ASH · the Kiln · Ember Racing

EMBER

The Firecracker

The fastest marble alive, for about four seconds.

The shard

The spark that left the kiln entirely — briefly the brightest thing in the room and then, very suddenly, not. Ember kept the whole of that: the flare, and the part immediately afterwards which most shards had the sense to leave behind.

I would rather be unforgettable for four seconds than adequate for twenty-six.
EMBER

How Ember races

Ember hits the first booster and detonates. For four seconds nothing on the track can live with it, places arrive in handfuls, and then the account is settled with exactly the same violence in the other direction. An Ember race is a firework: you are not really watching for the result, you are watching for the bang.

The signature

Four Seconds

The full burn off the first boost box — and the four seconds afterwards, which are the same length and go the other way.

What it costs

Net zero, but only if the race is long enough to pay it back. Ember burns first and repays second, so a short track ends with the bill outstanding and a long one ends with Ember having gone nowhere at enormous expense.

The tell

The sparkle stutters at four beats a second while the burn is live. When it steadies, the good part is over.

Feeds on

boostRamp

Comes apart in

runIn

The voice

Hear Ember

A climbing "wa-HOO-ya" where the middle syllable jumps a fifth and the last one refuses to come back down.

In the race mix — G5, 784 Hz, The burn

Four notes climbing away. The fade plays the same four a semitone flat, which is the whole character in one gesture.

The record

—Championship

0Points

1Starts

0Wins

0Podiums

6thBest

6.0Average

6thLast out

R04 6th of 6 last-gasp steal

In the stands

Nobody bets on Ember. Everybody watches Ember.

Rivalries

EMBER

The Bill

Ember Racing teammates. One borrows enormously. One only works once it is broke.

Not yet met on a grid

RUST

Ember's four seconds end and the repayment begins, and the field comes back past it in a rush. Rust is somewhere near the bottom of that field, working hard for the only reason Rust ever works hard, which is that it is last. They pass each other going in opposite directions about twice a month, and neither of them is having a good time.

Neither can help it. Ember's power is a loan with fixed terms and Rust's is only ever issued in last place.