An Ember In The Ashes Series Novels & Stories

And yet instead of being comforted, coldness crept up and down her body. She shook her head and opened the paper bag. Her hand raised a black bonnet, in which she placed on her head until only a pair of cold blue eyes gleamed under the moon. She picked a lighter out from her pocket and lit the the paper bag on fire. A plastic scent filled her nose, but it was quickly replaced by the smell of smoke and the scattered ashes. She blew on the lighter, and the flame went out, then she looked back up to the sky and glared.

The rest of the group follows as we make our way closer to the fire. She reaches for an a piece of ember bark that sits in a bowl near the fire. Lyra takes a deep breath, and throws the ember bark into the fire. "I'm afraid I will never be enough." she says so softly I almost don't hear her. The ember bark burns so brightly I have to look away. My gaze collides with Callan who has a blonde sitting comfortably on his lap. Something ugly burns in my stomach. I force myself to look away, and direct my attention back to the fire. My thoughts begin to spin as I try to settle on what fear I'm going to give up.

"What?" That question literally came out of the blues. "Animal. Any animal. What would you be?" "Why are we talking about this?" "Because the silence is depressing and you look like you're about to cry." She didn't look up from her nails. "So. Animal. Go." I pulled the laces tight and thought about it. "A cat." "A cat." "Ember seems pretty happy." Tasha snorted. "Ember is a menace. She chewed through my charging cord last night."

I had no answer. She let me go. Her gaze shifted to the urn in my arms. "You won't take this when it's offered? Then I am taking it from you. "You will not see your father's ashes again." She reached. The blood in my arms went cold. The control I had been holding cracked. "Please… please don't. It wasn't me. I'll do anything, anything you want. Just don't." I was about to fall to my knees again. I would have. The pride and dignity I'd had walking in here had been gone for hours.

He found Theron. He sat on the edge of the tower. The morning sun washed over him. His body turned to shimmering, golden dust. "Theron!" Elias ran to him, but it was too late. "Take care of the clan, Elias," Theron's voice was a soft whisper. "I'm going to her." The golden dust danced in the breeze and vanished into the sky. With tears in his eyes, Elias collected Theron's ashes. He placed our urns together, reuniting us at last.

Ember’s POV The darkness enveloped her like luxurious velvet—soft, warm, and seemingly infinite. Ember floated aimlessly in a dreamscape, teetering on the precipice of consciousness and memory, her body still, her breath whispering through the stillness. She hadn’t spoken in days. Not truly. Words felt foreign now—too small for the weight she carried. The nurses were kind, but distant. Kael was protective, but unreadable. Only Isla had stayed. Only Isla had looked at her like she was still human.

"Avril, have some water and calm down. I know you're holding a grudge against me now, but you shouldn't be so rash next time." I didn't accept the cup of water. However, Peggy got burned by the hot water in the cup and ended up splashing the water onto my arm. "Oh! It burns…" The hot water scalded Peggy's finger. Vernon hurriedly led her to the tap and placed her finger under the running water. As for me, I was dressed lightly. The hot water had soaked through my chiffon top, scalding my arm instantly. I went to the restroom to handle the burn on my own. Very quickly, red blisters began forming on my left wrist.

Carla and Travis watched from the sidelines, hands clasped. “We did it,” Carla said, her voice steady. Travis nodded. “And we’re just getting started.” The scars remained, but they were no longer wounds. Dave, Carla, and the other victims were healing, not just surviving but thriving, their journeys a testament to resilience, love, and the unyielding power of talent reclaimed. ----- This marks the end of the Burning Embers: Scorching Tales of Desire. Compiled short story arcs now made their way to their ends.

My chest constricted until I could barely breathe. I tried to steady myself with reason. Emily had been devastated that day , she did not know the truth. She did not see me running through the flames, coughing on smoke, clutching two tiny bodies swaddled in blankets. Emily did not see me swear silently to God that I would protect them if no one else could. She had been dragged out, screaming for them, and I was the one who carried them into the night. I really thought she had abandoned them in the fire and run off with her son but it turns out she does not even know if her son is alive or not .

“Why do I feel life stirring… when I remember nothing of the night?” The roar of Ember Falls answered in mournful cadence as Nyra Duskbane stood alone on the stone ledge, Queen of Ash, fire and water entwined, and carrying a secret more powerful than any flame.