Burned By Ashes- Dream

CHAPTER 5-DOWN TO EARTH.

As they came out into the light Cinder blinked they were in the mountains alright, stones poked her in the heel as she walked. Kelly was right behind her Kelly looked around "where are we?" she asked Cinder shook her head she didn't know in the least bit where they were, but they didn't have to wait long because a man with tan skin was watching them "who are you?" he asked as he came out of the trees and stood before her Cinder jumped she hadn't seen him there we are but humble travelers. she told him he looked at her "what do you want with the people of the mountain ledge?" he asked Cinder shook her head what did he mean? She looked around and then understood "the Earth nation, right?" the man nodded gravely but didn't take his eyes off of her "come you will come and explain yourself to the queen." he started to lead the way on the mountain path. "who are you and what do you want with us we are a peaceful people and have done no harm to either of you or your kings." Cinder nodded her head "I am sorry that I can't tell you more but i must only tell what I know to the king." Cinder bowed her head and thought about what her mother had told her before she had died "don't let your enemies see that you have a plan or that you are afraid of that could do to you, keep a straight head and don't back down, you are a warrior and as such you look up to no one, except your people that you are trying to protect..." Kelly looked at Cinder did she have a plan? What were they going to do was her father a fool to let her come with this girl that didn't even know what was going to happen. Cinder looked up and prayed that they would go easy on them here. Kelly looked around her and tried not to slip on the rocks that were in the way. Suddenly light filled the place that they where and Cinder blinked in the bright light where were they? She gasped they had found the Earth nations camp! This was brilliant, if they would but listen to what she had to say. They walked on the uneven ground toward the Kings tent. A messenger looked at them and then at the man behind them who nodded the messenger ran off and then came back a few minutes later and nodded his head "you may go and see King Paul and Queen Faith..." he said Cinder nodded her thanks and went toward the tent. When she was a few feet away she stopped and bowed her head waiting for them to notice her and call her up to talk and say what she had to say. Cinder started walking and Kelly walked with her Queen Faith looked at the two and smiled as they came up they were her nieces, from her sisters Grace and Joy. Cinder knelt and waited for them to be told to rise. King Paul nodded and they rose to their feet. "what is your business here niece?" he asked Cinder looked at Kelly for strength and she nodded encouraging. "i may sound somewhat blunt but do you have anyone who knows the language still?" King Paul looked at his wife, what did they mean by that? Queen Faith looked at the girl and shook her head "what have you with us if we did?" she asked Cinder kept her head bowed and said in a whisper what she had said to Queen Joy... "the shadow-hunters are at the border and that they were watching our every move, what should we do about that?" That was what she wanted to know. And what answer would they give her? Would they come and unite with the cause? Or would they leave and let them do it on their own? Cinder looked up and nodded at the king she had to find the wandering Star now they didn't have much time to find the others as well the shadow-hunters would attack at any moment and they knew that they had minimal time to do what they wanted here, they had almost outlived their stay they had to be quick. Cinder looked at Kelly and they shared a knowing nod, this wouldn't end well if they didn't get the king to agree that they had to have access to the Star and they he or she had to go with them right away. Cinder shook her head this was a lot harder than when they went to the water nation to get Kelly. Who was this Star? Did they have one or had he or she died or gone astray? That was what she wanted to ask but didn't know how to say it and not be offensive. Cinder looked up and saw that the king had turned away from her and was walking away. She stood and went to follow him and melted into the shadows to follow him and see where he was going. Did he have a purpose that he was here? Was he hiding something or someone? Cinder looked up and shook her head what did he have up his sleeve? Cinder threw on her cloak and came to a stop she had to see where he was going but didn't want to make it obvious that she was following him to see what he was doing. King Paul went around a corner and disappear from her view for a second and then she could see him kneeling next to a boy about her age trying to get him to come with him. "Nate we have to get out of here, you are not safe anymore." the boy looked into the eyes of the king and nodded Cinder wondered if here was the Star of the Earth Nation right before her eyes. She looked at the boy and saw that he was rather tall and lean, he had blond hair and blue eyes he nodded at his father and stood, where were they going? That was what Cinder wanted to know, did the king know that his son was the Earth's Star or not? That's what she wanted to know. Nate looked at her and smiled like he knew that it was she under the cloak hood that had followed them to this point. Cinder smiled to herself she had found the third Star without help from anyone, the only thing now was to persuade him to come with her and Kelly. That was the hard part. Cinder edged closer to him not wanted his father to know that it was she hidden under the cloak hood and that she wanted his son to come with her and Kelly on their mission to unite the five nations like they once were to defeat the Shadow Realm what was in store for them she had no idea, but the one thing she did know was that they were in this together, they would come out of it together. Cinder looked up and saw that King Paul had left but Nate stayed back and had his back to her. She turned to leave but his voice stopped her "stay, I need you, I can feel the fire coming off of you and rippling through the earth, yes I know who you are and what you are, you are what they call a Star, you control the power of Fire which means that you are the Fire Star and you have come to see if I would join you and the girl Kelly on your mission, for without all of us can you do this alone, am I correct?!" Cinder looked at him what was his background, could they trust him like they did each other after all that they had been through, could they truly become connected to him through the burden that they all had to share? It was torture to wait and see what would be waiting for them in the other nations. They would go to the Light Nation first and then the Air Nation and that would lead them to the Shadow-hunters and how to defeat them. But the question really was if the other would take kindly to the invitation as the water and earth nations had she had to think about how she would attempt this. What if they got all of the way and the shadow-hunters had left and attacked already? That was what they all feared. Cinder had to get to the other nations and unite them all before the shadow-hunters had a chance to attack the different nations and possibly take the other Stars as well, that would put all things to wreckage and it would be entirely their faults, with no one else to blame but themselves and what they had done. Cinder looked at Nate would be be able to take the hits like the rest of them? This was no game that they played, this was a matter of life or death for the five nations and their descendants, this was their world and after this they would have no world to come back to if they did nothing about it and the shadow-hunters that were coming their way. They had three of the five, they only had two left.