Burned By Ashes- Dream

Chapter 44- Fight to Survive

Kelly had changed, she was no longer the fair-haired child that had wanted to do good all of the time, she was now someone that Cinder knew wouldn't care to hurt you. She wore black leggings and a grey shirt and black jacket and boots, a sword hung at her waist and her hair was chopped and black, but the worst part was her eyes, they were completely black, they had no iris at all, just like all of the other shadows that Cinder now commanded.

"Well, well, well, I see that the rabbit is coming out of her hole at last, where are the others?" she asked. Cinder looked at her. "Kelly, I know what you are going through, please let me help, I..." "NO!" Kelly interrupted with a hiss and noticed what Cinder was wearing. "What? Why, that is mine, my father gave it to me."

Without warning Kelly lunged at Cinder, the shadows hissed, and Kelly screamed as they pushed her away from Cinder. "Kelly, you lied. You are not the Child of Shadows that everyone was talking about, that was not ever you, that was me...just before he died Rakol claimed me as his own, I command the shadows now." Cinder let go of the shadows and the light of the sun brightened the world around her. "H...How?" Kelly sputtered then looked around frantically "Ember, where are you?" Cinder shook her head "She went too far."

Cinder said and waved her hand through the air, it hissed, and Ember materialized in front of them. Kelly screamed at her friends' lifeless eyes and in anger shot lightning towards Cinder. Cinder could feel the grief rolling off of Kelly and suddenly some of the Shadows turned to her and hissed. They were ready to fight if that was what she needed them to do. Kelly looked at her but as Cinder's eyes met hers, she shrank back. "I am sorry, Cinder I didn't know, please forgive me." Cinder looked at her, well not at her but in her, since she now had control of the shadows and Kelly was part shadow Cinder could see if she meant it. Cinder nodded but stepped back. "I see, but that is not why you came here, that is not what you wanted to talk to me about." Kelly hissed and the Shadows banded around her. "I can have anything that I want, I am the firstborn of the Shadow King, I am the one he blessed to have his scepter when he died, we will see who is more powerful by the time this is over."

Cinder glanced behind her, Ash and Teloki stood behind her and at her look they moved forward, Tayrah, Kia and Nathan behind them. "If you want me, you will have to fight them as well, what is your choice Kelly? This is not what Rakol would have wanted but if this is what you want to do, then I don't object, someone needs to teach you a lesson." Kelly hissed but Cinder could see fear in her eyes. Kelly looked at Cinder and suddenly a dark blade materialized in her hand, Cinder ducked just in time to have the sword pass over her head. Kelly growled and the sword made another pass towards Cinder but was blocked by Cinder's own blade, Kelly locked eyes with Cinder and their swords rang out as they made contact with each other again and again. "Kelly, please, stop... if you want to, we can talk and then we can figure out what is wrong." As Cinder pushed back against Kelly the ground around her softened and Cinder slipped a little. Kelly pushed her and Cinder was laying on her back, dazed and looking into Kelly's eyes. "W...We don't have to do this!" Cinder whispered.

Kelly glared at her and pushed her sword under Cinder's chin. "Y...You had everything, you took everything away from me, you didn't ask me if I even wanted to come with you, I was forced into coming on this little journey with you, but it is over, your precious tribe and the entire world will bow to me and the shadows...' she leaned in closer to Cinder 'I am sorry that you and the others will not be part of it."

Suddenly the shadows congregated around the two and hissed at Kelly, Cinder didn't know what they were saying to her, but her face went pale, real fear washed over her face and she backed away like nothing had happened and she had not said all of that to Cinder. She stared with open eyes at Cinder and shook her head "No, don't I am sorry I don't know what came over me, please give me one more chance...." Her voice wavered and she started to cry. "Please, I will do better, please watch I can make it better!" Kelly whimpered and sunk down. Cinder looked at her friends and they nodded. Cinder disbanded the shadows and the light returned. Kelly looked at her, breathing hard she looked at the others and then locked eyes with Cinder. "I am sorry...really I didn't know what would happen. Please."

Cinder nodded and then turned to look at the others. "Come on, we have to go and find Ember, once she knows about this thing will be bad..." Ash looked at Kelly and then at Cinder. "We should get rid of her." He hissed and Kelly bowed her head under his gaze. Cinder shook her head. "Once a shadow is dispelled, they will come back in a few hours, at least the more powerful ones, as long as we don't unravel their essence, so I think that we should get going if we want to put some distance between us and them." Cinder said. Teloki and Ash nodded. "Kelly are you coming with us?" Cinder asked. Kelly looked at her and tears where spilling down her cheeks. "I...If I could that would be good, I want to get as far away from them as possible, but there is something you need to know, Ember is alive." Cinder nodded and grabbed her horses' reins and swung into the saddle, the others did the same with Kelly on a borrowed horse, they started on their way.

They went forward for a few miles and then Cinder called a halt and they dismounted, Cinder looked at Kelly and found that she was staring at her, looking away she helped Ash and Nathan put up the tents and start the fire. The problem with Kelly could wait. As they sat around the fire Cinder wondered what would happen, if they failed then the Shadows would run free and all would be lost. If they won, then there would be peace once again in all of the nations.

Suddenly Kia came over and Cinder jumped, she had forgotten that Kia was there. "H...Hi.' She whispered. 'I heard that you tried to get Kelly to come back?" Cinder nodded "Yeah, I talked to her, but she didn't want to...we talked to her but...ok, so she asked for one more chance, do you think that we should give it to her?" Cinder whispered. Kia looked at her and then into the flames.

"This is her fight, if she wants to come back then it is up to her, if not then there is nothing that you can do for her, we have each other, we can just go and talk to Rakol, try to get him to come back and talk to us, we have until the sixteenth sunset to come back alive..." she whispered into the darkness. Cinder looked at her, was it truly that simple, was anything?