Valira’s feet pounded against the snow-covered ground, her heart hammering in her chest as she fled toward the village. The cold air bit at her skin, but she barely felt it—the fire inside her was raging, the heat building with every step. Caelan’s words echoed in her mind: You run. I’ll hold them off.
The village loomed ahead, its silhouette dark against the snow-covered field, but every step she took felt like a betrayal. She didn’t want to leave him, didn’t want to abandon the only person who had stood by her, even when he had every reason not to. But what other choice did she have? If she stayed, they would both die.
The sound of clashing steel and roaring flames filled the air behind her, and Valira’s chest tightened as she imagined Caelan fighting off the hunters alone. She had to make it to the village, had to find his contact—but the guilt gnawed at her, threatening to pull her back.
Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed through her chest, and she stumbled, gasping for breath. The fire inside her flared violently, burning hotter than ever before. Valira’s hands shook as she pressed them to her chest, trying to contain the power threatening to escape.
No... not now, she thought desperately. She couldn’t lose control again—not here, not with Caelan’s life hanging in the balance.
But the fire wouldn’t be denied. It surged within her, a relentless force that demanded to be unleashed. Valira’s vision blurred as she collapsed to her knees, the snow melting beneath her as flames flickered at her fingertips.
“I can’t...” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I can’t control it.”
The fire grew hotter, and for a moment, Valira was certain it would consume her completely. But then, through the haze of heat, she felt something else—a cold, steady presence, like a hand reaching through the flames.
Caelan.
Her breath caught as she realized what was happening. He was still fighting, still out there, risking everything for her. She couldn’t let him die. She couldn’t let this power destroy them both.
With a shaky breath, Valira forced herself to stand, the fire still raging inside her. She couldn’t hold it back any longer. The hunters were too close, and Caelan was outnumbered. She had no choice.
Her hands began to glow, the heat radiating from her palms as she turned back toward the forest. Flames flickered, and she clenched her fists, forcing the power to bend to her will.
She wasn’t going to run anymore.
Valira took a deep breath, the fire within her roaring to life, and she let it loose.
A wave of flame shot out from her hands, scorching the snow and illuminating the darkening sky with a brilliant glow. The power surged through her veins, hotter and stronger than ever before, but this time, she wasn’t afraid.
She was in control.
The hunters halted, their eyes wide with shock as they saw the firestorm sweeping toward them. Caelan stood in the center of the battlefield, his sword raised, ice shimmering at his feet. His gaze locked onto hers, and for a moment, their eyes met—fire and ice, balanced in perfect harmony.
And then, the flames reached the hunters.
The air crackled with heat as the fire engulfed them, their screams lost in the roar of the inferno. Valira watched, her chest heaving, as the flames consumed everything in their path. The power within her was a force of destruction, but for the first time, she had wielded it with purpose.
The flames flickered and died, leaving nothing but ash in their wake. The hunters were gone, reduced to nothing more than charred shadows on the snow.
Valira stood trembling, her hands still warm from the fire, her breath ragged. The power had drained her, but she was still standing. She had done it.
Caelan approached her slowly, his sword lowered, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The village was quiet, the snow falling softly, the only sound the distant crackle of dying flames.
“You came back,” Caelan said quietly, his voice filled with a mixture of surprise and something else—something Valira couldn’t quite name.
She nodded, her throat tight. “I couldn’t leave you.”
Caelan’s eyes softened, and for a moment, the weight of everything they had been through seemed to lift. They had survived, but the fight wasn’t over. The Ash Court would send more hunters, and the Snow Court would still see her as a threat.
But for now, they had each other.
Valira took a deep breath, the fire inside her finally quiet, and met Caelan’s gaze. “What now?”
Caelan glanced toward the village, his expression serious. “We find my contact. And then, we figure out how to end this war—once and for all.”
Valira nodded, the weight of his words settling over her. The path ahead was uncertain, but for the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope.
They weren’t running anymore. They were ready to fight.
* * *
The village loomed closer, its chimneys sending thin wisps of smoke into the darkening sky. Valira and Caelan moved through the last stretch of the snow-covered field in silence, the tension between them still palpable. The flickering warmth of firelight from the village was a welcome sight, but Valira knew the hardest part of their journey was still ahead.
