Ashes of the FutureChapter 10 – The Knife and the Flame
Morning came with a hush. Mist clung low to the forest floor, curling around the feet of those waking to another day in the uneasy alliance between Sky People and Grounders. Kira awoke early, as she always did, stretching her limbs outside her tent as the horizon began to glow.
She caught sight of Lexa across the clearing, already armored, already poised. A small nod passed between them. No words. None were needed.
Kira's training routine began in silence, the kind she had known before Earth. Back in her old world, she had trained in empty dojos and under fluorescent gym lights, her only company the sound of fists against fabric and the steady count of discipline. Now, she moved through kata beneath trees, birdsong replacing hums of air conditioning.
A figure stepped into her periphery. Not Lexa, not Clarke, not even Bellamy.
Elara.
"Mind if I join?" she asked, arms folded casually but with a readiness Kira recognized instantly. Military.
"Suit yourself. Just don't pull anything you'll regret."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Elara replied, stepping into the rhythm.
They moved together. It wasn't synchronized, but it was complimentary. Elara's style was more rigid, more form-based. Kira's was adaptive—fluid. And yet, something about the shared breath, the mirrored movements, created a harmony neither expected.
After twenty minutes, they paused, sweat dotting their brows. Kira offered a water pouch. Elara took it with a slight grin.
"You're better than I expected."
"I get that a lot," Kira replied with a smirk.
A rustle from the camp edge turned their heads. A runner approached—a Grounder scout. Dust coated his boots.
"Trouble?" Kira asked as he skidded to a halt before Lexa.
"Trikru scouts report movement east. Azgeda warriors. Twenty, maybe more."
Lexa's jaw tightened. "So soon."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "Didn't expect to face another faction so quickly."
Kira holstered her knife. "Welcome to the coalition."
They met in Lexa's command tent that afternoon. Kira stood beside Clarke and Raven, while Elara took position on the opposite end, near Indra. The map spread between them was marked with crude charcoal lines and colored pins.
"Azgeda wants to push into Trikru territory," Indra growled. "They test us because they believe we are weak with Skaikru inside."
"Then we show them we're not," Lexa said. Her eyes moved to Kira. "You will lead a small unit to intercept them. Push them back. Don't engage unless necessary."
Kira met her gaze evenly. "You want diplomacy or intimidation?"
Lexa's mouth curved faintly. "Both."
Raven leaned over the map. "If they're moving through this pass, you can cut them off here. Narrow ground. They can't surround you."
"But if they're smarter than we think, they'll flank," Clarke warned.
"That's why I'm going too," Elara said. Her tone brooked no argument.
Lexa studied her for a long moment. "You believe you can command warriors who do not know your name?"
Elara didn't blink. "I don't need to command them. I just need them to follow me into hell."
Lexa nodded. Approval, not permission.
And just like that, the unit was assembled.
The pass was a jagged scar between forested hills, choked by brambles and narrow enough for only three to walk abreast. Kira led the group with Elara on her right and a Trikru scout named Toma on her left.
They moved quickly, quietly, like ghosts. Kira felt the weight of her hidden inventory—supplies, weapons, even food. It felt like cheating sometimes, but she'd stopped apologizing for surviving long ago.
When they reached the ridge, Toma raised a hand. "There."
Azgeda warriors below. Twenty-three, by Kira's count. Heavily armed. Moving with discipline.
Elara leaned close. "They're prepping to camp. You want to hit them now?"
Kira shook her head. "Lexa wants a message sent, not a war. We make contact. Hold the high ground. No blood unless we spill it defending."
She stepped forward.
And fell.
Not far, just into a shallow pit. But she landed hard, the wind knocked from her chest. A hidden net. Instantly, spears aimed up at her. Azgeda warriors, rising from the brush like wraiths.
She snarled. "Of course it was a trap."
Elara dropped beside her, blade drawn. Toma flanked from the other side. A standoff.
Then one warrior stepped forward. Tall, scarred, and draped in furs.
"You are the ghost-girl," he said in Trigedasleng. "The one who defeated the commander."
Kira narrowed her eyes. "That rumor again. She beat me. We just danced first."
He laughed. "Then let us see your dance."
The fight exploded.
It wasn't a battle—it was a storm. Kira flowed between attackers, striking with speed and precision. Elara fought like a hammer, each blow meant to maim or kill. Toma covered their flank, arrows singing.
By the time it was over, five Azgeda lay unconscious. Two were dead. The others stood with bloodied weapons, but no will to continue.
Kira held her ground, chest heaving. "This is your warning. Leave Trikru lands. Next time, you won't walk away."
The tall warrior spat blood. "You are fire wrapped in shadow, ghost-girl. We will remember."
And they vanished into the mist.
That night, the fire at camp burned high. Lexa listened silently as Kira debriefed. When it ended, Lexa dismissed the others.
Only Kira remained.
"You disobeyed my order to avoid bloodshed."
Kira folded her arms. "They started it. We ended it."
Lexa stepped closer. "And if you had died?"
"Then I would've died doing what you asked. Protecting your borders."
Lexa was close now. Too close.
"You should be afraid of death."
"I'm not. Not anymore."
Silence.
Lexa's fingers brushed Kira's arm, just once.
Then she turned. "Go. Rest. Tomorrow will not be easier."
Kira left without looking back.
But she felt the heat of Lexa's gaze long after the night swallowed her.
End of Chapter 10
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