Page 89 of Cry of the Firebird

Katya smiled. "No, she isn't, but I won't be the one to talk about it, mainly because I've never had the guts to ask her. If the Twins know, they will keep their mouths shut. Right, boys?"

"We don't have a death wish," they said. "Besides, it's all speculation."

High female chattering echoed through the house, and Cerise and Anya entered the kitchen. The Twins stood respectfully with big smiles.

"I'm Honaw," he said and then nodded to his brother. "That's Chayton. The less attractive brother."

"Hello, boys. I'm Cerise. When Katya told me she had shamans coming, I imagined old men. I'm glad to see how mistaken I was." Her blue eyes were pure mischief as she looked them over.

"It's nice to meet you. We haven't encountered a keres in a long time," Chayton said curiously.

"There are a few of us hiding about. Don't worry, I'm retired." Cerise paused thoughtfully and added, "Well, sort of."

Anya held out her hand. "I'm Anya. Thank you so much for flying all this way." As her hand touched Honaw's, there was a loud crack of static, and they blew back in opposite directions. Honaw hit the wall with an audible thump as Anya hit the kitchen counter, and the world turned to chaos.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

Anya's head throbbed in pain, and her vision blurred as she tried to sit up. Honaw was on the other side of the kitchen, the wall broken where he had collided with it.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she said.

"Holy shit," Honaw murmured, staring at her with wide eyes.

Anya winced and touched the back of her head, her hand coming away wet with blood. Panic and magic rushed through her, and she cried out as flames burst out of her skin.

Oh no, not this again!The flames went higher, responding to her emotions, and everyone backed away. The kitchen door swung open, and Trajan appeared beside her.

"Get back, Trajan," Izrayl warned. "She doesn't need you getting burned."

"Anya, you're okay. It's just your magic," Trajan said calmly.

Anya wrapped her arms around her knees and started to rock. Through the dancing flames, Anya saw Yvan come into the kitchen and move Trajan out of the way.

"I've got this one," he said. Yvan's arm licked with the firebird's flames, and he reached out to take Anya's hand.

"Shalost, look at me." Anya put her hand in his, and their flames mingled. "Calm your mind and turn the flames off. You can do this." Anya nodded slowly and closed her eyes.

Focus on your peaceful memory,Katya prompted mentally to her.

Anya breathed deeply as she let the memory of the firebird in the night sky fill her mind. As her heart slowed, the flames began to fade, pulling back inside of her.

"That's it," Yvan said. Anya's eyes opened, and she fell forward into his strong arms.

"Get me out of here. I don't want them to see me cry," she whispered. Yvan scooped her up without questioning her.

"Give us a moment," he said to the others. Yvan carried Anya through the house, finally placing her on a soft couch in the library.

"Just shoot me now, will you?" she muttered as he wrapped a blanket around her. He bundled together a wad of tissues and gently pressed it to the wound on her head.

"You seem to be more than capable of hurting yourself without my help. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself either. You're untrained and have a lot of power. These sorts of things happen."

"To whom?" Anya sniffed, rubbing the tears off her face.

"When Vasilli first started learning magic, he blew up the top of a tower. All you did was set yourself on fire."

"The poor twins. I make such a good first impression, don't I?" she groaned, putting her head back in her hands.

"The first time we met, you tried to hit me with a poker," he reminded her. "They got off easy with the fire."

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