The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 30: Chapter 30
You are reading The Thirteenth Ember, Chapter 30: Chapter 30. Read more chapters of The Thirteenth Ember.
The silence in their camp that night was not peaceful.
It was preparation.
Aeryn stood by the river's edge, Mirael’s staff laid across a flat stone. Her flame shimmered just above her skin — restless, humming.
Kael watched her from the tree line, his arms crossed, jaw set.
“You’re not going alone,” he finally said.
She didn’t turn. “I have to.”
“They want you to believe that.”
“They have Liora.”
Kael stepped forward, anger and fear a storm behind his voice. “And what happens when they have you too?”
Aeryn turned now, fully, eyes locked on his.
They already had me, Kael. My whole life.”
He flinched.
She softened. “But they don’t anymore. This… this is my choice.”
He walked closer, slowly, deliberately.
“You said we do this together. That was the point.”
She nodded. “It still is. But if I walk into that chamber with you, they’ll kill her without hesitation. You know it. I know it.”
Kael looked down, fists clenched. His fire crackled, uncontrolled at the edges.
“I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” she said. “Not if you help me from the outside.”
They sat together that night for a long time.
No plans. No strategy.
Just silence, broken only once — when Aeryn whispered:
“If I don’t come back, don’t fight them for me.
Finish what we started.”
At dawn, they stood at the edge of the path that led toward the Hollow Chamber — a buried temple once used for ember sacrifices, now rumored to be a prison for dissenters and traitors to the Court.
Kael handed her a small, obsidian pendant.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It used to belong to Mirael. She said it was a failsafe.”
“For flame?”
“No,” he said. “For truth.”
She tucked it beneath her collar.
Then she kissed him — not like goodbye.
But like armor.
She walked into the mists.
Alone.
And Kael turned, face shadowed, to the map Mirael had drawn before she died.
There were three remaining Vaults across the old empire.
One of them held a weapon powerful enough to shatter the Emberbrand sigils — and expose the Court’s final secret.
If Aeryn was buying them time…
Kael would burn the path open.
It was preparation.
Aeryn stood by the river's edge, Mirael’s staff laid across a flat stone. Her flame shimmered just above her skin — restless, humming.
Kael watched her from the tree line, his arms crossed, jaw set.
“You’re not going alone,” he finally said.
She didn’t turn. “I have to.”
“They want you to believe that.”
“They have Liora.”
Kael stepped forward, anger and fear a storm behind his voice. “And what happens when they have you too?”
Aeryn turned now, fully, eyes locked on his.
They already had me, Kael. My whole life.”
He flinched.
She softened. “But they don’t anymore. This… this is my choice.”
He walked closer, slowly, deliberately.
“You said we do this together. That was the point.”
She nodded. “It still is. But if I walk into that chamber with you, they’ll kill her without hesitation. You know it. I know it.”
Kael looked down, fists clenched. His fire crackled, uncontrolled at the edges.
“I can’t lose you.”
“You won’t,” she said. “Not if you help me from the outside.”
They sat together that night for a long time.
No plans. No strategy.
Just silence, broken only once — when Aeryn whispered:
“If I don’t come back, don’t fight them for me.
Finish what we started.”
At dawn, they stood at the edge of the path that led toward the Hollow Chamber — a buried temple once used for ember sacrifices, now rumored to be a prison for dissenters and traitors to the Court.
Kael handed her a small, obsidian pendant.
“What is this?” she asked.
“It used to belong to Mirael. She said it was a failsafe.”
“For flame?”
“No,” he said. “For truth.”
She tucked it beneath her collar.
Then she kissed him — not like goodbye.
But like armor.
She walked into the mists.
Alone.
And Kael turned, face shadowed, to the map Mirael had drawn before she died.
There were three remaining Vaults across the old empire.
One of them held a weapon powerful enough to shatter the Emberbrand sigils — and expose the Court’s final secret.
If Aeryn was buying them time…
Kael would burn the path open.
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 30. Continue reading Chapter 31 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.