Chapter 4- Hail’s POV
The forest smelled wrong. Every step I took was deliberate, my hand never straying far from the hilt of my blade. The voices behind us weren’t rushing anymore. They were methodical, closing the distance at a pace that said they weren’t afraid of losing us. They wanted us to know they were coming. I glanced back at Ember. She kept up, her golden eyes darting to every shadow, her steps quick but steady. She didn’t trust me. She didn’t have to. She just had to keep moving. The ruins came into view just as the voices grew louder. The structure was half-collapsed, its crumbling walls covered in moss and vines, the doorway barely holding onto its frame. “Inside,” I said, not breaking stride. Ember hesitated, her body tense. “And what, wait for them to walk in and kill us?” “If you’ve got a better idea, I’m all ears,” I snapped. Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue. I didn’t expect her to. Inside, the air was heavy and damp, the scent of rot clinging to every surface. The floor was littered with debris, broken tiles, shattered wood, fragments of stone. Ember leaned against one of the sturdier walls, her arms crossed, her golden eyes sharp as they tracked my every movement. She was evaluating me, as she always did, weighing her chances of survival against the risk of staying close. “This is your big fucking plan?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Hide in a crumbling shack and hope they just…go the away?” I ignored her, pulling my crossbow from my pack and checking the bolts. “If they’re here for me, then this is where I make my stand.” She scoffed. “What, no heroic last words?” I smirked. “I’ll save them for when you’re not around to critique them.” Her lips quirked upward, just for a second, but the tension in the room swallowed it. The first sound was soft, a faint scrape against the stone outside. I froze, raising my crossbow as Ember pushed off the wall, her body going rigid. “You hear that?” she asked, her voice low. “Yeah,” I said, moving toward the doorway. The shadows shifted, and a figure stepped into view. Their faces were hidden beneath a hood, their bodies wrapped in dark, tattered robes. More followed. Five. Seven. Ten. They moved with precision, their weapons gleaming faintly in the dim light. Swords, daggers, one with a crossbow not unlike mine. The leader stepped forward; their movements slow, deliberate. A mask covered the lower half of their face, but their eyes burned with purpose. “Hail Ronan Stormcrest,” they said, their voice smooth and sharp. “We’ve been expecting you.” I tightened my grip on the crossbow. “I’m flattered. You mind telling me what the fuck all this fuss is about?” The leader tilted their head, their gaze flicking to Ember. “The phoenix. You’re delivering her to them, aren’t you?” Ember stiffened beside me, her fists clenching. “I’m standing right here, asshole. You can address me directly.” The leader ignored her, their focus was still on me. “You’ve made a mistake, hunter. The people you serve can’t be trusted. Hand her over to us, and we’ll see to it you’re…compensated.” I laughed, the sound low and humorless. “Compensated, huh? For what? Betraying one monster to serve a fucking another?” The leader’s eyes narrowed. “You think you’re better than them? Better than us? You’re just a fucking pawn, Stormcrest. A blade without a will of its own. But blades can be turned.” The crossbow felt heavier in my hands. I didn’t flinch. “Not this one.” The leader sighed, their hands motioning toward their followers. “Kill him. Take the girl alive.” The first attack came fast, a dagger flying toward my chest. I fired the crossbow, the bolt piercing the attacker’s shoulder before they could reach me. Behind me, Ember moved. Even without her fire, she was quick, grabbing a broken piece of stone from the ground and hurling it at another attacker. It hit them square in the face, and they stumbled, blood streaming from their nose. “Stay close!” I barked, drawing my blade as the next attacker lunged. Her laugh was sharp, bitter. “Wasn’t planning on wandering off.” I parried a strike, the clang of metal echoing through the ruins. Another attacker circled around, and I kicked a broken beam into their path, buying myself a second to breathe. Ember was holding her own, dodging and striking with feral precision. But I could see the strain on her face, the way her movements were slowing. The cuff was draining her. One of the attackers got too close to her, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her forward. She gasped, her body twisting as she struggled to free herself. I didn’t think. I