The Thirteenth Ember - Chapter 54: Chapter 54
You are reading The Thirteenth Ember, Chapter 54: Chapter 54. Read more chapters of The Thirteenth Ember.
Before Dawn – Rebellion Outskirts
The camp still slept beneath its veils of mist and false peace.
Aeryn and Kael didn’t wait for goodbyes.
They moved silently no armor, no banners, only cloaks damp with dew and boots muffled by soft pine needles.
Aeryn kept one hand resting against her belly. The flame within had not settled all night. The warmth had turned strange no longer comforting. It shimmered now… unsteady, like candlelight in a storm.
Kael noticed.
He said nothing.
But he moved closer every few steps, as if afraid she might simply flicker out.
They passed the final torch-line an hour before sunrise.
By then, Aeryn was sweating.
Not from exertion.
From pain.
Midday – Miraen’s Path
“This was your mother’s sanctuary,” Kael said quietly.
Aeryn nodded. The grove was silent, shielded by runestones and braided vines, its soil dusted with white ash. It had once been Miraen’s refuge, carved out during her years in hiding. Now it was empty hollowed by time, but still sacred.
They stepped into its heart.
And Aeryn collapsed.
The Onset
Kael caught her before she hit the earth.
Her hands trembled. Her eyes had gone gold-bright, embermark flaring wildly.
“She’s coming,” Aeryn gasped.
Kael went still. “Now?”
“Too soon. But she’s not waiting.”
Flame erupted from beneath her skin not as an attack, but a shield. Heat spiraled around her like a vortex. The grass blackened in a perfect circle. Trees leaned outward.
Kael tried to reach her and was thrown backward by a pulse of energy.
He hit the ground, stunned, watching helplessly as flame coiled around Aeryn’s body, lifting her from the ground.
She hovered. Convulsed.
And screamed.
The Child Reacts
Inside the womb, the child stirred not in pain but in defense.
She was waking into a world too early. The body not ready.
So she did the only thing she knew.
She reached for the one other soul she trusted.
Kael.
Kael blinked.
Something entered his mind a touch, soft and radiant, wrapped in fire and innocence.
Help her.
The voice wasn’t language. It was instinct. It was her.
And it was breaking him.
Kael crawled forward, every inch of his body burning now. The flame parted slightly at his touch not out of welcome, but recognition.
He reached Aeryn’s hand.
Held it.
And made a decision.
Kael’s Forbidden Magic
There was one spell one Kael had buried deep in the Blackened Scrolls of the Order. A binding. Not of shadow. But of life-force.
It required offering a piece of one soul… to hold another together.
He had never dared attempt it.
Now, he didn’t hesitate.
He whispered the words.
“Trel’an valyr… my breath to bind. My shadow to shield. My heart to lend.”
The air imploded.
The Flame and the Shadow Collide
A column of black and gold light shot upward, piercing the grove’s canopy. Leaves ignited. Stones cracked. Kael’s body arched backward, eyes white, veins glowing like molten glass.
Aeryn’s scream cut through the chaos then silenced.
She collapsed into his arms.
The flame hissed.
Then dimmed.
And a cry followed.
Not Aeryn’s.
But the child’s.
The Birth
She was tiny, fire-kissed, and glowing faintly gold. Her eyes blinked open, wide and ancient.
Kael wept without sound.
Aeryn stirred, blinking slowly. Her lips formed a name but no breath came.
Kael kissed her forehead.
“She’s here,” he whispered.
Aeryn turned her head.
And saw her daughter.
For the first time.
But the sky was not still.
Far above the grove, crows scattered.
And on a distant hill, cloaked figures watched the column of fire vanish into the clouds.
“She’s born,” one whispered.
Another nodded grimly. “And we are too late.”
The camp still slept beneath its veils of mist and false peace.
Aeryn and Kael didn’t wait for goodbyes.
They moved silently no armor, no banners, only cloaks damp with dew and boots muffled by soft pine needles.
Aeryn kept one hand resting against her belly. The flame within had not settled all night. The warmth had turned strange no longer comforting. It shimmered now… unsteady, like candlelight in a storm.
Kael noticed.
He said nothing.
But he moved closer every few steps, as if afraid she might simply flicker out.
They passed the final torch-line an hour before sunrise.
By then, Aeryn was sweating.
Not from exertion.
From pain.
Midday – Miraen’s Path
“This was your mother’s sanctuary,” Kael said quietly.
Aeryn nodded. The grove was silent, shielded by runestones and braided vines, its soil dusted with white ash. It had once been Miraen’s refuge, carved out during her years in hiding. Now it was empty hollowed by time, but still sacred.
They stepped into its heart.
And Aeryn collapsed.
The Onset
Kael caught her before she hit the earth.
Her hands trembled. Her eyes had gone gold-bright, embermark flaring wildly.
“She’s coming,” Aeryn gasped.
Kael went still. “Now?”
“Too soon. But she’s not waiting.”
Flame erupted from beneath her skin not as an attack, but a shield. Heat spiraled around her like a vortex. The grass blackened in a perfect circle. Trees leaned outward.
Kael tried to reach her and was thrown backward by a pulse of energy.
He hit the ground, stunned, watching helplessly as flame coiled around Aeryn’s body, lifting her from the ground.
She hovered. Convulsed.
And screamed.
The Child Reacts
Inside the womb, the child stirred not in pain but in defense.
She was waking into a world too early. The body not ready.
So she did the only thing she knew.
She reached for the one other soul she trusted.
Kael.
Kael blinked.
Something entered his mind a touch, soft and radiant, wrapped in fire and innocence.
Help her.
The voice wasn’t language. It was instinct. It was her.
And it was breaking him.
Kael crawled forward, every inch of his body burning now. The flame parted slightly at his touch not out of welcome, but recognition.
He reached Aeryn’s hand.
Held it.
And made a decision.
Kael’s Forbidden Magic
There was one spell one Kael had buried deep in the Blackened Scrolls of the Order. A binding. Not of shadow. But of life-force.
It required offering a piece of one soul… to hold another together.
He had never dared attempt it.
Now, he didn’t hesitate.
He whispered the words.
“Trel’an valyr… my breath to bind. My shadow to shield. My heart to lend.”
The air imploded.
The Flame and the Shadow Collide
A column of black and gold light shot upward, piercing the grove’s canopy. Leaves ignited. Stones cracked. Kael’s body arched backward, eyes white, veins glowing like molten glass.
Aeryn’s scream cut through the chaos then silenced.
She collapsed into his arms.
The flame hissed.
Then dimmed.
And a cry followed.
Not Aeryn’s.
But the child’s.
The Birth
She was tiny, fire-kissed, and glowing faintly gold. Her eyes blinked open, wide and ancient.
Kael wept without sound.
Aeryn stirred, blinking slowly. Her lips formed a name but no breath came.
Kael kissed her forehead.
“She’s here,” he whispered.
Aeryn turned her head.
And saw her daughter.
For the first time.
But the sky was not still.
Far above the grove, crows scattered.
And on a distant hill, cloaked figures watched the column of fire vanish into the clouds.
“She’s born,” one whispered.
Another nodded grimly. “And we are too late.”
End of The Thirteenth Ember Chapter 54. Continue reading Chapter 55 or return to The Thirteenth Ember book page.