Page 21 of War Of Fire and Fortune
Luana dodged effortlessly, sending a barrage of rocks hurtling back at me. I raised a wall, barely blocking them in time. My arms trembled with the effort.
"Again!" Luana barked. "You're still too slow, Emelyn. Feel the earth. Become one with it and move it!"
I gritted my teeth, frustration boiling inside me. Earth bending felt clunky, unnatural. Not like water, which flowed through me as easily as the blood in my veins. Water was an extension ofmyself. But earth? It was a stubborn beast I had to wrestle into submission.
I hurled the wall I had made to her and it flew true, but Luana batted it away like an annoying bug.
"Pathetic," she spat. "Is this the best you can do?"
"I'm trying," I growled, readying my stance again.
“Try harder!”
As I prepared another attack, I thought about how things had been going. It had been a little over a month, and Kade hadn’t come back, Ace was gone, my relationship with Shay had been rocky. Anger flared then. Nothing had felt right since I'd learned the truth of it all. I decided to lean into that anger.
Lies. So many lies. From Kade, from Shay, from everyone I'd trusted. The rage that had been simmering under my skin finally threatened to boil over and I let it.
How dare they? How fucking dare they keep the truth from me.
Kade manipulated me. Shay lied to me. Ace was gone.
I let out a scream. The ground shook violently, fissures spider-webbing in all directions. Boulders ripped themselves from the earth, hovering around me in a deadly orbit.
For a moment, Luana's eyes widened in surprise. Then a slow, satisfied smile spread across her face.
"Now we're getting somewhere," she purred.
I didn't relish her approval. My anger wasn't for her benefit. It was raw, all-consuming, and directed at everyone who'd betrayed me. But as quickly as it had come, it drained away, leaving a hollow ache behind. Thoughts of Ace flooded my mind and the boulders crashed to the ground. I should’ve been faster. I shouldn’t have left him there. My concentration shattered completely.
Damn the mother, Ace . . .
"I’m done for the day," I whispered, trying to hide the crack in my voice. I was so angry, but it was shrouded in grief.
Luana's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? We were making some great progress, Emelyn.”
“We can practice more tomorrow,” I stated, ignoring her question. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh. If anything, Luana was Ace’s mate. I should be kinder. She out of everyone would understand what I was going through. “I’m sorry,” I muttered, running a hand down my face.
“Emelyn, you can talk to me.” Luana's voice softened.
My eyes lined with tears, but I refused to let them fall. Refused to show weakness when I needed to be at my strongest. For Ace—for the world. But everything felt wrong without Ace here. I knew what he was enduring, and I had only been in Valla's clutches for a few days. It had been too long since Kade had gotten me out of Ember. The thought of the torment Ace was going through brought me to my knees. Luana walked over to me and sat down next to me in the dirt.
"He's there," I choked out. “He's there and I'm here, and I can't—” My words fell away as she pulled me into a hug. The moment she gripped me, a boulder-sized lump in my throat made it hard to breathe, to hold back the tears that had been simmering under the surface for so long.
“I know.” Her voice was raw, and I felt the warmth of her tears drip on my shoulder. “I know, and I don’t have anything to say to help make that pain bearable.”
How could I go on with this training, this charade of normalcy, when he was trapped in a living nightmare?
"I'm done waiting," I resolved. My decision was made.
“Emelyn—” Luana’s voice sounded pleading, but it wouldn’t stop me.
"No." I whirled on her. "I'm going to get Ace. First thing in the morning. I'm not waiting anymore."
Luana’s eyes widened at my decision.
"He’s endured enough, and we've been separated for too long. We should be preparing for this war together. He should be with his mate. With you. With us. Here—" My voice cracked on the last word, but I pushed past it. "This is wrong," I whispered, clutching my necklace. “Everything feels wrong.”
I rose to my feet and helped Luana to hers. "I'm done with everyone telling me it's all going to be okay. Nothing is okay with him in Valla's hands. I'm going to get him myself.”
