He jumped to me and reached up, dissolving the chains around my wrists unto ash. I almost collapsed in shock but managed to keep my feet under me.

"Ember?"

He nodded, holding me up by my elbows. "In the flesh. C'mon. Sorry you had to see that." He ushered me out of the room and past the cells. The guards wearing dark blue rushed ahead with keys and began unlocking prisoners.

"Nobel ran into some issues getting the gate open," one of the other guards called over his shoulder as a man sprinted out of his cell.

I couldn't believe my eyes. He had vanished so quietly. Then, Romina had run off. "Is Romina okay?"

Ember nodded and glanced down at me. "She's okay." Ember's hands moved from my elbows to my face, cupping it tenderly and staring into my eyes. He planted his lips on my forehead and held me close, arms still shaking from anger. "Are you okay?"

"I can walk," I said steadily. "My hands are pretty useless." Ember nodded, clenching his jaw.

"Fugg," he swore. "I wish I could kill him again. Hate him." Ember's grip on me tightened protectively as the guards opened the last cell and we made our way up the stairs.

"Ember, I healed the king," I remembered. "He's alive."

Ember nodded. "Hopefully not for long. Nobel told me."

We continued our journey into a hallway bright with the morning sun. My lungs were burning, and my legs felt like jelly. As my adrenaline faded, my body realized that it was horribly tired. I forced myself forward.

Shouts echoed down the hall, and Ember pulled us backward as the guards surged forward. Ember set me down on the ground and I realized that he had been doing most of the work all this time. My body gratefully collapsed. Ember drew his sword. "Stay here."

I nodded, and he sprinted down the hall. I heard shouting and Ember yelled someone's name as a ball of fire exploded. I jumped and stared at the entryway. Ember and one of the guards came running back. Ember's face was contorted with pain and rage.

"Ember, what was that?"

He shook his head. "Oxbloods. The king's given orders for them to explode and take as many of us down with them as they can. There's not even a body to bury," he spat, helping me up and sliding his arm under my shoulder. The other guard wiped ash from his face and took point as we lurched through the hallway and into the main atrium.

I glanced to the side and saw red splattered on the wall. Vomit rose in my throat.

An arrow flew into the atrium and pierced the other soldier in the thigh, sending him down with a shout. Ember shoved me behind him and turned to where the arrow originated.

A moment of silence passed, and I gripped Ember's shirt, peering over his shoulder as the king emerged from behind an archer.

"I believe you have something of mine," the king noted. "She has yet to finish her job." His voice was casual.

"I looks like I didn't finish my job either." Ember's voice betrayed nothing but fierce hatred.

"Nor did I. I intended to kill you with me. It seems we both survived. My second attempt took out your mother instead, I've been told. Oxblood bombs are notoriously inaccurate."

I froze. Ember's mother? Ember's hand tightened on me, and he kept me firmly behind him as the king began to walk in a circle around us. Ember's eyes darted to the archer.

A knife lodged itself into the archer's shoulder and he fell. I glanced to where our fallen guard was pulling another knife. The king wasn't circling us, he was walking to the injured guard. Before he could throw another one, the king stepped on his wrist. A horrific snap echoed around the space and the guard passed out.

The king smiled and continued his pacing, kicking away the mangled hand. "I guess I will have to kill you the old way," he noted, drawing his sword and shrugging off his coat.

Ember maneuvered me to a wall and let go. I leaned against the wall, watching as Ember stepped forward and drew his own sword. His hand burned a bright red, and the handle of his sword began to heat up.

The two paused, sizing each other up. "Surely you haven't forgotten how this ended last time, boy?"

"I'm not a boy anymore," Ember spat. He lunged forward and the king parried, dancing around him. The king laughed and struck out. Ember danced aside.

Ember jumped forward and the two blocked blows. The king swung his sword overhead and Ember leaned back, nearly falling backward. He grabbed a pillar and steadied himself.

"You're different," the king noted. "Slower." A light behind his eyes lit up. "You're still wounded from the battle. You never recovered."

Ember didn't respond but stabbed forward. The king sidestepped and brought his sword down on Ember's arm, slicing the skin. He yelped and jumped back.

I couldn't just stand here watching. My eyes landed on the knife next to the unconscious guard's twisted hand. I glanced down at my hands and my chest protested at the movement. That wouldn't work.

I could heal. I could create meaning from discordant strands of letters and words deep inside someone. What if I created chaos instead of order?

I managed to steady myself on my feet and met Ember's eyes. His eyebrows shot up as he realized my intentions. I pulled off the makeshift spinne bandage that Nobel made me and thrust my hand at the king's face, making contact. I closed my eyes and immediately dove into the pain in his head.

I grabbed a fistful of meaning and yanked hard.

My backside landed hard on the ground, and I realized that the king had spun and pushed me away. He roared, grabbing his head. I scooted forward and smashed my wrist desperately against his exposed ankle.

Again, I found myself in the weeds of chaos in his mind. I pulled strands and began tying them together as quickly as I could, destroying all semblance of order.

A horrific pain dragged me back into my body. My hand was screaming in pain, and I saw the king's boot stomping down on my other hand. I yelped and he lifted his foot to kick me in the chest, hard.

I grabbed my hand to my chest and cowered backward, whimpering. My fingers were black, and all bent at strange angles. Blood was seeping out of spots where the bones had pierced the skin. Blackness crowded my vision.

"Naomi!"

I glanced up the king, who whirled around. The next thing I saw, a silver blade emerged from his back, covered in blood. The king fell back, barely missing me. He was dead.

Ember stood behind him. He won.

A spot of red began at his lower left chest and began to blossom like a flower in spring. He gave me a small smile before collapsing into the ground. A sword protruded from his chest.

"Ember!" I screeched, crawling over to him. My hands fumbled for the blade, but I couldn't grip it with the pain that was screaming down my wrists. The room began to spin. "Help!" I screamed. "Help!"

The castle was silent.

No. No. No. No.

He was supposed to have another few years. Not now. Not like this.