“Ouch,” El mumbled, and brought her hand to her forehead. Sticky. What happened? Right, she was running. From what?

  Not what. Who.

  The Stormbearer.

  El forced her eyes open, only to close them again against the blinding glare.

  This again?

  But, no, something was different. The light on her face… it was warm. And it wasn’t just the light; her whole body was warm. She could feel her fingers and toes!

  “Burn it, that hurts,” she hissed as her brain accepted the pain from her extremities, and rolled onto her side.

  Grass crinkled beneath her hand, and she carefully opened her eyes to gaze at the beautiful, wonderful, sea of green that stretched out around her. The snow was gone. The trees were gone.

  El whipped her head around, nausea at the sudden movement crawling up her throat and the world tilting dangerously. But, despite the throb in her twice-smacked head, she sighed in relief. The Stormbearer was gone.

  Sitting up, slowly, El looked at the leather-bound book in her other hand. It wasn’t all just some weird dream. That cabin, and those people, they were real. Somehow.

  But, how had she gotten there? And where was she now?

  Still no buildings, and definitely no golems rampaging around, so she wasn’t in Aldrana where she should’ve been. Nope, just vibrant green grass blowing in the wind, and sparse trees as far as the eye could see.

  “Definitely a better place to wake up,” she told herself, and got to her feet with only minor swaying. The two separate lumps on her head stung like the Blaze, but the bleeding had mostly scabbed over for the time being. Laying in the sunlight had done a lot to warm her up too, but the cold still lingered, stiffening her body. It would take a little longer before the chill was completely chased away.

  With the sun directly above her, and no familiar landmarks among the gently rolling hills, it was impossible to tell even what time of day it was. Or what day it was, for that matter. Unconscious, twice, and who knew how long she’d actually been out.

  “Well, at least the weather is nicer,” she said, and tilted her head back to soak up more of the sun. The light gently warmed her skin, filling some of the void left behind by the absence of her Spark.

  Was it really gone? Should she try to ignite her wings again?

  The memory of the pain sent a shiver down El’s spine, and she shook her head. She’d try again, but not just yet.

  Instead, she tucked the book under her arm, picked a tree on a distant hill, and simply started walking. After everything that’d happened since her first deployment—the battles, the chaos, the loss—the calm breeze and peaceful landscape was a welcome escape.

  No orders. No Church. No fighting. No death.

  Lots of questions, though. But she had the time to think about them.

  El’s stomach rumbled, and she pulled an energy bar out of her small pack, at least she hadn’t lost that in everything, and peeled open the packaging to take a bite.

  It sure wasn’t a fiery pork-bomb, but it did the job for now. How many more of those did she have? Five? Those would last her a few days, but she’d need to find some water.

  Her head tilted back longingly at the sky. Sure would be easier to find water from up there.

  El stuffed the empty wrapper back in her pack, no need to litter, and reached over her shoulder to rub her fingers along one of the electrum wing nubs. It felt intact, and she gently probed the other. It felt fine too, so it probably wasn’t a problem with the electrum. Still, she’d check them when she stopped.

  It took her more than two hours to reach the tree she’d chosen as her goal, and her legs burned from the long incline when she finally leaned against the rough bark for a breather.

  A sea of green spread around her, broken only by a wide lake in one direction. A small island, shaped like a “thumbs-up” stood in the middle of the glass-like surface of the water. Wait. She knew that island, and that lake! They’d passed over it on their way to Aldrana, it was only a few miles north of their fallback point!

  And more than two hundred miles south of Aldrana.

  Just another question to add to the list. But, if she was on the south side of the lake, and from her memory of the landscape, it sure looked that way, she should be able to find the rendezvous point within a few hours. Even on foot.

  But would anybody else be there when she arrived?

  El shrugged. What other options did she have at that point?

  Not many. First, though, she should get something to drink. After a quick stop at the edge of the lake to get her fill, El turned to the south and started walking. The sun had begun its slow decent, it was definitely afternoon, but the days were long, and she had plenty of daylight left before night fell. She should reach her destination by then.

