An Ember Bright

Chapter 3c

"Thank you, Cara!" Brynn leaps into my arms again, knocking be backwards. It's only then that I notice the overturned chair in the corner and rumpled bedding strewn across the room. I turn to Kaya for an explanation, but she doesn't say a word.

"Cara, Cara." Bryn tugs my arm. "Look what I learned today." She looks to Kaya, who shuts the door before nodding. Bryn runs to her bed by the window. Her eyes take on a blank stare for a few moments. All I can feel is the dread manifesting throughout my body. Then, the air in the room shifts ever so slightly and the only thing I'm capable of thinking is no, no, no, please no. A breeze slips through my hair but the only window in the room is closed and fear clenches me.

Kaya watches her sister solemnly as a phantom wind tousles Bryn's black hair. She laughs in delight and her joy for her power only makes everything all the more terrifying. She has no idea that something so incredible isn't meant for her and can only mean a fleeting life of agony and misery. Echoes of the past ring, of another time in another sector where another young life was snuffed out in mere minutes. Every Transfer I've so much as heard of flashes in my mind.

I grab Kaya's arm. "No," I whisper, begging for her to say the sight before my eyes isn't real and it's some sort of elaborate trick. Begging for Bryn to stop and rip away her power before someone else can snatch away the rest of her years. But Kaya doesn't move. A tear drips from her lashes.

Watching the air weakly alter to the little girl's manipulations, a rush of resolve hardens me. Even if Relicts truly do go mad from their powers, Bryn won't become a Transfer. I won't let her. I refuse to allow another child's life to end before they take their last breath.

"We'll figure this out, Kaya." I promise.

Kaya turns to me, despair written on her face. "How? She's so young – she won't understand how dangerous it is for her to use her powers even in privacy. She'll let it slip and the King's men always manage to find Transfers, no matter how well they're hidden or lock away their powers, they're eventually found. Whether it be as a Transfer or a Relict, their lives are still as good as gone."

"We'll keep her safe," I say firmly. "We'll find out a way to keep her powers from overtaking her mind. She won't be taken away, I swear."

She must see the determination in my eyes because she nods. We observe Bryn a little while longer until someone raps at the door. The sound startles Bryn, causing her to lose her control over the air. Kaya pokes her head out and Wes speaks outside.

"Hour's up," he says. "Time to go."

Kaya's head bobs. "Sure," she says in a falsely calm voice. "C –" she trips over my name and I wince. "Lynn and I will be down in a few minutes." She shuts the door and leans against it. "Sorry," she says. "I've never messed up, it's just Bryn's.... situation has me out of it."

"It's fine." I say. "You know, you could charm him into giving us more than a few minutes." She blushes. "Wait, if you're going to the Boar's Head, who's staying with Bryn and Nona?"

"Sera is. After her break from last week's fight, she can't go out."

"She won't be too happy about that." I guess. "Even injured, she's not going to want to miss a Pits night." But I'm not worried. Sera's trustworthy. She never asks too many questions and though she prefers to be in the action, she can be counted on to do anything.

I look to Bryn, who tries to regain her grip on the air. The sight has me nearly breaking out in a cold sweat. Out of the corner of my eye, Kaya doesn't look much better, either.