‘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 tak
‘No matter how strong a girl is, she always has a breaking point.’ -unknownEmberI released Bastet from my arms as I stared in worry ahead of me through the trees toward the coven fortress. Something had happened and I wasn’t there to help them. I could feel it in the air as it seeped into me.Without warning, I took off running, leaving Bastet far behind me to go help my friends. I ran as fast as I could as the adrenaline kicked in and I pushed myself faster and harder than ever before. I ignore the burning in my lungs and my legs as I run straight ahead.I never stopped to rest, I didn’t even slow down. Everything inside of me was calling me back to the cov
‘There is nothing that teaches you more than regrouping after failure and moving on.’ -Charles BukowskiKing SorenI was sitting in my study at my desk looking over a map of the packs, covens and clans that I still needed to take over for everything to be mine. If I was successful with taking out the Timber Coven today, that would leave only six more covens for me to take over.Suddenly, there was a knock on my door and I said, “Come in.”Ulric opened the door, walked in and closed it behind him so we could speak. I knew this had to be an update on the attack on the coven. I’m all too intrigued to see what he has to say. It’s been a couple of hours
‘Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.’ -Dr. SeussEmberThe next morning after breakfast, Killian called a pack meeting in the dining hall. I sat at the high table with Reginald and Wren while Killian stood in front of the table facing the pack members as he talked.“Some of you already know that yesterday five of our guards were killed while they were on duty, leaving our pack and the Timber Coven unprotected by patrols. I wanted to let everyone know formally about the loss of our members and also the loss of the entire Timber Coven. Everyone was massacred yesterday without our knowledge or us being able to go help them,” Killian said with a heavy voice.
‘Seek out alliances; they are essential to growth and provide resistance to bigger competition.’ -Richard BransonKillianWe arrived at the Dark Cove Pack right before dinner time. We rode up to the gates of the village at a slow pace, then pulled our horses to a stop. The gates were closed for the day but the guards were out on duty right outside.“What business do you have?” one of the guards asked me.“I’m Alpha Killian of the Nightshade Pack. I’m here to speak with Alpha Blair,” I told him.I watched as the guard's eyes went dull to contact Alpha Blair and the gat
‘Still round the corner, there may wait, a new road or a secret gate.’ -J.R.R. TolkienKillianThe morning after getting the alliance with the Silver Dagger Pack, we had a large breakfast, then said farewell to Alpha Blair and Luna Isra. The five of us mounted up and left to start our journey back home. I’m not going to lie, when Ember called Nightshade home and talked about wanting to sleep in our bed again, it made me happy. I wanted her to know that she was always at home with me.Our first day on the road back home was quiet as we watched and listened while moving along. We needed to stay alert in unknown territory in case there was an ambush or anything. I was happy that we hadn’t encountered any trouble while traveling.&nb
‘Watch your back, little wolf, they say. Enemies arise from unexpected places.’ -Marie Lu Commander Ulric I walked through the halls of the castle from my office to Soren’s study. I needed to see what our next course of action needed to be after letting our people rest for a while. I pulled two units of our army together to make a large one again. I only have four units to use now instead of five. That attack cost us a lot more than what he might be thinking and I needed to let him know that. I stepped up to the closed study door and lifted my fist to knock when I heard the sounds of a woman screaming loudly in pleasure from the closed-in space. I dropped my hand to my side and walked away. I would come back in a little while to ensure that he was finished with whomever he was with. I turned down the hall and went up a flight of stairs to go to the sitting room. I knew that’s where Lark was and I wanted to see her since I had time to waste. I stepped into the room throu
‘In the hearts of witches, love and hate lie close together and often tumble over each other.’ -George MacDonald Ember The next day, Killian and I wasted no time on the mission we had to accomplish. We had fresh horses saddled up and waiting for us in the stables. We climbed on our fresh mounts and rode towards the Sea Witch Coven. It was only a few hours away from the pack, so we would be there in no time. The ride there was quiet as Killian and I stayed alert for any trouble like we had on our last trip. Bastet slept in my lap the whole ride there. I could feel and hear him purring as he slept. I loved it when he purred. When we arrived at the gates to the Sea Witch Coven, we stopped and the guard looked us over. There was only one guard at the gates. They were at the very edge of the continent and the back of the coven faced the ocean off a cliff. There was only one way in and out of here unless you could fly. “Who are you and what business do you have?” the g
‘Love is a fever which marriage puts to bed and cures.' -Richard J. Needham Ember It was now time to fully focus on the harvest of the pack’s crops and what we would be taking to trade with the Mirror River Pack. What we weren’t taking on the trip, we were putting in the pack’s storage cellar. I learned that we gave out food once a week to pack members from the cellar and the packhouse kitchen used ingredients from it also. I had just finished looking over how much the harvest was to see how much we could spare as the months were about to grow colder. We would have a good amount of food to trade with the Mirror River Pack and still have plenty for ourselves. I left the cellar with Bastet and went into my office to write down numbers in the ledger. Once I had everything down, I stood up to go into Killian’s office to see what he was doing and if I could help him with anything. I sat in a chair in front of his desk and Bastet jumped up on his desk before lying down on a