From The Embers Novels & Stories

Facing the camera, I spoke calmly, “No one loves me anymore, and I don’t have the courage to go on living. Fine. You can all just think of me as weak, but don’t worry. I’ll make sure to record everything. Even if I die, I won’t let them get away with it.” In the video, I crouched by the shore of Exile Island, holding a sharpened piece of bamboo. Again and again, I struck it against a rock. My hands soon became a bloody mess, but I felt nothing. It was as if I had gone completely numb. Someone in the audience cried out, “What is Jacob doing, sharpening bamboo like that? He’s not thinking of ending it, is he?” “After everything he’s been through, it wouldn’t be surprising…”

“I figured as much.” I turned away, motioning for him to follow. “Come on, then. Let’s see how well you play with cursed people.” And for the first time in a long while, I felt like we might have a shot at surviving this. If only because we’d just added one more weapon to the war. I found Ember where I always did lately, leaning against the cracked edge of the fountain, bathed in firelight. The light didn’t come from her. It came from the horizon. Another blaze in the lower district. The fourth one in as many nights.

Tears welled up, and she turned and fled down the hallway, the sound of her bare feet slapping against the hardwood fading into the distance. Lucas stared at the empty doorway, the echo of his own voice ringing in his ears. A wave of guilt washed over him, mixing with the hot anger that had been simmering all night. He took another swig, then another, and another. He lost count of how many bottles he emptied. The room started to spin, the edges blurring. He pushed himself to his feet, the world tilting precariously. He lurched forward, his hand outstretched, searching for something to hold onto.

“Who are they?” Kael’s jaw tightened, his words looming heavy with gravity. “The ones who burn without purpose. The ones who forgot what fire is for.” With that, he turned away, gathering Ember’s belongings with swift, practiced hands, a sense of urgency imbued in his every movement. Ember’s pendant pulsed once—soft, warm, like a heartbeat reminding Isla of an inner light. It shimmered faintly in the half-light, and with an imperceptible shift in the atmosphere, the monitor beside the bed flickered, then went dark.

*Ember* The days dragged on in the suffocating confines of the breeder’s room. My spirit was fading like a dying ember. Weakness gnawed at me, and my body ached with every movement. The dim light of the day barely illuminated the corners of the room, casting elongated shadows that seemed to mirror my own sense of despair. How long had it been since Lukas last came in and forced me to use the last of my strength? I didn’t know. I couldn’t even count the days by how many times he came in to yell at me.

The soil remembers its blood. She lifted a hand and the world around them twisted— Fire. Screams. The mountain cracking like bone under pressure. Wolves tearing into wolves. Humans fleeing the forest. And the sky above—bleeding silver light, torn by shadow. In the center of it all, Ember saw herself. Her child. Asher. Julian. Vivianne. Even Aiden. All caught in a storm they couldn’t stop. **EMBER (shaken)** Tell me how to stop it.

Ember pressed, her face illuminated by a flickering light panel overhead, casting her features in harsh relief. "The Ashen Guard." The name tasted like ash on my tongue. "Malagar's elite hunters. We tracked and captured fire-born creatures and anything else with power he wanted." My gaze flicked to Ember meaningfully. "People like you." The mark throbbed again, harder this time. I suppressed a grunt of pain and continued, words tumbling out like stones I'd been carrying too long.

The student body went into applause. “Any question?” Chloe asked “What was behind the name Empire?” Cami was the person to ask the question. Yes Cami was still in school, she was still a grade away from graduating high school. “That is a great question. Empire was the name of my late Godmother; I owe her a lot so I named everything I own after her.” Chloe replied with a smile

Cruel? Ember slowly leaned closer, her eyes glowing with cold fury. “Cruel?” she whispered. “If I were cruel, you wouldn’t even be standing here talking to me.” The room fell into dead silence. No one dared to speak. Ember straightened and turned toward Issac. “Let’s go.” “Yes, Madam.” “And ow with me serving tires with the Robin's family that also means am taking back all the wealth and company that originally belongs to my mother.“

Ben muttered. He retrieved the knives he had used to pin Hilda down. He wiped them on the dead bartender's apron and stuffed them back in their holsters. Ben then found the stash of distilled alcohol the bartender was serving his patrons. He doused the walls, tables, chairs and even the wasted peanuts in the solution. Then the elderly wolf walked toward the door. He lighted a match and flung it over his shoulder, stepping out into the sunlight just as the hut roared in flames, burning both Hilda's corpse, and her victim from earlier.