Her heart was heavy, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on her chest. She had unleashed her power again—this time fully, without restraint—and while it had saved them, the destruction it had left behind was undeniable. She could still feel the heat in her veins, like embers slowly burning beneath her skin. She wasn’t sure if she could control it again.
They reached the village’s edge, where the first few buildings were huddled close to the base of a towering mountain. The stone cottages were weathered and old, their windows glowing with the soft light of fires inside. The people here lived on the fringes of the courts’ conflicts, far enough from the Ash and Snow Kingdoms to avoid most of the fighting—but not far enough to escape the growing shadow of war.
Caelan slowed his pace, his eyes scanning the narrow alleyways between the cottages. “We need to be careful,” he murmured. “Not everyone here is friendly to strangers.”
Valira nodded, though her mind was elsewhere. She couldn’t shake the memory of the fire she had unleashed, couldn’t forget the look in Caelan’s eyes when he saw what she was capable of. He had trusted her to run, and instead, she had turned back and used the very thing he feared.
They wound their way through the village, keeping to the shadows as they approached a larger building near the center of the settlement. Caelan led the way, his posture tense, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
“This is it,” he said quietly as they reached the building. “My contact lives here. They’ll help us.”
Valira’s pulse quickened. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but the building in front of her looked no different from the other cottages—small, modest, with smoke curling from the chimney. But if Caelan believed this person could help, then she had no choice but to trust him.
Caelan knocked on the door, his hand still resting on his sword, just in case. For a long moment, there was no response, and Valira’s heart began to race, fear creeping in. What if this contact had turned against them? What if the Ash Court had already found them?
Just as Valira was about to speak, the door creaked open, revealing a tall figure cloaked in dark furs. The person’s face was shadowed, their features obscured, but their eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence.
“Caelan,” the figure said, their voice low and calm. “You’re late.”
Caelan let out a breath he had been holding. “We ran into some trouble,” he replied, glancing over his shoulder. “But we made it.”
The figure stepped aside, gesturing for them to enter. “Come inside. Quickly.”
Valira hesitated for only a moment before following Caelan into the small cottage. The interior was warm, the air filled with the scent of burning wood and herbs. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. It felt like a different world from the frozen wasteland they had just left behind.
The figure closed the door behind them and pulled back their hood, revealing a woman with sharp features and silver hair. Her eyes were piercing, taking in every detail of Valira and Caelan with a quick, calculating glance.
“This is her, then?” the woman asked, her gaze settling on Valira.
Caelan nodded. “Yes. Valira.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly as she looked Valira up and down, as if measuring her worth. “You’ve made quite the impression already,” she said dryly. “The Ash Court is in chaos over what happened in the forest.”
Valira’s heart skipped a beat. “How do you know?”
The woman smiled, a cold, knowing smile. “I hear things. And in times like these, news travels fast.”
Valira’s mind raced, her thoughts swirling with questions. Who was this woman? How did she know so much about the Ash Court? And more importantly—what was her connection to Caelan?
The woman moved to the hearth, stirring the fire with a metal poker before turning back to them. “You’re in danger, Valira. More than you realize.”
Valira swallowed hard, her throat tight. “I know that. The Ash Court won’t stop hunting me.”
“It’s not just the Ash Court,” the woman replied, her voice steady. “The Snow Court is watching too. They know you’re powerful. And they’re afraid.”
Caelan shifted beside her, his posture tense. “That’s why we came to you. We need your help.”
The woman studied them both for a long moment before nodding. “You’ve come to the right place. But what you’re asking for won’t be easy.”
Valira frowned, confusion clouding her mind. “What are we asking for?”
The woman’s gaze flicked to Caelan, who remained silent, his expression unreadable. Then she looked back at Valira, her eyes sharp as ice. “You want to end the war, don’t you? To stop the courts from tearing each other apart?”
Valira’s heart raced. “Yes, but—how?”
