Awakening Earth and Fire: Earth and Fire Trilogy Book 1

by Jacqueline Edie

  “Ember as well,” he agreed. “He’s here somewhere, and I can’t leave him either.”

  I hesitated at the name. “Are you sure?” I asked. “I mean, we’ve been here for hours already. He might have already come across some…Rogues.” The word left a bad taste in my mouth. “Maybe he has no problem killing, just like Blaze. We don’t know what’s happened.”

  Coal gave me a hard look. “Sage, I’ve grown up with him. My parents practically raised him. He isn’t like the others. He’s…he’s my brother. He isn’t cruel or heartless and he needs to come with us. And, to be honest, we don’t know what’s happened with Aurora and Finn since we’ve been here either.”

  My eyes widened in astonishment at his final words. Pain coursed through me. We didn’t know what had happened with any of them.

  “You’re right. I’m sorry, Coal. We need to find them all and get out of here.”

  Juniper moved next to me, giving a sharp nod. “Then let’s go,” he said and moved to the empty doorway of the abandoned dwelling, stepping through.

  “Don’t move!”

  ✽✽✽

  A knife pointed directly at the back of Juniper’s neck. Immediately, I withdrew my own blade and, without thinking, ran to the door.

  “Drop the knife!” I shouted, only then seeing who it was that had Juniper trapped.

  He turned his head towards me, a confused expression taking over as he gazed at the sword I aimed at his chest but didn’t lower his weapon.

  “Sage? What are you doing?”

  “I said drop it, Ember!” I shouted again, my voice becoming shrill. He remained motionless, his gaze trained on mine. My outstretched arm started to quiver from the weight in it. Why wasn’t he dropping his knife?

  “That’s enough!” Coal commanded, striding between us. It struck me how similar this was to the moment when I stood between his sword and Shale, just a short while ago.

  “Coal,” Ember breathed, the sound of relief coating his voice. “You’re okay.” Finally, he lowered his weapon, but continued to look around questioningly. “What are you and Sage doing with these Rogues? What’s going on?”

  Anger flashed through me at his calling my friends Rogues, but Coal held his hand up towards me and I held my tongue.

  “These people aren’t evil, Ember. Combatant lied to us. These two are friends Sage grew up with in Earth Society. Friends that were taken. Taken away because they broke the rules. Same as those from Fire Society. The people who just disappear. This is where they bring them. They aren’t murderers--they’re innocent.” He paused, then finished softly, “This is where they brought Raven.”

  “Raven?” Ember twisted towards Coal, his eyes growing wide with disbelief. “Raven. You mean that girl who argued with Flint. Where is she?”

  Silence. Ember looked around the room, his gaze falling on me. “What happened?”

  “She was murdered,” I said coldly, my voice like ice. “By Blaze. He stabbed and killed her.”

  A look of horror passed over him. “But…but he had to have known who she was,” Ember stammered, not understanding.

  “He did. And apparently it didn’t matter to him.”

  Slowly Ember turned to Coal. “It finally happened,” he sighed, rubbing a hand across his short blond hair. “The others from Fire Society. They pushed them over the edge. They turned them into killers.”

  Coal nodded. “We can’t trust any of them anymore.”

  “I knew something was wrong as soon as we got here. The only supposed ‘evil Rogues’ I saw ran away as soon as they saw me. No one was trying to kill me like those at Combatant told us. They were defenseless.”

  “So you didn’t hurt anyone?” I questioned him sharply.

  “No, no. I really haven’t stumbled upon anyone until right now.” I nodded, relieved at his response.

  Coal gave a look in my direction and only then did I realize I still had my sword drawn. Dropping it quickly, I slid it into the sheath at my side.

  “I’m sorry,” Ember apologized, turning to Juniper. “I didn’t know anyone was here. I…I was taken off guard when you walked right out in front of me. I expected you to attack. I’m sorry.”

