"Ignited" Book One of the Autumn Trilogy

Chapter Nine

By the time dusk rolled around, the clearing had grown completely still. Only Oliver and Drake still stood amongst the dead. As Autumn appraoched the scene, she saw that her gut feeling was right; those that laid down for sleep didnt rise again. Somehow, Nash still was alive, but was just a statue still staring at the sky.
    "It's like he is fighting against death," Drake was saying quietly to himself as Autumn grew closer. The shadows casted my the sun as it slowly dipped under the horizon gave an eerie look to Nash, his eyes shaded, but still glowing red. The world around them had moved on, the birds flying into their resting places for the night and the bugs chirping faintly. It was like they ignored the death surrounding them.
    Oliver looked down at Nash with a flat expression, but her lips were turned down ever so slightly. Autumn was a little taken aback by this; she knew that she wasnt fond of the Alpha, but still, to look down at him in a time like this. What had he done to her to make her hate him this much?
    "Drake," Autumn said faintly, lightly touching his shoulder.
    "I know," He snapped, not looking at her, "I can't just leave him." They stood in silence for a moment, waiting. Then, Nash moved. He turned, creaking, to look at them. With red eyes, it looked like he was a different person. His eyes danced between them, before resting on Oliver. His lips moved, letting out a weeze, trying again, and again, before Drake had to put his hand on his chest to stop him from speaking. His face turned to anger, and let out more weezes. It was Autumns turn to put her hand on him. He turned his attention to her now, his face relaxing. Drake pulled his hands to his face, not saying anything in this moment of sadness. Autumn knew thry had a close relatonship, not sure where it stemmed from, but she knew it must be hard to watch your friend die like this. Autumn felt the heat from Nash's body through his clothes. For a moment, she thought it felt like it had krept up her arm, sending shivers down her spine. She turned her head for a moment to look at Drake once again, and when she looked back at the Alpha, he had turned his head again to Oliver.
    His eyes were blue.
    "I'm sorry," He breathed weakly, snapping Drakes attention back to him. Oliver's expression didnt changed, but there was maybe a hint of surprise behind her eyes.
    "It's...the one thing...i regret..." His voice was astonishingly weak, "They... should've won...your mate...your son..." Autumn looked slowly up at Oliver. Her eyes began to water, tears dripping off her cheeks, but still, she made no expression as she knelt down in front of his, placing a hand on his cheek.
    "Tell them you're sorry yourself."
    Nash smiled, closing his eyes, "That's what...you always...said." He took a deep breath, and became still.

    Drake made no effort to show or talk about his feelings, but the girls could see that he had tears in his eyes no matter how far he ducked his head. Before they departed, he had said he wanted to bury the dead. They didnt have time, the sun had promptly set after Nash passed. They told him that the most they could do was cover their bodies with pieces of earth and nature, nothing like a proper burial, but the most they could do to reconnect their bodies with the ground. The trio left the clearing filled with piles of broken tree branches and rock. Drake didnt speak after that.
    Oliver led the way, with a heavy looking sack over her shoulders, filled with who knows what. She didnt speak either. Autumn watch her sagged shoulders, the occasional sniff coming from the two of them, wondering what Nash had meant to her. There was some things that Oliver hadnt shared with Autumn, a past that seemed too hard to bear. Perhaps, the reason that Oliver had lost her powers. The grief of losing a mate and a child, maybe even by Nash's doing.
    What had he done? Something so horrible that he dedicated his last words to Oliver? Something that held a grip on guilt on his heart even to his last breath?
    Autumn glanced over her shoulder, looking behind at Drake. He stared at the ground intensely, but at her movement he looked up at her. All traces of tears had been wiped away now, but the tired look had returned to his face. Autumn wanted to say something, anything, but he turned his gaze back to the dirt before she had a chance. They grieved differently; Drake having to say goodbye to a close friend, one that saved his life, that he had a history with, and Oliver being painfully reminded of her losses. It was opposite feelings, Autumn could feel the tension between them that was left unspoken.
    They walked in silence for hours, the occasional sound in the night making Autumn jump. An owl flying overhead, a deer scurrying in their path before spotting them and bounding away in fear. The moon made their shadows cast long, and seemed to make the darkness of the woods even dimmer. In what felt like a matter of moments, but at the same time felt like years of walking in silence, the sky began to turn purple and pink.
    "We'll stop and rest for a bit," Oliver announced, the first words she had spoken the entire walk, leading the team to a small clearing cushioned with pine needles. It sounded like music to Autumns ears, the pine needles looking like the most comfortable bed she had ever seen. Autumn dropped her bag at once, letting her legs buckle underneath her in exhaustion. She had never walked for so long in her life. She let herself stretch out, and glanced over at the two as they watched her with raised eyebrows, still standing.
