Chapter 25

“Things are going my way.”  A shadowy being said to a pale ghost humanoid girl. “Cinder, infiltrate and gain their trust.”

          “Yes, master.” The ghost girl replied. “How might I gain their trust?”

          “I can’t tell you that which I do not know.” Cinder’s master said. Cinder looked around the fog filled clearing, not looking into the eyes of her formless master as he stared at her evilly from the sky. The glow of his eyes stained the fog a bloody red.

          Cinder was a slave to her master by curse. Her people had doomed her to this life with the magic of the firelings, because to them she was unpure. She was half human, and held the power of fire. Her spirit forced to serve a dark master. Darker even then the reputation of Zardac. But she knew she would get something out of this. The destruction of the fireling race. Her red eyes blazed at the thought, the red streaks in her blonde hair flaming also.

          “Then I shall do my best.” Cinder replied finally, bowing and gliding off through the trees, her black cape flowing behind her.

          “What a nice girl.” Zatic whispered to himself. “Simple though.” He smiled after his ghost slave. He knew he was very close to his goal.

 

          “Faith, are you sure you know what you are doing?” Zardac said from the front of the group, where Faith had told him to go.

          “No, but have you got any other ideas?” Faith asked.

          “No.” Zardac stated, pouting because he knew his sister would read the truth in his voice.

          “Then we will continue to look for the other two.” Faith ordered confidently. “Unless anyone among us has any objections or suggestions.” Silence followed.

          The thick mist was so dense that they could hardly see each other, Hope however, was the exception as she was using her electric sonar to see the trees in her path. But it was hard even for her as the mist had shortened how far she could emit her electro-magnetic field. Because of the poor visibility, Zardac and Loki had been unable to locate their ship. This had made them all panic, but Faith did not even attempt to admit it.

          Faith, Zardac, Loki and Hope had been ambling through the mist and the forest of dead trees that was concealing the shadow of a large rock that had begun to loom into view.

          “Zardac, I think we should head for shelter, rest up and begin our search again in a few hours.” Faith said. “Who knows, maybe this fog might clear.”

          “I agree.” Zardac said. “We should also get wood for a fire on the way, so we can stay in this group.”

          “Loki, Hope,” Faith called back, “we are going to head for shelter, but we are going to collect as much wood as we can on the way. Just snap it off the trees. Clear?”

          “Yes.” Hope and Loki called through the mist.

 

          “If we stay here, Hope and Faith will find us sooner.” Charity reasoned.

          “It does not mean that.” Aries stated sharply. “It only slightly increases our odds of being found. However, we need food, heat, light and water. We must survive to be found. That means we must, at some point, leave this wreck.”

          “But my arm.” Charity protested.

          “If you want to survive Aries is right.” Said a famine, ghostly, whisper of a voice.

          Aries and Charity looked around the mess of the cockpit, even though they couldn’t see much because of the fog that was seeping through any cracks in the steelton hull and dura-glass windows. They sat scared for a few seconds in silence. Uncertain.

          Then at last Charity bravely broke the silence, “Who are?” she asked, “Where are you?”

          “I am Cinder, ghost of the flame,” the same voice replied as phased through the roof to float like a golden flame between the two sisters, burning away most of the fog, “and I am the fireling ghost right between you two. Glad to make your acquaintance.” Charity and Aries could both only stare at Cinder in shock.

          “Well,” Aries said, “things on this planet can’t get more weird.” Cinder just giggled.