moved. The edge of my blade bit into their throat, and they crumpled before they could make a sound. Ember stared at me, her chest heaving, her golden eyes wide. “You’re slowing down,” I said, my voice gruff. Her lips parted, and for a moment, I thought she was going to snap at me. But instead, she whispered, “I can’t…breathe.” I reached for her without thinking, pulling her closer, my hand curling around her forearm. The cuff glowed faintly, its runes pulsing like a heartbeat. “It’s the cuff,” I said. “It’s binding your power. You have to keep moving.” Her gaze dropped to where my hand touched her skin, her voice barely audible. “If I don’t?” “Then you’ll die,” I said, letting go. “And that’s not a fucking option.” “This isn’t going to work,” she shouted, ducking another blow. “There’s too many of them!” She was right. For everyone we took down, two more seemed to take their place. “Follow me,” I said, slashing through another attacker. She didn’t argue, and together we fought our way toward the back of the ruins. The wall there had crumbled completely, revealing a narrow path leading into the forest. We ran, the sound of pursuit close behind. The night swallowed us, the ruins fading into the distance. But the voices followed, relentlessly, their echo cutting through the trees. Ember glanced at me; her golden eyes fierce despite the exhaustion in her face. “This is your idea of a plan?” “Got us out alive, didn’t it?” I spoke. Her laugh was sharp, bitter. “Barely.” I didn’t answer. Because for the first time, I wasn’t sure we’d make it out alive.Chapter 5- Ember’s POVThe night felt endless, the forest pressing in on all sides. I stumbled after Hail, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The ridiculous cuff on my wrist throbbed in time with my heartbeat, each pulse a reminder of what I’d lost. It wasn’t just my fire, it was my strength, my freedom, everything that made me… fucking me. The ground beneath my boots felt like it was tilting, the trees blurring together into a dark haze. I wanted to stop. I wanted to rip the damn cuff off, scream, burn everything around me to ash, but I couldn’t. Not yet.Hail didn’t speak as we moved, his steps quick and purposeful. His blade was still out, the edge catching the faint light of the moon, and his shoulders were tense, ready for another attack. I hated how calm he looked. Like this was all just another job for him, another night spent running from the people who wanted him dead. But it wasn’t just his fight anymore. Now, they wanted me too.“Stop,” I said, my voice sharper than I int
Chapter 5- Ember’s POVThe night felt endless, the forest pressing in on all sides. I stumbled after Hail, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The ridiculous cuff on my wrist throbbed in time with my heartbeat, each pulse a reminder of what I’d lost. It wasn’t just my fire, it was my strength, my freedom, everything that made me… fucking me. The ground beneath my boots felt like it was tilting, the trees blurring together into a dark haze. I wanted to stop. I wanted to rip the damn cuff off, scream, burn everything around me to ash, but I couldn’t. Not yet.Hail didn’t speak as we moved, his steps quick and purposeful. His blade was still out, the edge catching the faint light of the moon, and his shoulders were tense, ready for another attack. I hated how calm he looked. Like this was all just another job for him, another night spent running from the people who wanted him dead. But it wasn’t just his fight anymore. Now, they wanted me too.“Stop,” I said, my voice sharper than I int
Chapter 7- Ember’s POV The forest thinned as we walked, giving way to the jagged outline of a city on the horizon. It wasn’t much of a city anymore. Just a cluster of crumbling buildings jutting up against the gray sky like broken teeth. Smoke curled in the distance, rising from fires that never seemed to die. I tightened my grip on the strap of my pack. “This is your big plan. Walk straight into a place like that?” Hail glanced back at me, his expression unreadable. “We don’t have a choice.” “There’s always a choice,” I muttered. “Not this time,” he said, his tone flat.The closer we got, the worse it looked. The roads were cracked and overgrown with weeds, the remains of old cars rusting where they’d been abandoned. Broken windows stared out like empty eyes, and graffiti-covered nearly every surface. Most of it wasn’t art. KEEP OUT. NO SAFE HAVEN HERE. DEATH AWAITS. “Charming,” I muttered under my breath.Hail didn’t respond. He was too busy scanning the shadows, his hand restin
