Hearts before dawn

The first ember fell at dawn.It glowed like a dying star as it drifted through the misty air, landing on the frost-laced petals of a bloodrose. The petals hissed and curled inward, blackening to ash. From the cliff above, Elira watched silently, her crimson cloak fluttering behind her like a flag of war.She had seen this omen in her dreams.“Are you certain?” A gruff voice broke the stillness behind her.Elira didn’t turn. She knew the voice belonged to Commander Thorne, her oldest friend and the only one who still dared to speak to her without fear. Her fingers closed tighter around the glowing dagger at her belt—the Emberfang, forged from the last flame of the Pyrewell.“I felt it in my bones last night. He’s coming,” Elira said quietly, her silver hair catching the first touch of sunlight.“Prince Kaelen?” Thorne asked, a tremor of disbelief in his voice.Elira’s silence was answer enough.Three years ago, Kaelen had vanished into the firestorm that destroyed the Ember Court. They all believed he’d perished—Elira most of all. She had stood before the ashes of her kingdom with nothing but his ring in her palm and betrayal in her heart.Now he was alive. And the sky had begun to burn again.“We should leave,” Thorne said, stepping beside her. “If he’s truly returned, it won’t be as an ally.”Elira finally looked at him. “We can’t run. Not this time.”Thorne’s expression darkened. “Then what are we preparing for?”Elira turned her gaze back to the valley below, where the forest shimmered with the ghost of ancient magic and the ruins of the Ember Court still smoldered under layers of time and memory.“For war,” she whispered. “And for answers.”She took a deep breath, feeling the ember flare warm against her skin. The dagger hummed, as though responding to the truth she hadn’t spoken aloud.She still loved him. Even after everything.But love was no shield. Not anymore.