Page 96 of Stealing Embers
Grabbing an insulated coat out of our shared closet, I set out with two goals: find the youngest Durand twins, then leave Seraph Academy for good.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The snow isn’t merely dusting the ground, instead, a thick blanket of white covers the terrain.
My feet sink into the softness as I slog on. Without the ability to phase properly, I’m relegated to the mortal realm to search for Blaze and Aurora.
The vast majority of students and teachers are searching in the spirit realm. Unsanctioned phasing isn’t allowed for first-year students, but apparently sneaking off to the spectrum world is one of the twins’ favorite pastimes.
What has everyone worried today is that they’ve been gone for so long. In the past, the twins’ disappearing acts have flown under the radar because they weren’t caught until they were already back. The very fact that it’s so obvious they’re missing is what has everyone concerned.
That, paired with the dual attacks from the Forsaken this month, of course.
Glacial winds slap my face as I plod through the mountain wilderness. I hike my shoulders up around my ears, refusing to let the elements deter me.
I search for Blaze and Aurora for over forty-five minutes—the last fifteen without any evidence of human life besides the footprints I leave in the snow. Between the wind and the fresh fall, those markers are starting to disappear as well.
Stopping, I turn my back to the wind, letting the heavy pack I carry buffer some of the gusts. With only the full moon to guide me and snow falling heavily now, it’s hard to see more than a few feet in each direction.
The moon’s light is mostly obscured by the storm clouds. My enhanced eyesight doesn’t help much.
Cupping my hands around my mouth, I shout. “Aurora! Blaze!”
The sound is swallowed by the abyss.
I hold my breath and strain my ears to pick up any sound, but can’t hear anything past the howling wind.
I was traversing east, toward the breach Ash mentioned. But setting out on foot by myself is beginning to feel foolish.
Inside my boots, my toes went numb five minutes ago. I have to keep my hands jammed in the pockets of my coat because I didn’t grab any gloves before fleeing the academy. The strands of my hair, damp from snow, are starting to freeze, creating hair icicles.
Nausea roils in my gut.
If I’m this frozen after less than an hour, and with a decent amount of cold weather protection, the twins could very well be popsicles by now.
What would keep them from returning to the warmth and safety of the academy?
As much as I want to believe they’re simply playing a bad joke on everyone, I can’t. To willingly remain out in this weather, they have to be hurt or trapped somewhere.
Or worse.
Guilt froths up from my core and overflows.
Logically, I know it isn’t my fault if the Forsaken have captured the siblings. I have no idea why the dark creatures are after me and it’s not as if I ordered them to snatch anyone. I hate that Steel is blaming me for the academy’s current monster issues.
And yet, part of me agrees with him.
If it turns out this hunt for the twins really is a mission to rescue them from those creatures, I have no doubt Steel will lay the blame at my feet. Of course, I was ignorant of the threat, but he can make the argument that I had a hand in these sinister events, even if it was unintentional. And I’m not even sure I’d blame him anymore.
The dark thoughts steel my resolve to leave after the twins are found. Things will go back to normal for everyone, and that’s for the best.
My eyes burn and mist. I tell myself it’s just a reaction to the sting of frozen air.
Okay, Emberly, suck it up. You’re going to keep searching until the twins are safe, or your nose falls off from frostbite. Whichever comes first.
You’re going to stop feeling bad for yourself and do what you need to do. You’ve been on your own before—you can certainly do it again. Going back to your own life will be safer for you and everyone else.
My pep talk keeps me lumbering forward. I pause every five minutes or so to call out the twins’ names, but am only ever answered by the elements. It’s not long before I reach the timberline and the evergreens and aspen trees disappear, opening up to a sprawling white tundra.