Burning Cinders Novels & Stories

Chapter 54 Set Fire and Burn by Ruth Nalio Alatap… I crested the hill, out of breath, just in time to see Zander fall to the ground. Angelica stood about ten feet away from them, her body covered in brilliant orange flames, wind whipping all around the crumbling city. I opened my mouth to yell for her to run when tornadoes began to drop all over the city. My eyes widened as her orange flames turned blue and white. What little had been left of her clothes quickly burned away, followed by her skin and muscle, until she was nothing more than a flaming skeleton.

*Xelina* I poke at the fire, the scent of burning cedar and dry pine needles filling the air, mixing with the faint earthy aroma of damp stone. I watch the sparks float upward, their glow like tiny stars caught in a dark sky, flickering and fading. It feels like the only light in the world right now, fragile and precious.

Saturday rolled around, and as usual, I bought some groceries and headed over to visit my mother-in-law, Margaret Flint. But the moment I entered her apartment complex, I saw a thick black smoke billowing up. My heart lurched, and I dashed toward her building. A crowd had already gathered outside. Her neighbor, Mrs. Zeller, spotted me and grabbed my arm. "Oh, my goodness, Margaret's still inside! Hurry and call Joshua so he can bring his crew to put out the fire!"

Accompanying these were diverse models of elaborate burners and holders, crafted from dark, heavy materials, designed to hold and burn the incense. Rudi and Stan, utterly out of their element, simply stared at this section, their eyes wide with a mixture of raw curiosity and slight apprehension. It was clear they had no idea what any of these items were for, or the dark power they were meant to wield. They looked like two wide-eyed boys who had stumbled into a forbidden curiosity shop, their innocence a stark contrast to the shadowy goods surrounding them. “Is there anything special you are looking for?” a dark, gravelly voice suddenly croaked from directly behind Lilias.

Well, I will no longer call myself morbid when I say I want to burn them all alive. After the 20th lash, it really does start to burn profusely. My flesh is torn badly, judging by the searing pain and the blood that is splattering all around me. Ares has given up and has shifted her focus to healing us, thank the goddess. But even wolf healing can’t keep up with these lashes. Especially not in our weakened state. Lash after lash, the pain becomes more excruciating, but I refuse to show any sign of weakness. I don’t care if I die at this pole today, but I will die with my dignity intact.

She said in awe. "Yeah…" I agreed, understanding it better. "You're right." "There we have it!" Cinder appeared holding a big leather book. "Zel didn't destroy the house, thank goodness and I found a book about your artifact, dear Maxine." Cinder took a seat opposite us, setting the large book on the table. Zel scurried closer, sitting on the cushion near the table and I mirrored her. "Why are you still here and not wandering off?" Cinder asked her.

Tears formed in her eyes, making them sparkle in the dim light. “I don’t just kill them. I BURN them. I take them into the forest, tie them to the tree and leave them utterly helpless, begging for mercy. You know what I do next?” She tried to shake her head, but I had her in a good, firm grip. “I strip them bare and then cover them with sulfur. From head to toe. Do you want to know what sulfur does? It makes their bodies bone dry, paving way for the fire to lick every single inch of their bodies, scorching them to their bones until they become nothing, but the midnight black ash. The remainder of their once despicable beings! The white cinder from the burnt trees mixes up with the ash, creat

She lit three candles on a tray and placed them on the ground in front of her. Then she sat, and maybe I missed it, or she had it all along, I didn't know, but she brought out a large book. It was dark, and I knew it was a book on forbidden magic. “Nine more pages, to the left.” She said, softly, as the candlelight danced on her face. She seemed completely absorbed in the book. Her slender fingers moved over the page in a kind of caress. “Cinders. Burn.” She said again, with her eyes carefully trained on the book. “Water, no. Powers.”

Each pulse of her footsteps sent a shimmer of life through them, and some of them glowed faintly as she passed. When she finally emerged into a chamber, it was not what she expected. The Cradle of Cinders was not a place of rage or fury. It was a nursery. Warm. Silent. Sacred. A great sphere of fire floated at the center, beating like a heart. Around it, hundreds of small figures slept in embryonic shells of molten crystal—spirits, or perhaps ancestors, not yet reborn. And beside the fire stood a figure cloaked in obsidian robes, their face hidden.

Jenny’s body trembled as she crouched behind the broken pew. The sound of footsteps echoed through the church, slow and deliberate. She could feel Ethan’s grip tighten on her wrist, his breath warm against her ear. Whoever had entered was searching for them. Her heart pounded so hard she feared it would give them away. The steps moved closer. Ethan pressed his lips near her ear. “Stay quiet,” he whispered. Jenny barely nodded. The silence stretched, thick with tension. Then, just as suddenly as they had entered, the footsteps retreated. The heavy church doors creaked shut, leaving behind an eerie stillness.