Chapter 1:Gates Of Ash
The path up to Emberwraith Citadel cut like an old wound across those lifeless hills.
That night, fog wrapped around it so thick you could hardly breathe. The haze stayed down near the ground. It slithered past my boots almost like it wanted to touch me.
I could not make out much beyond a couple steps in front. When a breeze picked up, bits of ash floated down from nowhere in lazy turns. They settled on my coat and caught in my eyes.
This stuff was not the usual kind from a blaze. It came off colder somehow, more like dust from long dead things ground up fine.
Folks back in the village named that part the Wailing Mile. They claimed nobody took it on purpose.
Not unless things got really bad for them. Or unless their head was not right anymore.
I could not tell what kept me going exactly.
Out there in the murk, the shape of the Citadel started to show up. It stood sharp and bony against the sky. Black towers stuck up like teeth ready to bite.
From way off, it did not seem made by hands. More like it sprouted from the earth and turned hard over time. Every part of me wanted to head the other way.
Still, that feeling had not helped my sister at all.
Her final note sat heavy in my pocket right then. The writing looked shaky, and the paper had ragged ends. "Elias" it said. Whispers fill my sleep now. They seem to rise out of the mirrors.
I kept telling myself it was just her mind wandering for a while. Then she vanished completely. Nothing left to find.
Village talk had it that she headed to Emberwraith Citadel by herself. A few swore the place pulled her in somehow.
I had to follow through on this. Could not just let her face it solo. Not somewhere like that.
A sharp gust came along the trail just then. It brought soft sounds that brushed my arms cold. I held the lantern tighter in my fist.
Part of me said it was all in my head messing around. But the whole air felt loaded down. It knew I was there.
For a second, the mist pulled back a little. I spotted the gates made of iron. They towered higher than anything back home.
The metal looked dark with streaks that reminded me too much of old stains. Odd marks covered the surface.
I did not know what they meant. The cuts ran rough and wild, like whoever did them hurried in fear.
I halted a good way from them. My heart pounded hard. The world around went quiet all at once. Even the fog seemed to wait.
Those gates let out a sound next.
It dragged on low and pained. Like they hated the shift. Or maybe they invited me closer.
I stood still as stone. My hands stayed off them completely. But they swung wide anyway. Slow, like they meant it. Like they saw me coming.
Cold ran straight up my back.
"Liora," I said quietly to myself. Her name felt like armor. "I am on my way."
The open yard stretched out in broken pieces under me. Stones paved it, but cracked in all directions. Statues lay scattered and ruined. Some had no faces left, like forgotten angels.
Others showed fighters bent wrong in their poses. A few looked like creatures that made no sense at all. Ash blanketed the whole area. It hung there thick as a grave cover.
My light from the lantern shook across the ground. Shadows pulled out too far in odd ways.
They twisted from the glow or leaned into it. The mist changed that every time. Right then, something caught my eye for a flash. A shape moving. Someone standing just out of clear sight.
"Hello," I said out loud. Part of me hoped for an answer. Part dreaded it. "Is anyone around?"
Nothing came back but quiet.
A voice touched my ear after that. It belonged to a man. Gentle and right nearby.
"Turn back."
I whipped around fast. No one stood there. Only more fog rolling in.
My breathing caught up short. My pulse thumped so strong it filled my ears.
I moved further into the yard. My steps sank soft in the ash. The weight in the air pushed down harder now.
It squeezed at my chest with every breath. Lungs fought to pull it in. The place felt like the inside of a dead fire. Heat gone cold, but still holding some spark deep.
As I kept on, low voices started from the stone around me. A couple warned me off. Some sounded like crying.
Others let out laughs that scraped empty. They hurt right in my joints.
The Citadel kept its eyes on me. I sensed it plain as the lantern hanging from my grip.
The main door waited up ahead. It gaped dark between huge supports. Figures twisted into the carvings there. I crossed the line, and night took over the sky above. Just my little flame pushed back the black now.
Inside, pictures covered the walls once. Colors faded and cracked like skin gone bad. Shapes stretched wrong across the scenes.
Arms too long, faces folded in on themselves. Eyes stared from spots they had no business being. A few of those forms shifted when I looked away.
My breath grew shallower with each passing second. I slipped my hand into my coat pocket. I felt Liora's letter right there under the fabric.
That simple touch helped ground me somehow. I brought her smile to mind. It was stubborn. It was bright. For just a moment, the panic inside me started to fade a bit. I moved further into the hallway.
The whispers shifted right then. They started saying my name out loud.
"Elias" "Elias"
A few of those voices sounded like they were begging. Some others just mocked me. One voice stood out deeper than the rest. It vibrated right through my bones.
