Between Ash and Ice

Secrets in the Ruins

Chapter Nine: Secrets in the Ruins

Ravena’s grip was firm as I pulled her to her feet, though her body still trembled with exhaustion. I could feel it beneath my fingers—the lingering weight of whatever magic had bound her, the toll it had taken.

She was strong.

But she was also wounded.

The moment she was upright, she released my arm and staggered back a step, her dark eyes scanning our surroundings like a caged animal assessing the walls of its prison. Not looking at me. Looking for threats.

I crossed my arms. “Are you going to tell me what the hell just happened?”

Ravena exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders as if shaking off invisible chains. When her gaze finally met mine, there was wariness, but something else beneath it. Calculation. She was deciding what to tell me.

“I should be asking you the same,” she said finally, voice hoarse but sharp. “People don’t survive the Rift.”

I narrowed my eyes. So she knew about it.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

She smirked, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I don’t owe you answers.”

I took a step closer, heat still simmering under my skin, not quite fire, but enough. “I just saved your life.”

She didn’t flinch. “And I warned you—you may regret it.”

Silence stretched between us, the ruins around us settling into eerie stillness. I studied her—the cut on her cheek, the way she favored her right side, the bruises lining her wrists where the chains had dug in. Whoever had done this to her hadn’t been kind.

But that didn’t mean I trusted her.

I exhaled slowly. “Fine. Keep your secrets.” I turned away, scanning the landscape beyond the ruins. I needed a plan. Food, shelter, a way out of this place.

But before I could take a step, Ravena spoke. “They’ll come back.”

I stilled.

“They?” I asked, not turning yet.

I heard her swallow, like she hadn’t meant to say it aloud. But the damage was done.

“The ones who chained me.” Her voice was quieter now, edged with something I couldn’t quite place. “They don’t take failure lightly.”

I turned back to her. “Who are they?”

Her jaw tightened. “Not your concern.”

I let out a humorless laugh. “I just burned one of their monsters to ash. That makes it my concern.”

Ravena hesitated. She looked at me, really looked at me this time. Not just with suspicion—but with recognition. Like she had just figured something out, something dangerous.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” she murmured, almost to herself. “No one is supposed to survive the Rift.”

My stomach twisted. She was right.

She shifted her weight, watching me closely. “You’re powerful. I saw what you did.”

I clenched my fists. “I don’t even know what I did.”

Ravena tilted her head, eyes sharp. “Then you better figure it out. Because if they come for me, and you’re standing beside me…” She let the words hang in the air. “They’ll take you too.”

Something about the way she said it sent a chill down my spine. Whoever had imprisoned her wasn’t done. And now, by saving her, I had put myself in their sights.

I met her gaze, fire still lingering at my fingertips. I should leave. I should walk away.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I exhaled and said, “Then we better not be here when they come.”