Page 33 of Prince of Blaze and Embers (Emberveil Empire #1)

T he forest around me blurred into a haze as I marched back to the house, determination fueling each step.

I had to talk to Cade. I had to convince him that I could help, that I was more than just a pawn in his stepmother’s twisted game.

The realization that I had a choice—that I could fight or flee—had crystallized into a fierce resolve.

I was done running. I was done being a victim.

As I approached the house, the sight of Bella and Rosa washing clothes together outside brought a wave of comfort.

Their presence grounded me, reminding me of the strength we had together.

I paused for a moment, watching them work in harmony, their laughter echoing through the air.

It was a simple, peaceful scene, a stark contrast to the chaos that seemed to follow me everywhere I went.

Just as I was about to step forward, a thunderous roar reverberated through the sky, shaking the very ground beneath my feet.

I looked up, my heart pounding in my chest, as two massive shapes darkened the horizon.

Krakos and Talonor, their powerful wings slicing through the air like black and gray blades, descended with a grace that belied their enormous size .

The scales on Krakos shimmered like obsidian under the sunlight, reflecting an almost blue tint as he spread his vast wings wide.

His fearsome maw was lined with teeth as sharp as daggers, and his eyes were an unnatural red that seemed to burn with an eternal flame.

Talonor, by contrast, glistened with stone-gray scales that caught the light in a softer glow, his sleeker form no less imposing.

Massive curling horns adorned the sides of his head, and his eyes were a milky white cloud, almost ethereal but commanding.

The sheer strength and power emanating from these beasts was palpable, a force of nature that could level mountains and tear through the skies like a storm.

As the dragons landed with a thud that sent vibrations through the earth, Bella and Rosa dropped their laundry and rushed to my side, their eyes wide with concern.

Cade and Hunter, astride their respective dragons, looked worn out and haggard, their bodies slumped with exhaustion.

Their faces were etched with lines of weariness, but there was no mistaking the determination in their eyes—a resolve that matched my own.

“Ash, what’s happening?” Bella asked, her voice laced with worry.

“I don’t know,” I replied, my gaze fixed on Cade as he dismounted Krakos, his movements slow and deliberate.

As Cade approached, his eyes met mine, and I was struck by the liveliness in them. There was a spark, a flicker of something that I hadn’t seen before. He looked tired, yes, but there was a determination in his gaze that matched my own resolve.

“Cade,” I began, my voice steady despite the butterflies fluttering in my stomach. “I need to talk to you.”

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flicking to Hunter's before returning to me. “Ash, I?—”

“Please,” I interrupted, taking a step closer. “I need to understand what’s going on. I need to know why you’ve been so distant, why you’ve been keeping things from me.”

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he would refuse. But then, he sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. “I found something, Ash,” he said, his voice low. “Something that might help us.”

My stomach squeezed like pincers grabbing hot iron at the thought he was going to finally tell me the truth.

Bella, Rosa, and Hunter had gathered around us, their faces etched with curiosity and concern. Cade glanced at them briefly before continuing.

“We've been looking for something, well someone, my father told me about when I was a boy. But I found him! I’ve been searching for an old mystic deep in the heart of the Faewood,” he explained, his eyes never leaving mine.

“His name is Myrathyn. He’s a great keeper of knowledge of the old world.

My father told me that when he was a young man and at a critical point in his life, needing guidance and resolve, his father told him to find Myrathyn.

And with everything going on right now, my stepmother, the war, the constant battles, and now you. .. I needed answers.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “A mystic? Why would you keep that from me?”

He hesitated again, blinking hard and turning his head.

“I'm not always good at... opening up. I've always been the strong one.

The leader of armies. I didn't need you to know, and I wanted to keep you safe." He turned and raised his arms toward the house behind me. "Because this house is magical, Ash. It’s protected by a barrier put on it hundreds of years ago by my people. It keeps you safe while you’re inside.”

“That’s why you were telling me to stay inside at night all that time,” I realized, embarrassment coloring my cheeks. “Why didn’t you tell me that? Why keep it a secret?”

His eyes met mine again, and there was a sadness in them that I hadn’t noticed before. “Because I didn’t want to burden you, Ash,” he said . “Because I thought I could protect you from all of this. If only you would just listen... ”

I shook my head, my heart aching with a mix of frustration and understanding. “You can’t protect me from everything, Cade,” I said, my voice firm. “And you shouldn’t have to. I want to help. I want to fight beside you.”

His gaze softened, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.

But then, his expression hardened, and he looked away.

“We need to go back to the mystic,” he said, his voice distant.

“He was in a deep slumber when we found him, and we couldn’t wake him. But I think you might be able to.”

I nodded, my resolve strengthening. “Me? Why me?" But then the realization of the Gilded Radiance in me sparked alive, changing my tone. "Let’s go then. I’ll try to awaken him!”

Cade glanced at the others, his expression grave.

