Chasing Embers | 1

24 | E m b e r

—

Calix navigated us through the maze of houses towards the edge of the mainland. The goal was to find an open space away from civilians, more specifically, the beach. If we were going to fight, everyone else needed to be safe. I didn't want to cause even more pain to those around me than I already had.

I took the chance to scan my surroundings as we went, for escape purposes if necessary. The area looked similar to Ardeina, with the exception that it sat right on the water. Few people milled around, and we tried to avoid them all. We didn't want them to recognize us. Anyone with even the slightest hesitation toward us could jeopardize everything.

It was strange how quiet the Western sector was. Wren had described Winham as being loud and busy all the time, with lots of people and outdoor activities like Morchester. Now, all was quiet. I wondered if everyone was afraid of Lord Tanmos and the Guard, if they had seen what they could do. The fewer people we saw, I figured the closer to him we were. I noticed the sky, how it was always grey and gloomy when he was present. Maybe it was by chance that it occurred, but I had a feeling that even the nature of the world knew his dark secrets.

Calix held a hand out, slowing our jog to a halt behind a building. "We need to move towards the beach, draw them out there. Lord Tanmos and his Guard are nearby and away from the open space. If we don't pull them out there, innocent people are likely to get hurt."

Ragan nodded, a scowl settling on her face. "I can feel the weight of their energy all clumped in one spot. Maddox should be just north of us, between us and the beach."

I understood what she meant by the clump of energy. I could sense it up ahead. It was strong, almost overwhelming. Lord Tanmos must have brought a lot of soldiers. That meant he had underestimated us, but it also meant that our chances of winning had gone down.

The knife tucked at my side was cold against my hip and my backpack felt as if it carried the weight of the worlds, even though I had emptied it of the spare clothes and other unnecessary items, as I thought of what could be around the next few blocks. What if they were waiting for us? What if they knew we were coming? We could be walking right into our doom.

I glanced at Ragan. Her face held no emotion as our eyes locked. She seemed stressed. We all were, but Ragan's was different. She looked torn. There was something else I saw in her eyes. Fear. Ragan was afraid. I never thought that to be possible. The thought of what it meant if she was afraid made me extremely scared.

"We're going to need to split up if we want to pull them towards the beach. If we stay together, they'll just enclose us," Ragan said quietly.

Wren stepped forward. "How should we split?"

Ragan was quiet for a moment. "They'll expect Wren and Ada together, with me and Ember somewhere else. Of course, Calix is probably going to be somewhat a surprise. I say Calix and Ada go with Ember. Wren and I will take the other side. That seems to be what they wouldn't expect, if I had to guess."

I didn't like the thought of splitting from Wren. It unsettled me. It seemed strange that I was already forming another relationship after just getting out of one, but I felt like I had never been confident that Hunter and I would last. I had formed my doubts about him the moment he had grabbed my hand in physics class.

Wren was different. I didn't have any red flags or doubts cross my mind about him. Things with Hunter were always awkward and staggered. With Wren, it was smooth sailing.

Before I knew it, we were beginning to split. Calix and Adara had begun to move toward the right, Ragan and Wren to the left. He looked back at me. Concern and anxiety filled his sea blue eyes. His walking slowed. The others had already disappeared around the corner.