Page 19 of The Ember and the Emerald

YESTERDAY’S TOMORROWS

Dazed, I stood in the eye of the storm as a flurry of activity erupted around me.

“I want that creature escorted off the property now,” my dad bellowed, rushing to my mother and slipping a strong arm around her waist. Blood leaked from a multitude of gashes across his face and body as he led her toward the barn door.

“You require a healer,” my mother protested.

“So do you,” Dad told her, pausing while she panted through a contraction. “I’ll call Dr. Azul.”

“I’ll make sure the monstra is safely relocated before the birth,” Emma said, hanging back. Her gaze remained on Jasher, still strewn over the floor, a sad smile curving her lips.

The monstra couldn’t stay here. Not at the farm, not even in Ozworld. He must go back to Hakeldama. Today. Now.

I wrapped my arms around myself. About to lose my parents again…

My dad got my mom in gear the second the contraction eased. “Join us when you’re done, Emma. We’ll need your help. And Rye.” He flicked his gaze to me, projecting a jumble of emotions I couldn’t untangle. “Be safe.”

No need to decipher that. An unmistakable goodbye. He knew what I planned.

“Be safe,” I echoed, memorizing the sight of Mom and Dad together once again. So young. So healthy. I love you both. So, so much. “Until we meet again.”

“You…you don’t leave without me, Oracle,” Mom said between ragged breaths, stalling as Dad attempted to urge her on. “I’ll be ready… just need… few days.” She groaned, leaning on him. “It hurts.”

“I know, I know,” Daddy cooed. “Just think. Soon you’ll be holding your precious Moriah Isha.”

Little alarm bells dinged through my mind, and I flattened my palms against my churning stomach. Elowen’s warning played on repeat, whisper stacking upon whisper until becoming a thunderous scream.

Be gone before the baby comes. Bad things will happen if you’re here.

How much time did I have? Mom’s contractions were only minutes apart.

Daddy got Mom outside, so careful with her, but Emma hung back, as promised.

She continued to peer at Jasher. He hadn’t budged. Or changed. His sharper facial features, monstrous wings, and razor-tipped claws were on full display.

“You can’t rely on an eye-lock long-term,” she said to me, “and the shackles will keep him docile only a short while. Soon his body will adjust. He’ll have free motion again. But as long as he’s wearing the metal, your words will control him.”

“Voice compulsion?” Dread slithered over me. What relationship could survive that? “I’ve already spoken with Elowen and paid the price for passage to Hakeldama. For two,” I added.

Dry humor glittered in her purple eyes. “I know. The cuffs prove her visit. I just wanted a chance to tell you⁠—”

We both grimaced when my mother howled with pain.

“He was a good boy,” Emma said, tone now a hundred pounds heavier. “But he always felt more than the others. So much more. It made everything harder for him. It will make things harder for you.”

“What—”

“Find the Ember,” she interjected. “It’s our only hope.” Out she rushed, following the same path my parents had taken.

I curled my fingers. Elowen had known what I sought all along. She’d only pretended not to.

A disturbing noise yanked my gaze to Jasher. He remained on the ground, but he’d begun to move his limbs. Urgency returned, a fire in my blood. I stuffed the journal in a front pocket of the backpack, then anchored the hefty, unopenable bag to my shoulder. Aches and pains flared, reminding me of the injury he’d given me only minutes ago.

I returned to the puddle. “We’re ready, Elowen. Let’s do this.”

The barn light flickered.

Frowning, I peered at the water, but it never stirred.