Chasing Embers | 1

25 | A d a r a

—

I struggled to my feet. The farthest through the plan that we had discussed was getting the Guard to the beach. But now what? There was nowhere to run. We had no clue whether the rebels had received our message or not. What if they never showed? What would we do then?

I hated to admit it, but we were lost without their assistance. They held a secret location, and we needed to disappear. It was the only place to go. If they didn't help us, we may not make it out.

But what reason did they have not to come? We had Ember. Someone like her was essential to beat Lord Tanmos. He feared her, hated her. If the rebels came, they would gain the ultimate weapon against the government.

Not that Ember was a weapon, though. I had seen the way her face dropped during the discussion earlier. She hadn't liked that she didn't get a say in what had to happen if we were to go with the rebels.

I wasn't sure there was anything we could do to help her. There was the thought of keeping her a secret from the rebels so she wouldn't be involved, but that hadn't worked out well the first time around. Whatever we did, it would have to come later.

We had to make it through the current situation first.

My thunder rolled in the sky as Lord Tanmos and the Guard surrounded the five of us, snapping me out of my thoughts. He expected us to give in, but we would fight. We would fight until we couldn't go on. And then what? I didn't want to think about what would happen next.

The lord cleared his throat, cape flowing in the wind. "Well, I was really hoping for more of a show than this. Such a shame, that it had to end this way. I was beginning to enjoy this little chase."

His icy blue eyes scanned each one of us. Looking at him once again, I could see the similarities between him and Ragan. Their hair was the same color, as was their complexion. They were both tall and skinny, and they had that same look that could silence a crowd.

"The chase is over, Maddox," Ragan grumbled. "We're not hiding anymore, and neither should you."

Her comment seemed to startle him a bit. Lord Tanmos narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

"You will address me as Lord Maddox Tanmos of Auchterton and nothing else," he sneered.

Ragan kicked at the sand. She smirked. "I don't think so."

His jaw twitched. "Your defiance will not be tolerated. I hope you are prepared for your friends to suffer because of your actions, little Ragan."

Ember stepped forward, standing up to Maddox for the first time. "I wouldn't count on our suffering. We made that point earlier. I mean, come on, a handful of teenagers pounding Auchterton's mightiest warriors."

Maddox stared her down, the fresh wound apparent on his face. "Is that a challenge, young Valarious?"

She shrugged. "Like you said, I am a Valarious." Ember paused and looked around before saying, "Do you see any other people from that House?"

The lord only laughed. "You might want to lower your self-confidence. You forget your place in this world. Do not think that because of your House, you can suddenly beat me and my army."

My new friend smirked, sparks igniting from her hands. "Who said it was just me?"

With that, the Guard charged. A flood of black rushed toward us. They moved around Maddox as if he was a giant boulder, and they were the wild streams of water on a river. Men in the Guard screamed their battle cries, shiny boots kicking up sand as they ran.

Fire bloomed across the horizon, coming from the gloved hand of an Arser. The ocean behind me crashed into the sand from the fury of House Peros. I prayed it was from my brother's hand. The ground ahead of me erupted with colorful, sharp sea glass. I watched as some of the soldiers from House Esthin duplicated, making the Guard seem even larger and more intimidating than it already was.

My eyes flicked past the rushing enemy. Lingering in the shadows against the wall of the building we had jumped off of, was a man. The first thing I noticed about him, all the way across the beach, was that he had dark circles under his empty eyes. His skin was ashy and grey, matching his pitch black hair.

He looked like death itself. That was when I realized who he was. A man from House Skeldon. It was said that every House had its limits. Every time people from that House used their power, it slowly killed them. I could see that this soldier was suffering from the effects of his power. I had seen a good amount of Skeldons in Winham, but none of them seemed as lifeless as this man.

I averted my eyes when the Guard was only a few feet away. Some of them lashed out at me. One man threw fire at my feet. I jumped back and rolled out of the way, sand sticking to my back. The fire was quickly doused by my brother, who had been fighting nearby.

Another man stepped forward, knife drawn. I analyzed his position quickly. His eyes were a color I couldn't even begin to describe, pulling me into a trance by their beauty. An Oparia. I tried to avert my gaze from his eyes and noted the knife in his hand. His arm suddenly swung toward my chest. I ducked, knee digging into the sand, and twisted his arm.

A satisfying crunch sounded when I made my move, causing him to drop his weapon. His next advancement took me by surprise. The soldier opened his mouth, staring down at me, but nothing came out.

Then, a terrible high-pitched shrill like the screaming of a banshee filled my ears. I clasped my hands over my ears, releasing his arm, but that only made the horrible noise louder. I was vaguely aware of him and one other soldier creeping closer to me. My lightning lashed out from my distress as they neared. It connected with their skulls almost immediately. They shook in the air as electricity flooded their veins, dead before they hit the ground. The terrible noise in my ears died with them.

A soldier to my right that I hadn't seen slashed his arm through the air, his eyes dark orbs when I acknowledged him. A sharp pain, like the sensation of breaking a bone, seared up my left arm. Spots filled my vision. I screamed, more purple lightning cracking through the sky in response. The soldier had shattered the bones in my forearm.

