Ashes of the FutureChapter 20 – Frost and Steel
Kira stood silently beside Roan in the throne room of Polaris, every muscle coiled with tension. Queen Nia's court was a study in cold cruelty—ice-slicked stone, skeletal torches flickering against frozen pillars, and a dais draped in wolf pelts. Seated like a spider in her web, Nia regarded Kira with the detached curiosity of a predator that had already decided when to strike.
"So this is the infamous outsider," she said, voice like winter wind. "Lexa's shadow."
Kira gave a shallow bow, eyes unblinking. "Kira, of no clan."
Nia tilted her head. "Yet you walk with warriors. You sit in war councils. You fight Azgeda scouts."
Kira met her gaze, calm. "I do what protects the people I fight beside. Clan has nothing to do with it."
Nia's lips curled in amusement. "And yet here you are, in my halls, threatening my warriors in the night."
"Your assassin tried to cut my throat while I slept."
A murmur rippled through the court. Roan's jaw tensed.
Nia did not flinch. "A misunderstanding."
Kira stepped forward. "I don't misunderstand a dagger in my ribs."
Tension spiked. Roan raised a hand. "Enough. We agreed to host her in peace. This violation breaks that."
Nia waved a hand dismissively. "She lives. That is my mercy."
Kira bit back her retort. Not yet. She needed to survive this, gather intel, and get out. Lexa would expect a report.
Later, alone in her quarters, Roan entered without ceremony. "You're lucky."
"I'm angry."
"That too."
Kira paced. "Your mother plays games with blades. If I hadn't been trained—"
Roan folded his arms. "You're not just trained. You move like a shadow. What are you, really?"
She hesitated. "Someone who remembers too much."
He didn't press.
"We leave at dawn. I can't keep you safe in these walls."
Kira nodded. "Good. I've seen what I came for."
The return ride to Tondc was blistering and silent. Roan barely spoke. His guards kept close. Kira stayed vigilant, riding with one hand always on her weapon. The wound she took during the fight was shallow, but it ached with every gallop.
As they crossed into neutral territory, relief bloomed in her chest. The trees thickened. The air warmed.
Lexa was waiting just beyond the gates.
She met Kira's gaze instantly, reading her posture like a battle map. When Kira dismounted, Lexa crossed the distance in three long strides.
"You're hurt."
"Alive," Kira corrected, handing off her reins.
Lexa signaled the medics, but Kira waved them off. "It's not deep. I need to debrief you first."
They retreated to Lexa's tent. Alone.
"Nia is planning something," Kira began. "There are troop movements in her southern passes. Not a full mobilization, but enough to raid."
Lexa listened intently. "What else?"
"She's looking for an excuse. The spy she sent was bait. My presence there might've tipped her hand."
Lexa's expression darkened. "And the attack on your life?"
Kira shook her head. "She denied it. Called it a misunderstanding."
Lexa exhaled sharply. "She's pushing. Testing the line."
Kira nodded. "So we draw our own line. Quietly. Swiftly. We take out the raiding camp before it moves."
Lexa moved to the war table, tracing her fingers along a map. "I can dispatch a strike team. You lead them."
Kira grinned. "Thought you'd never ask."
Their eyes met, and for a moment, the war faded.
"I worried for you," Lexa said quietly.
Kira's smirk softened. "You don't have to. I'm not easy to kill."
"Still. You matter."
Silence pulsed between them.
Kira stepped closer. "So do you. But I still need time."
Lexa nodded. "I'll wait."
They stood, close but not touching, firelight dancing on their armor.
Outside, the camp stirred. War loomed. But in the eye of it, two warriors held fast to a quiet promise neither had spoken aloud.
End of Chapter 20
patreon.com/KyJo_