Chapter 8- Hail’s POVThe city had a pulse. You could feel it the moment you stepped past the outer edges, into the streets where shadows stretched long, and the air reeked of smoke and desperation. It wasn’t alive, not the way cities used to be, but it wasn’t entirely dead either. People clung to it, scavenging what they could from its ruins, surviving on scraps and stolen moments of safety. But survival wasn’t life. It was something colder, emptier. And in a place like this, everything had a price.We found the market near what used to be the city’s main square, its once-pristine fountain now cracked and dry. Vendors lined the edges, their stalls cobbled together from scrap metal and rotting wood. The goods were as pitiful as the vendors themselves: dented cans of food, faded cloth, and rusted tools. And water. Always water. The sight of it made my throat tighten. “Stay close,” I said to Ember, my voice low. Her golden eyes darted around the square, taking in the stalls, the people
Chapter 9 Ember’s POV The city pressed in around us, its jagged skyline and broken streets a constant reminder of just how far the world had fallen. Even the air felt hostile, thick with smoke and ash, every breath sharp and grating. It clung to my skin, the taste of ruin sitting heavy on my tongue. Hail moved ahead of me, his steps careful, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his blade. He was always like that, controlled, deliberate. But tonight, there was something else in the way he carried himself. He was nervous. “We should’ve killed him,” I said, breaking the silence. Hail glanced back at me; his expression was flat. “That wasn’t an option.” “Why not? You didn’t seem to have a problem with his men.” “Killing Kade doesn’t solve anything,” he said. “It just brings more of them.” I scoffed, frustration bubbling beneath my skin. “So, what’s the plan? Keep running until we drop dead in some alley?” His silence was answering enough.The streets were darker now, the faint
Chapter 10- Hail’s POVThe rain came harder now, a relentless downpour that drowned out everything but the crackle of the fire. We’d barely escaped the subway alive, and the creatures that had chased us felt closer with every gust of wind. Even here, hidden away in the ruins of a forgotten city, the weight of the hunt pressed against my chest. I glanced at Ember. She sat cross-legged near the fire, her fiery hair casting a faint glow in the flickering light. Her golden eyes darted to the window now and then, her body coiled like she was waiting for something to go wrong. “What are you thinking?” I asked. She didn’t look at me. “That this place feels like a graveyard.” “It is,” I said, my voice low. Her lips quirked into a faint, humorless smile. “Comforting.”I leaned back against the wall, my blade resting on my lap. Ember had been quieter than usual since we’d left the subway. Quieter, but not calm. Her hand rested on the cuff at her wrist, her fingers tracing the glowing runes abs
Chapter 11- Ember’s POVThe door creaked open, the sound cutting through the damp, suffocating silence.Hail stood in front of me, his blade raised, his body tense and coiled. The firelight flickered against his face, sharpening the already harsh lines of his jaw and the scar cutting across it. The first man stepped into the room; his movements deliberate. He was tall and gaunt, his cheekbones jutting out sharply beneath pale, almost sallow skin. His eyes were hollow, his lips cracked and curled into something that might’ve been a smile in another lifetime. Behind him, two more figures loomed. The second man was shorter and broader, his head shaved to reveal a network of scars. His jacket hung open, revealing a chest crisscrossed with fresh scratches and burns. The third was younger, almost boyish, though his eyes carried none of the innocence his face suggested. His clothes were ragged, layers of mismatched fabric patched together haphazardly, and his fingers twitched near the handl
Chapter 12-Hail’s POVThe city was a predator. It watched, waited, and pressed its weight on anyone foolish enough to wander into its grasp. Even in the rain—or maybe especially in the rain, the shadows seemed sharper, the danger closer. Ember walked a step behind me, her presence an anchor I couldn’t ignore. She was quiet, but I could feel the tension radiating off her. The fight in the apartment had shaken her, no matter how much she tried to hide it. I didn’t blame her. It had been brutal, the kind of fight that stayed under your skin, the blood stubbornly clinging to your hands no matter how many times you wiped them clean. “You’re slowing down,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. She glared at me, her golden eyes sharp even in the dim light. “I’m keeping up.” Stubborn as ever. I nodded and kept walking, my hand resting on the hilt of my blade. Every instinct I had screamed at me to keep moving, but I forced myself to slow down. She wouldn’t say it, but I knew she was nearing her
