Ashes of the FutureChapter 19 – Fire Beneath the Surface
Kira stood at the edge of the riverbank just beyond Tondc, the sharp scent of pine mixing with the tang of iron and earth. Morning light streamed through the trees in golden shafts, dappling the forest floor. The air was cold and still, save for the distant rustle of birds disturbed by the early patrols. Her fingers played idly with the leather grip of her dagger, the metal cool against her calloused palm.
She hadn't slept. After delivering the Ice Nation spy, Kira had spent most of the night restlessly circling the camp—unable to settle, haunted by the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. She'd found no solace in stillness, only in motion. And now, with the sun rising, she stood in quiet contemplation, her eyes scanning the horizon beyond the water.
A twig snapped behind her.
She didn't flinch. "You walk like someone with nothing to hide."
"Should I be hiding from you?" Lexa's voice was calm, but with a teasing lilt.
Kira turned her head. The Commander approached, dressed in her leather armor, hair half-bound and still damp from a recent wash. She looked like she belonged in this world, carved from its thorns and shadows.
"Depends on what you're planning today," Kira replied with a faint smirk.
"A council meeting." Lexa stepped beside her, following Kira's gaze across the river. "And perhaps a training session. The new recruits are too eager to die."
Kira snorted. "That's a universal trait among young warriors."
"And you weren't one of them?"
Kira shook her head. "I was eager to survive. That's a very different thing."
They stood in silence for a while. Not uncomfortable, but heavy with the weight of things unsaid. Kira knew Lexa had more on her mind—she always did. There was something in her posture, the way she stood a hair too straight, a second too still.
"You're worried," Kira said finally.
Lexa didn't deny it. "Roan is watching us too closely. He suspects something is shifting."
Kira nodded. "He's not wrong."
Lexa gave her a sidelong glance. "You've been speaking with Indra."
"She thinks the Coalition is growing restless. The clans are bristling, waiting for something to strike first."
Lexa folded her arms. "The Coalition survives on balance. But war shifts the scales. If we retaliate openly, the smaller clans may break off."
Kira met her eyes. "But if we do nothing, we look weak. And Azgeda will come again."
Lexa exhaled through her nose. "So we tread the line. We respond, but not in the way they expect."
"I'm listening."
Lexa hesitated. "I want you to accompany Roan on his return journey. Pretend it's a gesture of trust."
Kira stared at her. "You want me to go with him? As in ride beside the guy whose clan just sent a spy to scout us?"
Lexa nodded slowly. "Exactly. You'll see more from within his territory. And he won't dare try anything with you watching."
"You mean he won't try anything because I'll rip his throat out."
Lexa allowed herself a faint smile. "That, too."
The journey began two days later. Roan, silent as ever, rode ahead with a small group of Ice Nation guards. Kira rode in the middle of the convoy, eyes sweeping the trees. She didn't trust any of them. Roan might have been sincere, but sincerity wasn't a shield.
They traveled light and fast, winding through mountain passes and frost-covered forests. The temperature dropped steadily as they pushed into Ice Nation territory, the wind sharper, the air more biting. Kira wore a thick fur-lined cloak given to her by Lexa before the journey. It smelled faintly of cedar and smoke.
One night, they camped beneath the shattered remains of an ancient tower. Roan approached her after dinner, dropping onto a log opposite her fire.
"You don't sleep much," he said.
"Neither do you."
Roan studied her in silence for a moment. "You're not like the others. Grounder or Skaikru."
Kira shrugged. "Because I'm not."
"You see things coming. Like Lexa does."
"Maybe. Or maybe I just know the patterns."
He looked into the fire. "You care for her."
Kira didn't answer immediately. "I respect her."
Roan gave a slight grunt. "That's not what I asked."
Kira met his gaze. "Does it matter?"
Roan leaned back. "Only if it clouds your judgment. She has few people she trusts."
"And you think I'm one of them?"
"You are."
Kira stared at the fire. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. Lexa had let her in. Maybe more than either of them realized.
When they arrived in Polaris—a frozen citadel nestled in the shadow of jagged cliffs—Kira saw firsthand the cruelty of Azgeda rule. The people were gaunt and silent. Soldiers patrolled constantly, their armor etched with the symbol of Queen Nia.
Roan led her to a guest hall carved from ice and stone. "You'll stay here until we leave. Don't wander."
Kira smiled wryly. "I was born to wander."
But she obeyed, for now.
She spent the night memorizing guard rotations and escape routes. Her instincts told her something was coming. Roan had been careful, respectful even—but the air felt tight, wrong.
And then, just before dawn, the door to her chamber creaked open.
She didn't move. Let the shadows come. Her blade was already in hand beneath the furs.
A figure entered—slender, hooded.
"You should not be here," Kira said calmly.
The figure paused. A woman's voice replied: "Neither should you."
And then a dagger flashed.
Kira rolled from the bed and launched forward, striking the woman's wrist. The blade clattered to the ground. They grappled in silence, feet scuffing across stone.
Kira pinned her against the wall.
"Who sent you?"
The woman didn't answer. Kira pressed the blade to her throat.
"You have one chance."
A whisper. "Queen Nia."
Kira cursed under her breath and knocked the woman out cold.
Outside, she could already hear guards moving.
The trap had been sprung.
patreon.com/KyJo_