Between Ash and Ice

A Fragile Alliance

Ravena stared at me, searching my face for something—doubt, hesitation, maybe even fear. Whatever she found, it wasn’t enough to push me away. Instead, she let out a short, breathless laugh, shaking her head.

“You’re either brave or foolish,” she muttered. “Maybe both.”

I shrugged. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She sighed and rolled her shoulders again, wincing. The bruises around her wrists still glowed faintly, remnants of the magic that had bound her. I caught her eye and gestured to them. “Can you walk?”

“Walking isn’t the problem.” She inhaled sharply, rubbing at her wrists. “Surviving is.”

I frowned. “Do you have somewhere to go?”

Ravena’s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze shifting past me, toward the jagged horizon. “Nowhere safe. Not anymore.”

The weight in her voice made something tighten in my chest. Who was she running from? And why did it sound like she had lost everything?

I exhaled and glanced around. The ruins offered no shelter, only more questions. If these people—or creatures—came looking for her, we needed to move.

“There’s a ridge up ahead,” I said, nodding toward the distant rock formations. “Higher ground. We’ll be able to see if anyone’s following.”

She hesitated, then gave a slow nod. “Fine.”

We started walking, moving carefully over the uneven terrain. The silence between us stretched, but it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable. More like two people feeling the weight of the unknown.

After a while, she spoke. “You never told me your name.”

I glanced at her. “I never told you I would.”

She arched a brow. “Is that how we’re playing this?”

I smirked slightly. “For now.”

She huffed but didn’t argue. Instead, she changed the subject. “That fire you used. Have you always had that?”

The question made me tense. Because I didn’t know. I had no memory of wielding it before the Rift, no memory of anything before the Rift beyond pain and betrayal.

“No,” I admitted. “I think… I think it started when I fell.”

She considered this. “Then you’re more dangerous than I thought.”

I stopped walking and turned to her. “You keep saying that. Dangerous to who?”

Ravena met my gaze, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. “To everyone.”

For some reason, the answer didn’t surprise me.