The woman’s expression hardened. “You have to understand, Valira, the fire inside you isn’t just a weapon. It’s part of something much larger. Something that has been building for generations.”
Valira’s breath caught, her pulse quickening. “What do you mean?”
The woman stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with a cold intensity. “You’re not the first to possess both fire and ice. Your mother—she tried to unite the courts, but she failed. She didn’t understand the full extent of her power. But you... you have the chance to finish what she started.”
Valira’s mind reeled. She had known her mother’s legacy was tied to the courts, but this... it was too much. Too overwhelming.
“I don’t even know how to control it,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “How am I supposed to finish what she couldn’t?”
The woman’s gaze softened, just slightly. “You’ll learn. With Caelan’s help, and mine, you’ll learn to control both fire and ice. But you need to be prepared. The courts won’t give up their power without a fight.”
Valira’s heart pounded in her chest, fear and hope warring within her. She had come so far, fought so hard, and yet the path ahead seemed more uncertain than ever. But there was no turning back now. She had to find a way to control the power inside her—for herself, for Caelan, and for the future of both courts.
“I’m ready,” Valira said quietly, her voice steady despite the fear in her chest.
The woman smiled, a small, cold smile. “Good. Then we begin.”
* * *
The small room within the cottage grew even quieter after the woman’s declaration. Valira’s heart still pounded in her chest, the weight of what she had agreed to sinking deeper into her bones. Control both fire and ice? Finish what her mother had started? It all seemed impossible, but she had no choice. She had to find a way.
The woman—still nameless in Valira’s mind—watched her with those piercing silver eyes, as if she could see the doubt creeping into Valira’s thoughts. “This won’t be easy,” she said, her tone serious but not unkind. “The courts have spent centuries locked in their ways, afraid of the balance you represent. But I’ve trained others before you. None like you, of course, but enough to know that power can be mastered.”
Valira swallowed hard, glancing over at Caelan. He hadn’t said much since they entered the cottage, his usual stoic demeanor only growing more impenetrable. But there was a tension in him she hadn’t noticed before, something tight around the corners of his eyes. He wasn’t unaffected by what they were about to face.
“You’ve trained others?” Valira asked, trying to focus on the woman, trying to grasp what lay ahead.
“Yes,” the woman replied, crossing her arms. “Though most were gifted in one element, not two. Fire alone is a difficult force to tame. The raw destruction it craves... most people are consumed by it long before they learn to control it. But you—you have the advantage of balance. Ice can temper fire, just as fire can awaken the stillness of ice.”
Valira furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of the woman’s words. The fire inside her had never felt balanced. It had always been overwhelming, pushing to the surface no matter how hard she tried to suppress it. And the ice... well, that still felt foreign to her, a power she hadn’t fully tapped into yet.
“How do I balance them?” Valira asked, her voice soft but filled with urgency. “Every time I’ve tried to control the fire, it... it’s like it wants to consume everything. And the ice—it only came when I was scared. I don’t know how to bring it out.”
The woman studied her for a moment, then motioned toward the hearth, where the flames burned brightly. “Sit,” she said. “Let’s begin with the fire.”
Valira hesitated but did as she was told, lowering herself onto the stone floor in front of the fire. The heat from the flames danced across her skin, and almost immediately, she felt the familiar stir of warmth inside her chest, the fire that had always been there, just beneath the surface.
The woman crouched beside her, her silver hair catching the firelight. “Fire is an element of emotion,” she said quietly. “It feeds off passion, anger, fear—anything that burns inside you. The more you resist it, the more it grows out of control. You have to learn to feel the fire, but not let it consume you.”
Valira frowned. “How do I do that?”
“Start small,” the woman instructed, her tone patient. “Feel the heat, but don’t let it overwhelm you. Imagine it like a flame in your hand—small, controlled. Not a wildfire. Not a weapon.”
Valira took a deep breath, closing her eyes. She could feel the heat in her chest, a simmering warmth that was always there, waiting. She imagined it as a tiny flame, cupped in her palm, like a flickering candle. Her heart pounded as she focused on keeping it small, keeping it from spreading.
