The silence of Ember Hollow at night was a rare kind of peace. No shouting. No training. Just the low hum of flames dancing in sconces and the distant drip of underground springs.
Kael sat cross-legged in the meditation chamber Nyra had grudgingly allowed him to use—on Elara's insistence.
Before him hovered a single ember.
He breathed in. The ember pulsed with him, rising and falling like a heartbeat. He breathed out. The flame dimmed, but it did not disappear.
Control.
He wasn't perfect, but he was learning.
Behind him, soft footsteps padded across the stone floor. He didn't have to turn.
"I thought you didn't believe in quiet moments," Kael said, eyes still on the ember.
Elara chuckled. "I believe in watching people set themselves on fire with dignity."
He cracked a smile. "Not on the schedule tonight."
She sat beside him, gaze fixed on the ember. "You've come a long way. A few days ago, you couldn't hold a flame steady without melting a door."
He laughed, then fell quiet. "I still see it when I close my eyes. The destruction. The fire that got out of hand."
"You'll always remember," she said. "But the difference is, you won't let it own you."
Kael turned to her. "How do you know that?"
Elara didn't answer right away. Then, softly, she said, "Because I see who you're becoming."
Those words lingered in the space between them. And for a fleeting moment, the silence wasn't empty—it was full of something unspoken.
The next morning, Ember Hollow woke in a frenzy.
Merek summoned Kael and Elara to the war chamber, where Nyra stood over a table layered with maps and torn scrolls. A group of scouts stood nearby, soot-covered and panting from the run.
"What's happening?" Kael asked.
"A signal," Nyra said. "From the outer watchtower near the Ravenspine Cliffs. Blue fire—emergency distress. The Flame Court's sent hunters. Two dozen or more."
"Phoenix hunters?" Elara asked, already reaching for her weapons.
"Likely," Merek answered. "They're searching for Kael."
Kael's gut twisted. "Let me go. I can stop them before they find this place."
Nyra raised an eyebrow. "And what will you do? Burn them all?"
"If I must," Kael said, standing taller. "They won't stop until they've either killed me or used me. I won't let them harm your people because of me."
There was silence in the chamber.
Then Nyra nodded. "You won't go alone. Elara—go with him. Take the north tunnels and cut through the obsidian field. You'll get there before they breach the cliffs."
Elara nodded. "We'll leave now."
Kael met her eyes, and in that glance, everything was clear.
The journey through the obsidian field was treacherous.
Sharp black stones jutted from the ground like the bones of ancient beasts. The path twisted underfoot, and the scent of sulfur lingered in the air. Steam hissed from cracks in the earth.
As they moved, Elara asked, "You sure about this?"
Kael glanced at the horizon, where smoke curled faintly into the pale sky. "No. But I know it's what I have to do."
She grinned slightly. "Good. Fear means you're still human."
They arrived at the cliff's edge just before dusk.
Below, Kael saw the torches—small red flames flickering in a tight formation. Soldiers in black-and-silver armor, each marked with the sigil of the Flame Court.
And among them, a woman in white.
Kael's breath caught. "That's not a hunter. That's a Judge."
Elara stiffened. "Judges only appear when someone's been marked for execution."
Kael's fists clenched.
For the first time, the fire inside him stirred not from fear—but from purpose.
They were here for him.
Good.
Let them come.