Mirror of Embers (Book 1)

t w e n t y - s i x

The lights in the room begin to flicker as my Bound dances through my core. I can practically hear her shrilly voice begging me to let her dance. To allow her out.

"Enough." The man with white hair booms. It doesn't come through the projection though, it comes from behind me. I whirl around. I gape at him a bit. How did he just—

He strides past me and towards Ember. He lays a palm on her cheek. A white glow emits from it. Kind of like Faune's power, but different. Older. I can taste his magic on my tongue. It tastes like smoke.

He leans his head down to Ember's ear. My body stills.

His lips begin to move but I can't hear anything that leaves his mouth. It's as if he's not talking at all.

Suddenly he pulls back and looks at the projection, not looking at me and Faune once.

"In the morning she'll bring you, be prepared."

The man walks backwards and shadows absorb him. Someone gasps. But I'm too fascinated by the shadows to look away. They absorb the man until he is nothing but darkness. Well, darkness and moon white hair. A bright white flashes before the darkness disappears. The room seems brighter now that he's gone.

I turn back around and scrunch my brows together. The projection is gone. He must've ended it once he left. What the hell did his message mean? In the morning she'll bring you, be prepared. That is the most cryptic message I have ever heard. But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to Ember's friends. It was their weird cryptic message to decipher, not mine. Gods know that won't stop me from trying to figure it out, though.

Someone gasps again, my vision snags to them. My heart skyrockets.

She's awake.

☾ Ember ☾

My head pounds. It feels like someone scraped their nails against my forehead. I ram my hands through my hair and cry out as the pain intensifies. A voice rings through my head. You'll hurt for a while, you're exerted. Do not panic, my child. His message forces me to take deep and even breaths. I'm all right, this is normal he said so himself. But damn, it hurts so fucking much. I can't help the whimpering, I sound weak, but right now—I feel weak.

Hands are on my face, light gentle hands. Prying my hands out of my hair. I peak open one of my eyes. Faune sits in front of me, her face pinches together with worry. I can see her lips moving, but I can't hear her over the roar in my ears. Screaming through my mind. Forcing me to squeeze my eyes shut once more. "Burnout." I rasp quietly. The only word I manage to get out to try and calm their nerves. I'm pretty sure that'll scare them more, but at least they know what I'm dealing with now. That should be enough.

I writhe on the bed as a new wave of agony ripples through me. A massive wave hitting against my head, threatening to knock me out. I wish it would just knock me out already. My eyes are pooling with moisture. I can feel the dampness under my lids.

This is a new form of pain. This is something I have never felt before. Something I haven't prepared for. All those years hiding my power, bottling it up and throwing it out to the sea, has caused me to be vulnerable. I haven't trained myself for a burnout. I've never even let myself use my Moon-Bound for long enough to procure one. Another fatal mistake I have made because of Reighla, because I trusted her gods-awful judgment. And because of how naïve I was. I'm so stupid.

Why did I let it go on for so long? Why had I let Reighla dictate our entire life? I've always known I was strong, I'm not insecure enough to say I'm not. I could bring down the world if I wanted. And yet, I haven't. I've been docile. I've kept to the shadows and outskirts of the world, the shadows I had grown to love dearly. Being on the sidelines meant I was safe, that I was keeping Faune safe. But everything I've done to keep us safe hasn't worked, it's done the exact opposite. I've put us in harm's way. I didn't have my guard up when I met with Kam. The King's men took me back to the castle. Faune had to come and get me. Had to save me from myself. Because I was so weak.