    "What?" She asked in annoyance. Why were they looking at her like that?
    "Oh nothing," Drake replied amusingly. He let his own bag fall and joined her on the ground. This made Autumn relax a bit, like he was finally back to talking again.
    "Mind taking the first shift?" He said suddenly, laying back and resting his head on his supplies like a pillow. He was smiling ever so slightly.
    "Shift?" Autumn asked, but he had already closed his eyes. She looked up at Oliver, who was mirroring his position. "Someone has to keep watch, we cant sleep undefended." It was Olivers turn to grin. They could both see that this was Autumns first time doing anything like this, and her exhaustion was obvious.
    "Wake me up in an hour," Drake whispered, alreadly on the brink of sleep. Autumn opened her mouth to protest, but the two had their eyes closed in an instant, breath slowed. She huffed in annoyance. She was probably more tired than the two of them combined, and she almost prodded Drake awake so she could rest herself. But seeing their faces relaxed, not wrinkled in thought or sadness, made her stop herself. They probably knew she would let them sleep for that exact reason.
    Autumn forced herself to stand. She stretched her arms above her head and felt her back crack. The air was cold and wet, as the sun began to creep into the sky. Birds began to rise from sleep, chirping quietly as if to not wake the two fast asleep on the ground. Through the trees, Autumn could see a beautiful view of the clouds dancing with color. She looked around, seeing no immediate danger, then hesitantly left the clearing. Not far away, the trees parted and revealed a giant cliff. Beyond, Autumn could see the valley that the Bone-Breakers once ruled over. Mountains that were painted with dark purples and blues and greens, trees swaying in a slight breeze. Birds took flight and soared through the air. It was an amazing view, and Autumn looked back to see that Oliver and Drake were still within view.
    She found herself sitting, legs dangling over the edge, warming herself in the sun. She didnt feel tired for a moment, like the energy surrounding her had given her life. It was a wonderful feeling.
    "You look lost."
    Autumn jumped up, spinning around. She saw no one in the forest, and the two were still fast asleep. The voice sounded familiar, but still, searching with a racing heart, she saw not a soul.
    "Who's there?" She called, quietly, suddenly not sure if she heard right.
    "That's not the question you should be asking."
    Then she remembered. Autumns eyes darted to the tree branches, and she saw a hawk tilting its head at her.
    "I thought I imagined it." She muttered to herself, but it fluffled its feathers in response.
    "I'm as real as you are. Are you real?"
    Autumn found herself taking a slow seat, not taking her eyes off the bird, "I think so."
    "You dont sound so sure," the bird turned its head to towards the view, then repeated itself, "You look lost."
    "I dont believe I am."
    "Yes, its hard to feel lost in a place like this," it turned back to her, taking a few steps to the side of the branch. Autumn could hear its sharp talons tap one another. It sounded like tapping two rocks together to make a spark.
    "You've come a long way from that home of yours."
    "I'm going somewhere."
    "Interesting. You're going, you've gone, but still, you're in the same place."
    "I dont understand."
    The hawk let out a chirp and fluffed its feathers, like what she said was amusing, "The world around you is moving constantly, dont you see?" Autumn turned back to the mountains, watching the birds fly into the trees, "Changing, adapting, growing. Everything moving, everything but you."
    Behind them, Oliver stirred. Her eyes creaked open, Autumns voice finding its way to her.
    "What am i to do? I thought Ive come so far."
    "You have, and youre almost where youre supposed to be." It turned its head now, towards to forest, "It's time."
    "Time for what?"
    "I wasnt talking to you." It gave a last look to Autumn, then the hawk fell from the tree, taking flight and disappearing into the sky. Autumn watched it go, and then felt a tap on her shoulder. She jumped, twisting to see Oliver looking down at her. Without a word, she joined Autumn on the ground, sitting across from her.
    "Did you...hear it?" Autumn asked.
Oliver nodded, "The Phoenix."
"Phoenix?"
"A magical creature, the embodiment of power and fire, the master of rebirth. We met once before, a long time ago."
"But...magic isnt real." Autumn said in disbelief.She couldnt believe, she thought it was only a figment if her imagination, the trauma she went through making her see things.
Oliver couldnt help but laugh at the irony, "Oh Autumn, magic is in everything. Shifters are just creatures that can control it."
"That's impossible."
This time, Oliver turned her smile to a frown. Is this what the world has come to? People forgetting their heritage, how they came to be?
"Have you...ever heard of humans?"
"Of course," Autumn scoffed, "We're humans, arent we?"
