Chapter 14 Cinder
CINDER
“Her body requires rest,” Chaos said, not asking for permission as he carried Ash toward the stairs. “I will tend to her.”
“I’m coming too.” Mom followed after them, pausing on the second step to look at me.
“Cinder…?”
“Go ahead. We’ve got some cleaning up to do,” I said. “I’ll handle… We’ll handle the rest.”
I squeezed Discord’s hand, knowing the cleaning up was going to involve a lot more than soot and broken glass.
Chaos carried Ash upstairs as if she were made of spun sugar instead of a witch who had spent the last hour trying to incinerate us all.
Mom followed close behind, her shoulders slumped with a weariness that went deeper than bone.
I could only imagine her fatigue after literally being the only thing holding the veil together.
The rest of us stayed in the library, and for a moment, I just watched the dust motes dance in the glow of the overhead lights.
The house was quiet. Too quiet. After the screaming, the explosions of glass, and the literal shredding of reality, the silence felt heavy, almost suffocating…
like a wet wool blanket pressed against my face.
“She’s free,” Discord finally whispered.
“She’s free,” I echoed. My voice sounded small, even to my own ears. I looked at the ceiling where the black shadow of the curse had finally evaporated. We had won. So why did it feel like we were standing in the middle of a graveyard?
Then I remembered. Chrys. Ginger. Dad.
The sorrow hit me like a physical blow to my chest, stealing the air from my lungs. I sank onto the edge of the desk, the same desk where we’d spent countless nights planning rituals and complaining about tourists. Back when our lives were normal.
Now, Chrys was gone, and I didn’t have time to grieve her. Mourning the loss of my best friend had turned into a tomorrow problem because the world was ending, but her death had torn a hole in my life that would never be filled.
I sniffled, and Discord pulled me into the protective circle of his arms, letting me sob against his chest. His body was hard, solid muscle, but his embrace felt as soft as a fluffy blanket just pulled from the dryer.
He smelled like the Underworld waterfall and the sharp, clean scent of fading magic, and I leaned into him, letting him shoulder some of the weight.
“I know,” he murmured into my hair, rubbing slow circles on my back. “I know, Cinder.”
“Chrys was a murderer,” I choked out, the words tasting like bile. “I can’t believe she killed Ginger. That she tried to take over the coven.”
“I know it’s hard to accept,” Ember said. “But it’s true. I lived it.”
“The amulet is a cruel master,” Discord said softly.
“The broken shard didn’t just grant power.
In its attempt to become whole, it fed on the bleakest corners of her soul.
It didn't make her into a monster—it simply took the darkness she already carried and twisted it until she couldn't see the light.”
I pulled back, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “And Patrice? She doesn’t have a wicked bone in her body, but she’s the one who gave it to her.”
We turned as one toward the doorway. Patrice sat on a wooden chair, her head bowed, her shoulders trembling with her sobs. Shade and Miles leaned against the counter, watching her with a mixture of suspicion and pity.
“What should we do with her?” I asked, my thoughts still spiraling.
Ember pursed her lips, her eyes calculating. “Good question.”
“I suggest we take her upstairs,” Mayhem said. “Everyone could use a comfortable place to sit after today’s events.”
“I’m not sure I want her in our house.” My sister crossed her arms and gave Patrice the classic Ember side eye.
“She is the reason your sister is alive,” Discord said. “That fact should not be dismissed so easily.”
Ember narrowed her eyes, cutting her gaze between the demons. “Fine. After you.” She gestured to the stairs, and Miles and Shade led Patrice up.
We followed, and as we walked into the kitchen, the atmosphere was stifling. Mom stood at the stove, her hands shaking as she moved a teakettle around. She looked even older than she had an hour ago, her eyes weary, the silver in her hair catching the overhead light.
“Is Ash okay?” I rested a hand on her back.
“She’s sleeping.” She looked at Patrice, her jaw tightening. “Chaos is hovering over her like a gargoyle. I don’t think he’s going to move until she wakes.”
“Go lie down, Mom.” I took the kettle from her hands. “You deserve some rest.”
“I…” She looked from me to Ember, and back to me before nodding. “Just for a minute. Wake me up when it’s time to mend the veil.”
“Will do.” I filled the kettle and set it on the stove to boil.
Mom shuffled down the hall, and Patrice sank into a chair at the table, Miles and Shade flanking her.
Ember sat across from Patrice, her fists tight. “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do. And I mean everything. From the second you decided to get involved.”
