The cold night air bit at Valira’s skin as she and Caelan moved swiftly through the outskirts of the Ash Court. The heat of the city still lingered in her veins, the fire and ice inside her balanced but tense, like two predators circling each other, waiting to strike. Every step they took away from the court felt like a small victory, but Valira couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them.
Caelan’s hand remained firmly on the hilt of his sword as he scanned the path ahead, his expression grim. “We need to move faster,” he muttered, his eyes flicking back toward the city. “They won’t let us get far.”
Valira’s heart raced, her pulse quickening with every glance back at the towering gates behind them. She could feel the magic of the Ash Court pressing against her, like a tether that threatened to pull her back. She had rejected Alyssia’s offer, but that didn’t mean the court would let her go.
“They’re going to come for us, aren’t they?” Valira asked quietly, her voice tight with fear.
Caelan didn’t meet her gaze, but his silence was answer enough. He had known the risks when they entered the Ash Court. Now, they were on borrowed time.
“They’ll send hunters,” he said at last, his tone grim. “But we can lose them if we keep moving.”
Valira swallowed hard, her breath fogging in the cold air. She had expected this, had known the moment she walked away from Alyssia that she would be branded a traitor to the court. But the reality of being hunted—of being pursued for the power inside her—was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
They moved quickly, slipping into the shadows of the dense forest that surrounded the Ash Court. The ground beneath them was hard, cracked with ash from years of fire, but as they pushed deeper into the woods, the earth softened, giving way to the frost and snow of the borderlands.
“We’ll rest once we’re clear of the Ash Court’s territory,” Caelan said, his voice low as he glanced back again. “For now, we need to stay ahead of them.”
Valira nodded, though her body was already aching from the long journey. She could feel the tension in Caelan, the urgency in his every movement. He was right. They couldn’t afford to stop. Not yet.
As they wove through the trees, Valira’s thoughts turned to the fire and ice inside her. The magic she had awakened in the Ash Court was powerful—more powerful than anything she had felt before. But it had left her shaken, her mind spinning with doubts. What if she lost control again? What if the balance between the two elements slipped?
“We’ll find a way to stop this,” Caelan said, his voice softer now as if sensing her unease. “We’ll find a way to end the war.”
Valira looked up at him, her heart tightening in her chest. He spoke with such certainty, such quiet determination, but the path ahead felt anything but clear.
“How?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “The courts are at war, and both want me for my powers. How can we stop them when I don’t even understand what I’ve become?”
Caelan paused, his gaze softening as he turned to face her. “We’ll figure it out together.”
His words were a small comfort, but Valira knew there were no easy answers. The fire and ice inside her were part of something much larger—a war that had been raging for generations. And now, she was caught in the center of it.
They pushed forward through the forest, the trees growing thicker as they moved deeper into the borderlands. But just as they reached the edge of a clearing, Caelan stopped suddenly, his hand shooting out to grab Valira’s arm.
“Wait,” he whispered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows ahead. “Do you hear that?”
Valira’s heart pounded in her chest as she strained her ears, listening for any sign of movement. For a long moment, there was nothing but the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. But then, faintly, she heard it—a low, distant hum, like the crackling of fire.
“They’re coming,” Caelan said, his voice tight. “We need to move. Now.”
* * *
The crackle of fire grew louder behind them, and Valira’s heart raced as she and Caelan sprinted through the trees. The air felt heavier, thicker with heat, as if the Ash Court’s hunters had brought the flames with them. Valira’s breath came in short gasps, her legs burning from the effort, but she didn’t dare slow down.
“They’re too close,” Caelan muttered under his breath, his hand still on the hilt of his sword. “We need to lose them.”
Valira’s mind raced. She had felt the presence of the hunters long before they arrived—the magic they carried was like a beacon, pulling at her fire, trying to draw it out. But she couldn’t let them catch her. She couldn’t let them take her back.
“Up ahead,” Caelan said, his voice low as he motioned toward a dense thicket of trees. “We can lose them in there.”
They veered off the path, slipping through the thick underbrush, their footsteps muffled by the snow-covered ground. The trees here were taller, their branches casting long shadows over the forest floor. Valira’s pulse quickened as they moved deeper into the thicket, the sounds of pursuit fading slightly behind them.
But just as she thought they might have escaped, a blast of heat exploded to their left, sending a wall of flames roaring through the trees.
Valira cried out, stumbling back as the fire surged toward them, the heat searing her skin. She could feel the fire inside her reacting, rising to meet the flames, but she fought to keep it under control.
Caelan grabbed her arm, pulling her to the side as another burst of fire erupted from the trees. “This way!” he shouted, leading her toward a narrow path that wound deeper into the woods.
They sprinted down the path, the fire still crackling behind them, but the trees were thick here, and the flames struggled to follow. Valira’s heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing with fear and adrenaline. They couldn’t keep running forever.
“We can’t outrun them,” Valira gasped, her breath coming in ragged gasps. “What do we do?”
Caelan’s jaw clenched as he glanced back at the wall of fire creeping toward them. “We’ll have to fight.”
Valira’s stomach twisted with fear. She had fought before—she had unleashed her powers in moments of desperation—but this was different. This wasn’t about survival. This was about facing the full force of the Ash Court’s hunters.
“We’ll make a stand here,” Caelan said, his voice steady as he drew his sword. “Use the trees for cover. We can’t let them corner us.”
Valira nodded, though her hands trembled with fear. She could feel the fire rising inside her, the heat building in response to the threat. But the ice remained still, buried beneath the flames.
They took cover behind a cluster of trees, the fire crackling in the distance. Valira’s heart raced as she waited, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps. She could feel the hunters closing in, their magic pressing against her, pulling at the fire inside her.
“We’ll be ready,” Caelan whispered, his eyes locked on the path ahead.
