Page 6 of A Clash of Embers

I waited for what felt like hours, but nothing ever came through, and the stars never moved after the one flash of light I had seen. Sadness crept into my lungs and latched on, causing all my muscles to tighten and ache. I plopped down on the ground next to the water, hugging my legs tightly to my body, keeping my gaze on the water.

When I heard a snap of tree branches behind me, I immediately turned in search of the source. A soft whisper came across the darkness towards me. “Clara? Clara. Is that you? It’s Leo. What are you doing out here alone?”

I knew he couldn’t see me in the dark, so I raised my hands and emitted a soft luminescent glow. When the light hit him, light-glowing embers in his eyes searched for me.

“Sorry, I couldn’t sleep and wanted to see the stars.”

He walked toward me with such strength but, at the same time, gentleness and ease. The movement reminded me of Madok. He had such a way of being strong, yet he was always so kind and tender with me. I could even hear his laughter course through my veins, shaking the remnants of our history together. The sadness of losing someone who isn’t truly gone but forever changed. No longer the person they were to you. I guess that’s the hardest part is knowing what we had. Knowing our past. Our history.

You can never escape it or pretend it didn’t happen. You must let it be.

His footsteps approached as leaves crunching grew louder, and I saw his curious smile.

“Were you able to see them?” He tilted his head toward the sky and smiled at the clear night sky full of the world’s constellations. He inhaled a large breath in preparation for what he’d say next. “When I was little, we thought we could catch the stars,” he chuckled softly. “We’d run around in the fields near my home laughing and trying to snatch them out of thin air. We never could, but we made many memories while doing it.”

I smiled at him. “Who did you run in the fields with?”

His head dropped, then he turned to face me. I felt a slight blush from being caught looking at him, but he took a breath, his face morphing into a sad expression.

“My sister, Lilibeth, and I used to run through the fields together, but she passed away before she turned thirteen. She got sick and didn’t make it through. It was... It was hard. I didn’t get the chance to see her or say goodbye.”

I reached out, touching his shoulder. This time he didn’t jump at my touch. “I’m so sorry. Losing someone is difficult, and the pain never goes away. It just becomes a part of you.”

I paused, looking at the water one last time. The darkness of it was peaceful, a vast emptiness that I could relate to.

“I lost my father not long ago, and he was my biggest supporter. My parents were mated and I could see in my mother’s eyes that part of her was gone when he died. She won’t ever be whole again, and I’m afraid the same thing will happen to me. I hope that I can figure out what happened to Evander. I need to know what happened.”

Leo turned his entire body towards me, blocking out some of the moonlight.

“We will find him, Clara.” He cupped my chin, and I closed my eyes at his touch. It felt the same as the Madok I used to know, but I couldn’t say that out loud. I couldn’t allow myself to feel the same emotions that I once did. I swallowed a large gulp of air, preparing to speak when interrupted.

“Let’s get back to camp. We have a few more hours before sunrise, and I need to be well rested to battle Callan’s smartass mouth,” he said, walking towards the tree line.

I sniffled and nodded at Leo as I illuminated our path with my hands to guide us back to the camp. When we arrived, I wrapped the blanket around me and laid on the hard ground once again, but this time, Ifinallyfell asleep.

I heard the shuffle of feet around me, and a hand on my shoulder startled me awake. Leo’s face smiled down at me.

“It’s time to go. Once we get to the city, we will get you a shower and change into some fresh clothes. We’ll have to stay at an inn tonight and leave on a boat to Monowi tomorrow at dawn.”

He reached out his hand again, and I grabbed it, no longer hesitant but ready to move.

On the ride to the port city, I ran through many scenarios in my head. I wanted to know if Evander had survived and where he was, but I also wanted to know where my mother was and the rest of the guys, Bethany, and Lettie. I hoped they were okay.

Sounds of chatter caught my attention as we approached the city. Smoke billowed from the rooftops of wooden buildings and people walked quickly through the cobblestone streets. The smell of salty water filled the air as we strode closer to the city.

I knew it was a port city, but this sea’s smell differed from Manzanita—it had more of a sour scent.

We strolled past the faces of happy subjects, and as we continued further into the city, people stopped and bowed.

They were bowing to Leo. Right?

“So, these people are your subjects?” I asked Leo.

“No. We are allies. The royal families of Claiborne, Ophera, and Thea are all allied for Athiana, whereas Aster, Rhysette, and Carondelet are allied against us under Theo.”

“What about the Artesian family? Where do they belong in all of this?”

He huffed an aggravated breath before answering, “The witches don’t involve themselves in either side of this war. Queen Clairece clearly stated that they are meant to be thepeacekeepers.”

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