Tarnished Embers Book Novels & Stories

Rhett coughed out. Aislen shook her head and jumped to grasp the top of the wall and pull herself up. The bricks were warm under her skin, almost enough to burn. Within the courtyard, there was a scorch mark radiating out from a central point, where Ember stood utterly naked, wings spread. The wings were not wings as Samuel’s were, like those of a bat covered in black membrane, rather Ember’s wings were those of fire, the flickering flame generating enough heat to lift the ends of her long red hair.

When Ember finally arrived, she hurriedly parked her car in-between some trees, to keep it away from sight, looking around to make sure, no one was secretly watching, she ran towards the direction of the mansion Her knees felt weak below her, as she saw, the state of her family house. The condition of it was beyond anything she could have imagined. The once-beautiful estate, with its pretty gardens and elegant architecture, was now reduced to an abandoned site, filled with ashes. Ember’s heart ached and her body whimpered, as she took in the scene, the reality of her loss hitting her like a physical blow. ~~~Ember~~~ "Ember" a voice called out, breaking me from my daze. I turned around to se

Ashborn crucified in mirrors. Sirelia smiling with no mouth. And the God Below whispering, “Reflection is the first betrayal.” She stumbles back. The vision fades. But her palm still smokes. Later that night, Emberhold holds silence. Not mourning. Listening. Because something in the fire has changed. And not all the dead are resting. Not anymore.

When they arrived, the Heartfire flared softly, recognizing the rhythm in their steps. Arianne smiled. “You are the Children of Dawn,” she said. “Not because you were born in the light, but because you chose to walk out of the dark.” --- The Lesson of the Ember She led them to the base of the Heartfire, where its glow pooled like liquid gold on the stone. “Each of you holds an ember,” she said. “It is small, fragile, and eternal.” The apprentices knelt, cupping their lights between trembling hands. Arianne continued:

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.

The air around her warmed, not with death, but with life that refused to kneel. Below us, Emberfall’s warriors roared. Hope moved through our side. I felt it. So did Lucian. His mouth opened. Black fire came. Seraphina rose to meet it. Golden fire burst from our throat. The two flames collided above Vandwood. For one impossible second, the sky split into gold and black. Lucian’s fire did not only burn. It killed the air. The smoke it made crawled like disease, and where drops of it fell to the ground, grass blackened, stone cracked, and bodies already dead seemed to sink deeper into ruin. But Seraphina’s fire pushed through it, bright and living, burning away the edges of the black flame, ea

The luxurious, pristine white manor was now shrouded in thick smoke as it was engulfed by flames. I threw away the key, tore off the necklace around my neck, and threw it into the fire. Then, listening to the roaring flames behind me, I left the villa where I had grown up. I thought, 'Atlas, let's never meet again.'

Most of her turned to ash, but one tiny ember remained. It hovered above the ashes, glowing red, pulsing like a heartbeat. The very last spark of her eternal flame. I lunged through the fire and caught it with my bare hands. It burned me—seared my palms until the flesh blistered and blackened. But I didn't let go. I pressed it against my chest, right over my heart, and whispered: "I'll keep you safe. I'll bring you back." That ember—small as a grape, warm as a dying coal—became everything.

The circle flared black and violet, twisting, alive. From the darkness, a whisper rose: Nex umbraa, kai vel’thra… ix shael. Kai’thai kharuun… kai’thra kai’thai. From shadow, I awaken… I am hers. I am warrior… I am and I become. Then it appeared. Not a simple crow, but something older, warped. Its wings were tattered starlight. Its eyes burned like molten amethyst. It landed on her shoulder. Claiming her. Marking her.

"Anything about the bodies. The draining. The empty wolves." "That's very specific." "The killer is specific." She pulled a book from the shelf and opened it and the pages were yellow and the ink was faded and the binding was cracked. She held it up to the candlelight and squinted at the words. "Blood rites," she read. "The art of draining life force for power." "That sounds promising." "It sounds terrifying." She sat on the floor and crossed her legs and Ember curled in her lap. I sat across from her and watched her read. Her brow furrowed and her lips moved silently and her fingers traced the lines of text.