An Ember In The Ashes Audiobook Novels & Stories

The lady looked at Lexi, and Lexi thought she saw a reflection of herself on the face of the lady who then smiled. "It's a wonderful thing to see you again, my daughter," Queen Iris said. "What?" Lexi said, not believing what she had just said. "You did send out emissaries to find me. I got word of it, and I returned willingly. Who do you think placed you close to the North Hill Tribe? Who do you think sent Gina to protect, and reach you? Who do you think sent the Night Witch to you? Who do you think made Strongfall call on the Night Witch to come to their aid? Who do you think made the Shadow Sisters come to aid your fighting? Of course, I hoped you would make the right decision, and you di

A loud gasp tore through the room. Ember shot upright, her body stiff as if something unseen had just taken hold of her. Her eyes were wild, dilated. She wasn’t looking at them… she was looking past them, at something neither Kaya nor Raphael could see. And then she whispered, her voice trembling with something between fear and rage. “He’s coming.”

She’d come to see the bastard in the ground for herself. Dorian Ashford’s coffin sat there, slick and shiny, all polished mahogany that hollered wealth even as it sank toward the dirt. The priest mumbled some nonsense about peace everlasting, his voice half-drowned by the storm, but Sienna didn’t hear a word. Her eyes were glued to that box, her jaw locked tight. Twenty-seven years of bile churned inside her. He’d left her mom to waste away in a rusted trailer, coughing up her last breaths, while he piled up his shipping billions—money built on the wreckage of the only person who’d ever given a damn about him.

Strange fungi pulsed along the ground like breathing bruises. Steve leaned toward her. “You sure this Mirror Gate exists?” Emma nodded. “The Ashwalkers wouldn’t lie.” “They don’t lie,” Long corrected. “But they don’t always tell the full truth, either.” Emma pressed a hand to her chest. The Heart Ember responded with a faint warmth. Its light had dulled in recent days, adapting to her body, finding a place to rest. But here—in this dead land—it pulsed like a heartbeat trying to keep her tethered to something real.

Chapter Thirteen: Sister of Ash The sky had turned a deep, smoky gray, as though the heavens themselves mourned what was awakening beneath the soil. Seren stood at the edge of the crater, surrounded by the wreckage of her birthright and the screams of the cursed tree that once marked Black Hollow’s sacred heart. Her robes—dark blue with silver embroidery—fluttered with energy. She hadn’t aged past her early twenties, her presence defying time, her expression carved from stone.

CHAPTER EIGHT – “Ember’s Secret” Rowan woke to the faint sound of crackling. At first, she thought it was the fireplace. Then she realized the sound was coming from her desk—where Ember, her flame spirit, hovered, glowing brighter than usual. The tiny fireball floated closer, his light pulsing like a heartbeat. “Ember?” she whispered, pushing herself upright. “What’s wrong?” The spirit didn’t answer in words. Instead, a thin, wavering voice curled into her mind—like whispers carried on smoke.

As if she had already chosen the world she wanted to live in. I rose. My knees left prints in the mud, half filled by the river’s edge. When I stood, the cold air pulled me back into myself. The moon trembled across the surface, broken by current. The ash began to move downstream, slow and gleaming, as if the river itself was carrying the dead toward whatever waited for them. I turned away and followed the sound of fire rising in the distance. Kael (POV) The ash came first.

Just as I thought I had lost any hope, Zion's voice fills my ears. “Elysia! Fuck are you still in there?” His panicked voice gave me a sliver of hope. “Zion, get us out of here! Help me!” I yell, my voice breaking as the smoke fills up my nostrils and mouth. I cough loudly. “Hold on! I'll do something!” Zion shouts. I use the edge of my blouse, fist it and cover Ian's face. His cries only get louder. “Elysia, move away from the door!” Zion instructs, and I scoot away, despite the scary flames of fire surrounding us. Unbearable heat sweeps up on my back but I tolerate it.

Sister Mila's voice rang with authority and Sister Ruth jumped on her feet and ushered the old nun away. When boths nuns were gone, Sister Mila heaved a sigh. “That was close.” She mumbled under her breath, turning to Ember. “I'm sorry, you have to witness that.” Ember was shaken by the encounter that she hadn't said a single word.. She thought she would finally know something about herself only for her hope to be completely crushed to the ground upon realizing she was talking to an old woman with dementia and she probably had no idea what she was saying.

GRACE'S POV APRIL 12th, 2013 There was a sound. It came first as a distant ringing, sharp and persistent, like something fighting to pull me back from wherever I had fallen. It cut through the quiet darkness, growing louder, closer, more insistent. “Grace?” “Grace!”