《Ember: Tales of the Elementals》


 Chapter 1: The Kings Coming

    "Firth! Come get your dinner, sweetheart!"


    I sighed and closed my sketchbook reluctantly. Had it been my mother''s voice calling me out from my sanctuary, the term "sweetheart" would''ve been one of affection, maybe even endearment. But when it came from one of my older brothers, the word was soaked with sarcasm. I was mother''s favorite, but I would''ve gladly traded that away in an instant to be left alone by my large, muscular, and mean brothers. In the meantime, I hid from them. But no matter how secluded my hiding spot of choice was, they always found it out eventually. For example, my most recent abode, the one where I had just been sketching out rude caricatures of my brothers. It was a run-down shack sitting on the edge of our prospering farm and tucked into a thick copse of oak trees. It was invisible to the eye, at least in theory. But if I had taken too long to respond to my brother''s summons, a pack of them - maybe five or six of the eight total - would hunt me down until they discovered the only truly safe place in our entire farm.


    "Firth! Get over here!"


    Yes, obedience tends to be the key, especially if you happen to have eight brothers who can each beat you black-and-blue in under five minutes.


    I nestled my sketchbook in its sheltered corner of the shack, which I''d built out of scrap wood to protect it from the weather. My brothers had already destroyed several previous iterations of my treasured sketchbook, and I wasn''t going to give them the chance to do it again.


    "Firth!"


    I knew I was cutting it close and hustled out of my shack as fast as I could. I stayed low as I left the copse, hoping to avoid detection, but my brothers had sharp eyesight. For once, there were only four of them. I figured that something more exciting than picking on their little brother must¡¯ve been going on elsewhere.


    "Firth, there you are!" Torin, my eldest brother at twenty-four, sauntered over with an ease that only confidence of victory could give. He clapped me on the shoulder in a "brotherly" way, but I knew how much he and the others truly detested me. If they had their way, I would get shipped off the farm before next daybreak. "We''ve been looking all over for you! Is this where you''ve been hiding?"


    Caolan, second to Torin in age but far exceeding him in height, moved to inspect the copse I had just snuck out of. "Pretty ramshackle hideout you''ve got in there, if you ask me."


    I thought of saying, "Well, I wasn''t asking you," but experience had taught me that snappy comebacks did nothing to help my case. Instead, I bit my tongue and waited for them to tire of their games so we could all go to dinner.


    Always on the lookout for an opportunity to steal something, Foley (fourth born) slipped through the trees and into my shack, followed closely by his twin, Fergus (fifth born). The two of them rarely went anywhere without each other. There were a few clangs and bangs as the twins rooted around my home-away-from-home, and then Foley emerged from the shadows of the copse, triumphantly grasping my sketchbook. "The apple never falls far from the tree, now does it?" Fergus said snidely. "Or at least I think that''s how it goes."


    I closed my eyes, already berating myself for the moment of weakness that was to follow next. Normally, I didn''t care much for the loss of my nature sketches, but there was one drawing in particular I wished to save from destruction. "Fergus," I said, applying my efforts to the more reasonable twin, "I''ve been working on a drawing for Cassidy''s birthday. Would you be so gracious as to allow me to keep it instead of destroying it with the rest?"


    Foley flipped through my sketchbook and tore out a half-finished drawing of Cassidy, our younger sister. In her portrait, she was looking up into the distance with a melancholy look. Her light blonde hair framed her face like a glowing halo, making her look like the little angel she was. "You mean this one?" Foley asked with a grin.


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    I nodded somberly, not sure whether to prepare myself for disappointment or relief. Knowing my brothers, I opted for the former.


    Predictably, Foley crumpled up my sketch of Cassidy and threw it to the ground. He stomped on it several times, defiling the once-white paper with dirty boot prints, and then spit on it. I winced. It had taken hours for me to draw even part of her portrait, and it wouldn''t be an easy task to finish it before her thirteenth birthday next week.


    "C''mon, Firth, let''s go in for dinner." Torin wrapped one arm around my shoulder and led me toward the house. Caolan and the twins followed behind, Foley grasping my sketchbook as if it was made of gold.


    "So, how''d today go?" my mother asked me after dinner had been served. "Anything exciting happen?"


    I gave Foley a look, and he drew a finger across his throat. A warning. I knew what that warning meant. It said, "Tattle on me, and you''ll be sleeping with the fishes tonight." Literally. The one time I tattled on them, my brothers took me outside while I was sleeping and dumped me in the river. They thought it was hilarious. As usual.


