Echoes to Ashes (The Immortal Trials Book 1)

  Echoes to Ashes

  Immortal Trials Book One

  Ainsley Shay

  Echoes to Ashes Copyright © 2018 by Ainsley Shay

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Echoes to Ashes is a work of fiction. The names, characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Edited by: Cynthia Shepp

  Cover by: Covers by Christian

  Echoes to Ashes / Ainsley Shay.—1st Edition

  Also by Ainsley Shay

  THE STATUES TRILOGY

  Prison of Statues

  Adelina’s Curse

  The Carving Witch

  ECHO RITUALS

  Iridescent Moon

  Moon Gift

  THE FORBIDDEN

  Delicate Thorns

  Jagged Feather

  Iron Petals

  UNDERWATER ISLAND

  Shore of Graves

  Nether Tears

  After the Curtain Falls

  This series is dedicated to all the lovers of paranormal beings and worlds beyond our own.

  Contents

  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

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Afterword

  Also by Ainsley Shay

  About the Author

  1

  With each mile marker we passed, the aged brown Volvo brought me closer to my demise. Faster than I could say the words ‘no-way,’ my life had shifted from being almost perfect to positively crappy. Dropping my gaze to my lap, I twisted the silver bracelet around my wrist until I saw the red bead. I found comfort twirling the glass trinket around the metal band. Comfort I desperately needed as the next highway sign caught my attention—Veil Rock, 1 Mile. My heartbeat sped up as the Volvo’s speed decreased. Taking a deep breath, I tried to push the feeling of dread away, but the incessant nag in my chest wouldn’t fade.

  I had no idea what was in Veil Rock, but I was about to find out. Maybe I should have researched it, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Either way, it was going to be my home for the next several months. The shoddy engine whined as it pulled off the highway and downshifted. From the driver’s seat, Aunt Juju—short for Juliet—gave me a sideways glance and a half smile. Whether it was meant to be to comforting or sympathetic was unclear.

  With the Volvo jerking and clanking, my aunt pulled off the ramp and onto a worn dirt road. Dust billowed behind us as she drove us into Veil Rock on fumes.

  “We’re here,” my aunt announced in a too-cheery voice.

  A single yellow streetlight blinked above us. The street sign read—Blood Bird’s Way. A million words lodged in my throat, but there was nothing to be said for what I saw in front of us.

  I pulled out my earbuds. “Please tell me this is only a pit stop.” My voice sounded pitiful in the small space.

  She patted my knee. “Nope. Welcome to Veil Rock, my dear.”

  I lowered my sunglasses, not able to tear my eyes away. “You’ve got to be kidding,” I said under my breath.

  Aunt Juju put the car in gear. “I know it’ll take some gettin’ use to, but you will.” After cranking up the sputtering radio, she stepped on the gas.

  To the right of the road was a one-pump gas station. Behind it was the backside of what looked like a circular set of rundown buildings. Odd. To the left was nothing but dirt and a few dead bushes.

  “Ocean on one side. Desert on the other,” she said as she gestured to each.

  I pointed to the group of odd buildings. “Is that downtown or something?”

  The corner of her lip hiked up. “I guess you could call it that. That’s Carousel.”

  “Carousel? Is there a year-round carnival here or something?”

  “No, but that would be fun, wouldn’t it?”

  “I guess,” I muttered. Okay, this was getting weirder by the second.

  She went on to explain. “The center of town is shaped like a carousel, so that’s what they call it. Let’s get you settled, and I’ll take you into town tomorrow.”

  Plugging one of my earbuds back in, I left the other dangling. We traveled for maybe half a mile, yet it already seemed like we were heading out of Veil Rock. Then, out of nowhere, a small trailer park came into view. It emerged like a desert mirage—one that lacked palm trees and a refreshing blue lagoon.

  Aunt Juju slammed on the brakes. I lurched forward as the seat belt locked. “Whoops. Sorry about that.”

  When I glanced up, I saw a tumbleweed the size of a bear rolling across the road. Are you freaking kidding me? It was as if I had stepped off a spaceship onto another planet, because this type of stuff was only in the movies. How could a town this small have the ocean on one side and the desert on the other? I had a feeling odd didn’t even begin to describe this place. It wasn’t any secret now why my aunt had always come to visit us and not the other way around. Hell, she still sent postcards to us monthly, and it was obvious now why they had never displayed a picture of Veil Rock.

  “Do you want to drop by the school, so you can register before we go home?”

  Not really. I wanted to act like I couldn’t hear her, or better yet, act like we didn’t speak the same language. But it wasn’t her fault I was going to spend my last semester of high school in some backward town. “Might as well get it over with,” I finally said.