At first, it was easy. The flame was contained, a gentle warmth in her chest. But then, as she felt the power swirling within her, the heat began to grow, pushing against the edges of her control. It wanted out.
“Breathe,” the woman said softly. “You control the flame. It doesn’t control you.”
Valira clenched her fists, trying to force the fire back down, but it surged forward, desperate to be unleashed. Her breathing quickened, panic rising in her throat. She couldn’t do it. It was too much.
The fire burst from her hands, a flash of heat that sent sparks flying into the air. Valira gasped, pulling her hands back as the flames danced wildly in the hearth. She had lost control again.
The woman sighed, standing up slowly. “It will take time,” she said, her voice calm despite the setback. “You’re trying to force it, instead of letting the fire move with you. You’ll learn.”
Valira felt her shoulders slump, the weight of her failure heavy in her chest. She had thought she was making progress, but this... this was harder than she had imagined.
Caelan stepped forward, his expression unreadable. “She’ll get there,” he said quietly, almost more to the woman than to Valira herself. “She just needs time.”
The woman nodded, her gaze softening slightly. “You have potential, Valira. Don’t lose hope. You’ve already survived what many couldn’t. That alone proves you’re stronger than you think.”
Valira looked up at her, a flicker of determination sparking in her chest. She couldn’t give up—not now. Not when so much was at stake.
“I won’t,” she said softly, her voice filled with resolve. “I’ll keep trying.”
The woman’s lips curved into a small smile. “Good. We’ll continue with ice tomorrow. But for now, rest. You’ll need your strength.”
Valira nodded, though her mind was still spinning. Control both fire and ice? She didn’t know if she could. But she had to try. For her mother’s legacy. For Caelan. For herself.
As the fire crackled beside her, Valira leaned back, her thoughts swirling like embers in the wind.
* * *
The night was long and restless. Valira tossed and turned, her mind unable to settle. Every time she closed her eyes, the memory of the fire exploding from her hands flashed behind her lids, a reminder of how quickly everything could go wrong. She had thought she was gaining control, but the fire seemed determined to prove her wrong. Now, with the prospect of learning ice the next day, her nerves twisted even tighter.
Would it be the same? Would the cold within her spiral out of control just like the fire? Or worse, would it remain buried, unreachable when she needed it most?
She finally drifted into a fitful sleep, filled with dreams of burning forests and freezing winds, her mother’s voice calling her name through the flames, then through a haze of ice.
When she woke, the cottage was still dim, the embers in the hearth barely glowing. Caelan was sitting near the door, his eyes half-lidded but alert, his body tense even in rest. He must have been watching over her, keeping the night’s dangers at bay.
Valira pushed herself up slowly, blinking away the remnants of her dreams. She knew today would be no easier than yesterday, but there was no choice but to keep going. If she didn’t learn to control her powers, they wouldn’t survive much longer. She couldn’t keep relying on Caelan to save her. She had to be stronger.
Just as she stood, the woman entered from the back room, her expression unreadable, but her silver eyes sharp as ever. “You’re awake. Good,” she said, glancing briefly at Caelan before focusing entirely on Valira. “We don’t have time to waste today. Come. We start now.”
Valira nodded, pulling her cloak tightly around her as she followed the woman out into the cold morning air. Caelan stood and moved to follow, but the woman raised a hand to stop him. “She needs to do this alone.”
Caelan frowned, but after a moment, he gave a slight nod and stepped back, watching Valira with a mixture of concern and something else—something unspoken.
Valira met his gaze briefly, then turned and followed the woman into the snow-covered clearing just outside the village. The cold hit her immediately, sharp and biting, but instead of retreating from it, she let it in. The woman’s words from the day before echoed in her mind: The cold is already in you. You just have to let it out.
Once they reached the center of the clearing, the woman stopped and turned to face her. “Today, you learn ice,” she said, her voice as steady and cold as the frigid air. “You’ve already felt it, haven’t you? The way it calms you, sharpens your focus. Fire is chaos, but ice is clarity.”
Valira nodded, though her heart was pounding. She had felt the ice inside her before, but it had only come in moments of fear or desperation, never by her choice. And when it had appeared, it was always fleeting, like a distant memory she couldn’t quite hold on to.
