Page 43 of War Of Fire and Fortune
Then, she appeared: Valla. Her armor was stained with the blood of those who had dared stand against her, her sword carving a path of destruction. Our eyes met across the field, and time seemed to slow, the noise fading until there was only her.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. We’d meant to catch them off guard, ambush their soldiers, cripple their forces. But they’d come in greater numbers than we’d prepared for, and now the field was flooded with their banners. The upper hand we’d clung to had slipped through our fingers, and suddenly everything we’d fought for teetered on the edge of collapse.
If the rebellion fell today, Ember would be one step closer to overtaking Woodhaven. And then, the world.
I ran a hand along my belly. This wasn't just another battle. It might bethebattle.The final stand. If we lost today, Valla won. Ember could take over. Sure, Woodhaven had good defenses, but for how long? My child would be born into a world ruled by fire and ash, never knowing peace, only survival. Gods, I wouldn’t let that be their future. And maybe it was wrong of me to possibly make that decision, but I had trained for this. I had spent the last hundred years preparing for this moment. Enduring, surviving, all with one goal: to face Valla head-on one last time. There would be no escape for her today. No retreat.
Everything I had lost—the fall of my home, the slaughter of my people, every name I could no longer speak without pain—all of it had been by her hand. She was the embodiment of our suffering. And now she stood within reach.
“Shay, don’t,” Baron warned, gripping my arm. Our shared glance held a world of words unspoken—a desperate plea, silent understanding, a love so profound it ached in my chest. He didn’t have to say it:You’re carrying our child. You’re my mate. I love you. Don’t do this.
But Valla’s presence ignited something in me—a wildfire of vengeance, yes, but something deeper.Resolve.
The throng of soldiers shifted, just for a breath, creating a narrow pathway to her. I took it as a sign. Maybe the only one I’d ever get.
I wrenched free of Baron’s hold.
“Shay!” His scream tore through the air. But the moment I was free, two enemy soldiers were already on him. I knew he could handle himself. I would not falter.
Each step I took was a promise. To those who had died. To those who still lived.
To the child I carried.I will not let you inherit this broken world.
And so I ran—toward the nightmare, the fire, the only chance we might have left of winning.
Today, she would know the wrath of a warrior with nothing left to lose.
My boots pounding the earth as Valla clashed steel with a rebellion soldier. She was too focused on her opponent to see me coming. My sword cut through the air toward her, but at the last breath of a moment, she sidestepped and my blade whistled past her. Her eyes flicked to mine, widening a little with recognition.
"Well, well, look who it is," she drawled, her voice dripping with venom as she turned fully toward me now. "And with child, no less. You really are fucking stupid. But you’re brave. I’ll give you that." Our swords met in a thunderous clash. "It doesn't look like much has changed."
But I had. I was stronger. Better than before. Years of relentless training had honed my body into a weapon. My reflexes were sharp. I could see it in her eyes—the confidence. She'd underestimated me.
Perhaps it was the weariness from the ongoing battle that slowed her, or maybe she simply wasn't accustomed to facing an adversary with my level of skill.
With grace, I sidestepped her next strike. In one fluid motion, I drew the dagger strapped to my thigh and drove it home, finding my mark in her side. Valla gasped, her face contorting with pain and surprise. That was the opening I needed. I would not let it slip away.
"You fucking bitch." Valla's hiss ripped through the clamor of battle, her movements becoming a blur as she regained her footing. I pretended to strike, my sword aimed high, watching her eyes track the motion as her weapon rose to meet mine. In that heartbeat, I spun beneath her guard, the world tilting on its axis as I crouched and swept my dagger across the flesh of her thigh, leaving a deep gash behind. The dark stain blooming on her trousers made a grin tug at the corners of my lips.
She attacked harder then. Each clash of our blades sent jolts up my arms, the impact resonating through my bones. Flames ignited up her sword. The leather of my gloves smoked with the friction. Valla was relentless, pushing me back step by step. Her fire-forged sword was suffocating. Every parry scorched my palms through the leather of my gloves. She was strong and fast, and I was rapidly losing ground. But I couldn’t stop.
Wouldn’t. Because I was those things too.
This ends today.
I stepped in close, ducking under the arc of her burning blade, and brought mine up in a tight swing meant to catch her unprotected side. Valla’s eyes flared with fury—and thensomething shifted in her stance. Before I could register the change, she twisted.
CRACK.
Her elbow collided with my jaw—sharp, brutal, and so fast it felt like the world snapped sideways. Pain exploded through my skull, white-hot and blinding. I staggered back a few steps, nearly losing my grip on my sword as my vision spun. Another type of pain shot through my back and lower belly again, but I gritted my teeth through it.
The world tilted. My legs screamed to buckle.
And Valla used the opening.
She turned with lethal grace, fire trailing in the wake of her blade as she readjusted her position—putting space between us, reclaiming control of the fight. Her burning sword danced in the air again, casting her face in flickering orange light like a demon from the depths of my worst memories.
Blood dripped from my lip.