Chapter 13- Ember’s POV The rain had stopped by the time we left the safehouse, but the air was still heavy with the smell of wet stone and rust. The city stretched out around us, quieter now but no less dangerous. Hail walked ahead, his steps deliberate, his gaze scanning every shadow. I followed close behind, clutching the strap of my pack. The fight with the scavengers lingered in my mind, the blood, the violence, the way Hail’s blade moved like an extension of himself. He hadn’t said much since we left, and neither had I. But the silence between us felt different now. Not comfortable, exactly, but less hostile.We moved through the crumbling streets, our footsteps muffled by the wet pavement. Most of the buildings were empty shells, their windows shattered, and their walls covered in graffiti. But as we turned a corner, I spotted something different. It was a small building, tucked between two larger ones. The windows were intact, though grimy, and a faded sign above the door re
Chapter 12-Hail’s POVThe city was a predator. It watched, waited, and pressed its weight on anyone foolish enough to wander into its grasp. Even in the rain—or maybe especially in the rain, the shadows seemed sharper, the danger closer. Ember walked a step behind me, her presence an anchor I couldn’t ignore. She was quiet, but I could feel the tension radiating off her. The fight in the apartment had shaken her, no matter how much she tried to hide it. I didn’t blame her. It had been brutal, the kind of fight that stayed under your skin, the blood stubbornly clinging to your hands no matter how many times you wiped them clean. “You’re slowing down,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. She glared at me, her golden eyes sharp even in the dim light. “I’m keeping up.” Stubborn as ever. I nodded and kept walking, my hand resting on the hilt of my blade. Every instinct I had screamed at me to keep moving, but I forced myself to slow down. She wouldn’t say it, but I knew she was nearing her
Chapter 11- Ember’s POVThe door creaked open, the sound cutting through the damp, suffocating silence.Hail stood in front of me, his blade raised, his body tense and coiled. The firelight flickered against his face, sharpening the already harsh lines of his jaw and the scar cutting across it. The first man stepped into the room; his movements deliberate. He was tall and gaunt, his cheekbones jutting out sharply beneath pale, almost sallow skin. His eyes were hollow, his lips cracked and curled into something that might’ve been a smile in another lifetime. Behind him, two more figures loomed. The second man was shorter and broader, his head shaved to reveal a network of scars. His jacket hung open, revealing a chest crisscrossed with fresh scratches and burns. The third was younger, almost boyish, though his eyes carried none of the innocence his face suggested. His clothes were ragged, layers of mismatched fabric patched together haphazardly, and his fingers twitched near the handl
Chapter 10- Hail’s POVThe rain came harder now, a relentless downpour that drowned out everything but the crackle of the fire. We’d barely escaped the subway alive, and the creatures that had chased us felt closer with every gust of wind. Even here, hidden away in the ruins of a forgotten city, the weight of the hunt pressed against my chest. I glanced at Ember. She sat cross-legged near the fire, her fiery hair casting a faint glow in the flickering light. Her golden eyes darted to the window now and then, her body coiled like she was waiting for something to go wrong. “What are you thinking?” I asked. She didn’t look at me. “That this place feels like a graveyard.” “It is,” I said, my voice low. Her lips quirked into a faint, humorless smile. “Comforting.”I leaned back against the wall, my blade resting on my lap. Ember had been quieter than usual since we’d left the subway. Quieter, but not calm. Her hand rested on the cuff at her wrist, her fingers tracing the glowing runes abs