  Juniper nodded briefly, accepting his apology. Maybe Coal was right after all. Ember hadn’t seen Raven murdered and he didn’t know Juniper and Shale like I did. He had no reason to stop defending himself. And yet he dropped his sword easily, more so than I had. He wasn’t like the others.

  “We have to go,” I interjected quickly. The time kept ticking by. “We need to find Aurora and Finn and get out of here.”

  Ember looked around at us questioningly. “Get out of here?”

  There was no time to explain. “Please, tell him quickly, okay? We need to find them. Now.”

  Moving back to the doorway, I quickly glanced in both directions. No one was in sight. Behind me, Coal’s voice hummed in my ears as he hurriedly updated Ember on everything that had happened and why we needed to leave.

  Heading in the opposite direction of where Raven’s crumple body still laid, I pressed myself against the wall and quietly moved along it, Shale by my side, the others following. I had no idea what I was doing. How was I going to find Aurora and Finn in this place? It was huge with an obscene amount of twists and turns and possible places to hide. They could be anywhere.

  I turned back to Shale. Again, my eyes went directly to the gruesome scar winding its way down his arm, as if drawn there. Forcing my gaze up, I met his stare. “Shale, where do you think would be the best place to go if someone wanted to hide?”

  He pondered my question briefly. “There is a place ahead of us, not too far in the distance. It is on the opposite end of the city, at the very back, so most of the trainees who come here don’t get all the way there. It’s where Juniper and I hid most of the time.”

  “Okay. Take us there.”

  Following behind him, my mind began to race. What if Aurora and Finn weren’t there? What if we couldn’t find them and it became too late and we had to leave? I wouldn’t be able to bear it, abandoning them.

  With Shale leading, we quietly made our way towards the back of the destroyed city. Large stones littered the street and it was a constant battle to avoid them and keep from tripping. Dust kicked up in the air from our boots scraping across the ground, a chalky whiteness coating the black leather. Aside from our footsteps, there was complete silence.

  Each minute that passed, I grew more and more nervous. I couldn’t leave here without my friends. I just couldn’t. And then…I heard it.

  A sob. A muffled, miserable sob.

  I twisted back towards Coal and his eyes met mine, burning with intensity. He’d heard it too.

  Slowly we retraced our steps, moving towards the noise. Approaching an empty doorway, more sounds echoed from inside the small building. I crept inside.

  Two figures stood in one corner of the room. One crouched down on the floor, crying quietly. The other stood rigidly, holding a knife. A knife pointed directly towards me.

  Chapter 42

  “Stop! Who are you? What do you want?”

  I breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar voice.

  “Finn, it’s me. Sage,” I said hurriedly, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of the room.

  The knife dropped with a clang to the stone floor, skidding towards me.

  “Sage?” he said in a ragged voice and sagged against the wall as if he couldn’t believe it. “You’re here. You’re safe.”

  My eyes finally adjusted enough that I could make out Aurora in the corner. It was her sobs I’d heard. She crouched there, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably. “What happened?” I cried out, rushing over.

  Grabbing her by the shoulders, I pulled her up, my eyes moving systematically over her body, searching to see if she was hurt. But there wasn’t a drop of blood on her.

  “We saw the girl from the Training. We saw… she…,” Finns’ voice faltered.

  “I know. We saw it too.” I indic
ated to the others who’d just made their way inside, not taking my eyes off Aurora, off the misery etched into her face. “We were around the corner when Blaze killed Raven.”

  At the mention of her name, Aurora stiffened in my arms, but she found her voice. “It was murder! Murder! He just killed her and didn’t even care. She wasn’t fighting him. She didn’t have a weapon. She was just lying there, pleading for her life!” she gasped, her voice rough from sobbing. “Sage, I knew we weren’t like those others from Fire Society, but we did our best in the training sessions. I thought that was what I was supposed to do. But look where we are. What they want us to do. I don’t want to be here anymore,” she sobbed. “I want to go home. Please. I just want to go home.”

  Those last few words were almost incomprehensible as she began to fall apart again, gripping me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to absorb some of her pain.

