Burned By Ashes- Dream

Chapter 47- Light comes after Shadow

Cinder sat on a log outside the tent that she shared with Teloki and Rakol, it was strange but she was getting use to it, today they would see if they could find the core of where the Shadows where born and try to reason with them, Rakol seemed fine with the arrangement, but that didn't say mean that all of them would be happy with their leaders choice, what if they decided to attack?

The sun was coming up and Cinder sighed as the heat and warmth found her and energized her. "What are you doing?" a voice asked behind her. Cinder turned and sighed. Rakol had not left her alone since he had said that he wanted to do better, that he wanted to show her that he could be the solution to the bitter war that they had been fighting for so long, but Cinder wasn't so sure.

Kelly and Kia had hit it off and where trying to out each other with tricks with water and Cinder smiled slightly as she caught Teloki watching her, his hand on his sword if Rakol tried anything.

Cinder loved that boy, but she was not sure if she wanted to commit to him, and to everything that she would have to do once she made that commitment.

Suddenly arms came around her and Cinder jumped causing the flames to just about hit whoever was behind her. "Woah. Sis, you are jumpy today!" Cinder huffed and turned to face her brother. "Ash is there anything that you could be doing, instead of scaring me?" she asked. Ash smiled and then leaned in. "Teloki wants to talk to you, he didn't want to come over, because you where talking to Rakol, but he wants to meet you behind the tents, over by the river in a few minutes, if that is possible."

Cinder looked at her brother and then nodded "Fine, I will be there, just let me go get my sword and then I will run you through with it.!" She hissed. Ash's eyes widened and he jumped up hands raised to defend himself if needed. "Woah, don't...see I am gone." He turned and started to run to the edge of the camp to where Nathan was talking to Tayrah.

Cinder huffed and got to her feet, nodding to Rakol before she turned and walked away towards her tent.

What did Teloki need? What did he want to tell her? She wondered and as she turned the corner, she felt arms wrap around her once more. "Teloki!" she screamed, and she could feel him clamp his hand over her mouth and then his mouth was right next to her mouth. "Shhh.... Dear. I have news." Cinder nodded and Teloki loosened his grip on her but not completely.

"What is it you wanted to tell me?" she asked.

"Our spies have stopped seeing the Shadows advancing on the city, we can go home if we wanted." Cinder looked at him "Are you sure about this, that this is true? Rakol was true at his word?" Teloki shrugged, "Seems like it." He said and hugged her. "What are you going to do about him, he has to go with the others, and...." Teloki looked at her, but she shook her head at his unspoken question. "No, you are staying here with me, that is final, whatever we decide you are not one of them anymore, you have given up on their evil ways, you are one of us now, that is final."

Teloki nodded "When are we going to tell him, that most of his army have already gone to the places that we have chosen for him and the Shadows.?" Cinder looked at him "That soon?" she said worry in her face. "Yeah, I wrote a letter to your father, saying that this war would only end if they got equal rights and all that, so he chose the most northward part and put up a barrier..." Cinder glanced at him "No, that can't be what happens to them. Rakol made me promise that they would get voting rights and would be treated like regular citizens of the six nations, that is what we are, I am not going to go back on my word to him...Teloki, that would mean another war, no one can do that again."

Cinder looked at Rakol who stood when he felt her looking at him and nodded. "Can you hear what I am saying?" she asked. Rakol nodded. "Yes, I know that they are gone, I wanted to talk to you before I left with them, I just wanted to say that I am sorry for what I have put you and everyone through, if you don't ever want to open the barrier again I will understand, because of all the pain that we have caused you." Cinder nodded. "You are welcome to come if you wish." She thought to him. Rakol nodded and one more thought came into her head before he disappeared "Treat him good, he is one of a kind and you will never find another like him." Cinder nodded and found that Rakol was looking at Teloki who stood behind Cinder, watching Rakol like a hawk.

"She will be safe with me, Father, I am sorry that we never saw eye to eye on things until now." Rakol nodded "I am sorry son." He said and disappeared like the wind. Cinder suddenly felt as though someone was hugging her and she wrapped her arms around Rakol one more time and then he was gone.

Cinder and Teloki stood there behind the tent for a while and soon the others came to come and find them. "What happened?" Ash asked as he and the others walked to where they were. Cinder looked at Teloki and he kissed her. "We are free, Rakol is gone, we can go back home."

Ash smiled "Is that worth a kiss?" he asked Teloki, Cinder playfully pushed her brother in the arm. "Shut up, come on, lets pack everything and get on the road, I want to go home, no one else knows that he is gone." Ash, Nathan, Tayrah, Kelly and Kia all nodded in agreement. Cinder looked for her sister but couldn't find her. "Has anyone seen Ember?" she asked. Tayrah and Kelly shook their heads "She was in the tent last we saw her." Kia said.

Cinder looked at Teloki and suddenly she knew what had happened, when they had been talking Ember had created her own Soul Order and so now when all of the Fallen went to the barrier, she wouldn't be among them, because she was no longer one of the Fallen, she was her own order.

Now that she was not a part of the Fallen, she wondered what she would do first, this was a new thing to her, she had always been under the foot of Rakol and Teloki and now that they didn't want it anymore then she was free to take up the leadership.

Ember walked away from them and wondered if Rakol would ever come back to what he had been before, but in her heart, she knew that would never happen, her master was gone and Cinder was to blame for it, she couldn't get her revenge now, Kelly and the others that she had hand picked to over throw Cinder had gone with Rakol to the edge of the world, that is where Cinder's father had placed them.

How would Ember get them back? Would they want to come back? She thought as she walked through the territory that had been the shadowlands, since Rakol had joined with the others, the shadowlands had become shut off from the rest of the world, this was where she was going to rebuild her army, this was where they would never expect her to be, they would think that she was farther up north, they would never see that she was right under their noses and that was just what she wanted. She needed time and this as just the way to get it, hiding out and gaining followers and strength that the others didn't have. That was what she needed but she couldn't go out, if they knew that she was alive they would come after her before things would be ready. For now, she stayed there. As she walked across the now deserted land, she threw her arms to the sky and howled, the howl of the shadows, if there where anymore that hadn't gone with Rakol they would come to her and then her army would be started, they would come back, and no one would stop them. For now, the only thing that she could do was watch and wait.