Ash And Ember The Wolf / Witch Hybrid

Chapter 7

As the group finally got themselves together, Marlin looked at both Ash and Angel.

"You two will be sitting with us tonight." He told them, and they both nodded. "Good, now let's go."

As soon as Marlin opened the doors to the dining hall, everyone inside went silent. Ash wasn't sure if the dining hall got longer, or it just seemed that way because of her nerves. There were the usual three tables running vertically down the length of the hall and at the other end was a table running horizontally across it. It looked as if the entire castle was there, waiting patiently for the council to arrive. As the group walked through the hall to their table, Ash could hear a few whispers amongst some of the students. It hurt to hear them call her a monster and that she shouldn't be allowed to eat with them, but she kept her head held high as she walked.

Once they finally reached their table, everyone except Marlin took their seats. He looked around the room at the sea of faces, noticing more than a few of the students were glaring at Ash. He was angry about this but also felt guilty that he hadn't put a stop to the rumors flying around. He raised his hands, and the room became so quiet that you could hear a pen drop.

"Good evening, everyone. There are a few announcements to be made this evening," Marlin stated. "First off, we have an honored guest that will be with us for a while. I expect everyone to be on their best behavior while she is with us. And now, we are celebrating Ember and her impressive show of skill this morning. By now I know that you have all heard about her ability to command fire. That rumor is true. But as for the rest of the rumors about Ember eating people, those are pure lies. The group of girls are safe and awaiting a decision to be made about their punishments. We are also about to start discussing who will be appointed to fill the vacant council seat. Now for the most important announcement. Since Ember is a witch as well as a wolf, she is free to roam around inside of the castle in her wolf form whenever she pleases. If anyone has any problems with this, please take them up with her personally. Now, let's enjoy this wonderful meal that has been prepared for this special occasion."

There were a few gasps from the crowd during Marlin's speech, but they did not deter him from the council's decision. When he sat down, he looked at Ash to see that she was in complete shock with tears in her eyes. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that they would allow Ember to roam freely wherever she wanted. Ember was also shocked by this, but she also didn't think that it was a good idea. She gently reminded Ash about the issue of her not being able to talk to anyone.

"Would Ember like to come out and enjoy her celebration meal with us?" Marlin was beaming with pride.

"Ember wants me to let you know that she is truly grateful for the offer, but she is afraid that, since she can't talk with anyone, she wouldn't be good dinner company." Ash looked hurt and sad as she told them what Ember was saying.

"I'm so sorry you two. I completely forgot that we were supposed to find something to help her talk." Marlin was once again dismayed by his own actions. He felt like he was failing them as a father and a mentor.

"Ash, I might be able to help. If you will allow me to," Vladimir softly said. He was unsure if he even deserved to be allowed to help her after he hurt her.

"What do you mean you might be able to help?" Ash eyed him suspiciously.

"Earlier, while trying to help John, I found a spell that gives wolves the ability to talk in human languages while in their wolf form. I was going to tell you about it earlier but the meeting with Angel happened before I could." Vladimir hastily spoke, hoping that she wouldn't be upset about this being another secret.

"Really? That is exactly what Marlin and I were looking for before the meeting. Do you remember the spell?" Ash and Ember were both so excited to hear about this that they had completely forgotten about being mad at him.

"I do. But I can only cast it when you are in your wolf form." Vladimir was so happy that they were willing to accept his help.

"Don't forget about the tea that she will need to drink before she can talk." Angel said from a few chairs over. "It will help soften her vocal cords and make it easier on her."

"You know about this spell also?" Ash looked at her, completely shocked.

"Yes, and I have used it several times. Which is why I know about the tea." Angel seemed as if this was a regular thing.

"What herbs do we need for this tea?" Sharra asked, looking suspicious and determined all at the same time.

"I have the list here, Sharra. I was hoping to have all of this set up before dinner but it seems that my plans weren't going to happen." Vladimir passed a piece of paper down to her.

"Good, we have all of these and none of them are harmful to wolves or witches." Sharra said as she read the list. "I will be right back."

There was excitement buzzing around the table. Even John, who had been in a bit of a foul mood, was smiling brightly. Had everyone been waiting for this to happen? Ash thought to herself. Maybe we shouldn't have waited so long to try to do this? Ember was pacing in their mind, she was trying to keep her excitement down. She didn't want to be completely devastated if this didn't work. Her nerves had gone into overdrive and the what ifs had started filling her mind. When Sharra returned, she handed Ash a cup of tea that reeked of licorice.

"I know, little one. But Vladimir says that this will help and I trust his judgment." Sharra knew that Ash hated licorice but it had to be in the tea.

