Ember shivered all over with anticipation. ‘This is it, I guess. The day we get to be a family again. Minus Hyrees. But that’s okay. He can be happy now. I’m going to see Mom and Dad and Kivy again, and I’m going to see Dad really soon. I guess this means I can do things after all. I can do things without running away. And—’
A twig snapped. A leafless bush rustled. Her heart leaped. A silvery grey tom and a brown tabby walked down the slope, so absorbed in conversation, both were oblivious to her presence.
Ember got up and ran to the edge of the ravine. “Dad!” she called.
“Ember?” Cloud looked up, eyes wide. “Ember! You’re okay! You’re alive! I was so worried about . . . Wait, wh— . . . why are you here? You know the law. You heard what I said, right? I gave that rogue a message for you. Did you get it?”
“I got it, don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not in the territory, so no one has to kill me, but I had to come back. The East is coming. They’re going to attack the Glade. You have to warn everyone, then get Mom, Kivy and yourself out of there before they come. If any of you stay to fight, you’ll die.”
“What?” Rowan mewed.
Cloud stepped back. “Hold on, hold on, let me get this straight. The East is coming now? No. No, they’re not. It doesn’t make any sense. You must be mistaken.”
‘He doesn’t believe me?’ A cold, sinking feeling gripped her chest. She started to shiver again. “Dad, I just crossed the Lowlands by myself, against everyone’s orders and multiple threats of death, to tell you this. What do I need to do to prove I’m not making this up?”
He groomed a paw, then brushed it against his forehead. “But it doesn’t make any sense. Why? And why today? Wait, how do you know all this? And why are you alone?”
Something about his words made the silver come back. Ember bit her tongue. She looked at her paws and rubbed one on top of the other to calm herself down. “Because I went to live with them. Hyrees is back at the Rift. He tried to kill himself again, and I’ll never know if he made it or not because I decided to come here to save you.” Her vision blurred. “I left him, Dad. I told him to find someone else. If you aren’t going to listen, I have no one left.”
For a few moments, no one but the creek made any sound. Rowan backed away. “Uh, so, yeah, I’m gonna go warn Commander Lupine.”
“Wait,” Cloud said. “Don’t only warn him; send him here and tell as many cats as you can. Gather the colony at the Glade to await further instruction.”
“Yes, sir,” Rowan said. He scampered away into the forest.
Ember looked back at Cloud. The reason behind the silver hit her like a falling rock. “Hold on, what do you mean ‘why?’ You’re . . . surprised?”
“I’m surprised Jade would give up such a strategic position just to attack us again. That’s why I have a hard time believing they’re coming. It’s irrational.”
More silver flickered in her head. “Falcon and the guards attacked?”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
Adrenaline pulsed through her bloodstream, causing her heart to race. “Jade sent Falcon and some border guards here to try to work out a peace treaty. They were ambushed on the border and killed.”
“What?!” he growled. “Well, this is the first I’ve heard of it. But I don’t work the eastern border. If it did happen, no one said anything about it. I wouldn’t be surprised, though. You never realize how many fluffheads there are in a colony until you go to war. This really is serious.” He sighed and sat down. “And you know, I can’t help but wonder if I caused it.”
“What do you mean? What did you do?”
“Lupine asked me for advice. I told him to make the guards along the Eastern border stationary, and to instruct them to kill on sight. They may have mistaken the ambassadors for threats. Since it’s not how we normally patrol, it could have been seen as an ambush, so that’s what any survivors reported it as.” He shook his head. “I keep doing things I think are best for us, yet over and over, life keeps proving me wrong. Even after everything that’s happened, the colony is still looking to me for help, but my judgments have been flawed ever since Aspen was killed. Now I’m starting to wonder if I’m going crazy. It’s certainly feels like it sometimes, but I know I have to keep trying, otherwise things will get worse.”
“Believe it or not, I think I know how you feel. I was the one to suggest Jade send the ambassadors in the first place.” She let out a long, slow breath. Misty oranges joined the silver, mimicking the misty blues and golds of the forest. “It’s kind of sad to think this war is sort of our fault. So many cats are going to die now, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Ember, listen,” Cloud said.