Bella stepped forward, her chin held high. “We’re ready, Cade,” she said, her voice steady. “We’ll follow you.”

Rosa nodded in agreement, "Take them, Cade. Get your answers."

Hunter clapped a hand on Cade’s shoulder, a small smile playing on his lips. “You’ve got your team, brother,” he said. “Let’s go wake him up, and hopefully we get the answers we need. The answers we've been praying for...”

As we made our way to the dragons, anticipation surged through me. This was it—our chance to change the course of our fates. Together, we could face whatever lay ahead. Together, we were strong.

Just as we were about to mount the dragons, a sudden snarl ripped through the air, followed by a chorus of growls that sent a shiver down my spine. Krakos and Talonor reared up, their massive wings flapping as they snarled in response, their eyes flashing with fury.

“What’s happening?” Bella cried, her eyes wide with fear.

Hunter drew his sword, his gaze scanning the surrounding forest. “Who is it? The Stormscales?”

Huge dark clouds flew above the dragons from behind, looking like a mist enveloping them.

The mists crashed onto the dragons as we all staggered back in confusion.

Both dragons' bodies sank to the ground.

Their enormous wings pinned under the weight of the gray mists. Wait, that isn't mist... its nets!

The dragons howled in anger as they were stuck, trapped beneath the nets that covered them, little blue flowers sewn into the stitching of the nets.

Cade growled, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the forest. “No. Those are dragonpearl nets. Only one person owns those. My stepmother… Once those pearls hit their scales, it makes their scales lock together! They can’t move!”

As the words left his lips, a horde of monsters emerged from the trees, their long arms and bony forms making them look like shadows come to life.

Their glowing eyes fixed on us; their weapons raised.

I recognized them by the sparse white fur that covered their inhuman bodies, after all, I helped bury them.

Cade unsheathed his sword, a fierce determination in his eyes. “Sythers! We need to fight,” he said, his voice like thunder. “We need to hold them off.”

A lone Syther, the tallest of the over two dozen strode forward, hefting a massive spear with a curved blade, finely sharpened on one side and jagged with barbs on the other.

Its eyes were a berserking red; like the deep color of fresh blood.

One arm raised the spear, and the other hand fell almost to its ankle.

It lifted its head up and barked up to the sky.

Its bark was shrill and ragged, like a dying wolf's.

Dread washed down from my mind to my feet, sinking fear deep inside of me.

Glancing all around, I saw we were greatly outnumbered, and the two dragons were pinned and nearly motionless under the dragonpearl nets.

How are we going to get out of this? I shook off my fear and reached down for Eden. She was there. Distant... but there.

"The girl," the Syther croaked, his white, scraggly beard hitting his chest as he spoke. "Give us the girl. "

We all looked to Cade to respond. He didn't blink, glaring angrily at the lead Sythers, a full two heads taller than the prince.

"We will finish what you did not," the Syther said, inching toward us slowly. "The queen wants her prize. She wants the Gold-Marked. And you, prince, have disgraced your queen and your legions."

"How did you find us?" Cade finally spoke, his voice a shell of his normal battle cry.

"We always find what we're after. Its only a matter of time before we find our prey."

Behind the lead Syther, the others muttered. It took me a moment, but in their jumbled mess of echoes, I clearly heard they were repeating the word 'prey'. All of them. Every single one repeating the world like drums from the underworld, as if Rone himself was orchestrating their chant.

"Give us the girl, and we will let you live. You will have the queen to suffer to, but you may live, even reprieve your role after your... penance..." A wicked smile of yellow, sharp teeth gleamed in its mouth as he smiled wide.

"You're not taking her!" The Blaze Prince bellowed. "She's mine. You will not have her."

I grabbed the back of his arm subconsciously, feeling his power build back from the drained man who'd dismounted his dragon.

"Then you will die," the Syther said, lowering his weapon and pointing it at us. "Then you will all die."

Hunter's blade swiped the air. "Not before we cut your disgusting head off your miserable body!"

"Then so be it." The Syther snarled, taking a lumbering step forward. "You've chosen death, and we, the queen's Sythers, will gladly reap it upon you."

"Get back in the house," Cade muttered to me. "Get Rosa and Bella inside now! The Sythers can't get inside while the spell is still up. "

"Still up? It can come down?" I asked, my core full of fright, not for me, but for Bella and Rosa.

"It'll stay up long enough for us to kill these animals," Cade said. "Now go!"

"No." I turn, feeling his anger at me grow. "Bella, get Rosa inside! You'll be safe there!"

Bella ran without a nod, grabbling Rosa and leading her to the house.

"I'm not going anywhere," I growled. "I'm fighting now. No more hiding, no more running, no more escaping. We're doing this together from now on."

Whether the prince decided to welcome my help, or not fight it any longer, I didn't know.

But what I did know was, I was finally in the fight.

For real this time, and I'd have to use all the lessons that Cornelius taught me.

It was fight or die then, and I sure as hell wasn't ready to die just yet. ..