Chasing Embers | 1

27 | E m b e r

—

Time slowed to an almost complete stop everywhere around me as Maddox lunged, fury etched all over his face. Soldiers in black surrounded me and my friends, some with fire or ice or lightning slowly breathing to life on their slick uniforms. My friends were stuck in time as well. Adara and Wren stood back to back, sparks dangling above them. Ragan was covered in ash and sweat as her hand was outstretched toward a group of soldiers. Calix was in the middle of a jump, blurry and transparent against the dark scenery. Even Maddox seemed frozen in time, hanging in the air at mid-lung with the same expression on his pale face. It was only me. I was the only one moving as though everything was normal. What was happening? What did I do?

I struggled to sit up, not knowing what parts of me he had broken. Was this what it was like to mimic someone who was already mimicking? I watched as everyone's movements seemed to backtrack and rewind then start again. It was like I was in some sort of time loop.

It was at this point where I assessed the situation: I was wet, I was seriously injured, and I definitely hated Maddox. But some part of me began to wonder if he really was "evil". He didn't necessarily look evil. Just...conflicted. I could see it in his wild eyes. There was something greater behind them, something almost controlling him.

It became obvious to me that I could kill him at this moment. But did I really want to? It seemed wrong, yet it would be so easy. No. He was Ragan's brother, and no matter how much she hated him, I wasn't going to take that away. Who knew the truth behind his crazy eyes?

It was the only thing stopping me from killing him as I shakily lifted my palm to his face, a tear slipping down mine.

—

Something was wrong. What did I do? Why was this happening? I couldn't feel, hear, or see anything except for a blinding white light. I tried to squint as it got brighter, but my body was out of my control. I felt nothing. There was no surface beneath me, around me, anywhere. It was as though I was suspended in the sky.

My first thought was that I was dead. Maddox killed me, and now I was dead. Perhaps the gods were sending me to wherever it was these people went when they died. Maybe I actually was in the sky, and this bright light was the sun. What did I do to cause this?

The light was suddenly gone in a flash, shoving me back into reality. Literally. My senses came rushing back to me. The loud drum of an eruption made my heart jump to my throat. The chaotic world spun around me as my aching body smashed into the sand.

My vision blurred. Ringing filled my ears while I lay sprawled out in the sand, unable to move. Dark blobs filled my view of the dark grey sky, and for a moment, I thought I would pass out and never return. But then, the blobs started to become more defined. They began to look like people. I counted four.

One of the blobs leaned toward me, and I could faintly see his bright blue eyes filled with concern. I felt my skin peel away from the gritty sand as he lifted me into his strong arms. The contact made small bursts of pain run up my back and across my shoulders. My head limply fell against his chest.

The fact that I had no control over my body made me feel weak, and I was sure I looked like the equivalent of an old rag doll. I was so emotionally conflicted that I couldn't decide whether I wanted to cry or punch a wall. In all honesty, I probably wasn't able to do either. It was like a dream where you can't move or speak or control anything happening around you.

"We have to get out of here," I heard Wren rasp to the others around him.

Instead of saying some snide comment like I expected, Ragan scrunched her brow. "Where are we supposed to go?"