Ember waited in silence for him to continue. When he didn’t, she tilted her head. “Sir?”
“Look . . . I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I said to you, and I’m especially sorry for everything I didn’t say to you. I should have told you the truth about Dark’s laws, and why the colony has always shunned you, and why I kept pushing you so hard. After everything happened with Whitehaze and Farlight, I consciously wished I would have followed the rules and . . . and drowned you back when you were a kitten. I thought it would have been mercy. Now I’m not even sure what mercy is anymore, but I’m glad I didn’t take your life. It makes me sick to even think I second-guessed that choice.” He stood up. “And I’ll tell you now; if neither of us had been born, they’d still be ready and willing to fight and kill each other, but if two cats can bring an entire system down like this, I think that means the system probably needed to be brought down anyway.”
“W-what are you saying?”
“I’m saying our old way of life is going to die today, and regardless of what happens in the fight, Lupine is going down with it.”
‘Kill him?’ She stumbled backward and sat down. ‘He’s going to kill him? He’s going to . . .’ “Why?” she mewed.
“Because if I fix the system, we won’t have to worry about any of this ever again. I can fix it all, and I can do it with your help. I’ll make sure you get welcomed back into the colony. After the fight, I’ll forge a treaty with Jade. The consequences of war will be fresh enough in everyone’s minds to make them do whatever it takes to make sure it never happens again.”
“You, you’re not coming with me?”
“With you? Em, what are you trying to do? What do you think will happen if we leave? What will happen to this colony if we leave. We can’t hide away in the Lowlands and hope things will get better. Those who can’t run need us. Ember, I’ve tried to run from life. My fears got Kivyress disabled for life.”
“S-so you’re going to fight?”
“I will not abandon my colony when they need me most. No decent commander ever would. It’s time to face the monsters we’ve made for ourselves, Ember, right alongside the ones we’ve been given. It’s time to stop running.”
“Cloud?” Lupine called. He appeared at the top of the slope. “Oh. You did come back. S-smart of you to put the creek between us. But w-w-what’s all this talk of an attack? Is the East really coming?”
Cloud turned to face him. “Yes. They’re coming, and we are going to stop them. Everyone too young, old, or weak to fight will remain in the protection of the Glade. Everyone else will gather near, but not at, the Eastern border. Send out whoever you can find to gather every capable warrior. Make sure you yourself are there. You will fight alongside us, or you will die a traitor to your own kin. Now go!”
Lupine nodded. “Y-yes, Cloud.” He turned around and ran toward the Glade.
Cloud looked back up at Ember. “So, are you coming with me to the Glade, or do we have to say goodbye again?”
Ember froze. Her head fogged up. Thoughts came slowly and images of blood and death flew. ‘Go? Stay? Go? Stay? If I go, I’m going to war. If I stay away, what would that be? What would I do? What would I be? Traitor? Uninvolved informant? Lazy? Scared? All of them? If I go, will I die?’ She cl
osed her eyes and sank to her stomach. ‘If I go or stay, I’ll die. It doesn’t matter what I do. I lose; I lose everything. Everything is gone.’ The cool grass poked through her fur and nipped at her belly. It made her feel even more sick, but it couldn’t compare to the chilling strain of life: a nauseating song of pain, death, and shattered dreams that seemed forever bent on destroying everything she loved.
“Ember? Ember, please don’t do this now,” Cloud called out, voice distant and muffled.
‘Wait,’ she thought. The shaking slowed. With all the willpower she could muster, she forced herself to be still. Only her jaw disobeyed. Her mind became a cold, blank, black. ‘Everything I knew is gone. I’ve got nothing left to lose.’
She eased herself into a stand. “Th-th-there’s no way he’ll get everyone together in time. I-I’ll go buy you some time.”
“Ember, no. I just got you back. I will not lose you a third time.”
“I came here because I was tired of running. You were right. It’s time to stop. I-I can’t hide forever, so it’s time for me to go. I have to face my monster. All of my monsters.”
Without waiting for a reply, she turned and ran downstream.
“Ember! Ember, no!” he yowled.
