Page 109 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

“Sorry to interrupt the reunion, girls,” Rain said gently, turning back to the sisters. “I need to release your other siblings. Rose, do you know what power Ember has? Scarlet wasn’t sure.”

The sisters pulled apart but kept their hands tightly intertwined.

“She swallows fire,” Rose said, making a whooshing sound, her delicate fingers wiggling, representing flames shooting into her mouth. “She can’t hurt you. She lived with me as a baby. But Briar was lost and lonely.”

Her mouth tightened.

“They started with play dates. Then one day… they never brought her back. Briar wouldn’t let her leave, and nobody could stop her. They say they’re safe and happy together. Briar’s flames don’t cause damage, but the pain that lingers is…”

She hesitated, searching for the right word.

“…cruel. Be careful blue Rain, avoid her flames.”

“I will,” Rain promised. “Just for my peace of mind, can you both sit facing away from one another?”

“In case I lose control,” Scarlet whispered, clutching her figurine to her chest. She looked younger than Rose in that moment; fragile, frightened and exhausted.

Rain nodded. Rose squeezed her hand tighter.

“We will. Save our sisters,” Rose said firmly.

“Thank you.”

He gave them a warm, reassuring smile before turning toward the final tower.

The metal door groaned under his power, then tore free from its hinges. If he had his way, these prison towers would be torn from the aerth and destroyed until nothing remained. He stepped inside, bracing himself for whatever awaited him, and began to climb the spiralling stairs.

Chapter 36

This chapter describes child abandonment and neglect. With themes of trauma caused by such abuse.

Aglowing red vine of violent flame snapped around Rain’s throat the instant he leaned through the doorway.

It hit with surgical precision.

The heat was blinding, but the pain—the pain was something else entirely. It stabbed through his skin like molten needles, burrowing deep into tendons, wrapping around muscle, pulsing in a vicious rhythm that made his vision blur.

He grunted, teeth clenched, as the vine tightened.

Before him stood a frail yet ferocious young girl. Briar; her wild halo of smoky, knotted hair crackling with embers. She wore nothing but a ragged, stained t-shirt and underwear, her bare legs streaked with soot. A smaller version of her cowered behind her, swallowed in a makeshift pillowcase dress with holes cut for her head and arms.

Briar’s stance was fierce.

Protective.

Unyielding.

Her power poured from her palm in a continuous stream, feeding the vine around Rain’s neck. She didn’t tremble. She didn’t hesitate. She was in complete control and she had caught him entirely off guard.

Rain curled his fingers around the flaming vine, trying to pry it loose. The moment his skin touched it, pain stabbed through his fingertips,matching the agony at his throat. His breath hitched. His knees nearly buckled.

He had expected something like Raymon’s sting. This was ten times worse.

Using every ounce of strength, he tore the vine free, ripping it from his neck with a guttural sound. The pain flared white-hot, then dulled to a throbbing burn.

Briar didn’t pause.

She unleashed another vine; faster, sharper but Rain was ready this time. He threw up a wall of energy, the vine slamming against it with a hiss.