Her father stared at her as if he was trying to decide if this was a trick and then he nodded his head. "I see."

Ember's face twisted up in disbelief. "I see. That's all you have to say."

"I have more but this isn't the place. Ember, you shouldn't be here?" He frowned. "Where are your mother and brother? They didn't come with you, did they?"

She shook her head. "They're safe, with the knights." She hurried over to her father, realizing that they really needed to move before the missing guards were discovered. She pulled him to his feet but realized she couldn't. A closer glanced showed her father's legs were shackled to the ground. It explained why he was kneeling.

She turned. "I need to find the key."

"Ember, wait."

Ember ignored her father and rushed to the unconscious guards, searching for another key. It took her a minute but she found it. She hurried back to the cell and moved to her father's wrists, unshackling them.

"Ember, you can't. It's too dangerous," her father said.

"It's fine, Dad. I have multiple abilities, one of them allows me to make illusions. I can have us look like a pair of guards and we can walk straight out of here. We might have to hide out for a while but after everything calms down, we can meet back up with Mom and Rowan."

"Ember, stop," her father said, grabbing her wrist and preventing her from unlocking the shackles on his leg.

"I can't," Ember said, pulling her arm away from her father's grip. "We don't have time."

"I know. You have to leave," her father said.

"That's what I'm trying to do," Ember said frustrated and tears sprang from the corner of her eyes. "Why do you keep stopping me?"

"I can't come with you."

Ember jerked as if she had been slapped and then she shook her head. "I'm not leaving you here."

"If I leave, Lord Felis will come after your mother and we'll be marked as criminals that attempted to escape punishment."

Ember balled up her fist. "Then I'll save her, too."

"Do you think it'll be that easy? The security will be even stronger after my escape." He shook his head. "You'll have to leave. Watch over your mother and brother."

"No," Ember said and stomped her foot. "I'm not leaving you here. You'll die."

"I won't," her father said, capturing her hands. "He'll keep me as a bargaining chip so he can pull in your mother."

"You thought Welks was going to kill you," Ember pointed out.

"That's because he was acting strangely or you were acting strangely as Welks," her father said.

Ember knelt in front of her father. She tried blinking away the tears but they kept coming back. "Please, Dad, you have to come with me. They're hurting you and they'll keep hurting you until eventually...you'll die."

Her father reached out his hand, cupping her cheek. "It'll be alright, my little mouse. Grow, get strong, protect our family."

Tears streamed down Ember's face. She hated that stupid nickname. Her father hadn't called her that in years. Hearing him say it now, she hated it even more as her heart broke.

"Promise me that you won't die," Ember said firmly.

"Ember..."

"Promise me or I won't go. We'll both stay here."

Her father smiled sadly. "I promise."

For a moment neither spoke then her father nodded to the shackle. "You'll have to cuff my hands and lock the cell. They mustn't know the attack had anything to do with me."

Ember nodded and picked up the shackle. She felt like she had to throw up just looking at it. Stiffly she rose to her feet and shackled her father once more. In that moment she hated him almost as much as she loved him, but more than that she hated herself. She let this happen. She was still letting it happen. She stood there, looking down at him. Then abruptly she put the illusion back on herself and marched out the cell door.

"I'll come back for you when I'm stronger so survive until then." She slammed the cell door, locking it and then put the key back into the guard's pocket.

"I love you, little mouse."

Ember throat felt tight. She tried to speak but she couldn't so she ran. She didn't look back.

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She rushed up the dungeon stairs and she could feel a pain in her chest that felt like it would swallow her. Why was nothing working? Should she should have forced him to come? She might have been able to overpower him as a Seedling...or at least knock him out and dragged him out of this place.

All of this was her fault. If she had been smarter, less cocky, if she had taken more risk instead of trying to play it safe... Her thoughts stirred in herself, building a fire that grew with rage. Rage at herself for her stupidity. Rage at her father for deciding to play the martyr to save his family. Rage at Welks for hunting her down. Rage at Lord Felis for his stupid obsession and his willingness to destroy her family for his own filthy desires.

Ember called up Finder. "Find the person with the inspect ability."

The dot appeared on the map and she recognized it as the man's bed chambers. She dismissed the map and she began to strode through the manor with a new purpose. As she strode through the manor, people moved out of her way. Fearful looks were thrown her way but she barely noticed as she reached the man's bedchamber.

Outside of it were two guards. A quick glance showed no other guards but she knew there were probable a few on patrol.

"Welks, what are-"

Ember surged forward, grabbing the guards's arms and using her sleep ability. The guards jerked but it only took a moment and then they were unconscious. She let them go. She glanced to the side and then dragged them one-by-one to a guest room. Once she had them inside, she chugged a refill potion. Then she stepped back into the hall and moved to Lord Felis's door. She stepped inside and as she did her illusion shifted into one of a hooded form casted in a moving shadow.