She forced herself to keep going, to numb herself and her fears. All the willpower in her being couldn’t stop her heart from pounding with adrenaline or the bright green of fear from coloring her thoughts, but she kept going anyway, because she had to. Down and down and down, toward cats who wanted her dead, to stop Jade from hurting other cats who wanted her dead. When she reached the rocky patch of creek, she jumped across. This time she couldn’t stop and appreciate the landscape, but she realized there was someone else who could.
‘Thai, you know that picture I took earlier? Send it to Dr. Hye. Tell him to show it to Michelle if she wakes up, and to tell her, if she tries to call me and I don’t answer, it’s probably because I got myself killed stupidly attempting to stop a war. Also, tell her that I’m sorry all her work didn’t last as long as she was probably hoping, but I’m grateful for the two or three extra weeks I got to live.’
[Message and photo sent. Ember, are you sure you want to do this? You seem scared. I’m afraid death will only aggravate your instability. I would also like to state that if you die, I will die too. I have never experienced death before, as it is not a part of my programming.]
‘I’ve never died either. Unfortunately, it is a part of mine. I’m sorry I’m putting you in danger, but they need more time. I am scared of what will happen, but I can get them the time they need. We can. Even if we’re the most terrified cat and artificial intelligence duo in the forest right now. Do you want to be the first AI to make a noble sacrifice?’
[I cannot detect any other ETAgs nearby, but I am also not afraid. I cannot feel emotions; I’m not real. That being said, I would not mind making a noble sacrifice for those who are.]
‘Maybe, but you’re wrong about one thing.’
[In what way am I wrong? Everything I’ve said appears to be factual.]
‘You are real. And more than that, you’re my friend. Now let’s go find Jade.’
[Happy to help. In that regard, you’re my friend too. Now we can find Jade and make noble sacrifices together.]
‘So now you want to die?’
[I have no opinions on that. I’m still just an artificial intelligence, after all.]
Ember shook her head. Amidst all the chaos of colors, anxieties, and doubts, she smiled. When she reached the border, however, her heart was hammering again. She sat down and waited for the cats who’d promised to meet her with death. Her ears rung. Every noise made her jump. After fifteen minutes of fighting off her own panic attacks, a new scent filled the air—a lot of new scents. She got up and splayed her legs in a fighting stance. The scents grew stronger every moment. Ember forced herself to control her breathing. While it didn’t work very well, it gave her something to focus on, and that was enough to make it worthwhile.
‘This is it. This is it. This is it. Oh tahg, I’m really doing this, aren’t I?’ The faint sounds of dead grass being crushed underfoot met her ears. ‘Yes. Yes. Yes, I am. I can do this. I can get them time. It doesn’t matter what happens to me. As long as they have a chance. They’re not gonna hurt you, Kivy. Ever.’
Jade appeared first, then Echo, to Ember’s surprise, then the rest of the Eastern army. Jade stopped. Everyone behind her stopped. For a while, no one spoke.
“J-J-Jade,” Ember said. What little self control she’d mustered before evaporated.
“You have a lot of audacity, showing up here, trying to stop us right after you betrayed us,” Jade said. “That is why you’re here, right?” When Ember didn’t answer, she stepped closer. “One defective kitten against an army. Doesn’t seem like good odds. You should have disappeared while you had the chance. Or done the sensible thing and stayed put. I should have watched you myself. Or, better yet, let Echo kill you when you first showed up at the Rift, begging for help. But I didn’t. We saved your life, and this is how you repay us?”
Ember gulped down bile, then tried to speak. “I-I-I know what you said. And I-I’m sorry, but I can’t let you attack them. There-there was no ambush. They didn’t mean t-to kill Falcon, if-i-if they killed him at all. My-my dad didn’t even know he’d tried to come. Please listen to me. You don’t have to fight. I don’t know what happened, but this was a mistake. If you don’t turn around now, more cats will die. This war will just go on and on, revenge after revenge. W-we can’t live like this; we’ll all die.”
Jade walked up to her, face unreadable but calm. “Is that true? Did your father tell you the truth, or is he a liar too? What if he wanted this? What if he helped? And, most importantly, are you telling the truth?”
