1 ~ Into the Calm

The house creaked and swayed as the light flickered. Ember blew out the candle and huddled in the dark under the floorboards next to a blanket, some food, and water. He was going to be there awhile but he was safe. He was going to stay here until the battle ended then head north to the mines.

He sat there pleased with his plan although getting enough money to get out of the country was going to be hard. He waited hoping the bombs would stop and he could run for the mountains. There he could probably make it over the snowy hills into the Mining district. He had never felt that cold before in the winter storms when he had to walk back to the dreaded orphanage so he thought he could get over the mountains without much trouble.

Sitting there he thought of the days of planning he had gone through to get this far. Nights sitting staring at a ceiling cracking and peeling. It would be all worth it if he could just get to the mining district. Maybe he could find some work. Last week the orphanage was blown to bits, twenty or so children killed including his best friend. He and the other ten were collecting firewood then a stray bomb came out of nowhere. He remembered running back a few children on his heels but there was no use. Everything was gone. The building… the others… just gone.

He stopped thinking and wiped his eyes. With the directers dead, all the children started to head out in all directions. He took off for the abandoned cabin he and his friend found together with a while ago.

Right as he walked over the hill he looked back. A girl stood there in front of the wreckage. He knew how she felt, she had been there as long as him and had known nothing else. Something about the last second he looked at her had him confused. Why was she staying? Was there nothing else for her?

He waited in the dark forever, listening and watching as moonlight drifted into the purple colors of sunrise then into the yellow colors of the day. The battle still didn't stop.

Frustration egged on his impatience to be free. He couldn't stay there forever. He played with dirt under the abandoned cabin and wished he could get out and run.

Evening came and there were still bombs and bullet fire in the distance. Ember wanted out. In the dead of winter the mountains could freeze a person solid. He wanted to get over them in early winter which would start in five days. If he couldn't get over in five days he would be done for.

He would not give up though. He was going to live just to piss off the damned gods that wanted him dead. So far they had tried twice and both times he had been away and avoided death. He wanted to become rich and powerful. Live the life of the kings that abandoned gods and lived by their own power. He was going to be rid of the need for a powerful being that was better than him.

Night fell and he closed his eyes letting the explosions lull him to sleep and the vibrations make him fall further. Then he woke. There was nothing. No sounds, no vibrations. Quiet. Dim light let him know it was early morning.

After a time without the sounds of explosions, he collected his stuff and headed out. The town was quiet and nothing moved, buildings lay in shambles. Roads were unusable. Ember stayed in the shadows and continued toward the mountains. He soon was outside of the town limits and free. He started to run but stopped and hid.

Something up the road was making noises. When they got closer he knew it was an old man yelling. Down the dirt path a man walked holding a girl struggling to get free of his grip, tears streaming down her cheeks. The way the man held her arm was clearly causing her pain. Another man followed behind them leading a horse.

Ember looked from the people to the horse. With the beast he could get over the mountains in less time.

The girl punched the man, pulling his attention to her. She wasn't walking; she was hanging now swinging her legs and with her other hand grabbing the man.

"Quit it, girl!" He dropped her and when she tried to scramble away he grabbed her hair and pulled her back. He continued walking with the girl now struggling to get pressure off her head.

Ember got ready to act on his plan. He climbed up a near tree. He heard stories of men dropping onto horses and getting away. The beasts were very fast.

He sat very still waiting until the animal was right under him. One breath and he slid out of the tree. He positioned himself to land in the saddle and that was what he did but something went wrong. The horse jumped forward but not at all smooth and swift but choppy and bummy.

Ember had no time to react as he found himself somersaulting over its hind end and landing in the dirt on his feet.

"Shoot," he said. He had hoped he could get on and turn it around, get it over the mountain and sell it but now he had bigger problems.

"Why you little punk!" Ember dodged a hit that came for his head. As he leaned he pivoted one foot and jump. He used the momentum to swing one leg up and flip back so he was a couple of feet away then he tried to run but found himself in mid-air.

"Yo man this kid got some moves. Lets sell him to an office." Ember looked at the man holding him. He was tall and lengthy and practically a stick figure. The other man that held the girl in one hand was not tall, more like the fat plump type but thin and dirty. The tall man picked him up using the scruff of his shirt. "You better bring more den da horse, because if we cont find him ond you don't sell you gonna end up as meat."

He wanted to gulp because if they did sell him to an office it wold be over for him and becoming a dead warrior on a battlefield was not on his to-do list. Ember huffed. He also knew better than to fight because of the man's eyes. He had wizards blood. Wizards were people that were given powers from the gods and if you had their blood you could use powers to better the world.

Slap a big fat red lie on that. When people started to hunt the wizards for the powers the

Wizards fought back and soon the wars began. One battle right after another. Wizards against humans. All for a power that only manifested in the very lucky.

Ember looked at this man and the other. Here in the Nira valley there were hundreds of wizard villages and Ember's hometown was the first town once past the mountain pass. Nirabora was a perfect place until about a month ago when the humans had figured out how to get past the canyons of Never End and once they did all support was pulled from the town and the town had to fight on its own. Wizards fought off the bombs but many brave souls and people sold to the office died. But then there were the cowards that didn't come out until the raids ended. Like this guy. His wizard's power made his eyes glow the color of his aura. His were brown the color of cowards and fearful people.

The men started to walk down the path looking for the horse, the girl crying silently, and Ember hatching an escape plan. He had already started to think up something when an explosion happened. It was far enough away and small enough to know it was a dud finally going off but the men still reacted and threw the children over their heads and protected themselves.

Anger and hate boiled in Ember as he was forced to take whatever the explosion would have thrown at him. A coward's eyes indeed. As they waited for the man to stop hiding he felt his body start to burn and scream out in resistance. His bones shifted and his senses skyrocketed. The wizard cried out and threw him. He found himself flying then hitting a tree. Light burst into his vision as a pain exploded from his head. "What is dat der?!" the wizard screamed.

"It 's… it's a… holy f**ken s**t man, we are f**ked." The man grabbed the girl and threw her to the ground and both cowards started to run away leaving them behind.

Ember tried to get up but found his legs were different. He looked at himself and saw he was no longer a human boy but something else. Black fur covered his arms leading to paws. What had he become? His head hurt so bad though he stopped moving and just lay there. Then black. That's a safe color to be in.