The next thing I knew, I was laying in the sand. My vision hadn't cleared, and I was lightheaded, but I felt the familiar comfort of Wren's powerful arms wrap around me. I flinched when his hand cradled my injured arm. He immediately let go at my reaction and put it around my waist instead. I squeezed my eyes shut as my arm flared, like the fast beating of my heart.

"Hang on, Ada. You'll be okay," he whispered.

I nodded into his chest. My arm had to be repaired. "Go get Ragan," I muttered. She had fixed shattered bones before. She could do it again.

An explosion sounded in front of me, and then I heard hurried footsteps shuffle through the sand to my left. I opened my eyes to see a mop of black hair on ash covered pale skin, thankful that most of the spots in my vision were gone.

"I'm right here," she breathed out, dropping next to me. "Don't worry, those guys won't mess with you anymore. I burst their hearts."

I smiled and saw what I figured were the soldiers who had lashed out at me crumpled on the ground a few feet away. When more soldiers headed our way, Wren let go of me and hopped into action. Ragan grabbed my shoulder. Pain spread through the spot she touched, and I winced and let out a cry.

"Sorry. This is going to hurt. I can't fix the bone all the way, but I'll try my best."

I nodded, not able to do much more. With that, she closed her eyes. I had only seen Ragan fix something that had been broken once, and that was when Ember shattered the bones in her wrist the other day. Ragan had still been in pain afterward.

Energy flowed through her fingertips into my flesh as she moved her hand along my arm. I couldn't feel anything that was happening, but I could only imagine the small pieces of bone shaping together like a puzzle. There were times when small flashes of pain would run up my arm, but the cool sensation of the energy calmed me and my ragged breaths.

Soon, she let go. "Your arm isn't completely healed, so try not to use it. I'll stay here to help you as much as I can."

I nodded, pulling myself to my feet as best I could with my one good arm. Once I was up, I took in the scene around me. Wren was busy knocking soldiers down with strong blasts of water. Calix and Ember stood nearby, surrounded by a group of soldiers.

They stood back to back as they pushed the soldiers away, some falling into giant cracks in the ground or suddenly appearing out in the angry crashing waves. They were tossed about in the water until finally, a giant wave engulfed them in its wrath, never to be seen again.

Ragan's sudden shouts drew my attention away. I looked to see what was the matter. The Guard was closing in on us. We were being swamped by soldiers in sleek, black uniforms.

They seemed to aim their powers upon us like men firing machine guns. Fire and ice, wind and vines with thorns. Voices screamed in my ears. The sand in front of us erupted like bombs had been dropped. There was blood and ash covering many faces, making them indistinguishable. I felt overwhelmed.

My hair whipped across my face as the wind howled, mixing with the voices of the soldiers in my ears. They screamed that I should give up, that we couldn't win. Their voices were so loud that I covered my ears as best I could with my good hand. Unfortunately, that didn't work.

I squeezed my eyes shut as the wind picked up, not even noticing that it was my own. I could hear it howling and screaming in my left ear, drowning out the voices of the men trying to kill me. As the wind spun in the air faster, I noticed a stinging from grains of sand hitting my skin.

When I opened my eyes, I almost wished I hadn't. Sand filled the air, spinning around us and the Guard like a tornado. Ragan was crouched to my left, shielding her face from the brewing sandstorm. I cradled my left arm and focused on the energy around me, wielding it to encompass only Lord Tanmos and the Guard. It responded, moving the mass of sand away from me and my friends.

My sandstorm spun faster, picking up more sand so that I could barely see the trapped men inside of it. I sank to my knees from the force of having to control all of that energy. The screaming in my ears grew louder, one rising above the rest.

This is quite the storm, Adara Argover. You have learned well.

My blood went cold. I would recognize that cold voice anywhere. Maddox was in my head.

It is such a shame that Ragan's improper behavior has had an effect on you. You will refer to me as Lord Tanmos, even in your thoughts.

I wanted him out of my mind. I didn't appreciate him invading my thoughts. Maybe that was why Ragan left him.

I screamed in agony. The searing sensation in my arm returned in an instant after I completed my thought. All the bones that Ragan had just repaired shattered. The burning pain spread back up my arm, worse than before. Lightning cracked through the sky and into the storm in front of me, scorching one of the soldiers.

How dare she share that with you! You have no right to know my past!

His voice ripped through my head, screaming at me. I lost control. The wind stopped, sand dropping heavily back to where it came from. By this time, the five of us had moved closer together. My arm hung limply again by my side as I forced tears to stay back.

The Guard seemed shaken. Some soldiers were coughing up sand, others looking to where their leader had moved in front of them. He glared at the teenagers before him, who had dared to defy his rule. His black curls were wild in the wind against his pale skin. Although we were far away, I noticed something different about his face. I realized it was his eyes. I gasped. They were no longer their startling, cold blue.

His eyes were as dark as the night. Black orbs.

I glanced down at my left arm, hanging uselessly by my hip. Thankfully, I wasn't dominant in that one. It had been shattered by an oblivion the first time, but what about the second? Maddox had done it, I was sure. But he was from House Tanmos.

It made no sense.

My thoughts were once again interrupted by Maddox shaking with rage. He snapped his head towards Ragan, his sister. He was practically spitting at us with anger.

"You want me to stop hiding, little sister? Then, fine! Have it your way! However," his growling voice paused, eyes dark, "when you and your friends suffer under my wrath, remember whose idea it was to release it."

And then all of hell broke loose.