Page 23 of Prince of Blaze and Embers (Emberveil Empire #1)

M y arms and shoulders burned like magma formed in my muscles.

“Digging is so much harder than it sounded,” I huffed, taking a break and crossing my arms atop the handle of the shovel.

“Stop yer whining.” Bella thrust the blade of her shovel into the forest dirt, heaving it out of the freshly dug hole that was eight feet long and almost four feet deep. “We’re almost done. I am going to chug an entire glass of wine when we’re done with this.”

The sunlight sparkled through the trees like ice crystals. A summer breeze wove through the trees of the Faewood as I stomped on the shovel, throwing a load of rocky dirt out of the hole. “We’re going to race with that first one, and I’m gonna leave you eating my dust.”

“You’re on.”

“That’s got to be deep enough.” I wiped the dripping sweat from my brow with the back of my arm.

“Yeah,” Bella agreed. “We’re gonna lose the daylight soon. That’ll be good enough.”

The plan was simple, well, simpler than the actual ‘digging the hole’ part. The dragons would incinerate the bodies of the ones that attacked me, but the armor and weapons needed to be buried… hence the giant hole in the ground.

The men had already removed all the armor from Rone and his ogre and had piled high the swords and spears the monstrous Sythers had.

After climbing out of the hole, we tossed it all in. It clacked and banged as it all landed on top of the last heap. Rone’s whip was the last to get thrown in, and I spit onto it for good measure.

As we began shoveling the dirt back onto the pile of weapons, the thought of going back to the house sent a sadness sinking in my heart.

I didn’t want to go back to see him. I knew there was good in him.

I knew he wanted me, but the way he talked to me in front of the others—it was nothing like the way he spoke to me when we kissed—but perhaps that was the way he played girls like me.

I’m so stupid. So, so stupid.

He’s a handsome fucking prince, and I’m… I know what I am; nothing.

“Stop thinking about him.” Bella’s words cut through the clear doubt that had deep roots growing in my brain.

“How’d you know?” She always could tell, not sure why I doubted that.

“Because you get all gloomy and stop talking. Stop worrying about him. We’ve got more important things to worry about than that devilishly handsome ass.” She sent me a sly wink, tossing another heap of dirt into the hole.

“He is an ass…” My hands tightened on the shovel handle, and I felt my brow furrow.

“He’ll come around. He’s just got a lot going on, and he’s also halfway to treason, not taking you back to his stepmother. That’s a lot to take in. I mean, we’re burying evidence of the queen’s men right now. Who even knows if we’ll live to see tomorrow…”

Tomorrow… the thought ripped through my head like claws ra king down granite. I told Cornelius I’d go with him tonight back into the forest. If Cade finds out… he’s going to do me in himself…

“We’re stuck in quite the situation.” I heaved another load of dirt in; my shoulders throbbing. I drove the shovel tip into the dirt, leaving it erect in the dirt and turning to Bella. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I got you into this mess.”

She tossed her shovel to the ground. Looking deep into her eyes as she faced me, the blue of her eyes reminding me of the far-off sea. Her sandy blond hair was still thick and gorgeous even after shoveling dirt.

“Ash. Look at where we are. Look all around us. We’re in the Faewood.

Isn’t it incredible? It’s even better than the paintings and songs.

We flew dragons to the top of a mountain!

We flew through clouds like goddesses. I don’t want to die, but if it comes, then I’d rather die like this than back there with that fat bastard telling me what to do, selling us off to his friends.

Don’t apologize for any of this. It’s like a dream.

It’s all like a wonderful, marvelous, impossible dream…

So, thank you. Thank you for bringing me. ”

“I’m glad you’re here. I think I might be losing my mind if you weren’t here with me.”

She smiled a brilliant smile with her perfect teeth. “Now c’mon. There’s wine that deserves to be drunk!”

We left the shovels and all that metal beneath the ground. We sauntered back to the house, humming tunes and admiring the beauty of such a breathtaking forest just before the brink of twilight.

We slammed our wines before dinner, with Bella winning.

I tried, but my mouth wasn’t big enough, leaving red streaks trickling down my chin.

She swallowed with a mighty smack of her lips.

I swallowed the last bit down, leaving Rosa with an irritated yet slightly amused look.

She scratched her temple, turning back to the kitchen to finish the last of the wonderfully smelling buttery meal.

The food was placed on the table with Cade and Hunter nowhere to be found.

They’d taken the dragons to Odiun knows where, doing who knows what.

Hopefully, they were still trying to find a way to get out of the hunters' sights and figure out how to postpone the inevitable…

my knee bobbed thunderously under the table, rattling the silverware before Bella and me.

“Dig in,” Rosa said with no hint of a smile.

