Page 109 of The Ember and the Emerald

Jasher took out three more monstra. I shot past him, joining the fray.

The battlefield swallowed me, monstra on every side. They poured into the valley in waves of fire and claw, their shrieks tearing at the sky. Ash rained down like black snow, stinging my eyes. Somewhere ahead, I knew Ahav fought in his golden armor, a living sun amid the carnage, drawing the enemy’s fury.

Using skills I’d gained in my other lives, I set off to find him. Monstra after monstra fell to my blade. Jasher trailed me, guarding my back as Elowen had done in my vision. He took every wound meant for me.

I didn’t let myself care. Just a trick. The long con.

We carved our way forward. My breath turned ragged, and my muscles screamed. I remembered the moves, thanks to what I’d seen in the Ring, but my body wasn’t as honed as it had been in past battles.

Fire scorched the sleeve of my gown. I hissed but didn’t slow. There. Ahav. He stood just a few paces ahead of me, making his way up a hill, leading many monstra away from the battle. Exactly as I’d foreseen.

He still intended to die.

“I need you here,” I shouted, surging forward. “Live!”

A claw sliced my midsection, pain blooming hot and bright. Poison? The heat flooded my bloodstream. Keep going, keep going. But the world tilted, and I went down hard.

The ground knocked the air from my lungs. My vision blurred, stars bursting behind my eyes. I tasted blood.

“Moriah!” Jasher shouted.

I tried to focus, tried to push up. Failed. My vision dimmed, and my arms trembled, strength draining fast. The sounds of battle warped, stretching and echoing, as if I were underwater again.

A flicker of light brightened inside me. A coil of new strength, the Ember stirring beneath my skin. Prickles. I held my breath. Was this the moment I defeated the monstra?

But no. My vision cleared, yes, and my thoughts sharpened. Nothing else. I gritted my teeth and climbed to unsteady legs, scanning for Jasher.

Horror hit. Four monstra, each biting into a limb, pulled his body taut, stretching him to the max, attempting to rip him apart.

He fought but only bled faster, their teeth sinking deeper.

No, no, no. I stumbled forward, desperate to reach him. I couldn’t trust him, but I refused to watch him die. Just couldn’t…couldn’t watch it. But my feet were dragging, as heavy as boulders. I wouldn’t reach him in time.

The air shimmered beside him. Elowen shot from it, sword already in motion. Fierce and heartbreakingly calm, she cut down a monstra, then another. She didn’t look at me, but concentrated solely on Jasher and the beasts doing their best to kill him.

No! I’d seen this. Knew what came next. She’d sworn to me she would stay away.

Swallowing bitterness, I forced my limbs to move. To carry me across the battlefield. Too slow, too slow! Reaching for her…

She moved swifter than thought, swifter than my vision, killing more beasts as they came. Then another appeared. He wasn’t the same as the others. He was bigger. Double Ian’s size, with scales a strange, glittering silver-black. Exactly as I’d foreseen.

His sinister grin sent cold shivers down my spine. His silver eyes glittered.

She faced him and stopped, just stopped, as if frozen. He looked past her—at me. Time slowed to a crawl.

Never glancing away, he blew a stream of silver fire straight through my sister’s chest, leaving a steaming, fist-sized hole behind.

The creature winked at me as she fell, then vanished in a puff of silver smoke.

Time picked up speed. “Elowen!” I dropped, too, dragging my useless legs, finally reaching her. Hands shaking, I gathered my precious sister close. “Tell me you brought serpens-rosa.” She must have. I’d warned her about this.

Her blood poured over me, warm but cooling fast and changing from scarlet to black to fading gray.

“Wouldn’t help,” she said. “No longer…works for… me.”

Her scars, I realized, shaking my head. No.

“Mom with Daniel. Memory wiped.” She spoke between panting breaths, her grip on me weakening, her eyes desperate. “Malkom key.”