The tunnel narrowed as Eira pressed deeper into Ember Hollow. Her footsteps echoed against the carved obsidian walls, each step drawing her closer to the truth she'd hunted her entire life—and the danger that now pulsed through every breath.
Behind her, Seris kept pace, quiet as a ghost.
Ahead, golden firelight spilled from an arched doorway. The warmth wasn't comforting. It seared the skin, suffocating in its intensity, heavy with memories and curses.
At the threshold, Seris stopped.
"This is as far as I go," she said.
Eira turned, frowning.
"Why?"
"Because beyond this point, only Phoenix blood survives. Anyone else…" Seris tapped the burn marks on her arm.
"They burn from the inside."
Eira's throat tightened.
"And you knew this?"
"I hoped it wouldn't come to it," Seris replied, her voice low and steady. "But you've already done more than I expected."
Eira swallowed her fear and nodded.
"I'll bring her out."
Seris's silver eyes glittered.
"She'll bring herself out. You're just the spark."
Eira stepped into the chamber. The heat struck her like a tidal wave. Flames danced along the walls, weaving ancient sigils in the air.
In the center stood a towering cage made of glowing molten bars—and within it, hunched and bound in flickering chains of ashsteel, was a woman.
Tall. Wild-haired. Wreathed in flame.
Her mother.
"Queen Elara," Eira whispered.
The woman's head lifted slowly, and her eyes—burning gold, ancient and knowing—met hers.
"You finally came," Elara rasped.
Emotion surged through Eira like a breaking dam. She stepped forward, but the flames surged higher in warning.
Pain lanced through her chest, but she didn't stop.
"I'm here to get you out."
Elara studied her with the calm stillness of a goddess.
"Then you must be willing to die."
"I already am," Eira said, voice cracking.
Elara's lips parted in the smallest smile.
"Good."
The flames drew back. The chains loosened. And Elara rose—regal despite her imprisonment.
But as Eira stepped closer, her mother raised a hand.
"Stop."
"Why?"
"Because he's watching."
Suddenly the fire dimmed. From the darkness behind the cage, a second figure emerged—graceful, tall, eyes the color of an autumn inferno.
Talon.
"No wards can stop me from touching what's mine," he murmured.
Eira's blood turned to ice.
"How did you—"
"Do you think I didn't know you'd come?" Talon asked, stepping closer.
"Every ember in this city bends to me. And now… so do you."
"I am nothing like you," Eira growled.
Talon's smile was a slow, terrible thing.
"But you are like her," he said, glancing at Elara.
"She who defied fate to love an enemy Alpha. She who birthed a child the prophecy could not control."
Eira blinked.
"What prophecy?"
Elara's voice was calm but sharp as steel.
"The Flameborn child would destroy the old bonds and create a new one. A bond of unity… or domination. The choice was always yours."
Talon stepped into the flames, untouched.
"You could burn this world and rebuild it," he said.
"With me. Or you could fight… and lose."
Eira's hand went to her dagger.
"You stole a part of me. I'm here to take it back."
Talon stepped forward, drawing a blade of white-hot flame from thin air.
"I didn't steal it. You gave it, the moment your blood sang back to mine."
And then—he lunged.
Their blades clashed with a shockwave that shattered the molten cage around Elara.
The Queen roared, fire erupting from her chest, flinging Talon backward.
For a second, the three of them stood there—Eira, her mother, and Talon—each radiating raw, primal power.
But then Talon laughed.
"Finally," he whispered.
"The Phoenix has risen. And now… the war begins."
With a flick of his hand, the floor beneath him split, and he vanished in a burst of fire.
The flames dimmed. Silence fell.
Eira turned to Elara, heart pounding.
"We have to go. Now."
Elara nodded slowly.
"Yes. But you must understand, daughter…"
Her eyes glowed brighter than before.
"You are no longer just Alpha. You are Fireborne."
Outside Ember Hollow, Kael stood at the edge of the woods, eyes narrowed on the plume of smoke rising from the mountain. He felt it. A bond tearing. Reforming. Changing.
"She's awakening," he whispered.
Beside him, a scout from the Shadowclaw Pack arrived, breathless.
"My Alpha—there's a message. From the Council."
Kael turned, tense.
"They've declared war on the Flamebound. And they want you to lead it."
Kael's eyes flared silver.
"I will."
The scout hesitated.
"But, Alpha... there's more. The Council has also issued a warrant for Eira's arrest. They claim she's a threat to the balance of power."
Kael's jaw clenched.
"They'll have to go through me first."
As he spoke, a figure emerged from the trees behind him. It was Seris, her eyes gleaming with a fierce light.
"Eira's inside the Hollow," she said. "And she's not alone."
Kael's eyes locked onto hers.
"What do you mean?"
Seris's voice was low and urgent.
"Eira's mother is with her. And Talon... he's not what we expected."
Kael's grip on his sword tightened.
"I'll get her out," he said. "No matter what it takes."
Seris nodded.
"I'll help you. But we need to move fast. The war is coming, and Eira is the key to it all."
Together, they set off towards the Hollow, their footsteps quiet on the forest floor. Kael's heart pounded with anticipation.
He knew that the battle ahead would be fierce, but he was ready. For Eira, for the pack, and for the future of the realm.
As they approached the Hollow, the air grew thick with smoke and ash. Kael's eyes scanned the horizon, searching for any sign of danger.
And then, he saw it. A figure standing at the edge of the forest, watching them.
It was Eira's mother, the Queen.
Kael's eyes locked onto hers, and he felt a jolt of recognition.
The Queen's eyes seemed to bore into his soul, and he knew that she saw everything.
"Eira's inside," she said, her voice low and husky. "And she's in danger."
Kael nodded, his grip on his sword tightening.
"I'll get her out," he said. "No matter what it takes."
The Queen's eyes seemed to soften, and she nodded.
"I know you will," she said. "But be warned, Alpha... the war is coming. And Eira is the key to it all."
Kael's jaw clenched.
"I'll do whatever it takes to protect her," he said.
The Queen's eyes gleamed with a fierce light.
"I know you will," she said. "But will you be able to protect her from herself?"
Kael's eyes narrowed, unsure of what the Queen meant.
But he knew that he would do everything in his power to protect Eira, no matter what lay ahead.