Page 141 of A Whisper of Cinders

I cannot let it end like this. I won’t let my friends die. Their heartbeats beat next to my own heart, it’s the only way I know they are still alive. But we don’t have much time left. I don’t have much time, some of the beats grow fewer within minutes.

I drop to my knees and try to inhale deeply, coughing violently as the toxic smoke seeps into my lungs. I push the air back out.

Help me, please.

I block out everything, digging deeper than I ever did before, push past the exhaustion, past the suffocating fear, past every emotion I feel. I search for the fire within me, not the fire that is trying to consume us.

I am with you.

That familiar voice whispers and with it, my fire ignites.

A rush of heat surges through my veins, my body arching as flames explode from within me.

A roar echoes in my ears as I create a tornado of fire around me, scorching everything in its path. Walls groan, wood splinters, some parts of it hit my cheek, or at least try to, but my fire burns it all away.

Until there is nothing left but darkness.

CHAPTER FIFTY

From the ashes, she will rise

As she was always meant to be

Erased from memory,

Yet she was born to soar

Fire knows its own,

Even when all forget

When she reaches her crescendo,

It will be the beginning of the end

The words are whispered in my ear by the male voice of my dreams. I don’t really understand what he’s doing here right now, but since he is part of my consciousness, it makes sense he is with me when it all ends.

Something touches my cheek, like a snowflake, just as light, but…not as cold. The scent of smoke fills my nose and when another flake lands on my forehead, I open my eyes.

The thick, toxic smoke is gone and replaced by the crisp scent of snow with a hint of burned wood. I blink against the dizziness that makes my world spin. My body aches, which I realise can only mean one thing.

I am not dead.

My fingers dig into the damp soil that is underneath my palms. Soil, no wooden floor, because the cabin is gone, the flakes are ashes drifting through the sky.

I quickly push myself up, looking back at my friends who lay behind me, alive but unconscious and…weak, their heartbeats have slowed even more.

The groaning of wood draws my attention away from my friends as the dark figures move towards us. Yet, they remain at the same distance, walking in circles. Only then do I realise why; there is a dome around us, but it’s flickering, like an old lamp.

Would…I have conjured that? A creation of my lash out? A dome to protect us? I willingly send more power into my shield and watch as it grows stronger again, the golden flames thick and keeping everything at bay.

The Myrvael try to touch the shield, but as soon as they do, sparks travel up their branched arms. They try to suck out the energy around me — of me — but my shield doesn’t even flicker, it is somehow impenetrable. I try to command my fire to burn them down, but all of my powers must be into the shield, because nothing happens.

I count twelve Myrvael walking around us and there might be even more that I cannot see. I need to call for help, but how? It seems like we’re in the middle of nowhere from what I can see.

Think, Maily.

An idea comes to mind, a theory I have to test. I am running out of options. I don’t know how long I can keep them away. I’m sure they will eventually find a way in.