Page 35 of A Broken Ember

Chapter 34: Anastasius

I screwed up. He wouldn’t let me help him. Perhaps this was the wrong approach. Maybe his father could help him in ways I had been unable to. I pursed my lips, pacing my room. The idea made my stomach clench with nerves. What if revealing my friendship with Ercan ruined things between us? But what if it made things better? I had to take the risk. Ercan could show him the truth; I just had to hope my Selected would believe him.

I groaned, washing my salve-coated hands in a basin of water. The cool air made my hair stand on end. I forced my body through the motions, forgoing a meal in favor of pacing. I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn’t notice Rohit’s presence at first. “Stas!” My head jerked up to see my friend standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. The impatient way he spoke my name indicated it wasn’t the first time he had said it. He held a platter of food, which he set to the side. My hunger made itself known at the sight of food. Instead of picking up a croissant, however, I continued to pace. Rohit placed himself in my path and gripped my shoulders.

“Get out of my way, Ro.” I tried to push past him, but he blocked my way again and again, making me scowl.

“By the gods, what has gotten into you, Stas?” He shook me gently. My eyes snapped to his, my fear likely evident.

“I failed him, Ro!” I nearly shouted. “I thought he left me, but he hadn’t. He stayed for me and was tortured for it!”

Rohit’s eyes widened, the realization that Claeg had stayed behind just as shocking to him as it had been for me. He gulped, his eyes closing as he pressed his hands together and took a shaky breath.

“Stas . . . we have a problem.” I raised an eyebrow at my friend. “A fledgling did stay behind, and he knows about Claeg.” Blood coated my tongue, and I punched the wall, making the shelves of tinctures rattle. A couple fell to the floor and shattered. I swore. The fledgling knew Claeg. He could attempt to use the information to garner favor for himself.

“Where are they?” I growled.

“They haven't left their cell,” Rohit answered. I nodded and took off in that direction.

Chapter 35: Claeg

“Claeg.” The name beckoned me awake. I had flown into the oasis before resting beneath a palm, exhausted by all the thoughts and feelings tormenting me. I stretched my wings and rumbled sleepily before letting the draconis slip beneath my skin.

“Anastasius,” I hummed, a smile gracing my lips despite myself. My vision was hazy with the remnants of sleep, but pain cleared my head quickly. It wasn’t the prince before me but my father. I scrambled to a sitting position, ignoring the grit of sand.

“Claeg,” Ercan whispered my name again as if testing it out on his tongue. As if he also couldn't believe what he was seeing. I squinted at him. Was he here to kill me? I had seen him with Anastasius, but that didn’t mean he had forgiven me. His dark eyes flicked down to the broken Circles on my palms. Ercan drew a quick breath in between his teeth at the sight of my weakness, making me fight the urge to hide them. “Claeg,” he uttered, tears forming in his eyes. I hated him for them. “Why are you here, son?” he growled. I forced myself not to wince, instead pushing myself to stand and fold my arms over my chest. My heart slammed against the vessels binding it in place over and over. My father knew. He’d seen my broken Circles, and he didn’t believe them. Fuck.

“My Circles are broken.” I shrugged as if it didn’t mean everything.

“How?” he pressed, his eyes piercing. I could feel him trying to dissect me. I remained quiet, refusing to answer him.

“Why are you here, Ercan?” I spat, ignoring his question. He stared at me for a moment.

“I want to show you something, son.”

At this, I raised an eyebrow. I couldn’t help my curiosity. I had expected outright rejection from him, not . . . whatever this was. “I have no interest in going anywhere with you.”

He grimaced. “Please, Claeg. For Anastasius,” he begged.

I glared at him. Did he know of my feelings for the prince? I studied him for a moment, taking in his short silver hair, eyes which matched mine, and the brands on his hands, which had long ago healed. He looked well, his cheeks full and eyes bright.

I sighed and gave my father an expectant look, gesturing for him to lead the way. He shifted, revealing a broken draconis. He had been the twin of my draconis, pale white with smooth scales. But now, his wings were misshapen. The peaks were no longer delicate arches but bent at odd angles. Broken. The cartilage was mangled, but there were no bruises or open wounds. I sucked in a breath. He let the wind take him high into the sky. I watched him for a moment. He flapped his wings faster than should be necessary. I stared, balking at the creature which shouldn’t be able to fly yet he was. The sheer strength it must take to keep himself aloft was astounding. It was almost admirable. When he looked back at me, a deep sound rumbled from his chest, beckoning me to follow. Unsheathing my draconis, I couldn’t help the contented grumble that tumbled from my jaws.

We flew away from the oasis towards the open sand dunes, but nothing about the flight was relaxing. Ercan stuttered, his wings not nearly as effective as mine. He dipped toward the ground on a particularly horrendous instance of his wings giving out on him. It was painful to watch. He fell helplessly toward the brutal and unforgiving sand and nearly crashed into it before steadying himself. He slowly regained an awkward rhythm, gradually ascending to my altitude.

We soared side by side for a while, Ercan needing to beat his wings thrice for every time I did. I wasn’t sure what to think. The Ruptor was oddly silent. The mesas loomed in the distance behind us, along with the oasis. In front of us, there were only rippling sand dunes among wind-polished rocks.

Luckily, Ercan soon aimed for the ground, and this time his descent appeared intentional. I followed him down through the clouds but let him land first. It wasn’t a pretty sight. He slammed into the ground, disrupting the sand and sending it shooting into the air in a mighty wave. His body skidded across the landscape until he thunked into a large rock, breaking his momentum. The resounding sound made me cringe as I landed easily within the outcropping of rocks. They were more dense here, curved and smooth, all of them white and reflecting the overcast sun. There was a faintly familiar smell on the wind, like home, even though we were days away from the edge of the Circulus territory. Ercan shuddered. So weak. I meandered over. His weakness didn’t matter to me anymore. His Circles were broken. He was nothing to me. He groaned before shifting, revealing the pale, moon-like stone. Except it wasn’t a rock, but a concave hip bone. I blinked, looking around. All of the rocks were bones. Draconis bones.

I shifted, my wings retracting into the ether, my scales slipping beneath my skin. My claws dissipated, becoming blood coated human nails. It happened in an instant, revealing my scarred, weaker form. At least I was no longer bleeding, Anastasius’ potion managing to halt that. I pushed the thought aside, leveling a glare at my father.

“Why have you taken me here?” I growled, a hint of my draconis remaining in my tone. Gone was the criticism and admiration. I needed answers. Now.

“Anastasius wanted—” I didn’t even let him finish the thought.

“Bullshit. Tell me why you brought me here. What do you want?" I folded my arms over my chest. Ercan swallowed. He kicked at the sand, sending a plume of it against the nearest bone. I thought he wouldn’t answer me for a moment until he sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“You needed to see that Anastasius isn’t the enemy, Claeg.”

---