The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 40: Chapter 40
You are reading The Thirteenth Ember, Chapter 40: Chapter 40. Read more chapters of The Thirteenth Ember.
The rebellion moved like wildfire across the Silver Dunes.
Allies once too afraid to speak now raised Aeryn’s banner on city walls, whispered her name in markets, and carried ember-forged blades across borders that had never seen magic. But for every city they claimed, every oath sworn to her cause the danger multiplied.
And trust thinned.
The day began with sandstorms.
Grit in her teeth. Heat on her skin.
And another argument in the command tent.
“You can’t keep shielding the Emberborn,” spat Commander Vash, slamming a cracked goblet onto the map. “He’s dangerous. He answers to no
one but you.”
Kael didn’t flinch.
He stood near the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Flame coiled faintly around his fingertips not a threat. A warning.
Aeryn’s voice came low and calm.
“And yet, he’s won us three strongholds, saved twice that many lives, and hasn’t once burned a soldier who didn’t deserve it.”
Vash sneered. “So that’s how it is? He’s your sword and shield now?”
Aeryn stepped forward, quiet but unwavering.
“He is what this war needs. And I decide what stays sharp.”
Later, the heat faded with the setting sun.
Aeryn wandered alone through the canyon above the camp, where jagged cliffs overlooked quiet ravines and distant stars began to burn through the dusk.
Kael followed her without a word.
When she stopped, he stopped behind her. Not too close. Just near enough that she could feel his presence like a second heartbeat.
“They don’t trust me,” she said after a long silence.
“They never did,” he murmured. “But they follow you.”
She turned, eyes tired. “Do you?”
Kael stepped forward then. Close enough that she felt the heat of him not the fire, but him. His hand reached for hers, fingers brushing
gently.
“I don’t follow you,” he said. “I stand with you.”
The wind stirred between them.
And so did something heavier.
She leaned into him slowly, her forehead resting against his chest, arms wrapping around his waist.
Kael’s hands found the curve of her spine.
They kissed in the shadows of the canyon.
Not rushed.
Not desperate.
But intentional.
Her lips parting beneath his, her hands gripping
his tunic. The kind of kiss that said:
We may not have tomorrow. So tonight, I want this. I want you.
His hand slid into her hair, mouth warm and steady. His breath caught when her teeth grazed his bottom lip, when her body pressed fully against his.
She pulled back slightly, her eyes heavy but clear.
“We’ll be watched,” she whispered.
Kael’s voice was low, rough. “Let them watch. Let them wonder why I’d burn down the world for you.”
They didn’t make love that night but the promise of it hovered between them like storm
Heat
Something building.
Something inevitable.
By morning, scouts returned with urgent reports:
A shadow unit from the Court had crossed into the Eastern Fringe. Their leader carried only one command:
Bring the Emberborn back alive.
Kill everything she loves.
Allies once too afraid to speak now raised Aeryn’s banner on city walls, whispered her name in markets, and carried ember-forged blades across borders that had never seen magic. But for every city they claimed, every oath sworn to her cause the danger multiplied.
And trust thinned.
The day began with sandstorms.
Grit in her teeth. Heat on her skin.
And another argument in the command tent.
“You can’t keep shielding the Emberborn,” spat Commander Vash, slamming a cracked goblet onto the map. “He’s dangerous. He answers to no
one but you.”
Kael didn’t flinch.
He stood near the doorway, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Flame coiled faintly around his fingertips not a threat. A warning.
Aeryn’s voice came low and calm.
“And yet, he’s won us three strongholds, saved twice that many lives, and hasn’t once burned a soldier who didn’t deserve it.”
Vash sneered. “So that’s how it is? He’s your sword and shield now?”
Aeryn stepped forward, quiet but unwavering.
“He is what this war needs. And I decide what stays sharp.”
Later, the heat faded with the setting sun.
Aeryn wandered alone through the canyon above the camp, where jagged cliffs overlooked quiet ravines and distant stars began to burn through the dusk.
Kael followed her without a word.
When she stopped, he stopped behind her. Not too close. Just near enough that she could feel his presence like a second heartbeat.
“They don’t trust me,” she said after a long silence.
“They never did,” he murmured. “But they follow you.”
She turned, eyes tired. “Do you?”
Kael stepped forward then. Close enough that she felt the heat of him not the fire, but him. His hand reached for hers, fingers brushing
gently.
“I don’t follow you,” he said. “I stand with you.”
The wind stirred between them.
And so did something heavier.
She leaned into him slowly, her forehead resting against his chest, arms wrapping around his waist.
Kael’s hands found the curve of her spine.
They kissed in the shadows of the canyon.
Not rushed.
Not desperate.
But intentional.
Her lips parting beneath his, her hands gripping
his tunic. The kind of kiss that said:
We may not have tomorrow. So tonight, I want this. I want you.
His hand slid into her hair, mouth warm and steady. His breath caught when her teeth grazed his bottom lip, when her body pressed fully against his.
She pulled back slightly, her eyes heavy but clear.
“We’ll be watched,” she whispered.
Kael’s voice was low, rough. “Let them watch. Let them wonder why I’d burn down the world for you.”
They didn’t make love that night but the promise of it hovered between them like storm
Heat
Something building.
Something inevitable.
By morning, scouts returned with urgent reports:
A shadow unit from the Court had crossed into the Eastern Fringe. Their leader carried only one command:
Bring the Emberborn back alive.
Kill everything she loves.
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 40. Continue reading Chapter 41 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.