Chasing Embers | 1

06 | H u n t e r

—

"So. . . you told Calix about me?"

I felt my cheeks get warm, and I ducked my head as we sat in the purple gondola that I rowed down the main canal. The day was coming to an end, and I was taking Ember somewhere she could rest for the night. The crowd of people had loosened, and only couples or vendors stood on the pavement above.

"Well, I might have mentioned you before leaving the capitol on Wednesday. Don't listen to Calix. He tends to exaggerate a lot." I chuckled to myself.

Instead of hearing her laughing along, I saw something in Ember's eyes flashed and her forehead creased. Her plump lips quirked to the side as she thought. It only lasted a moment. Soon, the confusion on her face disappeared, and she looked to the water.

"Do you think I can do it, Hunter? Make a living out here?" she asked, keeping her emerald eyes focused on the water. Her golden curls were wild without her hat on, making her look like a lion. Ember wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from what I thought at first was myself. I shifted away from her a bit and she smirked, still looking down. "Sorry. It's not you, Hunter. I'm wearing shorts and there's a slight breeze."

I nodded. "To answer your question, I think you just have to have the right people by your side and the right mentality. You don't know a lot of people here right now, but I can tell you that you're off to a good start."

She lifted her eyes to mine, the smirk still there. "You wouldn't be referring to yourself, now would you?"

I shrugged and chuckled. "You never know. I do consider myself to be quite trustworthy, though."

"Well, I've only met two people from here. Three, if you count the owner at The Square Table. Man, that guy could carry on a conversation," she laughed.

I smiled at the soft melody. "You'll meet more people in a little bit. Trust me, they're a fun crowd," I mused. "We'll stay with them tonight."

Ember placed her head in her hands. "And who exactly are they?"

It was my turn to smirk. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

She stuck her tongue out at me and lowered one of her hands out of the gondola. I didn't realize what she was doing until it hit me. Literally. Ember had splashed me with the water in the canal, soaking my hair and the front of my white t-shirt.

"Hey! No fair!" I laughed and mimicked the action.

Ember squealed and threw her arms up over her face. Her red flannel and undershirt were splattered with water and small drops dotted her legs. People from above on the pavement looked down at us in amusement as they walked by.

When Ember reached down to splash me again, the water froze in mid-air. It looked like slender fingers reaching out to touch me. Her mouth hung open. With one small flick of my hand, I had frozen all the water coming at me. The tips of my fingers flared blue and white, and cold air rushed to replace the balmy breeze of the evening. Ember breathed out and closed her mouth, a ring of condensation flowing out.

"Ch-cheater," she stuttered through her chattering teeth, trying not to laugh.

I chuckled and slowly brought my mind to thaw the ice. It splashed down in chunks on the bottom of our gondola, soaking our shoes–as if they weren't already.

"Oh, that's wonderful," Ember sniffled. She ran her hands up and down her arms. I frowned at the fact that I couldn't help, that I could only make her colder.

I scratched the back of my head. "Sorry. We're almost there."

Ember nodded and curled up into a ball on the gondola while I rowed in silence.