Ashes of Our Flame
Episode 10: "When Shadows Bleed"
The city pulsed like a ticking bomb.
From her rooftop perch, Kara watched the skyline flicker—neon lights, dark windows, secrets hiding behind every glass tower. Somewhere in that chaos, Marcus Vale was already moving. He'd know they were coming. He'd always known.
Tessa climbed up beside her, breathless. "He's onto us."
Kara didn't look away. "How bad?"
"Lio's place was torched. He barely escaped. No one's talking. Word is, Vale's cleaning house."
Kara closed her eyes.
She had expected fire. But not this soon.
"Where's Adrian?"
Tessa hesitated. "Gone silent."
Kara's voice dropped. "You think he turned?"
Tessa shook her head. "No. But his silence means Marcus has him on a leash."
"Then we cut the leash."
---
Across the city, Adrian stood in the shadowed hall of his father's private estate.
The air was cold. Silent.
Guards whispered when he walked past now—no longer the heir. Just the traitor still breathing.
He stepped into Marcus's private office.
His father stood behind his desk, pouring a drink.
Adrian didn't wait.
"I want out."
Marcus didn't look up. "Out?"
"You win. You always do. So let me go. No more lies. No more empire. I disappear."
Marcus smiled faintly, sipped his drink.
"You think this is about letting you go? You were never free, Adrian."
"Then kill me. But I won't be your puppet."
Marcus finally looked at him. "You're angry. Confused. Love has poisoned your mind. But you'll see. The city doesn't bend to fools in love. It bows to power."
Adrian took a step forward. "And what happens when power dies?"
The air turned deadly.
Marcus set the glass down.
"You think your flame of rebellion matters? One spark in the dark?"
"No," Adrian said, calm now. "But sometimes, that's all it takes."
---
The next morning, a shipment from Vale Enterprises was intercepted at the docks.
Inside: stolen IDs, untraceable cash, and blueprints to a secret facility beneath the city.
Kara's trap had worked.
By evening, the news had broken.
Vale's name was back in the headlines—only this time, blood stained the legacy.
But Marcus didn't blink.
Because he had something Kara didn't.
Control.
---
Later that night, Kara returned to the safehouse to find Adrian already waiting—sitting in the dark like a ghost.
She didn't reach for her weapon. But her voice was guarded.
"You disappeared."
"I had to."
"People are dying. Tessa nearly got caught."
"I know. That's why I'm here."
He slid a file across the table.
"What's this?"
"Coordinates. Vale's main operation hub. Off the books. Underground. All his biggest players meet there monthly. Including the ones who killed your mother."
Kara froze.
"How do I know it's real?"
"Because I'm going with you."
Their eyes met—two storms ready to collide.
Kara picked up the file. "We move at midnight."
---
Hours later, they arrived at the site.
An abandoned train yard.
Beneath it: a hatch, sealed with digital locks.
Adrian entered the code.
"You sure about this?" Kara whispered.
"No."
They slipped inside.
Dark tunnels stretched for miles.
Tessa's voice crackled through the comms. "Surveillance offline. You're clear. But not for long."
They moved fast—Kara with her blade, Adrian with a suppressed pistol. Shadows crept along the walls. Every noise was a threat.
Then—
Voices.
Laughter.
And then—
A door.
Inside: a meeting of monsters.
Marcus Vale at the head of the table. Eight men seated in suits worth more than Kara's life. Plans laid out. Maps. Weapons. Everything.
Kara raised her phone. Streaming live. A silent signal to the world.
Adrian's hand found hers—tight. Warm.
Then—
"Lights."
Blinding.
Alarms blared.
Someone had triggered the breach.
Chaos erupted.
Gunshots rang.
Screams.
Kara ducked behind a pillar, heart racing.
Adrian pulled her close. "Go! Run!"
"No!" she yelled. "We're not done!"
"We are if you die!"
They fought through guards—Kara slicing, Adrian firing.
They reached the surface as sirens wailed in the distance.
Tessa's voice crackled. "It worked. It's everywhere. The feed—it's viral!"
But Kara wasn't smiling.
Because Adrian wasn't beside her anymore.
She turned—
He was gone.
---
Three hours later, Kara paced the safehouse like a storm on legs.
Tessa patched the broadcast to every major news channel. Lio was already in hiding.
But Kara?
Kara was unraveling.
"He was right beside me. Then gone."
Tessa's voice was gentle. "You think Marcus took him?"
"I know he did."
She grabbed her jacket.
"Kara—where are you going?"
"Back to the fire."
---
In the Vale tower, Adrian stood bloodied, arms shackled, eyes defiant.
Marcus circled him like a predator.
"You exposed me. You betrayed your family."
Adrian spat. "I chose my family. You were just the lie I was born into."
Marcus drew a gun.
"No more games."
Adrian stared him down. "Then do it. But you'll still lose. The world saw you tonight."
Marcus smiled coldly.
"I'm not killing you."
Adrian blinked.
"What?"
"I'm giving you back. To her. Let her carry the weight. Let her watch you fall apart. That's how I win."
---
Kara broke in through the east wing.
Tessa's voice guided her through cameras.
"Right corridor. Two guards. You've got ten minutes."
Kara moved like smoke—silent, lethal.
She found Adrian in a holding cell. Bruised. Barely conscious.
"Kara…" he whispered.
She rushed in, cradled him.
"You're safe now."
"N
o," he said weakly. "We're just getting started."
---
They escaped into the night, bleeding but alive.
For now.
But the war had begun.
And fire would no longer be enough.
---
To be continued in Episode 11...
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