  It was just the hours of lonely walking between here and there with nothing else to occupy her mind. Well, that wasn’t exactly true, and El cracked open the journal while she walked.

  If you’re reading this, there’s something you need to know. To understand. I’m here to destroy everything you love. To bring your civilization to ruin.

  And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

  Could this really be the Stormbearer’s journal? And could Oril be connected? Every time he vanished, the Stormbearer showed up. Was that why he wasn’t hassling El’s wing during the battle? Because he was off gathering his forces?

  Then there were those two in the cabin, a woman and a child, just like what Oril left behind. Did Sol and Lilin really save him on the road, or was it all a convenient set up?

  “Why are you asking when you probably, literally, have the answers right in your hands?” El asked herself with a chuckle, then winced. Laughing made her head hurt, and she reached up to wipe some of the tacky blood aside.

  She’d get it checked out when she got back to camp, then winced again. What was it Sol had said? The medics didn’t know how to treat people without Sparks. Was that what she’d have to deal with now too?

  No, stop worrying about that. Read the burning book.

  Starting at the end would give her the most answers, and she left a bloody fingerprint on the first page as she tried to skip to the end. Tried, because she couldn’t flip the pages, like something held the individual sheets together.

  “What the Blaze?” she asked herself, closed the book, and then tried to open the back cover. It wouldn’t budge. Was the book some kind of fake? She opened again to the first page, those ominous words staring back at her, then caught the corner of the page with her bloody finger and tried to flip to page two.

  The page turned like any normal page should.

  El tried to turn to the next page, but again, the pages seemed like they were glued, or frozen, together.

  She cocked her arm back to toss the book in frustration, but took a calming breath, and actually looked at the second page:

  When the world began, there were two. Two to balance. Two to share.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  One, the creator. The birther of life and the future.

  One, the destroyer. The bringer of death and the end.

  Always at odds, one vies for advantage, the chance to make the world theirs alone, while the other seeks to maintain the balance. In the creator’s eyes, the world should flourish and prosper. The destroyer, though, would cover the world in death, smothering life, and leave it an empty husk.

  The creator knows it cannot exist without the destroyer, for death is necessary to make life worthwhile, but the destroyer holds no such reservations. It wishes for nothing more than to be alone.

  And so, I have come.

  El whistled. This was definitely some kind of journal, and the Stormbearer’s at that. Was he the destroyer the book talked about? That… no, that didn’t quite add up. This sounded like it was something bigger than that.

  Could he be talking about gods? Was the creator mentioned actually the Pyre? That made sense. The Pyre, His Embers, and His Spark were all the source of life. So, maybe like the Pyre has His army, this Stormbearer is the leader of the destroyer’s army. And the blue newts must be the foot soldiers.

  And the storm? Is that the destruction he’s bringing?

  “Burn it, what if it’s not a lot of small storms, but instead one giant storm? A giant storm closing in on us from all sides…” El mumbled to herself.

  Balacin had collected all of the Embers but one, and even the last one wasn’t that far away now that Pycrin had pushed the Guldish forces back behind their last set of defenses. They’d long since conquered the nations across the oceans and taken their Embers. What if the storm was really converging on Balacin? Could a single storm really devour an entire continent?

  Or, maybe her imagination was just getting away from her. She needed to keep reading, if there even was any more to it.

  El’s eyes traced the words along the rest of the page and down the second. More generalities about the creator and destroyer. Nothing specific, but it painted a grave picture if the destroyer was allowed to win.

  How did the Stormbearer know all this though? And why was he keeping it in a journal? Did he expect somebody to find it?

  El turned the page without thinking, then stopped and flipped the page back and forth. It was definitely stuck together before. So, why could she turn it now?

  Because she’d read the page?

  Time to test that theory.

  El read through the next two pages quickly, now familiar with the handwriting, and purposely snagged the corner of the paper. “Let’s see,” she whispered, and turned the page normally, then quickly tried the next one. Wouldn’t budge.

