Page 33 of War Of Fire and Fortune
I moved through the still-sleeping camp, making my way to the practice grounds. I needed to relax, and the only way I could think to do that was by unleashing. Training after nightmares had always helped me relax. I was still exhausted, but I let the well of power crack open in my chest.
Water spiraled from the air, wrapping around me in liquid ribbons. Earth heaved under my command, rising like stone soldiers. Fire danced between my fingers, a wild, crackling heat. And air—air was my breath, my pulse, spinning into vortexes around me that echoed my inner turmoil.
Each element bowed to my will, bending with graceful fury as I poured every fragment of emotion into their movements.Sweat beaded on my brow, muscles screamed their protests, but I commanded them all until the only thing I could feel was exhaustion. My knees wobbled and I collapsed, my knees meeting the earth with a jarring thud. My breathing ragged, I listened to the sounds of the early morning. The crickets chirped while the birds started their early songs. I felt the simmering anger and sorrow within me ebb, washed away by the tide of exertion that left me hollow yet oddly satisfied.
After a few moments, I picked myself up and made way to the river. Cold water slapped against my skin as I scrubbed away the remnants of dirt and sweat from training. My fingers trembled slightly, not from the chill but from the sheer force of will it took to keep my thoughts at bay. I dressed hurriedly, the fabric clinging to my dampened skin, and set out toward Ace's tent, where I planned on healing him for the rest of the day.
Rebellion life stirred quietly around me: embers of campfires glowed softly, and the occasional groups of our people moved with purpose to whatever tasks they’d been given for the day.
I rounded a corner and nearly collided with Atreya. Her blue eyes held mine for a fleeting moment before she offered up a small, knowing smile. It was a silent acknowledgment of the unspoken tension that hung between us all like a shroud.
"Hey," I called out, my voice betraying a hint of desperation I hadn't intended. She halted, her gaze turning curious. "Do you know where Kade is? I didn't see him this morning."
"He's at Iron Isle Harbor. There was a hiccup in our plans and he had to make an appearance for Valla."
"He what—" The two words splintered in my throat, shards of panic embedding deep within me at the thought of Kade, or anyone I cared about, being anywhere near Valla. But he’d also just left again . . . without saying goodbye. The anger boiled my blood anew.
Every muscle tensed, ready to spring, to race to him and bring him back, but also to stab him in the fucking leg for once again just disappearing on me.
"Don't worry." Atreya's voice was soothing, and I knew she could see the silent battle happening within me. “He'll be back today once the ships sail. He made it clear he wasn't going to be overly involved anymore."
“Thank you for telling me.” My head bobbed in a nod. I felt so fucking hollow as my feet carried me forward. I couldn’t win. When he was here, I felt everything and I had to keep it buried, but when he was too far away, I hated not being able to know, to feel him close by. Ace's tent was just ahead, and I ducked inside, where the air clung heavy with the scent of antiseptics and herbs. Luana stood by the bedside, her hands gentle as she wiped away the remnants of some type of salve that helped with burns.
When I wasn’t healing him, Luana was using every type of healing medicine we had.
I moved over to the bed and focused on Ace as my hands began to glow pale blue. My only goal for today was for Ace to open his eyes.
Chapter Nineteen
Kade
The camp lay still, save for the whispering leaves and the occasional snort of a slumbering horse. My feet carried me swiftly toward Ace's tent.
I hesitated at the entrance, the fabric flapping softly against my hand as if urging me onward. The musty scent of medicinal herbs and dried blood assaulted my senses as I stepped inside. My eyes adjusted to the still form lying on the makeshift bed—Ace, who had become more than a friend to me over the weeks he’d been in Valla's cell.
Luana sat next to him. Her head lay heavy upon her arm, cradling the edge of the bed where Ace lay motionless. Moonlight trickled in through a slit in the tent, casting a pale glow upon her face, revealing her eyes, red and swollen. Somuch sorrow and pain was written on her face, and I couldn’t imagine seeing Emelyn in such a state. I swallowed down the image. Luana didn't move, didn't blink, her gaze fixed on Ace's peaceful-looking face, as if she were pleading silently for his eyes to open.
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, my boots rooted to the dirt, reluctant to intrude upon her when she was so weighed down with grief. But maybe a small reprieve would be good for her. I cleared my throat, the sound abrasive in the quiet. Sniffling, she jolted upright and her eyes met mine.
"Crow, hi, sorry—" Her voice cracked, and I lifted my hand.
"No need to apologize, Lu. I understand," I said. My gaze slid past her, settling on where Ace’s chest rose and fell. "Do you mind if I have a minute alone with him?"
She gave a slow, silent nod as she stood, casting one more glance down at him before looking to me. “I could use some air. Take all the time you need.” She granted me a smile, small and fragile, as if she were on the edge of breaking all over again.
I watched her go, and then I moved to the chair she had just been in and took my seat. My hands rested on my knees, fingers drumming an uneven cadence while I studied his face, searching for any flicker of the cheeky jackass that had always burned so fiercely behind those closed eyelids.
"Hey,” I murmured, feeling a little silly that I was talking to him, knowing he probably couldn’t hear anything I would be saying. But over the past few weeks, he had been the only person I’d had to talk to, and I couldn’t deny that I missed our conversations. I leaned in, my voice barely more than a whisper against the silence. "I severely fucked up," I admitted, raking a hand through my hair with a rough tug.
"Right about now, you'd have that look, the one that cuts deeper than any blade, and you'd lay out exactly how I botched things with Emelyn," I said, the corner of my mouth twitching ina semblance of a smile. A pained chuckle huffed from my chest, as thoughts of our banter within the cold, damp cells of the palace lanced through my thoughts.
My eyes roved over him, taking in the bandages, the burns, his wings being gone. The laughter died in my throat, replaced by a tightening coil of remorse. "I'm so sorry, Ace," I murmured, head bowed as if in prayer to some absent god. A moment passed. "I wish you would wake up and tell me what to do." My fingers curled into fists. "I failed you—and Emelyn. Gods, I may have lost her forever. I don’t know if she’ll ever forgive me for what happened to you." The words came faster, desperation sharpening them. "She's relentless, healing your wounds and practicing her bending day and night, and I— I'm just here, floundering in the dark. It’s ironic, isn’t it? How I’m sitting in the very thing I wield and yet I’ve never felt so fucking powerless.”
Sighing, I straightened, looking down at Ace. "I miss you,brother.” Regardless of how Emelyn felt about me, I knew how she felt about him, and that was what he was to me now. I would never give up on Emelyn, just like he wouldn’t. It was probably one of the only things we could ever agree on. And I wouldn’t give up on him, just like Emelyn wouldn’t.
I paused, jaw clenched. "I've got to leave for Iron Isle Harbor, but I'll return as soon as possible. Emelyn will be here to continue working on you, and I'll be back to check on you both," I explained before steeling myself. I stood, the chair scraping softly against the earthy floor as I moved away. “I tried to tell her I’d be leaving, but she keeps shutting me out. You think you could tell her for me?” I asked, huffing out a breath. “See you soon.” The tent flap fell shut with a muted thud behind me. I opened my Hollow and was gone with my next step.
Chapter Twenty