Chapter 9 Ember’s POV The city pressed in around us, its jagged skyline and broken streets a constant reminder of just how far the world had fallen. Even the air felt hostile, thick with smoke and ash, every breath sharp and grating. It clung to my skin, the taste of ruin sitting heavy on my tongue. Hail moved ahead of me, his steps careful, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his blade. He was always like that, controlled, deliberate. But tonight, there was something else in the way he carried himself. He was nervous. “We should’ve killed him,” I said, breaking the silence. Hail glanced back at me; his expression was flat. “That wasn’t an option.” “Why not? You didn’t seem to have a problem with his men.” “Killing Kade doesn’t solve anything,” he said. “It just brings more of them.” I scoffed, frustration bubbling beneath my skin. “So, what’s the plan? Keep running until we drop dead in some alley?” His silence was answering enough.The streets were darker now, the faint
Chapter 8- Hail’s POVThe city had a pulse. You could feel it the moment you stepped past the outer edges, into the streets where shadows stretched long, and the air reeked of smoke and desperation. It wasn’t alive, not the way cities used to be, but it wasn’t entirely dead either. People clung to it, scavenging what they could from its ruins, surviving on scraps and stolen moments of safety. But survival wasn’t life. It was something colder, emptier. And in a place like this, everything had a price.We found the market near what used to be the city’s main square, its once-pristine fountain now cracked and dry. Vendors lined the edges, their stalls cobbled together from scrap metal and rotting wood. The goods were as pitiful as the vendors themselves: dented cans of food, faded cloth, and rusted tools. And water. Always water. The sight of it made my throat tighten. “Stay close,” I said to Ember, my voice low. Her golden eyes darted around the square, taking in the stalls, the people
Chapter 7- Ember’s POV The forest thinned as we walked, giving way to the jagged outline of a city on the horizon. It wasn’t much of a city anymore. Just a cluster of crumbling buildings jutting up against the gray sky like broken teeth. Smoke curled in the distance, rising from fires that never seemed to die. I tightened my grip on the strap of my pack. “This is your big plan. Walk straight into a place like that?” Hail glanced back at me, his expression unreadable. “We don’t have a choice.” “There’s always a choice,” I muttered. “Not this time,” he said, his tone flat.The closer we got, the worse it looked. The roads were cracked and overgrown with weeds, the remains of old cars rusting where they’d been abandoned. Broken windows stared out like empty eyes, and graffiti-covered nearly every surface. Most of it wasn’t art. KEEP OUT. NO SAFE HAVEN HERE. DEATH AWAITS. “Charming,” I muttered under my breath.Hail didn’t respond. He was too busy scanning the shadows, his hand restin
Chapter 5- Ember’s POVThe night felt endless, the forest pressing in on all sides. I stumbled after Hail, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The ridiculous cuff on my wrist throbbed in time with my heartbeat, each pulse a reminder of what I’d lost. It wasn’t just my fire, it was my strength, my freedom, everything that made me… fucking me. The ground beneath my boots felt like it was tilting, the trees blurring together into a dark haze. I wanted to stop. I wanted to rip the damn cuff off, scream, burn everything around me to ash, but I couldn’t. Not yet.Hail didn’t speak as we moved, his steps quick and purposeful. His blade was still out, the edge catching the faint light of the moon, and his shoulders were tense, ready for another attack. I hated how calm he looked. Like this was all just another job for him, another night spent running from the people who wanted him dead. But it wasn’t just his fight anymore. Now, they wanted me too.“Stop,” I said, my voice sharper than I int
Chapter 5- Ember’s POVThe night felt endless, the forest pressing in on all sides. I stumbled after Hail, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The ridiculous cuff on my wrist throbbed in time with my heartbeat, each pulse a reminder of what I’d lost. It wasn’t just my fire, it was my strength, my freedom, everything that made me… fucking me. The ground beneath my boots felt like it was tilting, the trees blurring together into a dark haze. I wanted to stop. I wanted to rip the damn cuff off, scream, burn everything around me to ash, but I couldn’t. Not yet.Hail didn’t speak as we moved, his steps quick and purposeful. His blade was still out, the edge catching the faint light of the moon, and his shoulders were tense, ready for another attack. I hated how calm he looked. Like this was all just another job for him, another night spent running from the people who wanted him dead. But it wasn’t just his fight anymore. Now, they wanted me too.“Stop,” I said, my voice sharper than I int