Burned By Ashes- Dream

Chapter 40-Gone

Nathan and Hanna saw them running back towards them and ran to join them. "What is going on?" Nathan asked as they fell in step next to the others. Cinder looked at him and then at Hanna, Ash was drained, but they needed something that would slow Ember down. "O...Ok, I don't have much time to explain but Rakol woke Kelly, she and Ember are coming this way, something that they did drained us of our powers for a few hours, it is up to you and Hanna to keep up a barrier so that we can get our strength back and can fight them again." Nathan nodded and let the others go in front of them as he spoke to Hanna. Cinder looked back and saw the little girl nod and grab his hand. Farther away Cinder could see her sister and Kelly moving towards them and it pained her to see the harsh look that her use to be best friend gave her as she caught her looking at her. Nathan and Hanna brought up a dirt and wind barrier and Kelly hissed in a none Kelly way and gauntlets appeared on her hands and she started ripping through the wind.

Cinder whipped her head to the front and grabbed Teloki's hand. "Come on. We have to make it to the edge, that is the best place to hold them off." Looking to her right she saw Ash glowing and gathering the wind from around them and thrusting it back towards his sister to use and also using it to keep himself from tripping on the rough ground. As they got closer to the edge, Cinder could feel the Shadows closing in and wondered if they had enough time to get back down the hill without a fight.

"We have to get them to stay where they are." Cinder told Teloki who nodded but didn't take his eyes off of Rakol who was grinning. "Stay behind me. If you hear this directly then you may go deaf." Cinder looked at him and wondered what he was talking about.

Trusting in what he had said, she covered her ears, but she could hear a muffled blood curling scream and she looked around, Teloki had his hands clasped together and he was looking at the Fallen. Cinder uncovered her ears and the vibration of the scream still was in her ears. "Tel..." she whispered, and he turned. "Look." He said. Cinder looked down the hill, each of the shadows had dissolved into thin air, the only solid figures that where still standing where Rakol, Ember, Kelly, Kivi, Kii, and Liethra and they all stood looking at Teloki. Rakol looked at him and shook his head. "Teloki. Boy just let her come to us, we promise that nothing will happen to her." Cinder grasped Teloki's hand and he squeezed it. "I. am. not. letting. you. go." He whispered.

Cinder smiled and looked out towards the Fallen. Rakol saw that she was watching and hissed. "You can never escape!" he sent her telepathically. Cinder shook her head "You will never win, we know what you want, and we will never give it to you." Cinder told him. Rakol shook his head. "I will leave you now, but I will be back, don't worry." Cinder turned and let her wings disappear, but kept her sword and armor, out of the corner of her eye she saw Rakol calling back the Fallen and they dissolved back into their own world.

Ash and the others watched with her as Rakol turned and glared at her, pointing at her with his sword and then sliding back into the shadows.

Once they where gone, Cinder felt as though her energy was gone. Instantly she fell to the ground, but Ash was there and grabbed her around the waist. "Sis... are you ok?" Cinder looked at him. "Y...yeah... we need to get out of here." Ash nodded. "Ok, I am going to help us with that, but I am going to have Teloki and Nathan carry you while I harness the winds, we are going to get away from this place." Tayrah nodded "I think that is a good idea, this place is not doing good for any of us." Cinder felt her energy slipping away and the last thing she felt is that they were carrying her away.

Cinder opened her eyes, she was in some sort of tent, and she tried to sit up, but she hissed as pain washed over her. "Cinder?" Cinder heard Teloki's voice and the next thing that she knew was that he was kneeling next to her. "Where are we?" she asked. "We are far away, Rakol let us go, for now, you where so drained that we couldn't pick you up. Ash had to teleport us here. He is sleeping." He said in response to her questioning look. "He brought all of us here, it is about seven miles away from where we left Rakol." Teloki explained. Cinder nodded. "I want to get up.' She said. 'There is something that I need to do." Teloki nodded and held out his hand to her. "Do you want me to come?" he whispered. Cinder smiled at him but shook her head. "No, I just want to be alone for a moment." She said and grabbed her cloak from where they had laid it and wrapped it around her shoulders, it had gotten colder since a few hours ago, the wind was bitter.

Cinder stepped out of the tent and saw Nathan and Tayrah sitting next to a fire and for the first time Cinder didn't feel the connection as strongly she had had with fire, but she shook it off and walked past them. Tayrah called something back to her, but she waved her hand and grabbed her horses' reins and swung into the saddle and galloped away from the group. Why was this so hard? What had she done wrong? Why did everyone seem to be just fine from the encounter with Rakol and the others, she felt like she was broken, but no one knew how to fix her. As she rode, she wondered if this was really worth being here, maybe she should just go home and then this wouldn't be her fault, if they failed.

Suddenly she felt someone besides her and turning her head she groaned but didn't slow her pace. "What are you doing here, Ash?" she asked. The boy smiled and let the wind play with his sandy blond hair. "I would ask you the same thing, sis." He said. Cinder looked away. "They don't need me." She whispered. Ash shook his head "One of the elements can't live in balance, so gather the others so that there may be balance." Cinder glared. "I know that." She said "I just don't see us finding the last, since.... Kelly, and everything, it has seemed hopeless to try anymore." She said. Aware of Ash laying down in the air like he was in a bed, his hands behind his head. "Sis...I know how you feel, what do you think I felt when I found out that I had a sister?" Cinder smiled. "I guess you are right, but I don't see how this will help, we are no where near finding the other and Rakol is faster and better now that he has more followers." Cinder said and slowed her horse to a walk. "Why should I go back?" she asked. Ash stood up and looked at her. "You are the one that set this all in motion, remember.... You have to see this through, even if it fails then you can say then it was for nothing." Cinder glared and then nodded. Ash grinned "You knew I was right!" he smiled and pumped his fist in the air and whooped with laughter. "Come on, let's go back to the others, we have someone we need to find." Ash said. Cinder wheeled her horse around and started trotting back to where the others where camped, but she felt a strong pull to the left, she looked at Ash and found he was looking in that direction as well.

"What is that?" she asked. Ash shook his head. "Whatever it is, it is something powerful." Cinder grabbed his arm and pulled him on the horse and galloped in the direction of the pull. Crashing through the trees they came to a clearing where a girl about their age, with light blue hair and a soft blue shirt and grey pants sat meditating. Cinder gasped, everything about her radiated power, suddenly a howl came from a few feet away and Cinder's heart wrenched with fear. "Rakol." She thought and quickly they ran into the clearing and Cinder grabbed the girl's hand and hauled her to her feet. Once they made contact the forest around them exploded with Fallen. The girl screamed as one materialized next to her and grabbed her arm, starting to drag her away. Suddenly the shadow that was holding her melted into a puddle. And the girl shakily got to her feet and looked at Cinder. "Thanks." She turned and started to run.