Page 12 of Hero of Havoc

She’s always so fueled with energy. It’s honestly exhausting to keep up with, but sensing her being so mellow is too out of character for me to ignore. Tilting my head, I turn to face her, only to find her curled up in a little ball, her eyelids heavy with sadness.

“What's wrong?” I rasp, my throat aching as she shakes her little head.

Her wide eyes find mine. “I’m sorry they did that to you,” she whispers, and understanding takes hold between us, leaving my words lodged in my throat.

My pulse thumps through my entire body as I build up the strength to ask three simple words.

“Did you know?”

Her gaze remains fixed on mine as she shakes her head, unable to talk.

She's never looked smaller or more delicate, and I instinctively reach for her.

Her heat ghosts my fingertips as I move her closer, and she nestles against my chest as we hug it out. The recognition of my emotions sends me into a downward spiral, but before I can reach the pits, her voice cuts through the air.

“We're going to be okay,” she promises, and I frown.

“We?” I repeat, and she nods.

“Their sprites say there's a good explanation, but I don't want to hear it,” she states, making my heart clench.

“Ember, you don't have to do that for me,” I breathe, and she sighs, like I’m being dumb.

“You're my person, Ivy. No matter how they make me feel, it doesn't trump that.”

Unshed tears burn the back of my eyelids as we embrace once more.

My device chimes from my nightstand, the sound cutting through the air, but I ignore it, refusing to acknowledge whoever's on the other end.

Sighing, I glance out the window. “I hate just lying here,” I admit, and Ember slowly slips out of my hold, only to perch herself on my stomach.

“I was shocked to find you here, to be honest. Especially since your father is detained in the dungeons. I actually checked there first,” she explains, and my gaze darts to hers as my pulse quickens.

“Dungeons?” I repeat, and she nods, lifting an inch off me.

“Do you want to go?” she offers, and I gnaw on my bottom lip, my heartbeat racing wildly.

“I think so,” I admit, and she gives me a pointed look.

“Be certain of yourself, Ivy. This mess is insane; don’t make any moves that aren’t backed by conviction,” she insists, floating around the room and hovering in the air a little higher.

I sit up, leaning back against the headboard. Every part of me aches, desperate for sleep, but it's not going to come, no matter how much I lie here. Instead, I inhale deeply before exhaling slowly, churning her words in my mind, giving them the roots to take hold and strengthen my spine.

Do I want to see my father? Not really.

Do I deserve answers? Yes.

Do I have the strength to embrace the conviction Ember talks of? There’s only one way to find out.

“I want to go,” I reiterate, and she nods.

“You get ready; I'll be back in a second,” she declares, and before I have time to consider what she's up to, she's gone, leaving me to shake off my helplessness before I can find myself drowning once again.

I force myself out of bed, silently thanking earlier me for showering when I got in last night. My tattered ball gown remains in a pile on the floor, and I step over it as I make quick work of getting ready.

With my hair pulled back in a braid, my breath minty fresh, and a pair of denim shorts and an old band tee on, I slip into a pair of sandals and open the door just in time to find Ember, but she’s not alone.

Silas is frozen in place beside her, and I blink at the pair of them.