  It helped knowing I’d only have to attend one class here, while the rest would be finished online with my other school, Winston High. Technically, I’d still be a Knight and not whatever Veil Rock’s mascot was. Probably an aardvark or some other awkward creation.

  We pulled into the school’s parking lot. Again, my jaw dropped. There was a good chance I might stay looking dumbfounded until I left this place. The washed-out violet building wasn’t only a high school; it was apparently the only school Veil Rock had to offer. The chipped and peeling black letters above the single door entrance read—Veil Rock’s Academic Institution, Proudly Teaching Your Child from K-12, Home of the Aye-ayes.

  “What’s an aye-aye?” I asked.

  Aunt Juju parked, then unclipped her seat belt. I did the same. “Oh, it’s a cute little critter that has big eyes and ears, with a tail just as long as their body.” She took the keys out of the ignition, putting them in her purse. “Some say it’s the ugliest thing they ever saw, but I tend to disagree.”

  Without ever seeing an aye-aye in my life, or even knowing they existed before now, I was leaning to the side of it being a lot more ugly than cute. I was going to need therapy as soon as I got home, and not just one or two sessions. I had a feeling I’d be on the couch for life. After I blew out a long, ragged breath, I immediately tri
ed to replace it with a more positive attitude. Breathe in the good. Breathe out the bad. Nope, still wasn’t feeling it. Yeah, the small amount of practice I had with meditation was going to need more work.

  The passenger door sounded like a screech owl flying overhead when I opened it.

  My aunt joined me on the curb, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “I know this isn’t exactly how you planned to live out the rest of your senior year, but it’s going to be great. A whole new experience.”

  I couldn’t argue with the new experience part.

  She offered me a full-on smile, squeezing me to her. “You got this, sweetie. Trust me.”

  She had more faith in me than I did myself, because I wasn’t sure if I would even survive the next couple of months. Lacing my fingers together, I nervously twisted my hands as we headed into Veil Rock’s Academic Institution. My aunt had gone ahead as I slowed to look around.

  Older students roamed the halls. There were a few with strange looks and interesting choices of clothes. Most of them looked normal, though, which kind of surprised me. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but normalcy hadn’t been it. Although some of their stares lingered a little too long, and others were more than a little too curious, I couldn’t blame them. It probably wasn’t too often they saw a transfer.

  A guy wearing faded black jeans and a T-shirt with a skull that sported headphones on it stopped right in front of me. Directly into my personal space. His reddish-brown hair was messy, and his light eyes held mine for an intense moment as if studying me for a science project.

  “Can I help you?” I asked.

  Holding my gaze, he shrugged lazily. “Maybe one day, but today’s not that day.” His voice was low, filled with a promise he would take me up on my unintended offer if he needed to.

  His eyes blinked as lazily as his shrug had been. “You’re new.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Aren’t you the observant one?”

  He ignored my sarcasm. “What’s your name?”

  Huh? Adjusting to the quick shift of conversation, I answered, “Everly.”

  “Everly what?”

  “Shade. Everly Shade.”

  Letting out a breath, he glanced to his right and then back at me. “Good name. You’ll fit right in Veil Rock with a name like that.”

  What the…?

  He nodded, turned his back to me, and then walked down the hall.

  I had no idea what just happened or why. My name would make me a good fit for this effed-up place?

  “You’re all set.”

  I jumped, then turned to see my aunt.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  Uselessly, I tried to shake off the weirdness. “Yeah,” I lied.

  She handed me a piece of paper. “That’s your class schedule. You’ll attend advanced physics on Tuesdays and Fridays.”

  Still in a daze from weirdo guy, I could only nod.

  She looped her arm through mine. “Come on, let’s get you home so you can get settled.”

  We drove back toward Carousel, then made a left on Cat’s Claw Court. The neighborhood was a series of small cabin-style homes in a variety of interesting colors. I tried to guess which house was my aunt’s, but I was wrong several times. After putting on her blinker, she turned down a narrow gravel road.

  “Do you live in the woods?”

  She laughed. “No dear, the forest.”

  Images of treehouses and high anti-zombie-like structures filled my head. But none of them prepared me for what I saw. Aunt Juju’s home was a cross between a dollhouse and a witch’s lair. The structure was from a fairy tale: a cottage-like home with a steeple, shingled roof, and large windows. Wide wooden steps led to a porch and a purple front door. That was the cute part. It was the torches surrounding the porch and the upside-down hanging skulls stuffed with artificial pink flowers that was the creepy part.

  I had lost count, but it was the third or fifth time my jaw had dropped since we got to this crazy town. I was going to kill my parents when they came for me.

