Rising Tides | 2

22 | E m b e r

—

So many thoughts rushed through my mind. Bear was dead. Bear, my confidant, my protector, and my friend. He was gone. It was my fault. I should have paid more attention to my surroundings. He was dead because of my ignorance.

Hunter was here. He sported a sword of thick ice that glowed in the glare of the setting sun. He stood behind Maddox, a loyal servant to the Crown no matter how corrupt. I wanted to punch him in his perfect white teeth.

Maddox was also here. He looked the same as he had an hour ago, but the insanity in his eyes had been magnified. We had tried to convince him to stop back in Porthmore, and his reasoning to keep going had been fear. Now, I wasn't sure if he would ever stop.

"Your army will fall," Oremis boomed. "I will have the boy, and then everything you know will fall with you."

So, he didn't have Tyler yet. I felt relieved to know that he was still safe, but mostly, I was angry. I was angry at them. Oremis, Maddox, Hunter. Everything I had hoped for in this world had been taken away because of them. They were the reason I was standing on this beach. Hunter and his blind loyalty. Maddox and his thirst for revenge. Oremis and his need for power. Together, they created a monster.

How do you rid the world of monsters? Do you hug them until they melt? Do you take off their head and hope another doesn't take its place? Or do you fight them until the monsters become you? In my mind, there would always be monsters that lurked in closets and preyed on the innocent.

There would always be evil in the world. If there wasn't, then what would we consider to be good? There would always be evil in the world for good to fight. Good may not win every battle, but it will always win the war.

General Hatis glared up at the Demon King. "There is nothing here for you, Oremis. Go back to Rudea where you belong."

Oremis cackled. "Ah, but you see, your son invited me in. I belong here now. Your world is mine for the taking. And your son will give it to me in the palm of his hand."

On cue, Maddox sliced his hand through the air. His long, black scythe appeared in his hands. It pointed in our direction, the point of his blade so sharp it could cut the air. "Surrender now!" he yelled. "Or you will die at the hands of the Demon King."

"Go to hell, Maddox," I spat back, losing all sympathy I might have had for him. Fire sprung to life in my hands. It was hot and bright blue. From next to me, Wren took a step back.

Maddox's eyes blazed at my defiance. "Very well, Ember Valarious. You have chosen the path of suffering for your people. Prepare to burn."

He raised his scythe in the air, and the demons charged. The sand rumbled under my feet. Somewhere within our ranks someone yelled, and we, too, began to charge.

I sprinted across the beach towards Maddox and let my fire loose. The blue and white flames raced across the sand, climbing up the legs of demons and soldiers.

I intentionally directed a path straight for Hunter. His hands shot up, and a thick wall of ice sprung up from the ground to block my fire. It climbed up the wall, steam flowing behind it. The ice wall cracked and splintered, but Hunter patched it up with more.

I urged the fire forward and directed my attention back to the charging army. Maddox led them as the space between us became smaller and smaller. I wondered how he planned on defeating us when he was so weak. Perhaps he was depending on his elite warriors.