire or air. Draes who live in the realm of Aripi can only whisper to the wind to influence its movement.

  Kingdom of Vaie [VAY-EE]—Centuries ago, the Blood War had split one realm into two, and draes divided into two factions depending on their affiliation—fire or air. Draes who live in the realm of Vaie can only guide a flame’s movement with heavy prayers.

  Portal—A teleporter located in the Tapestry forest. It taps into the magical residue in that location and is located in a Spell Forger’s crypt. It takes anyone to and from the edge of the woods.

  Spell Forger—Powerful draes with strong magical abilities. They are hired by the queen to create spells and bring to life furywings and crawlers.

  Tapestry—A parallel world to Earth. Both are connected by magic, and one cannot exist without the other. Humans live on Earth and draes on Tapestry. Draes can cross the veil from Tapestry to Earth, but humans can’t.

  Veil—A thin magical wall that separates Tapestry and Earth. All draes have the ability to cross by simply saying the words, “Lumi cruce.” When someone crosses the veil from Tapestry, they step into Earth in the exact same spot they were in whilst in Tapestry. And vice versa.

  Wart Market—A hidden flea market where Tapestry beings living outside the kingdom walls go to buy items such as food, spell ingredients, and sometimes body parts.

  Prologue

  Kingdom of Vaie

  Balc’s hands ground the malleable kaolin as sharp licks of magic prickled down his arms. His stomach coiled
so tight he wasn’t sure he could keep his dinner down much longer. On a curved shoulder, Balc wiped the perspiration along his jawline, then dragged filthy palms across his linen tunic, powerless to stop their shaking. Powerless to ignore the treason he was committing. Powerless to forget the Queen of Vaie would demand his head.

  The drae lord watching Balc cleared his throat from within the shadows of the crypt. In the middle of the night, he’d stolen Balc from his home to create an abomination. And, as if a threat by the all-powerful drae, who ought to follow the queen’s rules, wasn’t enough, his guards remained with Balc’s wife and their three great-grandchildren.

  Balc’s pulse hammered in his ears.

  “Hurry up, Spell Forger.” The lord’s callous undertone reaffirmed the promise of death. If they didn’t return to Balc’s home within three hours, Balc’s family would never see the morning.

  Balc sprinted to the rear of the room, his toes sinking in the mud of his underground room. Beech tree roots wove through the walls like brown snakes. Long ago, Balc had carved them into shelves. Today, he wished they’d morph into real vipers.

  With a bucket of purified water in hand, he curled a finger around the neck of a tiny bottle filled with sap from the last remaining weeping tree. Then he threaded a thumb through the handle of a wooden jar and returned to the table.

  Nerves consumed him, but he needed to overcome them. Working in the crypt for most of his life, he’d never once felt threatened. Until tonight. He gestured to the lord in the shadows, indicating his compliance with the rules as he placed the bucket and vial at one end of the table.

  Balc uncorked the jar. At once, the powdery scent of drae bones… a pungent sulfur… pinched his nostrils. He coughed, and his gut churned. Which of his people had the lord sacrificed for this sample? Descended from an extinct race of dragon shifters, the drae had lived in harmony for centuries. Their numbers halved after the Blood War with the Kingdom of Aripi. So, now even the loss of one of Balc’s fellow draes from the realm of Vaie was unforgivable.

  His fingers squeezed the lid; his lungs refused to work for a few moments.

  With hesitation, Balc sprinkled the ashes along the length of the clay and followed it with splashes of water. Not too much, or the form wouldn’t hold. His wife’s smiling face whirred through his mind, hushing his thoughts, driving the doubts aside, and focusing on the universe’s stillness. But he couldn’t quiet his quivering as he folded the ash into the clay and repeated a blessing in his mind.

  Creatori. Dă-o viață. Dă-o minte. Dă-o limbă. Dați-i un suflet.

  A flame engulfed his core, flaring and swirling in size with each recitation. Sweat dripped along his nose and over his chin, splashing across the clay. Every formation included a part of him. That was the way. Energy skated down Balc’s arms, into his fingers, his pale flesh darkening to a reddish hue, and energy blending into the clay.

  His limbs weakened beneath him, and the room spun. Stumbling backward, his hand flayed outward, knocking the bucket over the edge of the table. Water splashed across his legs, its icy fingers clawing at his flesh. He caught himself, and the walls of the workshop seemed to close in around him. His work had always drained him, but never this fast.

  The lord tsked, the sound rippling across the room.

  Balc rushed to the far corner, gasping for breath, his feet making sucking sounds with each step. With the second bucket of water in hand, he returned to the table. Focus. No more mistakes.

  From his pocket, he retrieved a folded piece of paper, his muddy prints marring the parchment. The note contained the lord’s secret instructions for the task desired of the clay creation.

  “If you read it,” the lord’s jarring tone filled the room, “I’ll kill your wife bit by bit so she suffers.”

  Balc’s dinner rose from his stomach, hitting the back of his throat. He gagged but pushed the acid back down. If he tainted the paper now, he’d have to start again. Desperation burned behind his eyes. His family depended on him.

