Page 35 of Kiss of Embers

My father followed, and his growl boomed off the bones. “Don’t you dare run from me, girl!”

Tears burned my eyes. Ahead, the corridor branched in opposite directions. My heart lodged in my throat as I rushed forward. At the last second, I veered to the right. More skulls lined the walls, but now they formed patterns with what looked like human leg bones.

“I should have never named you my heir,” my father thundered at my heels. “You’re not strong enough to be alpha.”

Another fork in the corridor. I swerved left this time, and I lengthened my strides, pushing myself to go faster. Skulls flashed on either side of me. My father’s hot breath seared my nape.

“A disgrace!” he bellowed. “Your incompetence put me in my grave!”

A sob burst from me.

“Hear us, hear us!” Serge shouted from somewhere. “Accept the nobly fallen into your embrace!”

Light shimmered ahead. A stone table sat against a wall of bones, its surface glowing like the light from Inessa’s parchment and quill.

A puzzle. As soon as the thought entered my mind, my father and Serge disappeared.

I stumbled to a halt, and I braced my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. My ponytail dangled over my shoulder. Stray hairs stuck to my sweaty neck. A tear trickled from the corner of my eye and plopped onto the stone at my feet.

My father was dead. Serge was in Maine. The visions represented my worst fears. Nothing more. They couldn’t hurt me.

Straightening, I approached the table. Wooden blocks in various shapes and sizes were scattered across the surface. No two blocks were sized the same, but they all bore a glowing glyph. I studied them, looking for a pattern—or any clue indicating what I was supposed to do with them.

“You’ll never figure it out,” a man’s voice said in my ear. I jumped, my startled scream loud in the corridor. Before I could think better of it, I looked at him.

Alix stood inches away, hatred gleaming in his eyes. “You caused the moon sickness,” he snarled. “It should have been you in the ground that day.”

I jerked my attention back to the puzzle.He’s not real.My fingers trembled as I reached for a block. The second I touched it, fire flared in my hand.

“Fuck!” I flung the block to the table. The fire disappeared. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I chanted, cradling my hand to my chest.

Alix’s laugh was loud and cruel. “Stupid bitch. You can’t even get that right.”

I ignored him as I lifted my hand and examined it. There was no pain. And my skin was whole, with no traces of a burn. For a moment, I forgot about the vision of Alix as I studied the blocks on the table. The block I’d dropped was unblemished, its wood untouched by the fire.

Fire.The glyphs glowed, each one a miniature piece of art. The witches used glyphs in their spells and curses. It was a complex language with tens of thousands of characters. Mastering it took centuries. But witchcraft was also rooted in elemental magic—and there were only seven elements. The witches divided them into two groups:ordinaryandarcane. And there were just four ordinary elements. Air, earth, water…

And fire.

Before I could think better of it, I selected a different block. Instantly, soil filled my hand. Rich and dark, it spilled between my fingers and fell to the table. I set the block down and picked up another. A tiny tornado danced in my palm, the funnel of air tickling my skin. I swapped the block for another. Once again, fire crackled above my knuckles.

Triumph coursed through me. Each block represented one of the four ordinary elements. Maybe I didn’t have to translate the glyphs. Maybe the puzzle simply wanted me to sort the blocks. But how?

“Zara.”

I stiffened at the sound of my mother’s voice. The scent of wildflowers teased my nose, and then she stepped into view at my side.

But she wasn’t real. I kept my head down, and I ignored her as I reached for another block. Another ball of fire engulfed my hand. This time, I held steady as it flared above my fingers. The blaze didn’t burn me, but I still didn’t know what to do with it.

My mother moved closer, and the stench of rotting flesh replaced the wildflowers. “Zara,” she rasped, reaching out a hand. Her shriveled fingers came into view, her once-beautiful nails broken and caked with dirt. A maggot dropped onto the table and wriggled among the blocks.

Tears burned my throat. The fire in my hand continued to dance merrily. How the fuck was I supposed to figure this out? Frustration rose hot and thick, and I tossed the block away. It tumbled across the table, settling at the top of the jumble of blocks. The fire winked out. The block’s glyph flared more brightly. A second later, the block disappeared.

My heart raced. I grabbed another block. Water rushed over my wrist. I hesitated, then replaced the block and picked up another. Fire flared. I stared at it for a second, then leaned over and placed it at the top of the table.

The glyph brightened, and the block disappeared.

Yes! The fire had to go on top. My heart pumped faster as I lifted block after block, hunting for fire. Each time I found it, I placed those blocks above the others. One by one, the blocks vanished. When I ran out of fire, I switched to earth.