The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 27: Chapter 27
You are reading The Thirteenth Ember, Chapter 27: Chapter 27. Read more chapters of The Thirteenth Ember.
Kael slept for two days.
Not a healing sleep — a burnout. The kind that comes after unleashing fire your body wasn’t ready to hold. Aeryn never left his side. She changed his dressings. Cooled his skin when the fever rose. Whispered things even the flame couldn’t overhear.
Things like:
“You came back.”
“You chose me, even when you couldn’t hear me.”
“I’m not afraid of your fire. I’m afraid of losing it.”
The Emberroot clearing was quiet now.
No more footsteps. No more Court.
Just trees, breathing slow.
Mirael’s body lay at the base of the central tree, wrapped in woven flamecloth, surrounded by wildflowers Aeryn had summoned from the roots.
She lit the pyre herself.
Not with rage.
Not with vengeance.
With honor.
Kael woke just as the flames began to fade into smoke.
He found her standing alone.
She didn’t turn.
“Is it over?” he asked.
“No,” she said softly. “It’s finally begun.”
Later, they sat near the edge of the clearing, Kael sipping broth, hands still shaking.
“I lost control,” he said.
“You took it back.”
“Because of you.”
She looked at him — and this time, no hesitation.
“No, Kael. Because you chose to listen to me.”
He nodded.
Then looked out at the trees. “So what now?”
She pulled out Mirael’s staff. Set it across her knees.
“We rebuild the rebellion.”
Kael blinked. “You want to fight the Court?”
“No,” she said. “I want to expose them.”
She held out a burned fragment — a symbol once sewn into Mirael’s robes.
A forgotten sigil of the original Flameborn rebellion.
“This is older than their lies. There are others out there, Kael. People who remember. People who burned quietly for too long.”
She looked back at him.
“I don’t want to burn the world down. I want to show it the truth.”
Kael exhaled. “You sound like Mirael.”
“I’m not,” Aeryn said. “I’m what comes next.”
That night, under the stars, they made a vow.
Not to vengeance.
But to memory.
And to each other.
Not a healing sleep — a burnout. The kind that comes after unleashing fire your body wasn’t ready to hold. Aeryn never left his side. She changed his dressings. Cooled his skin when the fever rose. Whispered things even the flame couldn’t overhear.
Things like:
“You came back.”
“You chose me, even when you couldn’t hear me.”
“I’m not afraid of your fire. I’m afraid of losing it.”
The Emberroot clearing was quiet now.
No more footsteps. No more Court.
Just trees, breathing slow.
Mirael’s body lay at the base of the central tree, wrapped in woven flamecloth, surrounded by wildflowers Aeryn had summoned from the roots.
She lit the pyre herself.
Not with rage.
Not with vengeance.
With honor.
Kael woke just as the flames began to fade into smoke.
He found her standing alone.
She didn’t turn.
“Is it over?” he asked.
“No,” she said softly. “It’s finally begun.”
Later, they sat near the edge of the clearing, Kael sipping broth, hands still shaking.
“I lost control,” he said.
“You took it back.”
“Because of you.”
She looked at him — and this time, no hesitation.
“No, Kael. Because you chose to listen to me.”
He nodded.
Then looked out at the trees. “So what now?”
She pulled out Mirael’s staff. Set it across her knees.
“We rebuild the rebellion.”
Kael blinked. “You want to fight the Court?”
“No,” she said. “I want to expose them.”
She held out a burned fragment — a symbol once sewn into Mirael’s robes.
A forgotten sigil of the original Flameborn rebellion.
“This is older than their lies. There are others out there, Kael. People who remember. People who burned quietly for too long.”
She looked back at him.
“I don’t want to burn the world down. I want to show it the truth.”
Kael exhaled. “You sound like Mirael.”
“I’m not,” Aeryn said. “I’m what comes next.”
That night, under the stars, they made a vow.
Not to vengeance.
But to memory.
And to each other.
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 27. Continue reading Chapter 28 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.