An Ember's Tale

Chapter Thirty- Four

Ember's heartbeat was like a loud, tedious drum in her ears... snow blew relentlessly around her. The wind ripped her hair around her until her vision was consumed by nothing more than a blur of red and snow. She groaned in frustration while she trudged through the thick snow. Her foot got stuck in snow that closed around her foot before she yanked her leg out, and she fell backward into the thick snow.

She groaned once more before she looked down and gasped. Her dress had changed into an ebony black that blended with the dark shadows over the island. The dress was long, with several layers of silk that were covered by the snow. Her neckline was high on top of her, while the middle went into a long slit in the middle of her chest. Separate sleeves clung to her arms made of heavy tulle that flowed down.

Ember's body shook, but not from the cold. She was in between reality and her dreams now... which meant her control was far too limited for her liking. The whole island was under Akull's control; she just hoped she could get her brother out, and her powers would be enough that she could be enough.

She stood up, not before stumbling, and dusted the snow off of her. "I hate the snow..." she muttered. Ember looked around at the snowy wasteland that was destitute from any life. She seemed to be the only living thing for miles while she continued to trudge through the snow.

Ember froze when purple lightning flashed in front of her, barely missing the ends of her dress. She spun around to find Mark standing by the door she had come from, with his white hair standing up and his eyes glowing purple. Another bolt struck as she yelped and moved to the other side.

"You are crazy!" she screamed at him. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"You are already doing that to yourself!" Mark yelled through the wind. "What the hell are you thinking?"

"More clearly than you..." flames rose inside of her before they appeared on her fingers amongst the grey and snow. She threw them before they formed a circle around Mark as his lightning ceased. It rose higher and higher into the wind while she grinned triumphantly. She picked up the ends of her dress and ran as fast as she could.

Lightning flashed around her once more until she was trapped in a giant bubble shape. She tried to touch it but quickly retreated her hand when electricity shot through her. She cursed several times before trying to push her flames against the electricity, but it wouldn't budge. Ember turned to find Mark had already escaped her ring of fire and was stalking toward her.

"Let me out," she told him before he stopped in front of her. "Now."

"Will you stop trying to knock me out?" Mark smirked as he began to circle her and looked impressed at his trap made of lightning.

"Yes," Ember lied.

Mark stepped back before he flicked his wrist, and the lightning around her dissolved. She turned back to Mark with a shocked expression before she charged at him. He just spun her around as he pressed her dagger to her neck and held her arms pinned against her stomach.

"You're a horrible liar, Red," he told her.

"I've gotten better," she gritted as she fought against his hold. "Learning from you."

Mark chuckled darkly. "We are in quite a predicament, aren't we? I don't want you to go to Akull, but you don't want me to go to him either, yet we both want something from him. However, do we solve this?"

"Why do you even have to go?" Ember questioned. "You can always get your revenge later."

"You still think I am going just for revenge?" Mark asked as he leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear. "I am going for far more than that, Red."