The path north was no path at all—just frostbitten soil, ancient roots, and trees so tall they choked the sky.
The further Aria and her group traveled, the colder it became. Even her fire, ever burning close to her skin, seemed to flicker more reluctantly now. The Ember children wore thick cloaks scavenged from Vareth Hollow, but their breath misted in the air with every word.
They were nearing Blackglass Vale—a region once filled with glimmering obsidian fields, now twisted into a place of dread and prophecy. It was said that nothing truly lived there. Not anymore.
And it was where Daivon's scroll said they'd find the Sovereign's seer.
A boy.
A curse.
And a key.
---
The Whispers Beneath Frost
Kael had taken the lead for most of the journey, but Aria walked ahead now, her flame guiding their way through the fog-blanketed forest. The trees here were different—darker, leaner, and humming softly with magic that clawed at the edges of her senses.
"Don't touch the bark," she warned the group. "It's laced with binding runes."
"How do you know?" Mira asked.
"Because I burned one," Aria said simply. "And it screamed."
Rowan paled.
They pressed onward.
Somewhere in the distance, a crow cried out—then went silent. The sound echoed too long in the mist.
"They're watching," Kael murmured, hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Let them," Aria said. "We're not hiding."
Still, her voice was quieter than before.
---
Blackglass Vale
They arrived at the edge of the Vale by dusk. The obsidian fields stretched out in jagged waves, glinting like broken mirrors under the dying sun. In the center stood a lone tower, thin and black as a needle.
"That's it?" Kye whispered. "That's where he lives?"
Aria nodded. "That's where he's kept."
"The seer?" Mira asked.
Aria didn't answer. She stepped forward, the glass cracking softly beneath her boots. Kael followed, motioning for the others to wait by the forest's edge.
The closer they got, the more wrong everything felt.
No birds. No wind.
No warmth.
The door of the tower opened before they even knocked.
---
The Seer's Curse
Inside, the tower was lit by silver fire.
Not blue, not red—silver.
It clung to the walls like cobwebs, shimmering faintly, and it did not burn. At the center of the stone floor sat a boy—no older than twelve—blindfolded and bound by chains made of glowing bone.
He looked up as they entered, though his eyes were hidden.
"You've come late," he said.
Aria stopped cold.
"You're the seer," she said carefully.
The boy smiled. "They call me that. Others have worse names."
"What do you call yourself?"
"Lior."
Kael frowned. "You knew we were coming?"
"I saw you in dreams. Saw you burning."
Aria stepped closer. "We were told you'd help us."
Lior tilted his head. "Then they lied."
---
A Vision of Fire and Ash
The room rippled suddenly—silver fire flaring across the walls.
Lior's voice dropped to a whisper.
"I see it… the twin thrones. One of bone, one of flame. I see a woman with a crown made of fire, standing on ashes. I see a man in gold, but his face is not his own. I see the sky bleeding…"
Kael reached for his blade. "Is he possessed?"
"No," Aria said. "He's seeing."
Lior's body stiffened. "The Sovereign knows. He sees what I see. He's coming."
Then he screamed.
The fire exploded outward.
Chains shattered.
Aria raised both hands, shielding Kael as a wave of silver fire engulfed them. Her own flame pushed back instinctively, red against silver.
When the light faded, Lior had collapsed.
Breathing.
But no longer bound.
---
Truths in the Quiet
Later, after the others had come and the tower had been made safe, Aria sat beside the boy as Mira fed him water.
He was quiet now. Pale, but calm.
"I wasn't always like this," he said softly. "They made me see. The Sovereign placed a shard of his crown in my mind—so he could spy through me. But I turned it against him."
"You're dangerous to him," Aria said.
Lior nodded. "That's why he'll come."
"Then we run."
"No," Lior said. "You take me with you."
Kael raised a brow. "That's not a good idea."
"I know what he's planning," Lior said. "What he really wants. It's not the throne. It's the Pyreblood."
Aria froze.
"What did you say?"
"You," the boy whispered. "He wants you, Aria. Because your fire isn't just flame. It's life. And he needs it to live forever."
---
The Mark Returns
That night, as they camped on the edge of the Vale, Aria couldn't sleep. The fire she'd conjured didn't warm her the same way. Lior's words echoed in her ears.
He wants you. Your fire is life.
She reached up and pulled down the collar of her tunic, revealing the old scar just above her heart.
It pulsed faintly.
The mark of the Pyreblood.
She remembered the first time it had appeared—before her death. Before her rebirth.
Was that what Zavien had known all along?
Was that why she had died?
Kael sat beside her without a word. After a long silence, he spoke.
"We can't protect them all."
"No," she said. "But we can try."
He reached into his satchel and handed her the scroll Daivon had given them.
"It's time to open this."
---
The Ember Map
The scroll cracked as she broke the red wax seal. Inside was a map—hand-drawn, ancient, and shimmering with ink that danced in the firelight. It marked five locations.
Five Emberline vaults.
One to the north. One buried beneath the sea. One hidden in the desert. One atop the Spires of Dusk.
And one… beneath the Sovereign's own palace.
Aria's blood ran cold.
"He's sitting on it," she whispered. "The last Emberline vault."
Kael looked grim. "Then we go around him."
Lior stirred. "He'll know. If you try to take what's beneath him, he'll raze the sky to stop you."
Aria stared at the flickering flame.
"Then we don't take it. We make him bring it to us."
Kael blinked. "What?"
She looked up. "We draw him out. Force him to come to us. And then we burn the crown."