Valira swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she reached for her powers. She couldn’t lose control—not now. Not when everything depended on it.
The fire inside her flared, the heat rising in her chest, but she forced herself to focus. She needed the ice. She needed the balance.
But as the hunters drew closer, their magic crackling in the air, Valira felt the fire slipping from her control. The flames roared to life inside her, burning hotter than ever before, and the ice remained locked away, unreachable.
She wasn’t ready for this. Not yet.
* * *
The first of the hunters appeared through the trees, their cloaks flickering with fire as they moved toward them. Valira’s pulse quickened, her breath coming in ragged gasps as the fire inside her surged, desperate to be unleashed.
Caelan raised his sword, his stance steady as the hunters closed in. “Stay behind me,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ll hold them off.”
Valira shook her head, her heart racing. “I can’t just let you fight them alone.”
“You don’t have a choice,” Caelan muttered, his gaze fixed on the approaching hunters. “If you use your powers now, they’ll know exactly where you are.”
Valira’s hands trembled as she fought to keep the fire in check. She knew he was right. The moment she unleashed her powers, the hunters would sense it. But how could they fight without it?
The first hunter raised their hand, and a wall of fire erupted from their palm, surging toward them. Caelan moved quickly, stepping in front of Valira and deflecting the flames with a burst of icy magic. The air hissed as the fire collided with ice, steam rising in a thick cloud.
Valira’s heart pounded as she watched the battle unfold. Caelan was skilled, his movements precise as he parried the hunters’ attacks, but the fire was relentless, and the heat only grew stronger.
“We need to move!” Caelan shouted, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames.
Valira nodded, but her body felt frozen, her legs heavy with fear. The fire inside her was too strong. It wanted to burn. It wanted to be free.
But if she let it out now, she knew it would consume everything.
As the next blast of fire surged toward them, Caelan deflected it again, but his movements were slower now, his strength waning. The hunters pressed forward, their magic crackling in the air, and Valira could feel the flames closing in.
“We don’t have a choice,” Caelan muttered, his voice filled with frustration. “We have to run.”
Valira swallowed hard, her mind racing. They couldn’t keep running forever. The Ash Court wouldn’t stop hunting her. She had to find a way to fight back—to control the power inside her before it consumed them both.
But how?
* * *
Valira’s hands shook as she struggled to keep the fire in check, her heart pounding as the heat inside her rose to a fever pitch. She could feel the flames clawing at her, desperate to be unleashed, but she couldn’t—she couldn’t let it take over.
The hunters moved closer, their magic pressing against her like a suffocating force. She could feel it pulling at the fire inside her, urging it to break free.
“Valira!” Caelan shouted, his voice filled with urgency as he deflected another blast of fire. “We have to move!”
Valira’s pulse quickened, but her body felt frozen. The fire roared inside her, growing stronger with every moment, and she knew she couldn’t hold it back much longer.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled, and a blast of heat erupted from the earth, sending a shockwave through the forest. Valira stumbled back, her breath catching in her throat as the fire inside her surged, pushing against her control.
The hunters stopped, their eyes fixed on her, and Valira knew in that moment that they had sensed it—the power inside her. They knew who she was.
And now, they were coming for her.
Caelan’s eyes widened in alarm as he saw the change in the hunters. “Valira, no—don’t!”
But it was too late.
The fire broke free.
* * *
The flames erupted from Valira’s hands in a violent surge, crashing against the trees and igniting everything in their path. The forest lit up with a brilliant blaze, the heat roaring as the fire spread, wild and uncontrollable.
Valira’s heart pounded as the fire consumed everything, her body trembling with the sheer force of the power she had unleashed. The hunters stumbled back, their faces filled with shock as the flames surged toward them.
Caelan grabbed her arm, his eyes wide with fear. “Valira, stop! You have to stop!”
But she couldn’t. The fire was too strong, too wild. It burned through her, untamable, and the ice inside her was nowhere to be found.
The forest burned, the trees crackling with flame as the fire roared to life. Valira gasped for breath, her chest tight with panic. She had lost control.
Again.
“I can’t stop it,” she whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the flames. “It’s too strong.”
Caelan’s grip tightened on her arm, his voice urgent. “You have to try! You can’t let it consume you!”
Valira squeezed her eyes shut, her heart racing as she fought to rein in the fire, but it was no use. The flames burned too hot, too fast, and the ice inside her was gone, lost in the heat.
“I can’t,” she gasped, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
Caelan pulled her closer, his voice low and desperate. “Yes, you can. You’ve done it before. You just need to find the balance.”
Valira’s hands trembled as she struggled to focus, her mind racing with fear and doubt. She could feel the fire burning inside her, but there was no ice to balance it. There was nothing but heat and flame.
But then, through the haze of fire and smoke, she felt it—a faint, flickering cold deep within her chest. It was weak, barely there, but it was enough.
She latched onto it, pulling it forward with everything she had.
Slowly, the fire began to subside, the flames flickering and dimming as the cold spread through her veins. The balance returned, fragile but present, and the fire finally died out.
Valira collapsed to the ground, her body trembling with exhaustion. The forest was scorched, the trees blackened and charred, but the fire was gone.
Caelan knelt beside her, his face etched with worry. “Are you okay?”
Valira nodded weakly, her breath coming in shallow gasps. “I... I think so.”
But as she took in the devastation, her heart sank. She had lost control again. And this time, the damage was worse than ever.
The hunters had fled, but Valira knew they would be back. And next time, she might not be so lucky.
“We can’t stay here,” Caelan said quietly, his voice filled with urgency. “We need to keep moving.”
Valira nodded, though her body ached with exhaustion. The fire and ice were still inside her, but the balance felt more fragile than ever.
They were running out of time.