Sea of Embers

A series of Unfortunate Events

All my life, I had been told that there were special beings. Uniques, as they are called. They were people who had the ability to do things that you would only hear about in stories. Shapeshift, manipulate the elements, control minds, control inanimate objects, talk to animals, and so much more. I read book after book in search of another story like mine, someone who had the same ability as mine.

I didn't find one in my meager stack of books that mom had taken from the local dump. Everywhere else in the world had luxurious tech and were online. Books were of no value now, and even in our destroyed... and last free... country, we had to dig them out of the garbage.

I never knew the extent of my abilities other than when I was feeling a strong emotion I had a hard time controlling them. Everything around me would be alight with a crackling flame that could not be put out by water.

Mom always urged me to practice my ability. She said that it was a gift, not a curse. Of course, I could not practice it in public. There was this rumoured facility for people like me who were born with this "abomination." I was never sure what the name of this place was, or if it even existed. I did hear the words "The Nomed" floating around and muttered under the breaths of those not wanting to get arrested. Horrifying tales of that place were woven. Tales of experiments and torture. Pain, endless pain. That rumour scared me to the point that I wouldn't even use my ability. I did not want to end up in that place, that is... if it were real. No one really knew.

The hard part of my differences, was the fact that when I was feeling a strong emotion, things around me would burst into flame... and that was a bit difficult to explain.

Like now. All I felt was pain. My body ached from the wreck and was littered with bruises of all sizes, shapes and colors. Due to the intense pain that I felt as I trekked alongside Lorenzo at the buttcrack of dawn, a happily tweeting robin on a pine tree branch to the left of me and several feet above randomly burst into flames, the tweeting cut short and was replaced by an unearthly high pitched shriek. I knew I was a terrible person the moment I found the sight way too humorous. I snorted and continued to slightly limp beside Lorenzo.

He turned to look at me and for the first time in around two hours, he spoke. "What was that?"

"What?" I asked, my unattractive snorting dying down.

He nodded to the currently roasting bird on the branch that still shrieked loudly. It launched itself off the branch and dove straight down onto the ground directly in front of my foot. We both casually watched as it sailed down and crash landed into the dirt.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." I replied calmly, casually stepping over the fiery bird of death and continuing on my journey. "Birds always do that."

I didn't look back. If I did, he could tell that I was lying. He probably already could, but I wouldn't take my chances. I'm already a terrible liar as it is.

I felt more comfortable, leading the way. I knew where to go, my moral compass was sometimes out of whack but my sense of direction was on spot. That much I was proud of. At that moment, I wondered what Clarke would do once we saw each other. My heart flip flopped in my chest. What would he do? What would he think? What would the rest of the unit think? Did Toni even make it back, or did he sacrifice himself on his eternal revenge quest to kill Coli? So many thoughts and questions buzzed around and around in my mind.

Why was I worried? I had no reason to be. I told them I would find my own way back, and that is exactly what I'm doing. And that's that. Hopefully I was not wrong.

A bright, yellow-white light broke through the cluster of trees in front of us, bathing the entire valley in an inviting embrace that enveloped my entire body in a lovely blanket of warmth. I hummed and tilted my head back, the sun's radiance caressing my face and neck. I smiled gently. It wasn't much, just the slightly upward tilt of the corners of my mouth, but it was enough. I had slowed down for just a second, falling slightly behind Lorenzo, when an idea popped in my head. If I was right... there should be a cliff overlooking an entire glorious view of the mountains and an entire valley below that. Clarke and I had ran a trail not far from there many a time. Enough for me to at least know where it was. That in itself was a blessing.

"Come on," I sped up, ushering with a wave of my hand for Lorenzo to follow. "There's a drop off just that way," I pointed northeast, "We'll get a good visual from there."

Lorenzo did not respond, but I had already grown accustomed to his silence. If possible, he had grown all the quieter once we began to move. The SiHounds had gotten too close for comfort in the small hours of the morning. The sun hadn't woken up yet, and I was all the more reluctant too. The stitched in my abdomen pulled at the torn flesh as I moved, and recalled the first hour that Lorenzo had trekked, carrying me due to the fact that I started to bleed again. Our small campfire was put out before another word was uttered, and before long I was walking... well, limping alongside him.

I knew, as did Lorenzo, that we were in a very tender predicament. I understood as well as he did that we were going right where the Hounds were intending us to. But what other choice did we have? I was growing increasingly paranoid by the second. Every shadow, every corner that remained uninvestigated, I feared a SiHound would leap out at a moment when I was most unsuspecting and within seconds I would become Metal Wolf meat.

I always hated those nasty buggers. I knew that they never asked to be made that way, and it hurt my heart to think about the horrors those poor creatures experienced. The fear they felt before they were put under the knife and altered to be cyborg hounds. For all I knew the creators of these things only chose to operate on Canines. Hence the name, SiHound.

A dead, brittle branch snapped under my boots, causing me to jump slightly. Jeez, get it together, Denahi.

Getting it together was the last thing on Karma's mind I guess. Apparently the time I stole a loaf of pumpernickel bread for my starving family was catching up to me. Either that, or the fact that the universe found it hilarious watching my comical fails and misery. I never would understand the ways of any higher power... that is if any existed, of course.

My inner debate would have to wait, however, due to the enormous, snarling metal snout diving towards my neck and catching the soft flesh there. I immediately fell to the earth with a shriek of surprise. Foolish. So stupid. The daylight made it seem as if the worst was over but that was the trickery of it all. An illusion of the mind and I fell for it. We hardly journeyed for more than four hours and yet here I was, captured once again in the span of three days! Clarke would have been exasperated at my carelessness.

The sharp prick of metal canines pinching my throat stung, but the mutt's jaws did not penetrate the skin too much. The warmth of a single trail of blood was felt as it slid down my neck, but despite my vulnerable decision, the half robot, half wolf... I guessed by the sheer size of it a Timber Wolf at that did not go in for the kill. I could not discern where Lorenzo was, or if he was dead or alive.

It was then that I caught a slight waver of the shadows in the corner of my right eye. A soft whoosh of air later and an intense sting in my shoulder and my mind melted in a puddle. Managing to catch a glimpse of yet another syringe planted in the flesh of my shoulder before uttering the most offensive curse I could think of at the mutt and whatever, or whomever controlled it.

Maybe I should have become a baker... or a wild fox tamer. Either profession was rare, if not nonexistent and I would have preferred them much more. Especially due to the fact that syringes filled with ridiculous unknown fluids wouldn't be injected into my body every time I took a step outside.