‘They may fight with us, but they don’t fight for us.’ -Christopher Paolini Ember Almost a week later, we were packed up and ready to leave with the food supplies to trade with the Mirror River Pack. We would be trading corn and potatoes for steel and wool. The steel would be used to make weapons and other necessities the pack members needed. The wool would be used for clothing and blankets. Killian and I were mounted on our horses while two warriors drove the cart of food supplies. Kit, Otis and Cyrus were mounted on horses to accompany us yet again. Their company was a welcome sight again. It would take us two days of slow moving to get to the Mirror River Pack. Travel during the day was quiet as we all stayed alert for any signs of trouble. Bastet rode in my lap or in Killian’s. They were becoming really close and I loved that. Seeing this big man that could shift into a wolf, love and pet a small cat was sweet to watch. At the first stop of the trip, we pulled
Our alliance is born, not of fear, but of hope. It is an alliance that advances what we are for, as well as opposes what we are against.’ -John F. Kennedy Killian Ember and I got up early the next morning and dressed before breakfast with Kyler and Zila. We headed to the stables and got our horses to ride towards the Mirror River Coven. We rode slowly as we stayed alert for any possible problems along the way as always. You can never be too careful while moving between villages. After a short time, I wanted to talk. I was tired of the silence. I wanted to talk and I wanted to hear her thoughts. “When should we go to Scarlet Moon?” I asked boldly. I watched her reaction to the question. She didn’t seem bothered by it and was giving it a good amount of thought. She finally looked up at me and I could see the concern in her eyes. “I have concerns about how he will feel when he learns who I am to him, but we do need that alliance. I say we go a few days after w
‘You just can’t beat the person that won't give up.’ -Babe Ruth Ember Over the next couple of days, Killian and I planned out what places we would go in search of our next alliances. We would be heading to Scarlet Moon next, followed by the Midnight Meadows Coven after that. From that coven, I wanted to acquire a chaos witch friend so we could speed up the alliance work by portaling to each place after that. I should have thought of this before and gotten help from High Priest Corbin while we were there. I agreed to swallow my fear and even approach the last three vampire clans. I'm sure they wanted an end to this too. I just felt creeped out because of the way the vampires that the Mystics used acted and fought. I had never seen a vamp
‘Women that wear black lead colorful lives.’ -unknown Ember I didn’t know what to think of the pack, knowing about my massive secret that I had hidden for two long years. When everyone shifted back to their human forms and knelt to the ground with their heads bowed, I almost panicked. Then, when Killian joined them, I felt an odd sense of loyalty and happiness at their gesture. When everyone stood back up, we made our way back to the pack village. I made Bastet shrink again to his original size as we walked through the gates. Everyone went their separate ways to get dressed. Killian and I went up to our room with Bastet right behind us. Bastet was chattering away like a child. &nb
‘If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan, not the goal.’ -unknown King Soren At dinner tonight, I ate with my people in the dining room and talked with Lark, who was seated in her usual spot now after mating with Ulric. He had chosen to go on the mission back to Nightshade for information. This was the first time in a while he had been out on a mission. I could tell that it unsettled Lark by how nervous she looked and how much she picked at her food instead of eating it. I made sure to reassure her that Ulric was smart and would come back. Ulric wanted to make sure that they got the information we were after and that the scouts came back this time. We had been having bad luck losing people thanks to that fire elemental, so I understood why
‘Watch your back. Ain't a thing in armor worth trustin' out there.' -Elizabeth Carlton Killian I watched as Ember walked away with Bastet by her side and the others ahead of her, while she watched Demir closely. Once they were out of sight and earshot, I turned to Reginald. “What the hell is going on here?” I asked him. “Beats the hell out of me. Let’s see if we can figure it out,” he said as he turned to study the tracks on the ground. We looked over the ground and started to walk in the direction that the Mystics had been traveling when we found them. We were trying to retrace their steps to see where they came in at and to see if they had gotten what they might be after before we found them. After several minutes of walking, we found where the group had crossed onto our territory but hadn’t found anything of use to us. This was probably a wild goose chase to make us crazy. We turned back around and started walking back the way we came. “None of this makes
‘We are linked by blood, and blood is memory without language.’ -Joyce Carol Dates Ember We arrived at the Scarlet Moon Pack gates within hours. Our horses were foaming and smelled of sweat as they breathed hard from running for so long. We pulled them to a stop in front of the guards that were standing at the gates. Bastet padded up beside us and sat down to rest while he panted loudly from running. The guard looked at Demir and me, our horses and then Bastet with wide eyes. “Can I help you?” he asked. “Yes. I’m Luna Ember of the Nightshade pack. I need to speak with Alpha Talon and Luna Lupa,” I said as I breathed heavily. The guard looked me over for a moment before his deep blue eyes went dull as he mind-linked Alpha Talon. Several uneasy moments went by before he came out of his mind-link and looked into my eyes. “You may go through to the stables. Alpha Talon will be with you in a moment,” the guard told me. “Thank you,” I said before pushing my hor
‘War makes for strange alliances, putting you into business with people that, under other circumstances, you wouldn’t even shake hands with.’ -Javier Pena Ember We stepped through the portal at the Black Ash Pack village and landed at the gates of the Drystan Clan Castle. It reminded me of the Timber Coven fortress that I grew up in. The stone walls were tall and gray but there were no trees close by. The sun was just setting on the day and I could hear the sounds of people moving around inside the castle. The clan was coming alive since they were nocturnal, still moving in the shadows waiting for the sun’s rays to finally disappear. As soon as the sun was gone, I watched as guards appeared on the walls with torches in their hands in order to watch for intruders. I looked to see how Corbin and Demir were taking this situation. Demir looked scared to death while Corbin was composed, but I could see the worry lines on his forehead. “We can do this. We’ll be fine,” I