"No," Oliver couldnt believe it, "We're a different breed." Autumn laughed, thinking it was a joke, but her smile quickly faded as Olivers expression stayed flat.
"None of what youre saying makes sense."
Oliver sighed, running her fingers through her short hair. She was gonna have to start from the very beginning.
"Do you know anything about the War?"
"You mean the one my brother started? Yeah, I think I know quite a bit."
"Not that. The war. The First War."
Autumn narrowed her eyes, "I'm not following. Theres been plenty of wars."
"A very, very long time ago, back thousands of years, there was billions of people, humans, before there was magic in the world."
"Theres no way, the Balance would be thrown off."
"Let me finish." Oliver snapped suddenly. Autumn furrowed her brows, but held her tongue.
"The Earth reached its limit. There was too many people and not enough space or resources, not energy to fit them all. It got to a point where the world got so sick, it nearly died. Humans became a disease, and Mother Nature found a way to fight them off, like a virus. They say that there was a mass split, an earthquake so powerful it cause four cracks in the Earth: one in the oceans, one in the desert, one in mountains, and one that spewed liquid earth made of fire."
Autumns confusion was growing. Liquid fire? The world getting sick? People without the ability to shift? Without...magic?
"The legends say that the split released magic into the world. This was how Shifters came into existence. But thats not all; the magic found its way to the most powerful of shifters, and created the Elementals. The Shifters and the Elementals acted as warriors against the human virus, and nearly destroyed them, in the First War. They created the Balance, made sure that the Earth healed, and that the humans never gained control again."
"Whats the point of this story?"
"It's not a story Autumn, its facts. Its real."
"She's right." Drake spoke up. He emerged from the trees, stretching and rubbing his tired eyes like a child. He joined the girls on the ground with a yawn, "I know it's hard to believe, I was in your place once too, but living with the Bone-Breakers changed how I saw everything. Dusties like us, we grow up in a completely different way." He paused, looking at Autumn, "We grow up ignorant."
Autumn scowled. Ignorant, huh? "Please, explain."
"Our ancestors found no need to keep the information passing down, so obsessed with their power that they found it useless. We all grow up an appreciation to the world, to Mother Nature herself, that we do have in common. But the Bone-Breakers, being weaker and looked down upon," Oliver turned her eyes towards the ground at that, "lived differently than us. They never forgot where they came from. They relied on it."
Autumn didnt know what to think. She was finding it hard to believe, that there used to be so many of them- no, of humans, that they nearly destroyed the world to a point where it had to fight back. That Shifters were magic, and not humans.
"However, I've never heard this 'Elementals' part. Care to elaborate?" He looked expectantly at Oliver.
"Elementals are like more powerful shifters, but each one has the help of Mother Nature on their side. They have a special connection to the earth, and to their element. Water, earth, air. And fire." She took a long look at Autumn, "They each have a part to play in keeping the Balance, and it is their duty to maintain it."
"So youre saying that these Elementals live in their element?"
"Sort of. They're the embodiment of it. They can control it, to a degree."
"Control it?" Autumn asked, "How come Ive never heard of them before, then, if theyre really real?"
"I want to believe you, Oliver, but this seems a little far fetched...Are you sure this isnt just a legend?" Drake added.
Oliver began to grow impatient, but she took a deep breath, "Yes. I know they re real. I have met them." Autumn and Drake glanced at each other.
"Sometimes, the element will depart from the Elemental to speak to them on the behalf of Mother Nature. They each take on different forms, but the fire elementals is the Phoenix." Autumn starred at her, her heart starting to beat fast. 
"That hawk. It was the Phoenix, Autumn."
Autumn jumped to her feet. Drake watched them, confusion clear on his face, but he didnt say a word.
"There's no way." She gasped out, "It was..it was just a bird."
"Birds dont speak." Olivers voice turned stern, "The Phoenix spoke to you, and it said that it was time. Do you understand?"
"No, no." Autumn to take steps backwards, away from them. It was how she survived the fire, it was how she survived Arcus. It was where her power came from.
"It cant be true. I cant be-" She couldnt maintain the Balance. She coundt have that kind of power, that responsibility. Images of her family flashed through her mind; her father, Arcus, Vick.
Could she have saved them?
"Autumn!" Drake yelled suddenly. Her attention was on him, briefly. But it was too late. Her foot landed on empty air. Her balance was lost. Autumn saw the sky come into view, and her heart dropped to her stomach. She tumbled over the side of the cliff, spinning in the air. She heard Olivers scream, a loud roar and the overwhelming sound of wind in her ears. She saw the height, the ground, and felt a shock throughout her entire body.
Then she fell.