Dust to Dust | ✓

1 || Phoenix Queen

Aiko awoke to the scent of ash.

It clung to her skin, it burned her throat, it clogged her senses with the sharp, tangy scent of scorched wood left behind in the hearth. Ash filled her dreams; dust smothered her consciousness. Her lungs were screaming by the time her eyes flew open. With a gasp, she flung herself upright, fighting to catch a breath of fresh air, but even that scraped her throat raw. Sunlight flooded her vision and she ducked her head with a groan. As unforgiving as ever, the sun sought to destroy her sight the moment she gained purchase in the waking world once more. It mocked her with its glow. She hissed and collapsed against the pillows again, her arm draped across her face.

Pillows? Shoving away from their comforting embrace, she glanced around her. She was in one of the castle's guest rooms. It was smaller than her room and lacking the elaborate crown molding that decorated her ceiling. A plush, warm comforter tucked her into the bed, pinning her against the soft mattress; it was one that the servants only laid out during the harshest winters—which was hardly ever. Though the room was familiar, she didn't recall it ever missing a door. Or a chunk of the ceiling, for that matter. Natural daylight was supposed to stream through the curtains to the side of her, not the hole in the far left corner of the ceiling.

Unease pooled in her gut until it formed a heavy stone that threatened to drag her to the depths of fear. She threw the blanket aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her bare feet sank into the plush carpet—a stark contrast to the cold stone that awaited her when she emerged from her own bed. It was welcoming, a pleasantly warm embrace that wrapped her in the comfort of home. And yet, it was empty and distant. Her mind was whirling and her body trembled with nervous energy.

"Felix," she breathed. "Where's Felix?"

In the hazy edges of her memory, he was bloody and shaking, cradling her against his chest as his tears trailed slowly down the sharp curve of his cheekbones. She had no energy then to wipe his tears, though she desperately wanted to. Her body was limp and unresponsive, as if she was no longer in control of it—though it was more of a shell than it had ever been at the mercy of Cinere's control. Now, life and fire coursed through her veins, yet Felix was nowhere to be found. The room was empty, void of his presence.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she sped to the seating room attached to the guest bedroom. Dust hung in the air and left a thin coating over the furniture. The stench of char coated her throat and she coughed, throwing a hand up to cover her nose. Like her dreams, blackened wood was left forgotten in the hearth. The barest flicker of a flame clung to the only unscorched part of the wood, but it was dwindling without much to feed on. It was only a matter of time before it died out completely. Its dance was beginning to slow, and yet, the flame clung to life, though the world tried its hardest to destroy it.

She paused, her gaze lingering on the fire. Hope stirred in her chest and she spun away from it, racing out into the hallway. "Felix!" she called.

Her voice echoed back to her, but there was no response.

"Felix!" Her steps slowed to a walking pace as she emerged into the large hall that led out of the east wing. Portions of the wall were missing, revealing an open drop down to where the Core room should have been below ground. Now, it was a crater in the center of what used to be her castle. She stood on the outskirts of the damage, protected by what remained of the structure. The sight snatched her breath away and her hands shot to her throat, feeling for the cracks that had split her skin when the Core tried to snuff out her flame and reset the cycle. The skin was smooth, undamaged despite the destruction that lay spread out before her. The scent of ashes that lingered in the back of her throat was all that remained of the tragedy for her.