Ash just nodded and then held her nose and drank the liquid down in three big gulps. As soon as it was empty, she handed the cup back to Sharra and went over behind a curtain to shift. A moment later, Ember came out from behind the curtain looking cautiously around as she heard several gasps from around the room. It was becoming worrisome about the number of people who hadn't seen her in wolf form. Seeing her hesitation, Vladimir stood and started walking toward her. He seems shorter than he did this morning, Ember thought to herself.

"Well, someone hit a growth spurt today. Would you mind lying down for this so I can reach your head?" Vladimir chuckled as he was almost straining his neck to look her in the eyes.

She did as he asked and to her surprise she was looking at the center of his chest. How did she grow this tall this fast? She had a lot of questions swirling in her mind when she heard Vladimir start casting the spell and she closed her eyes. He placed his hands on top of her head, then moved them over her ears, and finally down to her throat. At this point, the entire room was deathly silent except for Vladimir, and several people were scared that he was going to get hurt. Suddenly, Ember felt like her throat had been lit on fire while Vladimir finished the spell. As soon as he was done speaking, the fire was gone.

"What was that?" Ember asked out loud in her own voice. Shock and amazement flooded through her. "I can talk?"

Vladimir took a few steps back and chuckled, nodding at her. She could see tears in his eyes. "Yes you can." His voice was a little hoarse.

"Thank you so much for this gift that you have given me." Ember crawled over to him and put her head on his chest.

"Thank you for trusting me." Vladimir whispered into her ear as he hugged her. She could hear the relief in his voice. "Now let's go eat, your stomach is rumbling. Loudly I might add."

As Ember stood she saw that everyone in the room was standing and looking at her. They were all curious to hear her speak. She was nervous and didn't know what to say. She walked over to her place at the table and sat down, still towering over everyone standing around her.

“Well I guess that no one will be able to not see you now,” Ash joked in the back of their mind. “Give a small speech so we can all eat.” she prodded.

"I'm sorry for the interruption. Please, let's all sit and enjoy this amazing smelling meal that our cooks have prepared for us." Ember stated in a tone that she had never heard herself use before. With that, there were quite a few cheers from the room. The loudest cheers were coming from Tomas and Jason.

She gave them a nod and then looked down at the table. She saw a platter of her favorite foods in front of her. She looked at the cooks and gave them a nod of appreciation. They all smiled and nodded back. But there was still a small problem. She was too tall to reach her food while sitting. She didn't think that standing would be a good option either, it might seem rude. Marlin chuckled softly beside her, seeing her dilemma.

"You could always just lie down and eat if that is what you are wondering, Ember," He offered.

"Um, actually I was. I'm not sure how I got this tall all of a sudden, but it's proving to be a pain." Ember said sheepishly.

Vladimir and Marlin both burst out laughing and immediately got their arms hit by Tonia and Sharra. Ember snickered at the show and then laid down and happily ate her food. The taste was even better now that she was in wolf form. But she realized that mashed potatoes were very difficult for her to eat without looking like a wild animal. As dinner went on, everyone was talking and laughing and enjoying Ember’s company. And for the first time since she had awakened, Ember felt like she truly belonged.

"If it's ok with everyone, I would like to go speak to a couple of people." Ember said after she had eaten her food.

" You're a grown wolf, go mingle girl." Tonia said, giving Ember a wink. Everyone else just nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much for this," Ember said as she stood and walked over to Abigail first.

"Ember, if you keep growing like this then I'm going to have to get a ladder to take your measurements." Abigail teased.

"Thank you for always being so kind to me and taking care of me, Abigail." Ember was thrilled to finally tell her that. "But how did I grow this much in a single afternoon?"

"It's your alpha blood starting to kick in. Your fur is even getting darker and your alpha tone is amazing, as well as your voice. I'm so happy that you can finally talk with people now. Hopefully you won't be so lonely now." Abigail was almost bouncing with how excited she was for Ember.

"If it's ok with you, can we talk about this more tomorrow?" Ember asked.

"Of course it's ok. You must have a million questions, but tonight you should go mingle with the other students. I'm pretty sure that you have a fan club starting." Abigail chuckled, pointing towards Tomas.

"Thank you for everything." Ember replied and slowly made her way to where Tomas and Jason were sitting.

Tomas couldn't help himself. He jumped up and ran over, hugging her leg. He was now shorter than her leg, and Ember chuckled, looking down at him. Ember carefully walked over to Jason with Tomas still tightly wrapped around her leg. Ember knew that they were both orphans like her. Their parents were killed by rogue wolves two years ago, when Jason was almost sixteen and Tomas was eight. That was when they came to live here at the castle. Ember couldn't help but feel protective over Tomas. He was a sweet boy even after what had happened. Jason was glaring at his little brother, he clearly didn't approve of Tomas's behavior.