    "No, Mom, nothing exciting," I said, studying my food as if it was the most interesting thing on earth.


    "Well, I have some news for you," my father stated. "You''ll never believe that..." I promptly tuned out the conversation, expecting him to bring up our neighbor''s new calf or some other trivial piece of news that I was already aware of. But then the words "King''s arrival" poked through, and I perked up.


    "What did you say about the King?" I asked.


    "Maybe if you listened, then you''d know," Brone (third born) said, elbowing me from the seat beside me. "You should stop getting lost in all those daydreams of yours."


    I ignored him and looked to my mother. She was the soft spot in my family and was sure to give me my every desire, hence the source of my brothers¡¯ dislike.


    "King Justian will be visiting town tomorrow. According to rumor, he''s coming to pick some sort of high official to serve in his court," Mother explained.


    "But doesn''t he pick his workers from among royalty and nobles?" Rian (eighth born) questioned. "Why would he come all the way down here? His castle''s way in the north, isn''t it?"


    "Ailee said that the King''s been traveling all over to find this official he''s looking for, and no one''s been good enough for him," Kieron (seventh born) said, blushing as he mentioned the girl he''d been crushing on for years. I had known about it for a while, but his heavy threats had prevented me from using the knowledge to my advantage. For now.


    "Well, I, for one, intend to stay here," I said. "Even if the King is willing to choose one of us lowly peasants to work for him - crazy as it sounds - I don''t need to uproot my entire life on the chance there might be something better out there for me."


    "Besides," said Madden (sixth born), "He wouldn''t pick you anyway. There''s no room for scrawny fifteen-year-olds in the King''s castle." My seven other brothers all cracked up at that joke, though it was far from the funniest. They just enjoyed leaping at any and every opportunity to make fun of me. Cassidy gave me an encouraging smile from the other side of the table. If it weren''t for her, I would''ve run a long time ago. Or at least I would''ve thought about it. I didn''t have the courage to actually run away, nor the ability to make it on my own. I would''ve come back crying within a day or two, if not sooner.


    I was stuck there, on our cozy little farm. But I didn''t mind it much. My brothers bugged me, but I got used to it. Cassidy made everything better. She should''ve won an award for Best Sister. She always knew exactly what to say to make the hurts hurt less. But out there, out in the world, there were people worse than my brothers. Crazy, but true. There were thieves, criminals, and people who hurt others for the fun of it. But there was no one like Cassidy. She was one of a kind. I could barely take my brothers'' teasing with her by my side, and so I dreaded to see what would happen if I ever lost her.


    Excusing myself from the chaos of a dinner table well-stocked with rowdy teenage boys, I crept upstairs to the attic. My actual home. It wasn''t all bad - it had a soft cot, a few candles, and a rickety bookshelf stocked with a few of my favorite reads. In fact, it was pretty cozy. I slipped under my sheets - thin and hole-ridden - and contemplated the stars painted on my ceiling. Whenever I was feeling thoughtful or sad, I would stare up into their black abyss and lose myself in their beauty. Cassidy had done a great job with painting them. Her skills far exceeded mine.


    I rolled over. Something didn''t feel right. I had thought that I wanted to stay home forever. And yet part of me longed for adventure. The longing was strange and unfamiliar, alien, even. I was used to adapting to whatever came my way, never truly forging my own path. But the rumors of the King''s arrival had sparked something in me. It almost felt like a... a flame of excitement. No, not even that. It was simply an ember within me, glowing quietly and steadily. But if someone chose to pause, and take the time to blow on it, then who knew what it could become.

 Chapter 2: Testing

    My brothers insisted on waking up early. The sun had barely risen when I heard them stomping around downstairs. I pulled my pillow over my head in an attempt to block them out. The noise was unbearable. They made the whole house shake in their preparations, and it sounded as if a whole herd of wild horses was galloping by. After five minutes, I gave up on going back to sleep. I rummaged through my tiny closet - if you could call it that - and got out the sole suit in my possession. It was a bit small on me, but if I was going to see a king that day, I needed to look my best. Even if my best tore at the sides when I lifted my arms.


