Emberwood Chapter 5

 

Chapter 5: Shadows and Whispers

Noah blinked against the bright light, struggling to make sense of what had just happened. Above him, the concerned faces of his parents and the glowing horn of Celeste brought him back to the moment.

“Are you okay, son?” Nick asked, his voice steady but strained with worry.

Noah sat up, still shaken. “Yeah... I think so,” he said hesitantly, patting himself to make sure there were no hidden injuries.

Nick’s sharp eyes scanned the stunned wyvern lying several feet away. “An adolescent wyvern in the meadow, with no signal from any of our defenses, is nearly impossible,” Beka muttered, her voice tight with suspicion.

“What happened to the wyvern?” Noah asked, his voice trembling slightly. “Is it... dead?”

“No,” Nick said firmly. “Celeste stunned it long enough for us to secure it. It’ll be out for a while, but we need to move quickly. I’ll handle locking it up and sending word to the Ember Assembly. They’ll want to know how this happened.”

Turning to Beka, he added, “Check on Ariel at the Uni barn. The unicorns will be spooked by all this.”

Noah’s stomach dropped. “Wait, Mom, Dad—I saw Ariel and Zed running into Ember Hollows! They were trying to get away from the wyvern!”

Both parents froze. “What?” Beka’s voice was sharp with alarm.

Noah quickly recounted everything he’d seen, including the loud crack of magic and Ariel fleeing into the forest with Zed on her back.

Nick’s jaw tightened. “Beka, take Celeste and see if you can find her. Noah & I will join you as soon as the wyvern is secured.”

Beka wasted no time. She sang a series of notes, the melody weaving itself through the air like a ribbon of light. It traveled across the meadow, and moments later, Silvermist and Aurora—responded with bright, chiming whinnies.

“You take Silvermist and Aurora back to the barn,” Beka said to Nick & Noah. and just as she finished the statement, they alighted on the ground next them.  "I'm off with Celeste."

The urgency in her voice left no room for hesitation. Beka and Celeste together were off as they galloped toward Ember Hollows, Celeste leading the way with her glowing horn lighting the path.

---

Ariel stirred, her head resting against the rough bark of the log she’d slumped against. The faint light filtering through the Emberwood canopy gave her a hazy sense of time—it was still daylight in the meadow, but here in the Hollows, the world was cloaked in shadows.

She sat up stiffly, nudging Zed, who was curled beside her. He opened his eyes and immediately tried to stand, his hooves unsteady. “Easy, boy,” she murmured, helping to steady him. Despite his earlier strength, Zed was clearly still recovering.

“We need to move,” Ariel said firmly. “I don’t want to be in the Hollows after dark. And we have to warn Mom and Dad about the wyvern!”

Zed snorted softly, as if agreeing, but when he tried to take a step, he winced and sat back on his haunches.

“Okay,” Ariel said, crouching beside him. “We’ll go slow. We just need to figure out how to get across the river and back to the meadow.”

She was about to stand when a cacophony of noises shattered the eerie silence—growling, hissing, and low, gruff voices. The sounds were unnatural, chaotic, and unsettling.

“What is that?” Ariel whispered, her heart pounding. It sounded like a wild argument between Boo, their mischievous cat, and every predator in the forest.

Curious but wary, Ariel started to rise, intending to peek over the log. But before she could stand, Zed nudged her firmly in the back of the knee, sending her sprawling back down.

“Zed! What are you—” she started, but her voice died as he pressed his head against her shoulder, his eyes wide with fear.

Unicorns had a sixth sense for danger, and Zed’s reaction left no doubt in Ariel’s mind that whatever was making that noise was something she didn’t want to see.

Carefully, she peeked through a gap in the log. Her stomach churned at the sight. Two massive wyverns, larger and more menacing than the one they’d escaped, were bound and muzzled, their scales shimmering like dark steel. They were being transported on heavy wooden wagons pulled by thornpaws—hulking, bear-like creatures with razor-sharp claws.

Three men walked alongside the wagons. The first was a broad-shouldered brute with a tangled beard and a permanent sneer. The second was tall and lanky, his nervous energy making him twitch with every sound. The third was wiry and sharp-eyed, his movements quick and calculated.

“Listen,” the bearded man barked, his voice rough and commanding. “We need to cross the river and let these beauties loose in the meadow.”

“How do we know they won’t turn on us the second we cut the ropes?” the lanky man asked, glancing uneasily at the wyverns.

The wiry man smirked. “We don’t. But the boss promised a big payday once the Luminaris ranch is... taken care of. These wyverns are just the start.”

Ariel’s heart raced as the gravity of their words sank in. Someone was planning to destroy her family’s home, using wyverns as weapons.

Zed nudged her again, his expression a mix of urgency and fear. Ariel nodded. She understood. Whatever these men were planning, she and Zed needed to avoid them—and warn her family.

But just as they began to inch backward, Ariel shifted her weight slightly, and the worst thing imaginable happened.

SNAP.

The sound of the breaking twig was impossibly loud in the forest’s heavy silence.

Zed’s ears pinned back as he froze. Ariel’s breath hitched as the men stopped in their tracks.

“Did you hear that?” the lanky man whispered, his eyes darting toward the source of the noise.

The bearded man turned slowly, his hand moving to the hilt of a knife at his belt. “Probably just some critter,” he muttered.

“No,” the wiry man said, his sharp eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows. “Something’s out there.”

The thornpaws growled low in their throats, their heads turning toward the log where Ariel and Zed crouched.

Ariel’s heart pounded in her chest as the wiry man took a step closer.

End of Chapter 5