I slipped my hand into Discord’s, and he nodded, understanding the assignment. Thanks to Hecate’s magical waterfall, I had plenty of vim to force the truth out of her. My persuasion magic mixed with Discord’s, warming me and lighting my nerves ablaze as we focused our intent on Patrice.
“Tell us the truth,” I said. “Tell us everything.”
Patrice looked up, her eyes red and swollen.
“I never meant for anyone to die. I just thought…” She sighed heavily as our magic took hold.
“I thought if I could give the demons back their power, their amulet, they’d be grateful.
That they’d see we weren't like Isabel, and they’d willingly break the curse. ”
“Instead, you gave a ticking timebomb to an elemental witch,” Ember snapped. “Why? Because you weren’t powerful enough to wield it yourself?”
Another sob rolled up from Patrice’s throat, and Mayhem rested his hands on Ember’s shoulders, calming her instantly.
“Start from the beginning.” I sank onto a stool at the counter. “How did you know we were summoning demons?”
“Chrys…” She clasped her hands on the table. “That night, when we were supposed to go to the concert, Chrys and I followed you instead.”
I arched a brow. “All the way to Hingam?”
Patrice shrugged. “She was worried about you, and rightfully so. We watched you summon a demon, vanquish him, and then disappear yourself.”
Ember cut her gaze to me. “Which you should never have done alone.”
“I know.” I lifted a hand in surrender. Boy, did I ever know. “Continue, Patrice. What happened after I disappeared?”
She inhaled a shaky breath. “I knew what you had done. I’d read Isabel’s instructions on what to do if the Hollands ever found the demons, so I followed her orders.
I knew I couldn’t summon the other demons myself because they’d kill me on the spot, so I convinced Chrys to do it.
I gave her the pieces of the amulet so she could handle them, but I didn’t know another shard was missing.
I didn’t know it would affect her mind like that. ”
I drummed my fingers on the counter, holding her gaze until she looked away. She was telling the truth. She truly had no idea what would happen, but it didn’t change anything. It did happen, and no one could undo it.
“Why didn’t you come to us?” Ember asked. “Ash and I…you should have told us right away.”
She drew her shoulders toward her ears. “I was afraid that if you knew my lineage, you’d banish me. I love Salem and this coven, and I don’t have a dark bone in my body. I just couldn’t… I wanted to help you. That’s all I was trying to do. Please believe me.”
“She speaks the truth,” Discord said.
Ember’s eyes tightened at the corners. “I’m not sure I buy it.”
“No, really.” I rose and turned off the stove. “Discord and I have this thing we do. She literally could not lie just then.”
Ember chuckled and nodded. “Your magic countering his?”
“How’d you know? Tea, anyone?”
They all shook their heads, so I returned the kettle to the stove.
Ember patted Mayhem’s hand. “It’s part of the bond, I suppose. We do it too.”
“Does Adrian know who you are?” Mayhem tightened his grip on Ember’s shoulders. “When he trapped you and brought you here, was that just a ploy to get us outside?”
“No!” Patrice shook her head adamantly, and I slipped my hand into Discord’s, activating our truth magic again.
“One of my ancestors broke the cycle. She moved away and changed her name, and we’ve been light witches ever since.
My mom moved us back to our roots, and when Ash survived and became an adult, I truly thought the curse was broken.
I didn’t understand the reality until I saw you summon Discord. ”
Ember pinched the bridge of her nose, her fatigue palpable. “How did Adrian capture you?”
Patrice sniffled. “I was at the bonfire, planning to take the first watch. When Ash… She caused a lot of commotion. He must’ve slipped in somehow, because when Chaos left with Ash, wind whipped around me.
The next thing I knew, Adrian was dragging me through town, right to your doorstep.
When he dropped me, I was barely coherent.
Miles gave me a tonic and took me to the back bedroom. ”
She looked at me, her eyes pleading. “I’m so sorry.”
“Who’s tending to the fire now?” I asked.
“Inga and Luis,” Miles said. “They’ll stay as long as they’re needed.”
“Good.” Now that Hecate wasn’t using my mom as a conduit to hold everything together, our fire ritual would shoulder some of the burden. At the very least, it would buy us a little time for everyone to recharge before our world turned to shreds.
Ember’s elbows thunked on the table, and she dropped her face into her hands. “Okay, next steps…?”
“We can’t mend the veil without Ash, and she’ll be out for another hour at least.” I glanced at the clock. “I suggest everyone get some rest while you can. It’s officially All Hallows’ Eve, and you know what happens at noon.”
“What happens at noon?” Discord asked.
“Twenty-four hours of terror,” Miles said.