Page 91 of A Clash of Embers

Athiana tilted her head up slightly looking at me down her nose, “You can’t stop me, Clara. I will burn this world to ash before you can even lift a finger to what I can do.” She stepped toward me and I felt the surge of her power. The taste of ash on my tongue.Death.

“I am well aware that there’s an entire troop of soldiers behind me. I am also aware that your mate is with them. But what you are unaware of is that since your mother gave up her power in Bolzana, it unlocked a special opportunity for me. Something that your father guarded.”

She leaned in and whispered, “And I'm going to do something much worse than you can imagine. I want others to feel what I have felt. I want them to hurt everysingleday knowing they will never see their precious creations again. They will be barred. They will be stuck here, forever.”

Athiana glanced around us, making her presence known. She started to talk loudly so that everyone would be able to hear her, “Make it known that today is the day that I officially wage war against the rebels…including Bolzana. The witches aren’t innocent, and now I know who is orchestrating everything.”

She turned to face me, “Thank you for letting me inside your mind, Clara. You’ve been a great help.”

I blinked quickly trying to process what she just said. I didn’t let her in my mind. I had a steel barrier separating everything important just as Eros had taught me.

“But I’m tired today. So, I'll save the fighting for another day.”

In the next second, she was gone.

Everyone stood quietly looking at one another, trying to process what just happened. The eyes in the group found their way to me as Ev approached me from behind gripping my shoulders.

“Tell us what we need to do,” he whispered.

I closed my eyes as I answered him, “We have to find the lock. We need to get to the Portcullis. It’s what I keep coming back to in my mind. It’s the only way we have a chance.”

He tilted his head to the top of mine. “Then we’ll do that, Clara.”

The entire world was looking at me for guidance. Someone who just figured out who she was. Someone who was unsure of what to do.

“Saddle up, gather your materials. We’re heading north. Immure is set to come by tomorrow evening. We’ll be traveling through some rough weather. Prep your groups. We’ll leave in a few minutes.”

I sighed hearing his words. His commands. The thoughts that I had but couldn’t get out. He was truly my other half.

The teakwood snuck up on me, wrapping me in an embrace that I was desperate for. “Everything will be all right, Clara. We will get you there. You’ll stop this. If it’s the last thing I do in this life, I’ll make sure it’s done.”

I leaned against him letting his warmth hold me.

Something wasn’t adding up for me. Athiana, better known as Ishtar, was awfully cheery that I called her out. Like she wanted me to. I didn’t like that one bit. She had done something to Leo—I felt it. Something was still holding him back and I needed to find out what it was.

I felt the ice hit my face before I saw it. The wetness and the chill sunk into my pores and chilled me to the bone.

“We need to stop for the night. Set up our tents as close as possible to block the wind chill. It’s safer that way.”

I nodded as we continued to ride alongside one another. Eros was trying to help me keep my composure.

“Clara. Stop thinking of everything that could happen. Get out of your own head. You are more powerful than you think. And Athiana didn’t get inside your head. I was watching carefully. She got into Leo’s. She tortured him, and I think she had Lettie under some type of persuasion, but I’m unsure of how she did that.”

“I just can’t help but feel like this is all my fault.”

Ev cut his eyes at me with an annoyed look, “If you say that again, I’m going to make you get off this horse and you’re walking the rest of the way.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re not my father. Stop acting like it.”

“Whoa. What the fuck are you talking about, Clara? Obviously, I’m not your father, but what is going on with you? You’ve never acted this way with me.”

I rolled my neck around stretching it out of annoyance. “I guess I’m just tired. I’m over this. All of it.”

“I know you are, and we will get to the lock and everything will be taken care of. You’ll have done your part in this.”

I bit my lip slightly, knowing that deep within me there was more to it. “Ev, I think that there is more to this prophecy than I initially thought. I think—”

His brows furrowed, “You think what?”

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