The Northern Borders
The air smelled cold and dark and full of danger. Yelena had woken in the late afternoon with the feeling of thunderclouds but didn't know if it was magic or war brewing.
A letter had appeared on her camp desk while she had slept. She looked at it with a hunger she barely understood. Still, she didn't open it. Not yet.
Yelena put on her armor and was busy braiding her hair when Avallach knocked on the tent pole outside. "Come in."
"Are you ready?" he asked, his own armor on and gleaming. "Sky is darkening, and we will need to move soon."
"I still don't know if I like this. It feels…wrong," she said. Finding the right words to explain what her premonitions were telling her was always a trial.
Avallach ran a hand over his silver-white beard. "I don't like it either, but we still need to check that area. Someone spotted a male wearing Midir's livery, and he's too far south from their borders for it not to be a coincidence."
"We could be walking into a trap," Yelena said. A vision of the future flashed in her mind's eye, and she struggled to take a breath. Cold, horrible knowledge dropped into her mind.
Now, she knew they were walking into a trap, but she also knew that if they didn't, things would be much, much worse. She didn't know how they would be, but she knew that they would lose the fight to come. Gods, she really hated her cursed gift some days.
"Lena? You okay?" Avallach asked, resting a hand on his shoulder.
"Yes…I…I don't suppose I could convince you to let me go alone?"
Avallach laughed. "Not a chance, little one."
Yelena had tried. She couldn't force it because if she did, the future would change. She glanced at the unopened message. "Can you give me a few minutes? I need…ladies' time."
"Make it quick. We need to get moving if we are going to check this place out and get back before dawn," Avallach said and headed out into the drizzling rain.
Yelena picked up the message and took a deep breath, enjoying the scent of the magic that had brought it to her. Power purred in her veins, responding to it like it always did. She opened the message and scanned the first line.
Caelan…or should I say Yelena?
Her heart stopped.
I wish you hadn't lied to me about who you were, but I understand why you felt the need to. I have not…been kind to you during our acquaintance.
I'm not kind. Or nice. Not that's an excuse. It's just a fact.
I don't like people. They annoy me.
I didn't realize you wouldn't.
Now, I don't know how we can move forward as friends without it being strained or awkward or feeling like I don't know how to trust you.
Thank you for your help and advice when my brother was captured.
For what it's worth, I did really like Caelan.
Valentine Greatdrakes
Yelena swallowed. Reread the letter. Swallowed hard again. Then she burned it.
She closed her eyes and took a shuddery breath and then another. She couldn't let Midir or his men find anything about Valentine in their camp. Not a letter or a trace of his name on her lips. None of their enemies could ever know Valentine existed.
Her hands tightened into fists, forcing down the silvery magic that was bursting to get out of her.
She forced it to settle, bringing the coldness up from deep within her.
It had been a part of her since she had been a wildling girl who had too much magic.
Before Taranis had found her, she had to fight every day just to survive.
The coldness had saved her then. It would get her through what was to come.
Yelena opened her eyes, picked up her sword, and stepped out into the wet night.
If fate wanted to war, she sure as hell was going to fight back.