“How do I call it?” Valira asked, her voice quieter than she intended. The fire had always been there, ready to burst out whenever she lost control, but the ice... it felt like something buried deep within her, hidden beneath layers of doubt and fear.
“By accepting the cold,” the woman replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re afraid of your fire, and that fear keeps the ice locked away. Let go of your fear. Let the cold in.”
Valira swallowed hard, her breath fogging in the frigid air. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the cold—the way it prickled her skin, the way it stung her lungs when she breathed in too deeply. She imagined that cold sinking into her, freezing away the uncertainty and fear.
At first, there was nothing. Just the usual chill of the morning air pressing against her skin. But then, slowly, she felt something stir deep inside her. A familiar sharpness, like the edge of a blade. The cold began to spread through her veins, steady and precise, pushing aside the warmth of the fire that had always been there.
“Good,” the woman said, her voice calm but firm. “Now, don’t force it. Let the cold flow through you, but don’t try to control it yet. Just feel it.”
Valira took a deep breath, focusing on the sensation of the ice spreading through her. It wasn’t like the fire, wild and consuming. The ice was quiet, deliberate. It moved with purpose, chilling her blood but leaving her mind clear, sharper than it had been in days.
She opened her eyes, and to her surprise, frost had formed a crust on the ground. The snow at her feet was glittering with delicate ice crystals, spiraling out from where she stood. Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn’t let the surprise break her concentration.
The woman smiled faintly, the first sign of approval Valira had seen. “Good. You’re starting to understand. But this is just the beginning.”
Valira’s heart raced, her mind spinning with a mix of excitement and fear. She had felt the ice, had controlled it—at least for now. But she knew this was only the surface of what she was capable of. And she also knew that if she lost focus for even a moment, the balance between fire and ice could shatter, leaving her at the mercy of both elements.
The woman stepped forward, her silver eyes gleaming. “There is more inside you, Valira. More than you know. But you must learn to balance the two—fire and ice. If you don’t, one will consume you. And it won’t be gentle.”
Valira’s pulse quickened as the weight of her words settled over her. Balance. It was something she had never truly known, not with her powers, not with her emotions. But if she wanted to survive—if she wanted to end this war—she had to find that balance.
“I’m ready,” she said softly, though the fear still gnawed at her.
The woman nodded, her smile fading as her expression turned serious once more. “We’ll see.”
Valira took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs. The fire within her stirred, but she pushed it down, letting the ice rise instead, calm and steady. She didn’t know what the future held, but for now, she had taken the first step toward controlling the power inside her.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt a flicker of hope.
* * *
The ice lingered at Valira’s fingertips, a soft, humming energy that contrasted sharply with the chaos of fire she had grown so used to. The woman’s sharp eyes followed her every move, judging silently as Valira stood in the snow-covered clearing, her breath forming soft clouds in the air. For a moment, she felt the calm the woman had spoken of—the clarity, the precision of the cold coursing through her.
But as Valira stood in the growing quiet, something else began to stir within her. Deep in her chest, the familiar heat of the fire rumbled awake. It pushed against the cold, like two opposing forces battling for control.
“Stay focused,” the woman said, her voice cutting through the tension.
Valira gritted her teeth, trying to ignore the fire. She wanted to keep the ice, to let it guide her, but the warmth was building, insistent, as though it sensed its rival. Her fingers trembled, and the ice that had so carefully crystallized beneath her began to melt, the sharpness of it retreating as the fire grew stronger.
“I can’t,” Valira whispered, shaking her head. “It’s too much.”
“Don’t fight it,” the woman commanded, her tone as icy as ever. “You cannot deny one without weakening the other. Let the fire rise, but do not lose yourself to it.”
Valira swallowed hard, fear clawing at her chest. Let the fire rise? She had spent her life trying to push it down, to keep it from consuming everything in its path. How could she possibly let it free now?
But the woman’s words echoed in her mind: You cannot deny one without weakening the other.