  “Huh, no skipping ahead for spoilers,” she said, and went back to the two pages she’d already read, reviewing them more closely as she walked.

  Miles passed while El read and reread the pages, searching for any clues on the Stormbearer, the storms, or the destroyer. He was some kind of avatar for his god, imbued with its power to lead the armies, and spread His touch across the world. There weren’t any dates on the pages, so it was impossible to tell how long ago the invasion actually started, but he seemed to really believe in what he was doing.

  And that family back in the cabin, that was his all right. More than a few pages were devoted notes to his wife and child, though he never mentioned their names. But, if he loved them so much, why would he let the destroyer have them?

  “What are you…?”

  “EL!” a voice called, and El looked up just in time to move the book aside before Laze crashed into her and wrapped her in a tight hug. “You’re okay! Thank the Blaze,” Laze said.

  El wrapped her arms around her friend, the warmth of Laze’s flame armor a welcome touch, and squeezed. “You made it,” El said. “Nidina and Dayne?”

  Laze gave her a second squeeze, then took a step back and looked El up and down. “You look terrible, but they’re both fine. And they’ll be even better when they see you. We heard you were around where the Stormbearer touched down. What happened?”

  El’s mind flashed back to the battle. To Nexin.

  “Laze, have you seen my brother?” El asked. If she’d gotten away, maybe he had too?

  Laze shook her head. “No, I was hoping he’d be with you. Nobody’s seen him since the battle.”

  El closed her eyes to keep the tears back.

  “You know something,” Laze said. “Did you see Nexin? Is he okay?”

  “He… saved me,” El said, opening her eyes and fighting to keep the hoarseness out of her voice.

  “Saved you? But then, shouldn’t he be with you?” Laze asked, and looked over El’s shoulders.

  “Saved me back in Aldrana,” El said. “From the Stormbearer. You should’ve seen him, Laze. The Stormbearer couldn’t keep up with him. He was amazing. Then… then one of the new golems showed up. Caught him looking the other way. Laze… the golem… he… I saw him… then the Stormbearer…” she couldn’t put the words together. Saying it would make it real. It couldn’t be real. It just couldn’t.

  “Shhh,” Laze whispered, and wrapped her arms around El again. “Shhhh.”

  “I’m so sorry,” El said, leaning in and sobbing. Who was she even apologizing to? Laze? Nexin? Herself? It didn’t matter, and she put her head on Laze’s shoulder and just cried. And she wasn’t the only one, her friend crying right along with her.

  They stayed like that for long minutes, letting their grief play out on each other’s shoulders, until El finally pulled away. “I’m glad you got out. I couldn’t bear it if you…”

  “We got out because of you,” Laze said, tears still running down her face, and rubbed El’s shoulders. Laze had loved Nexin just as much as El had. “Your plan worked. More or less.”

  “Tell me about it while we walk?” El asked.

  “Sure,” Laze said. “Camp is this way.”

  “So, what happened? I don’t remember anything after the Stormbearer… after he joined the fight,” El said. “My plan worked? Wait, am I going to get court-martialed when we get to camp?”

  “No,” Laze said. “Probably not. Maybe. The squad leaders, of all ranks, know you saved their people. You might even be popular! The advance orders you had us deliver, well, they made all the difference. Dayne was working on getting the brass to call the retreat when the Stormbearer landed, and the troops from the west flank had already started falling back. That was you?”

  El nodded.

  “Well, when they saw that, and the troops Nidina and I talked to doing the same, they made the right call and sounded the official retreat. And not a moment too soon. It had become a massive three-way battle, and it was absolute chaos. Especially without our communications. We were getting ripped apart.”

  “A three-way battle? The newts weren’t there to reinforce the golems?” El asked.

  “No, they hit the golems just as hard as they hit us. The Stormbearer, especially, seemed to have a real hate for them. That chaos, plus your orders, gave our troops the window they needed to get out. There were still losses… but we didn’t get wiped out like we would have if we’d waited any longer.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Uh… how long has it been since the battle?” El asked.