You belong here.
I pushed myself to keep going forward.
The staircase waited at the end of the hall. It spiraled up from there. The stone looked charred. It crumbled a little under every step I took. It creaked when I put my weight on it.
It almost groaned in protest. My lantern light flickered around me. The flame pulled back like it was struggling to breathe.
I stopped halfway up those stairs. The air felt different all of a sudden. The Citadel throbbed under my feet.
It had this slow rhythm. It reminded me of a huge heart beating somewhere deep.
I swallowed hard. I kept climbing anyway.
The top opened into a big chamber. It was round and empty inside. Cold wind rushed through the cracks in the stone walls. My lantern provided the only light. It shook in my hand.
That is when I noticed them.
Mirrors covered the space.
Dozens of them waited there. Some stood tall and cracked. Others lay shattered on the floor. A few leaned against the walls. Their surfaces twisted the reflections in odd ways.
They showed rooms that did not exist here. They showed forests on fire under black moons. They showed oceans where shadows hid just below the waves.
One mirror looked untouched by all that mess. It stood tall. Scorched metal framed it. The surface moved like water after a stone hits it.
A figure started to come into view inside that one.
It was a girl.
Her face looked pale against the glass. Her hair hung tangled around her. Her dress showed tears everywhere. It seemed like she had clawed her way through rough stuff for days on end.
My heart just stopped beating for a second.
"Liora." My voice cracked when I said it. "Liora. That is you."
She lifted her hand real slow. She pressed it against the glass from the other side. Her lips moved apart. No sound came from her. A bunch of whispers filled the chamber instead.
"She is ours"
I stumbled back from the mirror.
"No!" I shouted it loud. "Liora, Hold on. I am here."
Her face twisted up. It was not anger. It was not fear. It showed pure pain. She formed words with her mouth. No sound came out.
"Run!"
The chamber let out a groan. A deep rumble shook the floor under me. Dust fell from the ceiling above.
The mirror got a crack running through it. A thin line split right across Liora's face.
"No" "No" I reached out toward her. The glass broke again. It split once more. The whole thing shattered outward all at once. Pieces flew everywhere. They caught light from dozens of twisted versions of my own panicked face.
I covered my head on instinct. One sharp piece cut across my palm. Warm blood dropped down to the floor.
The lantern flame jumped around wild. Shadows twisted in the chamber. They moved along the walls like they lived.
They stretched out toward me. The whispers turned into a loud shrieking sound. It bounced around inside my head.
My lantern died out completely.
Darkness took over everything.
I stood frozen there. My breath caught in my throat.
Then I heard the sound.
Footsteps came closer. They moved slow. They felt deliberate. They sounded heavy.
Something big shifted behind the mirrors. It dragged over the stone. The noise made me shake all over.
"Who is there?" I whispered it. My voice came out small. It sounded broken.
One more step echoed. It came nearer.
The whispers stopped all at once. Something made them go quiet.
A single voice broke through from the darkness. It sounded deep. It felt ancient. It carried hunger.
"You are late, Elias"
Every muscle in my body went tight.
The thing behind me felt huge. It towered over everything. It brought cold. It pressed in and suffocated. I did not turn around. I could not breathe right. I could not think straight.
My sister's warning played back in my head.
"Run!"
Adrenaline hit me hard. I spun around. I ran straight for the staircase. A roar filled the chamber behind me. It came from something monstrous.
The sound echoed and made the whole Citadel shake. Cold hands grabbed at my coat. I could not see them. Shadows nipped at my heels as I rushed down the stairs.
I never looked back once.
The hall came into view again. The murals twisted in the edge of my sight. Figures pushed out from the walls. They strained like they wanted to escape.
You cannot leave. A whisper came right behind me.
"Yes, I can." I gasped it out. "I will."
The courtyard passed in a blur. Ash filled the air and burned my lungs. Fog grew thick around me. It felt like hitting a wall made of it. My boots slid on the stones below.
Something huge crashed into the doorway behind. The Citadel let out a scream. The building itself wailed in pain. The cry spread through the whole land.
I kept running until the gates rose up ahead.
They slammed closed the second I passed through.
The impact threw me down to my knees. I gasped for air. I held my bleeding hand tight. My body shook so bad my teeth rattled together.
Fog swallowed up the Citadel fast. The whispers died away.
For a moment, I only heard my heartbeat pounding.
I got up and staggered from the gates. I shook all over. I felt broken inside. A whisper crept into the back of my mind.
It sounded soft. It felt cold. It seemed familiar.
"You will be back, Elias"
I ran straight through until dawn broke.