Ember Crown of Promise
Cael sat apart from the others, elbows resting on his knees, gaze fixed on the embers.
They glowed red, then dimmed, then flared again when a piece of wood shifted. He watched the cycle repeat, over and over, unable to look away. It reminded him too much of the day. Tension rising. Control holding. Collapse narrowly avoided.
Almost.
That was the word that lodged deepest.
Almost struck.
Almost failed.
Almost became the thing he had sworn never to be again.
His hand flexed unconsciously, fingers remembering the weight of the sword. The moment when steel had cleared leather. The sound it made. How right it had felt, and how dangerous that had been.
Hot Chapters