Chasing Embers | 1

21 | A d a r a

—  

"Oh, friends. What have you done this time?"
    
I recognized the voice that came from in front of me. When the strange blue powder cleared from my vision, I took in where we were. I was standing in the living room of a house. It was tidy and cute, more of a modern style, and the fireplace was burning with bright flames that lit up the room. Standing in front of the fireplace, staring at the four of us, was Calix Zian.
    
My childhood friend nodded his head at each one of us, his dark hair bouncing. Calix smiled, blue eyes lighting up, when he saw Ember. "It's nice to see you again, Ember. Based on how you got here, I wish our reunion could be under better circumstances."
    
Ragan was the first to speak up, plopping down on the grey couch. "Where are we?"
    
Calix motioned around him. "Welcome to my lovely home. You're on the edge of Winham right now, by the way. I was coming up to visit family when bam! Here you all are. By the looks of it, I'd say you've had a rough morning."

Wren ran a hand through his hair. "So, that rock, it brought us here?"
    
Calix nodded. "Exactly. When Ember blew on it, the pebble transported you here."
    
I became confused. "How is that possible?"
    
"I enchanted the pebble before bringing Ember to Auchterton. It's not something I normally do, but I was getting an off vibe from Hunter Belkin," he explained, moving to sit in one of the red loveseats.
    
Ragan scoffed. "You had the right to. One moment, he's being all gross and romantic with Ember. The next thing you know, he's trapping her in a giant ice cube."
    
I saw Ember squirm.
    
Calix leaned forward in his seat. "What happened for you to come here?"
    
"Ember. . . is special," Ragan drew out, careful not to trust anyone too much anymore.
    
Calix almost hit the ceiling, literally. He was levitating and doing flips above us, eyes radiating a purple color. "I knew it!" he proclaimed. "Didn't I tell you, Ember?"
    
She laughed. "Yeah, you did."
    
When Calix calmed down and floated back to his seat, Wren explained what had happened. "Hunter figured out and told Lord Tanmos. Obviously, you can infer what happened from there. He came after us with the Guard, we needed a way to escape, so Ember brought us here."
    
Calix nodded. "I understand. What do you plan to do now?"
    
"We're going to have to fight him. He'll just keep coming after us if we don't," Ragan muttered.
    
I thought about that. There was nowhere we could hide from him. Well, not on the mainland. We weren't safe here. Lord Tanmos would come after us until we were all dead. And who would support us? No one wanted to be associated with a Valarious. They could get in big trouble like we were.
    
Then, an idea filled with tension and strife came to mind. I debated with myself on whether or not I should say it, but then again we didn't have very many options.
    
"What about the rebels?"
    
Every head turned in my direction. No one spoke, leaving a silence to hang in the air.
    
Finally, Wren spoke up. "It's not a terrible idea. Despite my hate for them, I would rather be safe in their company than face possible death. Besides, having Ember with us could give them an advantage over the government."
    
Ragan piped in. "I thought you like the way Auchterton is being ruled, Wren."
    
He scratched his head. "I'm beginning to have my doubts."
    
Calix stood and began pacing. "Wren is right. No one knows the location of the rebels. You would be safe there. Ember would provide an advantage, yes, depending on just how special she is. If Lord Tanmos came after you, then he most likely fears what she can do. The rebels will find that useful."
    
"Whoa, wait a minute," Ember began. "What makes you think I want to be a part of this?"
    
I shook my head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've always been a part of it, honey, ever since you came here."
    
"In words that are not as sweet as Ada's, you have no choice. This basically boils down to life or death. I don't think you understand how large this situation is," Ragan remarked.
    
Ember was silent at first, looking as though she was coming up with a snarky remark. She settled on a sigh. "You're right. I don't know the history of this place, and I've not been here very long. If joining the rebellion means saving you guys, then I'll do it. I don't want anyone to suffer for something I've done."
    
It was Ragan's turn to be baffled. She leaned back on the couch and fiddled with a knife to hide her sudden flurry of emotions. "Who said we were joining them?"
    
I gave her a slight glare. "I hope you realize you're going to have to give in to this eventually."
    
She glanced up at me through her eyelashes before returning her attention to her knife. Ember decided to break up the small argument with a question.
    
"I meant to ask you this earlier, Ragan: How do you know Lord Tanmos so well?"
    
The question threw us all off guard. I wondered the same thing a lot. Ragan hated hearing his name and seeing his face plastered on the large display screens that announced everything to the nation related to weather, politics, crimes, and Lord Tanmos himself.
    
Of course, they were always things that would make him look good. I noticed recently that the display screens in Winham near my house had begun to focus on the rebels more. Footage had been picked up of them attacking streets in different provinces, edited in such a way that they looked like monsters.
    
It took my best friend a long time to respond. Finally, she slammed her knife on the coffee table, causing Calix to squeak, and muttered a response. Her answer was barely audible, but I caught words that took me by surprise.
    
"He's my brother."