  Spooked birds in the surrounding trees squawked, taking flight as I opened the passenger door. After retrieving my suitcase from the backseat, I followed Aunt Juju up the steps. I tried to avoid staring at the skulls for too long. The door was unlocked, and we went right in. People left their doors unlocked?

  “I’ll give you a tour of the rest of the house later. For now, I’ll show you to your room and let you put your stuff away.”

  We passed a small quaint room with a fireplace and sitting area. I didn’t see a television, and my heart started to palpitate.

  “Do you have a TV?”

  She chuckled. “Don’t worry your pretty little head; it’s in the den.”

  Relieved, I trailed after her down a thin hall lined with framed art and old pictures.

  “Towels are in here.” She pointed to a bi-folding door.

  Stopping in front of a closed door, my aunt smiled at me over her shoulder. “This is your room.” Her tone was giddy with excitement.

  My insides were mush and filled with anxiety. Sweat seeped out of my pores as she turned the handle.

  Please don’t let there be skulls or anything else creep-worthy.

  The door slid open, and every ounce of dread I felt slipped away. The room was bright and simple. A double bed covered with a white duvet was in the center of the room, a nightstand with a lamp and a bible was to the right of it, and a dresser in the corner. Opposite from where we stood was a padded window seat under a massive bay window. It was perfect.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “It’s yours to decorate however you’d like.” She moved to the side, letting me enter. “I’ll give you some time to put your stuff away—”

  “Actually, I wanted to see the ocean. Is it close?”

  “Close enough.” She tucked her short auburn hair behind her ear. “You can take my bike if you want, or I could drive you?”

  “I’ll take the bike.”

  She seemed reluctant at first, but then she smiled. “All right. Go out the way we came in, turning right on Blood Bird’s Way. You’ll pass over Dead Man’s Crossing, turn right on Hollow Hills Road, and then left on Witch Bluff Boulevard.”

  Geez, could the street names be any more bizarre and haunting?

  “You’ll run right into the ocean.”

  I ran through the directions again in my head. They didn’t sound that hard. “Got it. Thanks”

  Admittedly, I did look up Veil Rock on a map when my parents told me I was going to spend my last semester of high school in this little weird town. Even though it was no bigger than a pinprick on the map, I got a little excited when I realized the beach was in Veil Rock’s backyard. I hadn’t been to a beach since I was twelve. If it was anything like I remembered, maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  There was only about an hour or so before the sun would sink into the horizon, but if I did nothing else today, I was going to see the beach. I changed into my bikini, slipped on jean shorts without zipping or buttoning them, and grabbed a towel from the hall closet. After calling out to my aunt that I wouldn’t be too late, I raced down the steps of the porch to the bicycle leaning against the railing. Pedaling hard, I turned onto Blood Bird’s Way. From there, it wasn’t difficult to know what direction the beach was in. I just followed the sound of the waves crashing against the sand.

  My thighs burned as I turned off Hollow Hill Road onto a narrower street that seemed like it was created more for bikes than cars. The scents of salt and sea grew stronger as I neared the ocean. As soon as I reached the crest of the hill, I could see water. Excitement shivered through me. The pain in my legs and my spasming heart would all calm as soon as I dug my toes into the sand. Pushing off the ground, I lifted my feet as I freely rolled toward my salvation.

  A little up ahead, which was apparently the end of the road, two wooden posts connected by a rusted chain blocked my path. My speed had increased as I went down the hill. I squeezed the hand bra
ke hard, causing the back tire to screech and kick up pebbles. Sliding to the side in the loose soil, I caught myself just before I fell over. And thankfully so, or I would have become dinner for whatever creatures lived among the jagged rocks a hundred feet below.

  Aunt Juju wasn’t kidding when she said I’d run right into it.

  I backed the bike and myself away from the edge. Letting it fall to the ground, I stood upright. This had to be a joke, I thought as I stared out across the rocks and endless ocean. Right? Chills coated my upper body when a harsh breeze blew, and sea mist dampened my skin. I looked up and down the coast. My knees weakened when I gazed straight down. There was no beach, no sand, nowhere to relax, close my eyes, and forget I was in this pathetic town—only crashing waves that would have no problem dragging me under and sending me out to sea, never to be found or heard from again.

  “Were you planning on taking a swim, Everly Shade?”

  I turned at the sound of my name. The guy from school stood behind me, a smug expression on his face.

  Annoyance sparred with my embarrassment, tying in the end. I lifted my chin. “Cliff diving is popular where I’m from, and I wanted to check out what you guys had going on here,” I lied. I wasn’t going to let him think I was a complete airhead, or worse, caught completely off guard by him sneaking up behind me.

  He combed his hand through his russet hair, looking up and down the coast as I had. Then, his gaze landed on me. His light eyes darkened as they swept over my near-naked body.