With a deep, shaky breath, Valira loosened her grip on the ice, allowing the fire to unfurl within her. The heat rose quickly, spreading through her veins, fierce and wild. It surged to the surface, battling with the cold, and for a terrifying moment, Valira thought she might lose control completely.
“Valira,” Caelan’s voice came from behind her, steady and sure. “You can do this.”
His presence was like an anchor, pulling her back from the edge of panic. Valira took another breath, forcing herself to focus. The fire roared, but she didn’t let it overwhelm her. Instead, she tried to let the ice rise alongside it, not in opposition, but in balance.
At first, it was like trying to walk a tightrope in a storm. The fire pushed, the ice pulled, and Valira struggled to maintain her footing between the two. Her breath came in sharp gasps, her body trembling with the effort. But slowly, slowly, she began to find a rhythm.
The snow around her feet melted, but it didn’t turn to steam. Instead, the water froze again, forming delicate patterns in the air, the fire and ice dancing together in a strange, beautiful harmony. Valira stared in awe as the energy flowed through her, not wild and chaotic, but controlled, balanced.
“You’re doing it,” Caelan said softly, his voice filled with something like wonder.
Valira’s heart raced, but this time, it wasn’t from fear. She had done it. She had found the balance.
The woman nodded, her expression approving but still guarded. “You’ve taken the first step,” she said. “But this is just the beginning. There will be moments when the balance will slip, when one will try to overpower the other. You must remain vigilant.”
Valira let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, the fire and ice still swirling inside her, but no longer threatening to consume her. She had taken control—if only for a moment.
“I didn’t think it was possible,” Valira murmured, her voice quiet with awe. “I never thought they could exist together.”
The woman’s gaze softened slightly, though her tone remained sharp. “It is possible. You are proof of that. But do not grow complacent. There are many who will try to use you for this power.”
Valira nodded, her heart sinking as the weight of the woman’s warning settled over her. The courts—the Ash and Snow—would never stop hunting her. They would want this power for themselves, and they would do whatever it took to claim it.
Caelan stepped closer, his presence a steadying force beside her. “You did it, Valira,” he said, his voice low. “You found the balance. Now we can move forward.”
Valira glanced up at him, her heart lifting slightly at the determination in his eyes. She had succeeded in this first step, but the road ahead was still uncertain, still filled with danger. The courts wouldn’t give up their pursuit, and the threat of war loomed closer with every passing day.
But for the first time, Valira didn’t feel like a victim of her powers. She wasn’t just the Ash Princess or the Snow Court’s target. She was something more. Something stronger.
“We can’t stay here much longer,” Caelan said, turning to the woman. “What’s next?”
The woman’s expression grew serious again, her silver eyes narrowing. “The balance you’ve found is fragile. The fire and ice will always try to tear you apart. To master them, you’ll need to face what lies in your past—and the war that’s coming.”
Valira’s breath caught. “What do you mean? Face my past?”
The woman glanced toward the mountains in the distance, her gaze darkening. “You cannot control these powers without understanding where they came from. There are secrets buried in the courts—secrets about your family, about the curse that binds fire and ice. To break it, you must return to where it all began.”
Valira’s pulse quickened. “Where?”
The woman turned back to her, her expression unreadable. “The Court of Ash.”
Valira’s heart dropped into her stomach. The Court of Ash? The very place that wanted her dead?
She glanced at Caelan, panic flashing in her eyes. He held her gaze, his expression steady, but she could see the worry beneath it.
“We can’t go back there,” Valira said, her voice trembling. “They’ll kill me.”
The woman’s eyes gleamed with cold certainty. “If you want to survive this, if you want to master your power, you’ll have to face them. There is no other way.”
Valira’s mind raced, fear creeping into her chest. She wasn’t ready for this. She had barely found the balance between fire and ice. How could she possibly face the Court of Ash?
But deep down, she knew the woman was right. The answers she sought—the key to controlling her powers—lay in her past. And the only way forward was to confront it.
“We’ll go,” Caelan said, his voice quiet but firm. “But we’ll do it on our terms.”
Valira looked at him, her heart pounding. She didn’t know how they would survive what lay ahead, but she knew one thing for certain: they couldn’t run any longer.
The time had come to face the fire.