    Now adequately clothed, at least for the most part, I slipped downstairs to see what we had for breakfast. Cassidy was waiting in the kitchen with a big pot of oatmeal. With such a large family (nine sons, one daughter, and two parents), we had invested in equally large pots and pans to cook enough food for all of us. I had tried to lift the smallest of the set once, and its weight convinced me never to try it again. Cassidy and Mother must''ve had strong arms in order to cook with those pots and pans.


    "You hungry?" Cassidy asked, already tipping oatmeal into a bowl.


    "I''m a teenaged boy. When am I not hungry?" I replied, grabbing my bowl and a spoon from the drawer.


    Cassidy laughed. Her laughter was always music to my ears. It sounded like windchimes mixed with bells, and it made the world fresh again. "Make sure you stay out of trouble, Firth Henderson!" She waved the stirring spoon at me. "I don''t want to have to clean up after you!"


    "Okay, got it! No need to be so bossy." I whispered the last tease under my breath, but she heard it and scoffed at me.


    "For that, you can eat outside. Go on, mister, go!" Cassidy pointed me out of the kitchen and onto our porch, still gesturing with the spoon. I didn''t mind. I liked the porch better anyway.


    The oatmeal was hot to the touch. I let it cool for a few minutes, then tasted it. Yup, same delicious oatmeal with a hint of cinnamon and spice. Mother always made it the same way. She claimed to have a "secret ingredient," but we all knew it was our homegrown spices that gave it an extra kick. No one knew how to grow those herbs just like my Momma did.


    I heard a few distant shouts and instinctively ducked down. Foley and Fergus ran in from town, yelling their heads off. It took a while before they were even close enough for anyone to hear them. "He''s here!" the twins shouted. "King Justian is here! He just arrived!"


    The rest of my brothers appeared from wherever they had been. Torin, Caolan, and Brone were working with Father in the fields, as usual, and the younger three had been gallavanting off in the woods somewhere. Torin looked like he was asking Father something, and then he and the rest of the pack stampeded toward town, whooping the whole way. Father wiped the sweat off of his brow and kept working.


    I crept back into the kitchen, carrying my empty oatmeal bowl. Cassidy had already cleaned up from breakfast, and by the looks of things, it had been empty for at least a week. "Hey, Cass," I called, setting my bowl next to the sink. "Foley and Fergus say the King''s here. He''s in town right now if you want to go see him."


    "Of course I want to see him!" Cassidy rushed down the stairs and grabbed me by the hands, twirling around with me. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime!" She paused, putting her hands on her hips. "Wait a minute... don''t tell me you were seriously thinking about staying at home today!"


    I shook my head. "I have more important things to do than gaze at our beloved leader in awe. It all sounds like a waste of time to me."


    "Aw, Firth, you''re such a bore! Come on, have some fun for once!" She made her best puppy dog face at me. "Pleeeeease?"


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    I laughed at her efforts to persuade me. "Alright, fine! But I''m only going for you - is that clear?"


    Cassidy saluted smartly. "Clear as mud, Firth sir!" Then she broke down giggling. "This is going to be the best day ever!"


    "This is the worst day ever," I muttered. A filthy, smelly crowd pushed in on me from every side. The shouts and cries of the people around me drowned out anything the King might have to say. I had to stand on my tiptoes just to get a glimpse of King Justian, and even then, I only saw the back of his head.


    The entire town was packed with people who had come to see the King. Folks from miles away had driven there in their run-down wooden wagons and with their entire families, too. I couldn''t even see my brothers through the mess, and considering how tall Caolan was, it was nothing short of a miracle.


    Trumpets sounded from the four corners of the main courtyard we were in, bringing some semblance of silence to the people. The King''s royal herald, dressed in deep purple and a silly-looking hat, stepped forward. He cleared his throat. "To the citizens of this charming little town, I give my greetings. As you all likely know, King Justian is here on a special mission."


    Here, the crowd broke into cheers. The poor herald could barely get two sentences out before being interrupted. He waved his hand, and the trumpets played again, louder than before. The people quieted.


    "Ahem, as I was saying... What was I saying again? Oh, yes, that''s right. The King''s special mission!" The herald spoke with a conspiratorial and even childish tone, as if he was about to announce that they would all be getting cookies before dinner. "King Justian has been searching for someone who is able to wield an ancient talisman of unspeakable power. None of the nobles were able to use this talisman, and so the King took his search to the lowliest. By which I mean you guys."