  I glanced towards Coal. His looked unsure of what to do. All five of them stood there uncomfortably for that matter, shifting back and forth, looking at the ground. It would almost have been comical if we weren’t in this situation. Sighing, I patted Aurora’s back, trying to quiet the sobs still racking her body.

  “I want to go home. I want to go home. Please. Please, I want to go home,” Aurora kept repeating over and over.

  “I know, I know, it’s okay,” I broke in finally, interrupting her breathless stream of words. “We will find a way out of here. I promise. We won’t go back to Combatant.”

  Aurora pulled back at my words, frowning at me with watery, red-rimmed eyes that now started to fill with question. “What do you mean we won’t go back? Where will we go?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “But we can’t go back there.”

  Nodding, she stepped back from me and looked around. Her eyes widened in shock as they landed upon the group standing in front of us. Scrambling backwards, she pressed herself against the wall, shaking in fright.

  “Who…who are they?” she stammered, her voice high with barely suppressed emotion.

  “Aurora, it’s okay. They’re my friends. From Earth Society. The ‘Rogues’ that the representatives there spoke about. The ones who committed those ‘grievous crimes’. But they’re innocent. Juniper and Shale never did anything to hurt anybody. And they don’t deserve to be punished like this. No one here does.”

  She hesitated, unsure, green eyes wide with fright.

  “I promise you. They’re okay.”

  Turning towards my friends, I met Coal’s eye. He nodded back in understanding, hand clenched tightly at his sides, posture tense. We were wasting the precious little time we had remaining. There was no time for extended introductions.

  I quickly motioned Juniper and Shale to step forward. They both advanced towards us slowly.

  “This is Juniper.”

  For a moment he stared at me with question in his slate eyes, unsure of what to do. Aurora, to my surprise, stepped forward, extending a hand which Juniper quickly grasped into his own. A pleased grin spread over his face. And a small, timid one formed on hers.

  “And this is Shale.”

  Moving forward, Shale held his body at an awkward angle as he extended his hand. He was trying to hide the long scar that wound its way down his arm. Aurora noticed it as well. “How did that happen?” she asked, hesitantly, indicating towards the mutilated skin. I was interested in the answer myself.

  “I was attacked a couple of years ago,” he answered quietly, not elaborating.

  A long moment passed.

  Coal spoke up finally, breaking the silence. “Okay, listen, we need a plan if we are actually going to manage this. Juniper, Shale -- where did you hide the supplies you’ve been stocking?”

  “They’re close to here. Only a few buildings away.”

  “All right,” Coal replied, starting to pace, taking charge. “We have less than an hour before the sun begins to set. Maybe a little longer until they realize we are missing. “Ember and I will go with you guys to gather the things we’ll need and then come back here.” He looked towards Finn, Aurora, and me. “And you’ll be ready then. Okay?”

  I knew what he was doing. He was giving me time to talk to them. To explain what was going on without an audience. I nodded. “Yes. Just don’t get caught.”

  A boyish grin appeared on his face. “I’ll try not to.”

  Quietly, they slipped out of the door and disappeared, leaving the three of us alone.

  ✽✽✽

  I turned to Finn and Aurora, gripping their hands in my own. “I’m so relieved we found you,” I began. “But listen, Coal and I and the others were talking for a bit after what happened…what happened to…well…” I could see from their faces they knew what I was trying to say.

  “Anyway,” I continued, taking a deep breath. “After seeing that and talking with Juniper and Shale, it’s obvious now that the people here are not guilty like we were told. The leaders at Combatant lied to us.”

  I quickly explained what we had deduced, watching as their faces changed from shock to horror to grim acceptance.

  “So,” I concluded, “What I’m really trying to say is, are you willing to come with us?”

  A beat of silence as they shared a look. After a moment, Finn murmured, “I don’t really think there is another choice. For any of us.” Aurora nodded her head in agreement.

  I smiled. “Good,” I said, squeezing their hands briefly before releasing them.

