The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 34: Chapter 34
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The scroll room was sealed by dawn.
No one in. No one out.
Kael paced in front of the chamber’s only door, golden flame flickering from his fingertips.
Aeryn stood at the center, eyes closed, Mirael’s pendant cool in her palm.
She wasn’t using it to see.
She was using it to listen.
To the rhythm of footsteps.
The pulse of fear.
And the silence of guilt.
Liora sat nearby, scanning the rebel logs.
“We’ve lost three testimonies,” she whispered.
And someone tried to map the ember’s exact origin.”
Kael clenched his jaw. “They’re not just spying they’re planning to weaponize it.”
Aeryn opened her eyes.
“I know who it is.”
They gathered the inner circle that evening.
Seven rebels, including the medic who’d treated Kael’s fever, the twin scouts from Velastra, the scribe who’d memorized the first vault’s flame-calligraphy.
And Sarin — the quiet quartermaster with a shadowed past and an unnatural knowledge of runes.
Sarin had been one of the first to join.
One of the most loyal.
Aeryn addressed them calmly.
“Someone among us is feeding the Court information.”
No one moved.
She turned to Sarin.
“You’ve never once spoken about your past.”
Sarin blinked. “You’ve never asked.”
Kael stepped forward. “Someone tried to steal the ember. We tracked the energy to your chamber.”
Sarin didn’t flinch.
“But it wasn’t stolen, was it?” they said. “And isn’t that exactly what the Court would want for us to burn each other instead of them?”
The room tensed.
But Aeryn held up her hand.
“I believe you,” she said quietly.
Sarin’s eyes widened.
“But only because you’re going to prove you’re with us.”
Later that night, Aeryn and Kael stood alone in the vault’s antechamber.
“You’re letting them go?” Kael asked.
“Not go,” Aeryn said. “Walk. Into the Court’s grasp.”
Kael’s voice dropped. “You’re going to use them.”
“They’re already being used,” she replied. “Now they’ll pass our message.”
He looked at her for a long time.
“You’re getting good at this.”
“I don’t know if that’s good.”
Sarin left at midnight with a trail of false intel: that the rebellion had fractured, that the ember was broken, that Kael was dead.
They walked out into the frost with a rebel’s cloak and a traitor’s mission.
And Aeryn?
She watched from the shadows.
The fire behind her dimmed.
But the spark in her eyes never wavered.
Because now, she had a hand in the Court’s game.
And she was ready to burn the board.
No one in. No one out.
Kael paced in front of the chamber’s only door, golden flame flickering from his fingertips.
Aeryn stood at the center, eyes closed, Mirael’s pendant cool in her palm.
She wasn’t using it to see.
She was using it to listen.
To the rhythm of footsteps.
The pulse of fear.
And the silence of guilt.
Liora sat nearby, scanning the rebel logs.
“We’ve lost three testimonies,” she whispered.
And someone tried to map the ember’s exact origin.”
Kael clenched his jaw. “They’re not just spying they’re planning to weaponize it.”
Aeryn opened her eyes.
“I know who it is.”
They gathered the inner circle that evening.
Seven rebels, including the medic who’d treated Kael’s fever, the twin scouts from Velastra, the scribe who’d memorized the first vault’s flame-calligraphy.
And Sarin — the quiet quartermaster with a shadowed past and an unnatural knowledge of runes.
Sarin had been one of the first to join.
One of the most loyal.
Aeryn addressed them calmly.
“Someone among us is feeding the Court information.”
No one moved.
She turned to Sarin.
“You’ve never once spoken about your past.”
Sarin blinked. “You’ve never asked.”
Kael stepped forward. “Someone tried to steal the ember. We tracked the energy to your chamber.”
Sarin didn’t flinch.
“But it wasn’t stolen, was it?” they said. “And isn’t that exactly what the Court would want for us to burn each other instead of them?”
The room tensed.
But Aeryn held up her hand.
“I believe you,” she said quietly.
Sarin’s eyes widened.
“But only because you’re going to prove you’re with us.”
Later that night, Aeryn and Kael stood alone in the vault’s antechamber.
“You’re letting them go?” Kael asked.
“Not go,” Aeryn said. “Walk. Into the Court’s grasp.”
Kael’s voice dropped. “You’re going to use them.”
“They’re already being used,” she replied. “Now they’ll pass our message.”
He looked at her for a long time.
“You’re getting good at this.”
“I don’t know if that’s good.”
Sarin left at midnight with a trail of false intel: that the rebellion had fractured, that the ember was broken, that Kael was dead.
They walked out into the frost with a rebel’s cloak and a traitor’s mission.
And Aeryn?
She watched from the shadows.
The fire behind her dimmed.
But the spark in her eyes never wavered.
Because now, she had a hand in the Court’s game.
And she was ready to burn the board.
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 34. Continue reading Chapter 35 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.