    A guard moved to stand next to the herald. He was holding a satin cushion, which had a small, intricately carved box nestled within it. The guard lifted up the cushion for all to see, and the crowd oohed and ahhed.


    "The King devised a small test to determine who has the capability to access the talisman''s power, and each of you will get the chance to pass this test," the herald continued. "It is the King''s order that everyone in this town gets a chance to try their hand at passing the test. Just get into an orderly line, and we can commence the testing!"


    People pushed and shoved for the honor to be first in line. People were knocked to the ground in the mad rush. I pulled Cassidy into a nearby alleyway to avoid the onslaught. She tried to slip back into the current of people stampeding past us, but I held her back. "Are you crazy?!" I asked. "You''ll get crushed out there!"


    Nothing could dim the hopeful light in her eyes. "I''ll do whatever it takes to pass that test! Just imagine what kind of power you could wield!" Her voice trailed off as her imagination took over.


    I could feel the draw myself. But something felt off. Nothing like this had ever happened before. It all sounded too good to be true. And as I had learned from my brothers, anything that sounded too good to be true generally wasn''t real. This was no exception. But it couldn''t hurt to try... could it?


    "If you want to take a crack at it, then I''ll go with you," I told Cassidy. "But let''s wait until the madness dies down. It''s total chaos out there."


    She grinned. "I knew you''d come around! Hopefully, it won''t take too long."


    As we waited, I watched what was happening by the herald so I would know what to expect when Cassidy took her turn. A long line of people stretched through town and ended just in front of the guard with the velvet cushion. The King''s elegant chair was moved forward, and as each person came up, he asked them a few questions. Then the person left, always with a disappointed look on their face. It didn''t take long for each person to go through the test, and the line shuffled through quickly. And yet it never seemed to end. People flowed into the line from every corner of town like rats spilling from the sewer. If the King went through this many hopefuls at every single town in the country, then it was a wonder he hadn''t found the right person.


    I tried to fathom what King Justian''s standards might be. How did he know who could use this mystical talisman and who couldn''t? Did it take courage? Wisdom? Kindness? Any one of my brothers would say that I had none of those attributes. I never stood up for myself, even after years of teasing and even bullying. I didn''t magically have the answer to every problem. And even though I cared deeply for Cassidy, it''s always easy to be nice to those who are nice back, and it didn''t necessarily mean that I was a kind person. I felt assured that I would never be picked.


    "Let''s go," Cassidy said. "The line''s dying down now." It hadn''t died down, not really. But she was eager to test her luck. As for me, I was safe in the certainty of a predictable future, and nothing could touch me now.

 Chapter 3: A Choice

    We moved through the line quickly. Before we knew it, Cassidy and I were at the front, facing King Justian the Bold, our supreme ruler. The whole experience was vastly underwhelming. He looked like any other middle-aged man, with short brown hair and a greying beard. If it weren''t for the shining crown upon his head and the regal robes he was dressed in, I would¡¯ve taken him for just another visitor to our humble town.


    But then my gaze shifted to the velvet cushion, the small carved box, and the treasure held within. King Justian was talking to Cassidy, asking her questions, but all of my attention was trained on the talisman. The rest of the world was a blur to me.


    The box in the velvet cushion had been propped open, presumably so that those who came up to be questioned by the King could see that which they so dearly wished to have. The talisman was beautiful. It was almost like a necklace or an amulet, made of burnished copper fashioned into the form of a powerful flame. I wasn''t sure how I knew it was a flame and not just a mis-mashed shape of wires, but somehow I just knew. The copper reflected the sunlight brilliantly, almost blinding me. I peered closer at the amulet. I possessed a strong curiosity about that which was desired by so many. It must''ve held tremendous power to warrant such a search for the proper user.


    Within the heart of the copper flame, I saw something glint. Something reflective and shiny. A jewel, perhaps. But it didn''t look like a jewel. It looked like a glass orb with shades of orange and red running through it. A delicate glow emanated from the orb, flickering like a candle. The flickers entranced me, calling to me. Before I knew it, my hand was reaching for the amulet. The orb''s glow flared as bright as the sun. Then it dimmed almost to nothing.


    The entire crowd went silent. Even King Justian turned to look at me. I had no idea what I had just done, but apparently, it must''ve been something impressive. Or something terribly, terribly wrong.


    "What is your name, boy?" the King asked of me. His tone was commanding but also friendly.