Ember cowered beneath her gaze. Her vision blurred, bouncing in and out of focus. ‘What do I say? What do I say? What do I say?’
Jade snorted, tail raised and thrashing. “Interesting. Tell me, Ember, is Lupine coming to meet me with a peace treaty, or an army?”
‘Oh. That.’ Grey. Yellow. Green. Ember closed her eyes and shuddered violently. When she did, tears broke free and seeped into her fur. ‘What do I d—’ “AAAAH!”
Ember staggered backward. Her face burned with pain. Sky blue—so much blue. She opened her eyes. A red that stung her eyes like a thousand suns filled her vision. Her own blood. “Please. Stop,” she called out weakly.
In response, Jade grabbed her by the scruff, then slammed her against a tree. Pain exploded in her side. All the air left her lungs. Ember collapsed. Her jaw hit a root, jabbing her teeth through her tongue. Blood filled her mouth and face. Blue and green filled her head. “Please . . . please don’t do this,” she whispered.
“There’s only one fate fit for a wildcat, Ember,” Jade growled.
‘No more running, Em. Time to stop running. Don’t run.’
Ember bit down hard, ignoring the gut-churning hole piercing her tongue. She blinked furiously, no longer caring how much it hurt. When her vision cleared enough, she lifted her head. “You’re right.” Tears of fear and pain in her eyes, blood and cuts striping her face, and aches and shivers all over, Ember got to her paws. “And now I’m ready to face it.”
Jade’s eyes narrowed. She crouched to pounce. Ember lowered herself in preparation.
“You attacked us once, without r-reason,” a new voice called.
Ember whipped around. Lupine; he stood, tall and vicious, atop a nearby rise. Every able warrior in the West stood behind him.
“Last time, you k-killed my brother. N-now you’re attacking us again, and yet again, picking a fight unprovoked. Now it’s my turn to kill you.” He looked over his shoulder to address those with him. “Western Colony—attack!”
Chapter 32
Ember
‘Unprovoked?’ Ember thought. Her field of view narrowed.
“Take them!” Jade shouted. “Take them all!”
The West attacked. The East charged i
n. Time slowed. Jade ran at Lupine. He leaped from the rise. Jade dodged his pounce and heaved herself against his side. He tumbled to the ground but just as quickly righted himself.
‘Mom? Dad?’
Cloud and Songbird charged forward with the rest of the West. They threw themselves into the battle, ready and willing to fight for their kin.
Ember, frozen in place and backed against a tree, watched helplessly as the two colonies collided. The sun had risen into the gathering clouds. No longer did its golden rays provide any kind of warmth, nor did it chase away the ever-thickening fog.
‘Unprovoked? Unprovoked.’ The word repeated itself over and over in her mind. Ember panted like a dog. No matter how hard or fast she breathed, her lungs felt empty. Her ribs still stung from her collision with the tree, but now they were tight and achy too. Everything hurt—her eyes, her ears, her face, and even her tail. Everything. Everything. Everyone.
Yowls, hisses, snarls and screams of agony hit her ears. She flattened them against her skull and pressed herself harder against the tree. ‘What now? What now? I can’t . . . I can. But what can I do? What should I do?’
“Ember, get out of here!”
She snapped out of her daze. Fight or flight shut off what little remained of her peripheral vision. “Dad? Dad!”
She looked around, frantically trying to find his familiar form amidst the chaos. A flash of silver fur caught her eyes. At the heart of the battle, Cloud struggled with an Eastern tom. His shoulder was bleeding, and he bounded around the cat to keep out of range.
‘Have to help him. Have to. Have to! I can’t just stand here. I can’t leave. I . . . Dad!’ The cat landed a bite on his back. Cloud spun around and sank his fangs into the cat’s leg. They broke free of each other and circled. Ember charged into the warzone. She sprung into the air, then came down on the tom, synthetic claws poised and ready. They cut into his sides like sharpened stones. He screeched and toppled beneath her weight. Ember hit the ground with him. Her face landed beside his neck. Her ears rung. She leaned in and bit down on his scruff, pinning him in place.
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