  Laze eyed her curiously. “How bad a hit to the head did you take?”

  “More than one, actually,” El answered. “So, how long?”

  “Just over two days, the groundies should be regrouping with us any time now. I was actually out looking for them when I found you. By the way, why are we walking?”

  El hesitated, then pointed at her bloody forehead.

  “Ah,” Laze said. “Well, we’re not far. Fifteen or twenty minutes tops on foot. I could carry you, if you wanted?”

  “No, that’s okay,” El said. “Thanks though. Anything else happen I should know about before we get back?”

  Laze hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip.

  “Spit it out, Laze,” El prompted.

  “We think they collapsed the tunnel,” Laze said.

  “Which tunnel?” El asked. Laze couldn’t mean that tunnel.

  “The tunnel, El,” Laze said. “Scouts are trying to confirm it now, but there was this massive series of explosions as were getting out of there. Dozens of Firestorm reported seeing a blast and smoke coming from the mouth of the tunnel in the city.”

  “But, if they collapsed the tunnel, we can’t get through the mountains to Guld,” El said. “That was the only pass. Wait, they did it during the battle? Did they recall their troops first? Is the city undefended?”

  “They didn’t fall back,” Laze said. “The golems and lizards were still fighting when we retreated. They sacrificed everybody on this side of the mountains. What I don’t get is, why didn’t they do it sooner? Collapse the tunnel, I mean. Why wait until now?”

  “I don’t think they had a choice,” El said. “I went to a lecture just before we graduated, and the speaker, an engineer, talked about the tunnel. It’s a hundred miles long, and around ninety feet wide and tall. Also, apparently, there are thousands of ventilation shafts spider-webbing through the mountain to keep the air flowing along its entire length.”

  “So?” Laze asked.

  “So, if they weren’t careful about how they collapsed the tunnel, it could have a cascading effect on the entire mountain. They could bring the whole thing down,” El said, then paused. “Did they bring the whole thing down?”

  “No, mountain is still there,” Laze confirmed.

  “Okay. They’ve probably been working on how to do it right, the collapse I mean, since the war started. The tunnel was originally built back when there was open trade between the nations and Guld extended their borders halfway to Balacin. But, since war broke out and we pushed them back, the heart of Guld is entirely self-sufficient at this point. They don’t need the tunnel, and it’s really their only weakness. Without it, we have no way in.”

  “Can we clear the tunnel?” Laze asked.

  “I doubt it,” El said, shaking her head. “Well, that’s not true. I’m sure we could do it eventually. It would be like mining, I guess. But to dig all the way to the other side of the mountains… I can’t even speculate how long that will take.”

  “Maybe they’ll give us some time off then?” Laze asked and shrugged.

  “What happened? You were so gung-ho about winning the war. Bringing the Ember back to the capital.”

  “I don’t know,” Laze said. “Caught up in the moment? Nidina, Dayne, and I have all been flying nonstop since the battle ended. Guiding stragglers back to camp, keeping an eye out for the groundies, you know. Maybe I’ve just had too much time to myself to think. Forget I said anything. I’m just tired.”

  “Yeah, me too,” El said.

  “The walk is kind of nice,” Laze said, looking up at the clouds lazily scrolling across the sky. “After all this is over, or if they give us that vacation, we should do this more often. Get out of the city and just enjoy nature a bit. We don’t do that enough.”

  “Mmm,” El mumbled. Would she really even have that option? The pain had mostly subsided along with the chill, but that didn’t mean her Spark was okay. Part of her wanted to try right there to ignite her wings, but a bigger part of her was terrified it wouldn’t work.

  “By the way,” Laze interrupted El’s thoughts. “What’s with the book? I haven’t seen you with it before.”

  “This?” El asked, and held up the journal in her left hand. “I… found it.”

  Laze raised an eyebrow at the vague description. “You’ll have to tell me about it later. There’s the camp,” she said, and pointed to the rows of tents as they crested the hill.

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