    "I-I''m Firth Henderson," I said shakily. "I didn''t do anything to it, I promise! It was just an accident - it won''t happen again."


    King Justian gave a hearty laugh, startling me. "It won''t happen again, he says. It was just an accident, he says." He laughed again. "My son, I don''t think you know how this all works!" He took the carved box and held it out to me, showcasing the amulet''s beauty and finesse. "This here is an Elemental Amulet," he said, "And it has chosen you. It will work for no other. Only you can unlock its secrets."


    "This has got to be a mistake!" Foley protested, pushing through the crowd with my other brothers just behind him. "The rest of us are just as worthy, if not more than he is! Why should we not be chosen?"


    "If you were worthy, you would''ve been chosen," the King stated. "You are neither worthy nor chosen." He turned to me once more. "You will have three days to prepare for your departure. Pack your things, say your goodbyes, and then you will come with me back to the Manor of Elements, where you will begin your training."


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    "What if I don''t want to go?" I blurted out. King Justian looked at me in surprise. It seemed that it had not occurred to him that the chosen one might refuse to go with him.


    "But you do want to go," the King insisted. "Only a fool would reject his destiny."


    "Just give me a few days to decide," I said.


    "So, what happened today? Did King Justian find who he was looking for?" Father asked later that night.


    It was the middle of dinner, but we had spent over half an hour in silence. On my side, it was due to thoughtfulness, but my brothers were silent because of envy and greed. They all wished to have been chosen like I had, and their jealousy made them angry. I, for one, wished to have not been chosen, and I would''ve given the "honor" away in a heartbeat if I had the chance. I would much rather stay at home, where I knew all the risks and dangers available, than venture into a world and a life where I never knew what to expect. Some people would consider it exciting, but I called it unsettling. I liked to be in a familiar setting with familiar faces. Familiar is always good. Familiar is safe. Unfamiliar is not.


    "Firth was chosen by the King. He''s going to the Manor of Elements in three days," Cassidy said, always one to pipe up in my favor. Except in this situation, I didn''t think of it as favorable. If it was up to me, I would delay telling my parents for as long as possible.


    "Really?" Mother gave me a look of pride. "This is great! I''ll miss you, honey boo, but it''s for the best."


    "Maybe we''ll get some gold for our trouble..." Father wondered. "It would be nice to have a bit extra, especially with ten kids to take care of."


    "Why are you acting like I already agreed to go?" I confronted my parents. "I never said that I want to leave. In fact, I''m going to say no to King Justian. I''ll tell him when he comes to pick me up in three days."


    Torin slammed his fork on the table. "For goodness sake, Firth! You have a chance that none of us will ever get, and you''re going to turn it down? At least have the decency to take this opportunity, for the good of all of us. Turning it down will only rub it in our faces even more." There were murmurs of approval from my other brothers. Only Foley remained quiet.


    "Get out there and show them what a Henderson can do!" Brone pumped his fist in the air. Madden, Kieron, and Rian let out a few whoops. Even Fergus got in on the cheers, despite the glares he received from his twin. But I still didn''t want to go. I couldn''t leave the farm, the only place I''d known for years. I wasn''t ready to head into the world. There was only one person capable of changing my mind.


    "Please go," Cassidy said, giving me an encouraging smile. "It''ll be good for you. You can come back and tell me all about your adventures."


    I was starting to bend a little, but I still resisted. "I don''t have what I need for traveling. What if I need something later but don''t have it? It just won''t work."


    Caolan laughed at my feeble excuses. "I think we all know you''re just trying to get out of this. We can take you on a shopping trip in town, and I''m sure King Justian will supply all your needs, since you''re so important to him. Come on, Firth, admit it - you want to go, but you''re not letting yourself give in. You''ve always been too stubborn for your own good."


    I sighed. "Okay, yes, I want to go. I''m just... scared it won''t work out. What if the King doesn''t like me? What if my teacher''s mean? What if I have no idea what I''m doing?"


    Brone put a hand on my shoulder. "You''ll be fine. You''re a Henderson, after all! We''re made of tough blood. I''m sure you''ll figure it out."


    Something settled within me. I was finally at peace with my decision. "Then that''s that. I''m going."


    Rian cheered, and I got pats on the back from Brone on one side and Caolan on the other. I smiled. Now that I had thought about it, my brothers actually weren''t half-bad. They were actually pretty decent siblings when it came down to it.