‘There is no way to peace, peace is the way.’ -unknown ~Sixteen Years Later Ember We have had peace throughout the land for more than two decades now. Our communities were thriving and the populations were growing once more. It was amazing to see the sorcerers come out of hiding and rebuild one of their grand cities. Their population was still small, but it was better than them being completely gone. To think that someone could wipe out a species from existence just because of their hate was sickening. I visited Elding Gala once over the past twenty years, just to see if anyone was living there. It was completely deserted and overgrown with vegetation. The wild was taking bac
‘Children are the world’s most valuable resource and its best hope for the future.’ -John F. Kennedy ~Six Years Later Ember I was outside sitting in a chair in the sunlight enjoying the heat of the day after a long winter with everyone stuck inside. This past winter had been harsh so it kept most of us inside while it snowed. There were even several blizzards this past season, making us wish for sunny skies. All winter the kids were working hard to drive Killian and me crazy. If we had to stay inside another day, I think we would go crazy with the three rambunctious hellions. As I sat out in the fresh air, I closed my eyes to bask in the feel of the sun after reading my most curren
‘With every newborn baby, a little sun rises.’ -Irmgard Erath Ember I was walking the grounds of the pack with Bastet as we checked on everyone to see how spring cleaning was going. We will be having a spring festival tonight and I was looking forward to it. There would be a large feast and a bonfire lit to ward off the winter so spring could take over. Winter had been long but the pack lived through it. Killian and I kept each other warm each night and worked beside each other every day. Bastet had even found a little love over the winter and his mate was pregnant with kittens. I wondered why it was so easy for him to get another cat pregnant but it was taking Killian and me forever.  
‘We have a secret in our culture, and it’s not that birth is painful. It’s that women are strong.’ -Laura Stavoe Harm Ulric After five months of peace, our group here at The Delta has grown incredibly large. We had about one hundred rogues here and they were of four different species. I was acting as the Alpha even though I wasn’t one. Lark acted as the Luna and I had to admire how good she was at it. I was happy to be able to provide a place for all rogues to go. So many of us wanted a second chance at a better life, whether we deserved it or not. We wanted to do better with this life we were seeking and that's what I was offering here. I fully planned on keeping my promise to
‘She was the heir to ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.’ -Sarah J. Maas Killian The morning after Rook took his place as the Alpha of Scarlet Moon, I let Ember sleep for a little while, as I met him in his office. I sat in a chair while he moved around the office and organized things to his liking. I see where Ember gets her organizational skills from now. She was a lot like her father. “So what are your plans as the Alpha now?” I asked in curiosity. “I really don’t know. I need to see what issues the pack has been having, but I don’t have any big plans yet. There’s no war to fight, so that’s off the table.” &nbs
‘We may have our differences, but nothing’s more important than family.’ -Coco Ember It’s been a little over a week since the fall of Elding Gala and Soren. So far, life has been going smoothly and there have been no threats of any kind. It’s been quiet and we aren’t really sure what to do or think about that. Though this is what we have been fighting for. We were happy to learn during this time of peace that Wren and Reginald claimed each other. They were so much happier now and you could feel the peace the pack was under. I just hope this sense of peace lasts and none of us get restless for war. Killian and I decided that we needed to go visit Scarlet Moon and check on my fath
‘Home, the spot of earth supremely blessed, a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.’ -Robert Montgomery Ulric We fled the castle as I pulled Lark behind me. We took nothing with us, which was probably a mistake, but we needed to get out of here. I ran quickly through the city trying to get her out of harm's way. Who knows what happened after the battle ended and if there were people now after me? I had been a big part of so many deaths and cities falling. I had a lot of blood on my hands. As we passed through the city, I noticed that it was completely deserted. I have never heard this place so quiet. It was strange and eerie yet at the same time peaceful. We met Erebus and Diamond at the city gates and started heading south.
‘Returning home again is clean water to my parched mouth; it is air, rich in oxygen, to my lungs as I gasp for breath.’ -unknown Killian Watching Ember and Affra kill Soren was like watching a weight being lifted from the world. It would be a much better place without him in it, and we could all thank her for being the strong woman she is. Without her, none of this would be possible. Seeing her naked standing there after killing Soren, I knew I needed to find something for her to wear or to put around her. I spotted a cloak in the corner near the throne at the head of the room. I went over and picked it up before draping it around her shoulders and bringing her close. I kissed her forehead while holding her in my arms before leading her
‘They had forgotten the first lesson, that we are to be powerful, beautiful, and without regret.’ -Anne Rice Ember I found another door that was closed and heard a lot of movement inside it. Killian and my dad both heard it also and stepped up beside me right as the door was ripped open from the inside. There we were met with a werewolf holding the hand of an elemental and two other elementals right behind them. I instantly stepped in front of Killian and my father to protect them, building my temperature and power right away. These were Realm Assassins and the man looked like what everyone said Commander Ulric looked like. The man I assumed was Ulric, unsheathed his sword and p