"Tomas, let her leg go. She isn't some carnival ride that you can use whenever you want." Jason stated angrily.

"Sorry Ember. I'm just excited to see you. You have a beautiful voice, by the way," Tomas said as he let go and went to stand by Jason.

"It's perfectly fine, Tomas. I appreciate the affection that you show me. And thank you. I'm happy that I can finally talk with you." Ember laid down beside them so she wouldn't look so intimidating. Tomas beamed with delight and stuck his tongue out at Jason. Jason rolled his eyes and Ember chuckled at them.

"You look different this evening, Ember," Jason said without thinking. "Good, different, not bad."

"Thank you. I've been told that it's because I have alpha blood in me." Ember was thankful for her fur that hid the fact that she was blushing. She didn't know why, but she had butterflies in her stomach from being close to Jason.

"You're an alpha?" Both Jason and Tomas said in unison.

"That's what I was told. Why? Is it a bad thing?" Ember was starting to worry. She still wasn't sure what an alpha was.

"No. Alphas are the biggest and strongest of wolves. They are the leaders of their packs. But usually alphas are pure black wolves, where you have dark red fur is all. You truly are amazing, no matter what though." Jason said quickly, trying to alleviate her fears.

"I didn't know that you knew so much about wolves." Ember was shocked at his knowledge.

"Our parents were actually writing about wolves and we were living with a wolf pack not far from here, when the rouges attacked. Mommy and daddy always said that we should help our friends wherever we could." Tomas hung his head as he sat down. Ember could hear the sadness in his voice.

"I'm so sorry Tomas, I didn't know." Ember put her head in Tomas's lap and let him cry on her. She couldn't fathom the pain that he was feeling because she had never known her birth mother. In that moment, she swore that Tomas would never be hurt like that again. She would give anything to make his pain go away.

After a few minutes, Tomas had stopped crying but had started to snore softly. Ember just laid there and let him sleep. Jason looked at her with adoration and finally got up so he could take Tomas to bed.

"Thank you Ember. Tomas will sleep better tonight because of you. Before we came here, the Alpha of our adopted pack would let Tomas sleep on him after our parents died. It helped keep the nightmares at bay." Jason softly whispered.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Jason. I hope that you aren't mad at me for bringing it up." Ember whispered and reluctantly let Jason take Tomas.

"It's fine. I've made my peace with it, and I'm still here for Tomas, so that's a plus. But I think it's time for bed. Good night Ember." Jason smiled at her and then carried his sleeping brother out of the dining hall.

Ember just laid there and watched them leave. Her heart was hurting for both of them. She hadn't even realized that a group of young women had come up to her until one of them spoke.

"That was stupid of you. How do you expect that little boy to grow up if you coddle him like that?" The young woman sneered.

Ember looked at her and let out a low growl. She knew this woman. Her name was Marissa, and even though she wasn't as bad as Melony, she was still a bully.

"Tomas is still trying to get over the loss of his parents and I will not leave him to suffer alone. Any decent being would allow him to grieve and comfort him when they could." Ember was angry with Marissa's cold-hearted statement.

"So you are nothing more than a big puppy." Marissa laughed.

Ember stood a growled loudly, making the color drain from Marissa's face.

"No, but I'm not some stuck up b*tch that enjoys watching others suffer. And if you keep trying me, then you will learn that even 'puppies' have sharp teeth and claws. Do we understand each other?" Ember had used her alpha tone on purpose this time.

Marissa and her friends all dropped to a knee and in unison replied "we understand."

Marlin had noticed the altercation and had quickly went to make sure that no one got hurt. He was surprised to hear Ember use her alpha tone so readily, but was more shocked at how the girls were compelled to comply. He had never known of a wolf being able to command witches before. They really needed to go read that prophecy and soon.

"Well girls, I know I said to take up any issues you had with Ember. But did you honestly think that it was wise to piss off a wolf?" Marlin spoke softly to them. All of the girls just shook their heads no. "Next time you should all really think about how things could end before acting like that. Ember, we still have a few things to discuss with you and Ash before we can call it a night."

"Yes Marlin." Ember was overjoyed to finally say those words.

"Girls, you should all go get some rest. Lessons start early enough on a full night's sleep." Marlin said to the girls that were still kneeling in front of Ember.

The girls quickly stood up and left the dining hall without a word. After a few minutes of silence, there was cheering coming from the rest of the students that were still there. Ember seemed to be gaining respect just for being herself. Tonight had been the best night of her life.

"It's time to go look for these books, child." Marlin said to Ember, then turned to look at the rest of the council members and Angel.