  After blessing the note in pure water, Balc shredded it in the bucket. He kneaded every tiny piece of paper into the clay, again and again. His mind focused on the craftsmanship, the energy sizzling beneath his skin.

  Balc labored until he could no longer feel his hands. The slab on his table resembled a drae being, a soldier with legs and arms, shoulders, muscles, and a soft face. Performing this heinous act gnawed on his conscience. The knowledge of what he would release into the Tapestry world would haunt him for eternity. Through silent prayers, he injected the intent to love and care without the lord’s knowledge, hoping the Creators listened.

  He’d read about these monsters being unleashed when drae ash was used in crafting. And here he was, bringing one to life.

  For years, he’d created protectors for the realm under the queen’s command, made with clay and animal bones so they were easily controlled. Furywings were the eagles of the skies, while crawlers shared ash from moles and lived in the ground. But drae ash was something else. It mocked the Creators.

  What he’d crafted in his crypt would kill anything in its path to complete the task on the note. An atrocity against the queen’s kingdom. After tonight, Balc swore to himself he’d retire from this work and move into the country with his wife. As far from the kingdom as possible. The change was overdue.

  His unsteady hand lit a black candle, running the flame across the body. With a quick glance at the lord, he lowered his voice and returned attention to the clay form. “Bless this pure form with the power of the all mighty Creators. May he always follow the right path.”

  On the soldier’s chest, Balc used his index finger, drawing a circle.

  A silver energy streamed from his touch, seeping smoothly into the indent. Within the circle, he etched a moon and sun, assuring this being would remain part of day and night. Balc painted several runes to add life to the inanimate object. He placed his palm above the pattern, and his flesh tingled. Shards of light speared from his hand, bathing the soldier in a golden cloud.

  “Creators, I call you. Bless this being. Give it life.”

  At Balc’s next inhale, his body shuddered with exhaustion. His knees folded under him, and he collapsed in a heap on the muddy floor.

  Each breath rattled on its way down his throat. He gasped for air. What had he done? His arms refused to move, every fiber screamed for him to stop. But he had to finish the assignment.

  The horrendous possibility of losing his family filled him with the determination to continue. He gripped the edge of the table and pulled himself to his feet. Taking the glass vial in hand, Balc trickled the gluey sap across the carving in the chest. The clay absorbed the elixir like parched soil in a rainstorm. He lowered the flame from the candle once more to the pattern, and a blue blaze spread across the inscription, then it snuffed out as if an invisible breath extinguished the fire.

  Life through magic.

  After he grabbed a long length of cheesecloth from under the table and soaked it in the water in the bucket, he covered the soldier to prevent the clay from cracking because the next stage took a full night and day. Now it was up to the Creators to play their part.

  One last glance at the face beneath the cloth and Balc hesitated to leave. He stood motionless for what seemed an eternity, still unable to accept what he’d crafted.

  An Ash.

  A guardian of clay made from drae bones. Unpredictable. Deadly. A soulless automaton warrior. Uneasiness spread through him.

  But what had the note instructed the soldier to do?

  1

  Outside the Kingdom of Vaie

  25 Years Later

  Fallen Leneth’s stomach growled with enough intensity to awaken a sleeping troll. Magic always smelled like caramelized sugar, but with fatigue dampening her senses, getting up was out of the question. Plus, weekends were for sleeping. She curled in on herself when the pitter-patter of tiny paws scurried up the side of her thigh.

  Wait, she didn’t have a cat.

 
; Her heart slammed into her breastbone, and she jumped up so fast when something wriggled underneath her body. Streaks of light from a window revealed a mouse scurrying across the floor and diving into a crack.

  Fallen’s back pressed against a wall. “W… where am I?” She winced from a jolt of pain pummeling through her skull. The tilting room settled, and she rubbed the sore spot on the top of her head.

  At first glance, Fallen could have sworn she was still dreaming. But when the cold from the concrete wall leeched into her skin, she fought the urge to scream. How the hell had she gotten here?

  This room wasn’t her apartment or any place she’d ever seen before. A heavy door stood to her left, and across from that, an open window the size of a shoebox was located high on the wall.

  By the appearance of the dilapidated room, she guessed she had somehow been transported to Tapestry—a parallel world to Earth. Both connected by magic; humans on Earth and draes on Tapestry.

  Standing on shaky legs, she stumbled to the door and grabbed the metal handle.

  Electricity zapped through her bones, shaking her to the core. “Crap.” She reeled backward and cradled her aching arm against her chest. The same damn magic she’d smelled earlier.

  All draes were born with varying abilities of magic. The majority were so tiny that the most they could muster was crossing the thin veil separating the two worlds. Yet, the kingdom contained Spell Forgers. Those folk were powerful and used enchantment to capture strays like her since living outside the kingdom was forbidden under Queen Kesra’s command. Sure, the Earthlings had no idea Tapestry existed, but Fallen had lived in their cities most of her life. Resembling a human helped a lot.