The gates of the Ash Court loomed ahead, dark and foreboding, casting long shadows over the barren landscape. Valira’s heart pounded as they drew closer, each step heavier than the last. The ground beneath her feet had changed—no longer the soft, cold blanket of snow but the hard, cracked earth of the Ash Court’s domain. Even the air felt different here, thick with heat and the scent of burning wood.
Caelan walked beside her, his face a mask of determination, though Valira could sense the tension in him. They were entering enemy territory. Returning to the place that had once branded her a threat, a weapon of destruction.
“How close are we?” Valira asked, her voice tight with anxiety.
Caelan glanced at her, his jaw clenched. “Too close for comfort. We’ll be in the heart of the Ash Court soon.”
Valira’s stomach twisted. She had only been a child the last time she was here, but the memories still lingered—fragments of fire and fear. Now, she was walking straight into the heart of that fear, seeking answers about her powers, about her mother’s legacy.
“Do you think they know?” she asked quietly.
Caelan’s eyes darkened. “They’ll know soon enough. But we can’t let them catch us off guard.”
Valira nodded, but her heart was racing. The fire inside her stirred, reacting to the heat of the Ash Court. She had only just begun to balance the fire and ice, and already, she felt that balance slipping.
* * *
As they slipped past the outer gates, sticking to the shadows, Valira’s eyes darted nervously to the patrols marching along the walls. The soldiers wore blackened armor, their faces hidden behind masks of ash and soot. Every step closer made Valira’s pulse quicken, her skin prickling with unease.
“We can’t be seen,” Caelan muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. “If they recognize you, we’re finished.”
Valira nodded, pulling the hood of her cloak lower over her face. Her mother’s blood ran through her veins, and if the Ash Court knew who she was, they would not hesitate to drag her back into their clutches.
As they moved deeper into the city, the streets grew narrower, lined with dark stone buildings that rose high above them. The air was thick with smoke, and every breath felt like it burned her lungs. Valira’s heart raced, her hands trembling as she fought to keep her powers in check.
They turned a corner, slipping into a narrow alleyway, and came face-to-face with a figure cloaked in shadows.
Valira froze. Her first instinct was to reach for her powers, but Caelan’s hand on her arm stopped her.
The figure stepped forward, revealing a familiar face. “I thought you might return,” the woman said, her voice low and dangerous. “You’ve been expected.”
* * *
Valira’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the woman standing before her. It was Alyssia, one of the Ash Court’s most feared hunters. Her fiery hair matched the blaze of the Court itself, and her sharp eyes gleamed with a knowing look that sent a chill down Valira’s spine.
“We didn’t come here for a fight,” Caelan said, his voice steady but edged with caution.
Alyssia smiled, a slow, dangerous smile. “You didn’t come here to fight? Then why, pray tell, have you returned to the Court of Ash?”
Valira’s stomach twisted. She had known the journey back here would be dangerous, but seeing Alyssia brought it all crashing down around her. The Court hadn’t forgotten her—hadn’t forgotten the power she carried within her.
“We need answers,” Valira said, stepping forward despite the fear gripping her heart. “About my mother. About what she was trying to do.”
Alyssia’s smile faded, her eyes narrowing as she studied Valira more closely. “Your mother’s secrets are dangerous things. You shouldn’t go digging where the fire runs deep.”
“Please,” Valira said, her voice trembling but determined. “I need to understand. I need to know why the Ash Court fears me.”
Alyssia’s gaze flicked to Caelan, then back to Valira. For a long moment, there was silence, the air between them thick with tension.
“Very well,” Alyssia said at last, her tone cold. “But know this, child of fire: if you dig too deep, you might not like what you find.”
* * *
Alyssia led them through the winding streets of the Ash Court, deeper into the heart of the city. The heat grew more intense with every step, and Valira felt the fire inside her stirring, rising to meet the flames of the city. It was as if the very air was pulling the power from her, feeding the flames that lay dormant in her chest.
“You’ve felt it, haven’t you?” Alyssia said, glancing back at Valira as they walked. “The fire of the Ash Court calls to you. It knows who you are.”
Valira swallowed hard. “I’ve felt it,” she admitted. “But I don’t understand it. My powers... they’re unstable.”
Alyssia smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “That’s because you’re trying to control something that cannot be controlled. Fire is chaos. It burns, it destroys, and it will consume you if you let it.”
Valira’s heart pounded. She had always known the fire was dangerous, had always feared the power that lurked inside her. But hearing Alyssia speak of it so coldly, as though it were inevitable that the fire would consume her, sent a wave of dread through her.
“Then how did my mother control it?” Valira asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Alyssia’s eyes darkened. “Your mother didn’t control it. She thought she could, but in the end, it was the fire that controlled her.”
Valira’s stomach dropped. Was that her fate too? To be consumed by the very power she was trying to master?
* * *
They finally reached a tall, imposing building at the center of the Ash Court. Alyssia stopped at the base of the steps, turning to face Valira and Caelan with a look of grim determination.
“This is where it all began,” she said, her voice low. “Your mother’s experiments, her attempts to unite fire and ice—it all started here.”
Valira’s breath caught. This place, this dark, foreboding building, held the answers she had been searching for. But it also held the weight of her mother’s failures, the legacy of a power that had nearly torn the courts apart.
Alyssia stepped closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “You want answers? You’ll find them here. But know this, Valira—if you walk through those doors, there’s no turning back. The Ash Court will not forgive another failure.”
Valira glanced at Caelan, her heart pounding in her chest. She had come so far, but the fear of what she might find inside threatened to paralyze her. Was she ready for the truth? Could she handle the secrets buried within these walls?
“We don’t have a choice,” Caelan said softly, his eyes locked on hers. “We need to know.”
Valira took a deep breath, her hands trembling as she looked up at the towering building before her. The fire inside her flared, the heat rising in response to the looming danger.
“We go in,” Valira said, her voice steady despite the fear coursing through her.
And with that, they stepped forward, crossing the threshold into the heart of the Ash Court.