  Only a short time passed before footsteps sounded nearby. Pressing my finger to my lips, I moved to the wall, crouching down against it as the sounds grew closer and closer. ‘Please let it be Coal, please let it be Coal,’ I thought to myself. Suddenly, a tall figure appeared around the corner. I peered towards the doorway, trying to get a glance of who it was.

  A pair of cobalt eyes met my gaze. Letting out a sigh of relief, I stood as Juniper and Shale filed in, followed by Ember. Each of them carried a bag of supplies. Food including cured meats, seeded flat bread, dried fruits, and skeins of water. Woven blankets along with sleeping mats. A veritable array of clothing with wool hats and gloves, extra coats and boots. Everything one needed to survive.

  I shook my head in stunned silence as I gazed at the items before us. “How long have you been gathering everything?”

  “For the last six months. The supply drops have become less frequent since then and seeing as we were reliant on them for survival, we started stockpiling.”

  I nodded, then began helping the others start dividing up the supplies into smaller loads we could each carry. “Sage,” Aurora called out, her pale face standing out starkly against her black leather clothing.

  “Hmm?” I was still distracted by the multitude of supplies they’d managed to bring back.

  “If we’re leaving, where are we going to go? How will we know where to go?”

  The room fell into quiet silence. I knew what they all were thinking. There were only forested hills surrounding us, leading to mountains in the distance. What would be out there? Was there anything out there? It was irrational to just run away and not be heading towards something.

  But while their eyes were filled with question, something was becoming abundantly clear to me. A plan growing more defined from the very moment I’d seen Juniper and Shale, from the moment Raven was slaughtered, from the moment I made the decision not to return to Combatant. I stepped forward, feeling the ring tied around my ankle shift. This was the time my mother had meant. The time when the ring would show me where I needed to go.

  Bending down, I untied the bands that held it there and brought it up, holding my palm out to the rest of them as the silver and black band glittered.

  “This is how.”

  ✽✽✽

  “What is that? Why are you showing us a ring?” Finn looked at me incredulously. As a matter of fact, so did everyone else. Everyone except Coal that is. He nodded slowly.

  “So, this is the time it’s meant for,” he murmured, slowly nodding. “But where
can it possibly lead us? What’s out there?”

  “There is a place out there,” I said, looking at him knowingly. “A place we can go.”

  “Where?”

  “To the Healers.”

  The group of them stared at me in stunned silence until Aurora finally burst out, “The Healers? What are you talking about?”

  But I paid no attention, my eyes remaining locked on Coal’s as he stared back. Hushed murmurs surrounded us, likely questioning my current state of sanity, until Coal took an unsteady breath and opened his mouth. “Sage,” he said, his voice hesitant, uncertain. “The Healers…that…it’s a legend. A story passed down through generations. We have nothing to prove it was real.”

  “It is real. Their existence is real. We know that from the herbs alone,” I said with a knowing glance and his lips thinned. “And if they did exist, it means there is a possibility that they are still out there.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “Even if the legend is true and they did exist and did escape, that doesn’t mean they made it anywhere. They could have been captured. They could have starved. Froze to death. We don’t know.”

  His words made sense, they were the logical assumption, but I knew he was wrong. They had made it. My body seemed to know, my muscles tightening, my blood warming with the assurance I felt. “For Juniper and Shale, I’m willing to take the chance that they are out there still.” And with that, I slipped the metal band on my finger, not waiting for him to respond.

  It was instantaneous, the sensation that came over me. The pulling, the tugging. As if a force had attached itself to me. Gasping, I yanked the ring from my hand, the feeling extinguishing as soon as the metal left my skin. I felt the color drain from me, my breaths unsteady. I hadn’t expected that. Truthfully, I was only hoping something might happen. That maybe the ring would become warm, like Coal’s metal chain. But the sensation that had overcome me was something else entirely.

  “What? What is it? What happened?” Coal asked rapidly, staring into my face. The others watched with worried expressions as I pressed a hand against my chest, staring down at the ring, now back in my palm.