As soon as she entered the room, Lord Felis jerked up from his bed, but Ember was already calling on her ability.

Finder's Keeper.

She felt a tug and a stream of yellow light spilled from the noble. She tugged. It was a stubborn tug, like the ability was desperately trying to cling to Lord Felis. It was a sign that she probably didn't meet the requirements to keep the ability permanently but a firmer yank detached the ability from the noble. It slid into one of her ability slots, locked within her. She could feel the turbulence of the power. It would stay with her for maybe a day or two.

The noble paled. "You...what did you do?"

A hateful grin curled her lips.

"Guards!" The noble shouted as he rolled out of bed. When he came to his feet a rapier was clutched in his hand.

Ember stared at it for only a moment. "Soul torture."

Lord Felis's face twisted up and he started to scream. He immediately fell to ground. She could feel his soul in her hand and she twisted it. The noble's screams grew louder. She was sure someone would be coming soon but she didn't care. Instead, she reveled in the anguish, an anguish that matched her own.

Inside her, something twisted, like a stain spilling over her soul. She remembered the feeling, the physical taint of her soul just from using soul torture. But it was a price she was willing to pay. She moved closer to the man, watching him writhe in pain on the ground. His eyes rolled up in head as his hands tore at his flesh as if trying his soul from his body.

Ember stared at him and then turned to the rapier on the floor. She picked it up and then she stabbed it into his hand. First the left and then the right. Then she stabbed him again and again, up his arms and his legs. She considered killing him but she thought of her tyrant life. She had killed him then and in return her family was hunted down until there was no one left.

It was possible no one would know but they had found out before. She never found out how she was discovered but she couldn't chance it. She gritted her teeth and leaned down, whispering in his ear.

"This is only a fraction of what you deserve," she hissed. Outside she could hear people rushing to the door. She ignored it and then she ripped part of his soul.

Lord Felis screamed a scream that echoed through the room. One of such torturous anguish that it would send a shiver through anyone that heard it. Then the man passed out, just as the door was thrown open and several guards filed in with weapons drawn.

Ember whipped around and used soul torture on the lot of them. With sharp cries they fell to the ground, writhing in pain. Coldly, Ember watched them and then carefully picked her way pass them. She headed further down the hall, transforming her appearance into a maid. She hunched over scared as she scurried away as more guards filed up the stairs. Once she reached the bottom, she turned the corner, changing her appearance once again, this time appearing as Ronnie.

Several guards rushed down the stairs.

"Did you see a maid pass here?"

She looked at the guards with wide eyes and pointed down the hall. The guards rushed pass her and she moved through the manor getting closer to the door. As she moved out, her appearance changed yet again, this time as a stable boy as she made her way to the stables. Inside, she released the horses from the stable and then she rose her hand and sent a fire into each of the stalls. The dry hay making it easy.

She then put stealth on and waited.

A cry went up on the manor and people began rushing forward. She snuck through the chaos. Then she created an illusion of a cloaked man running from the stables. Shouts came from the guards and as they ran after him, Ember made her way to the gate. She snuck out, leaving a wave of destruction behind her.

Ember moved quickly across the grounds. her illusion would disappear soon and eventually they would do a search. She needed to find a place to hide before then. She cursed herself from not getting a horse but she knew it would have been impossible to sneak out of the manor on horseback. She was lucky she could get out before they closed down the gates.

Ember took another step and she felt her body shake. Magic drain. With a shaky hand she grabbed a refill potion from her bag, chugging it down. She could feel her magic refilling but her stomach lurched with her every step and a pain seemed to burn through her body.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to keep moving, her gaze searching from any place she could hide. But the pain grew stronger as well as the queasiness and there was something else. It felt like something was slithering through her body. She had a feeling she knew what it was. She would need someone to do a cleansing but that involved getting to a temple or at least joining back up with the delegation.

She laughed. What was she doing? She didn't have a horse or even haste? The likelihood of making it to the delegation before getting caught was nearly impossible. Still, she kept moving. She just had to get to the woods and she could hide, the problem was that the trees weren't as close as she imagined now that she was walking towards them. The manor had purposedly cut the trees back from the manor in case of attacks.

It looked like their strategy worked.

Still, Ember kept moving. Closer and closer until a piercing pain shot through her eyes. She screamed and dropped to the ground, clutching her eye. Had she been shot, but there was no arrow protruding from her eye.

The pain came again, stronger than the last and this time it reached into her tainted soul. She screamed until her throat was raw but the pain didn't stop. Wave after waved hit her until she couldn't take it anymore.

Halfway to the tree line, Ember passed out.