“Rosa…” Her name squeaked out of my throat far more mousy than I intended. For some reason, I felt nervous, like a wet rag was being wrung out in my stomach as she turned to acknowledge me.

“Yes?”

“What do you think is going to happen? You seemed to have known Cade for a long time. Do you have an idea?”

“Enjoy your dinner.” She turned and walked back toward the stove. “Try not to worry about those things. The prince has everything in hand.”

“I hope so,” I muttered, taking the fork and prodding the tender beef coated in aromatic rosemary.

“She keeps things tightly sealed,” Bella whispered.

“As do the both of you,” Rosa responded quickly with her back still to us from the other room.

Bella’s face flushed like she’d been caught sneaking out of the forge at night. “How did she hear me?”

“I hear everything,” Rosa said, stirring a wooden bowl with a spoon.

We finished supper without any more talk that Rosa’s ears were eager to hear. And with all the digging, feeling like I’d shoveled a thousand pounds of dirt, I was eager to get some sleep before Cornelius arrived.

Bella and I both said our good nights, and I took a quick bath before slipping under the covers. The soft blanket and pillow warmed my soul, sending waves of glee down from my tingling scalp to the tips of my toes.

My eyes closed, as heavy as they were, and I drifted off into a deep slumber.

Yet, I awoke after an impossible amount of time to decipher, only knowing my body required at least three more full days of sleep.

Rolling over, I found the two glassy orbs that were the tortoise’s eyes in the room’s corner. It was dark in my room, but I could clearly see the outline of his shell cast against the shadow of the room. The lights of his eyes glimmered like streaks of light reflecting off amber in a dark cave.

“Cornelius…” I sat up in bed and lit the candle on the side table. The room glowed in candlelight as his huge body strode over to the bedside.

“Are you ready, child? You have used your magic a second time, but more practice is needed, and time is running out…” The tone of his voice was far more dire and urgent than his normally slow drawl.

The backs of my hands wiped the sleep away from my eyes, and I threw the covers off, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I nodded eagerly. My body begged for sleep, but I knew he was right. There was no time. I needed to become something that could defend myself when trouble came next.

“Follow me, then.”

I put on my pants and shirt and followed him to the wall. Touching his rough shell, we walked through it together and out into the forest veiled in sparse moonlight. Thunder clapped far in the distance.

We walked deep into the forest, leaving the safety of the house behind.

My heart raced as my gaze darted around the darkness, scanning for another hunter waiting for me to show myself and give them the chance to strike.

But there was nothing, and the insects continued to chirp and buzz everywhere.

We went so deep into the forest that the canopy darkened the ground, making each step over roots and fallen trees more precise.

“Let me help.” Cornelius’ shell shimmered with a soft amber light between the plates. I stepped back as the light caught the rest of the shell, pouring a warm glow from it. My jaw slacked.

“You really are full of surprises…” I muttered, waving my hand over the golden rays that poured from his body.

“This is good.” He turned to face me, and I stood with my shoulders squared to him. “Now, step into the creek.”

I was so fascinated by the magical light that glowed from his shell that I didn’t notice the creek that flowed right behind me. I slipped off my shoes, stepped back, and walked into the cool water that rose above the scabs on my ankles.

My eyes closed, and I went into a safe place inside myself. The water cooled the forever-lasting pain from the shackles that bound me. The moan left my lips as a summer wind washed through the Faewood, causing my hair to blow from my chest to my back.

“What do you feel?” he asked, calmly yet with that hint of urgency still there.

“Calm.”

“Good. Now, search for the Gilded Radiance. Feel for the Rune Spirit that lives in you. It’s there.

Somewhere. It’s deep down, but the more you practice feeling it, the stronger it will become.

Like a bud growing into a vibrant, lush red rose.

It should feel like it’s a part of you, yet separate.

Like coming home to a sister you never knew you had, but feel that deep connection instantly. ”

“A sister?” My stomach sank at the thought of never having a family.

Never knowing my mother, not having a face to remember.

Never meeting my father, never having him catch me when I fell, or even wrapping his arms around me to make me feel safe in this wretched world.

“A sister? I would welcome one of those.”

“Name her, and when you feel her, get to know her. Tend to her feelings and emotions, because she will help you grow more powerful than you can imagine…”

And as if I were sifting through dirt, searching for that one diamond that would make me wealthy and change my life, as soon as I searched myself for what he described, it appeared like a flawless diamond that sparkled like every star in the sky combined.

“There…” I uttered, all of my focus shifted onto that spot deep within, somewhere between my belly button and my sternum. It was like a golden sunflower blossoming inside me, warming my insides with its exquisite, blissful light. “There she is… I feel her.”

“What’s her name?”

“Eden,” the name came without a single thought. “Her name’s Eden.”

“Good job, Ash. Excellent…”