Novel & Cerita A Shadow In The Ember Series

he growled. “Oh, I’m helping,” Ember sing-songed, clearly delighted. I buried my face in my hands. “I hate all of you.” No you don’t, Liora whispered slyly. You want them. You want everything. And soon, you won’t be able to resist. Later, after Ember went to stay at Liam’s and the Shadow Fangs finally left, it was quieter. Just me, Zander, and Rowan. I curled up on the couch under a blanket, still wearing Zander’s shirt, my body aching in ways that felt almost good now.

To what we’ve unleashed. The wyrm is not just a monster. Not merely a beast that chases us. It’s the embodiment of something far older. Far darker. Something bound to us. To our story. “Eve...” Shadow turns to me, and in his face, I see a mixture of despair and sorrow. “I think we’ve opened something we won’t be able to close.” The fear in his voice stops my heart for a beat. I don’t want it to be true. I don’t want to believe we’ve come this far just to lose.

“Do you see that?” He narrowed his eyes. “Stay behind me.” We crept toward the light. It flickered softly, like fire — but it wasn’t a normal flame. It floated in the air, a single glowing ember spinning slowly. “It’s her,” I whispered. “I can feel it.” The ember drifted closer, humming faintly, almost like it was breathing. Damon stepped in front of me, claws half out, his eyes flashing gold. “Don’t touch it,” he warned. But before he could move me back, the ember shot forward and touched my chest.

“Who.” The air dropped in an instant. Breath froze in their lungs, every candle guttering but never quite dying. The chamber seemed to fold inward, as if the walls themselves bent closer, pressing down on their ribs. Then, with a groan that echoed like bones breaking, the seal cracked. From its heart spilled shadow — but not like theirs. Not crow-black. Not familiar. This shadow was older, heavier, soaked in memory. Its edges gleamed red as if dipped in fire. A feather emerged. Long. Brittle. Stained faintly with blood.

As Caelum’s body dissolved into motes of silver light, Iris’s spirit faded too, her voice lingering like a lullaby. “Balance… at last.” Vaelor’s Ember But far below, in the heart of the battlefield, a small ember of shadow pulsed faintly. Unseen, it whispered in a voice colder than death: “Balance is temporary… but darkness… darkness is eternal.”

Apparently, and from the pieces of conversation they shared, they knew each other, although at arms length. She was a maid named Ember, and that was all I knew. I had no idea how they'd started talking, they weren't friends, but their relationship was a unique one, in a completely platonic way, that is. “What do you think happened now?” I muttered to myself. “I hadn't seen him since I chained him up. I always said I was going to go back to check on him….” “He would have killed you if you went.” Cain’s voice reached my ears. Up until this moment, I didn't even know I'd said it out loud and that he'd heard me. “And as for what happened, it's very simple. The shadow struck again.”

The air cleared. And Ember wept all over again, but this time, not from rage. From release. Thirty Minutes Later, Inside the Wreckage Seryna and Rhian stood in the broken church nearby, watching Cassia tend to Ember. Neither spoke for a long time. “She looks just like her,” Seryna murmured. “Only sharper,” Rhian replied. “Like a sword version of Cassia.” They both turned as Ember rose slowly, a blanket draped around her shoulders, her steps unsure. Cassia walked beside her like a guide leading a ghost through the land of the living.

EMBER The apartment was dim and warm when Ember slipped out of the bathroom, the candlelight soft enough to blur the edges of the storm outside. The air still smelled faintly of steam, citrus from her shampoo, and—annoyingly—Ghost. Mostly Ghost. He stood in the kitchen, broad shoulders haloed by the flicker of a single candle he’d set on the counter. His head was bent slightly as he checked the breaker box or pretended to. Ember got the impression he’d finished that task a while ago and was now… waiting. Making sure she didn’t fall apart between the bathroom and the hallway, probably. His gaze lifted the moment she stepped into view.