The cold night bit at my skin as I fled into the forest, each step sinking into the snow. The shadows seemed to move with me, whispering warnings I couldn't understand. My feet throbbed from the icy ground, but I pushed forward, desperate to put as much distance as I could between myself and my kidnapper.
Behind me, faint shouts echoed through the trees.
"She's heading north!" Kael's voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
I ducked behind a tree, panting as I tried to calm my racing heart. My breath fogged in the air, and I struggled to steady myself. I had to keep moving.
"You're only making this harder for yourself, Ember!"
The sound of approaching footsteps sent a wave of panic through me. I broke into a run again, weaving through the trees and dodging branches that clawed at my arms. The forest was alive around me—rustling leaves, distant howls, and the constant sound of pursuit.
A shadow moved to my left, faster than I could react. Suddenly, Kael was there, stepping into my path. His deep blue eyes gleamed with cold determination, and before I could stop, his hand shot out, gripping my arm.
"Let me go!" I shouted, thrashing against his hold.
"You're persistent, I'll give you that," he said, his tone calm despite my struggle.
I twisted, pulling free for a brief moment, but another soldier emerged from the shadows. Before I could react, a net was thrown over me, tangling my limbs and sending me sprawling into the snow.
"Stop fighting," Kael ordered, crouching down beside me. His voice held an edge of frustration now. "You're not going anywhere."
I glared up at him, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The snow beneath me was icy and unforgiving, and the bindings bit into my skin as I tried to push against them.
Kael tilted his head, studying me again with that same unnerving intensity. "What are you so afraid of, Ember?"
I didn't answer. My heart pounded as exhaustion overtook me, the cold seeping into my bones. The last thing I saw was Kael's unreadable expression before darkness claimed me once again.
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The world spun, darkness stretching endlessly around me. My head throbbed as I struggled to make sense of where I was. Cold stone pressed against my back, and the faint smell of damp moss and iron lingered in the air. Blinking, I tried to sit up, but my hands were bound with something that burned—a tight, magical binding. My breath caught.
What had happened? The last thing I remembered was that man in the cloak chasing me ... and the name he'd called me. Ember.
"You're awake."
I turned sharply at the voice, wincing as the bindings bit into my wrists. A man stood before me, tall and unnervingly calm. He wasn't cloaked like before. Instead, his black hair shone in the dim torchlight, his sharp features etched with something between disdain and curiosity. His eyes seemed to pierce through me, reading everything I wished I could hide.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice cracking slightly.
He tilted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Kael," he said simply, as if the name alone was meant to explain everything.
"Why am I here?" I asked, struggling against the bindings again.
Kael crossed his arms, leaning casually against the wall. "I already told you my father needs you for his plan. You're... something, aren't you?" He studied me as though I were some rare artifact he couldn't quite figure out. "My father will be very interested."
"Your father?"
His smirk faded, replaced by something harder. "The king. You'll meet him soon enough."
The realization struck me like a blow. This wasn't some random abduction. Whoever this "king" was, he'd sent Kael to find me. And Kael had succeeded.
"I don't know what you think I am, but you've got the wrong person," I said, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound strong.
Kael's eyes darkened, his smirk returning but colder this time. "I don't think so, Ember."
My stomach sank. That name again. That name I didn't fully understand but felt was mine, buried deep beneath the lies I'd been told my entire life.
YOU ARE READING
The Shattered Crown BOOK 1: CROWN OF ASH AND GOLD
FantasyEmber Valen has spent her life believing she was an ordinary young woman named Lola, she was raised by Beatrice, a quiet family friend with a mysterious past. But on her 21st birthday, Ember's world unravels. Strange magic erupts within her during a...
