Page 169 of Glow of the Everflame

“Maybe you need motivation,” she offered, scratching the shorn side of her midnight blue bob. “Perhaps we need to give you something to fight for.”

“If I can’t make my magic work, I die,” I said flatly. “I doubt you’ll find better motivation than that.”

“That will motivate you in the Challenging itself—”

“We hope,” Taran muttered.

“—but it may not be enough to trigger your magic in these training sessions,” she continued.

“Just imagine the target is Aemonn’s face,” Taran said. “That’s what I do.”

“What is it with you two?” I asked, propping my hands on my hips. “He’s notthatbad. You’re brothers, you should put this feud behind you.”

“Never going to happen. Not all of us fall for his tricks just because he bats his eyes and kisses our hand.”

“Taran,” Luther warned.

“I’m not an idiot,” I shot back. “I’m giving him a fair chance. That doesn’t mean I don’t see his flirting for what it is.”

“So you give ‘fair chances’ to the people who use you while you punish the ones who actually care?”

“I have an idea,” Alixe offered, stepping between the two of us. “I could use my illusions to take on the appearance of someone you want to fight. Perhaps that would put you in the right mindset to attack.”

“How are you at replicating Taran?” I grumbled, drawing a smirk from the man himself.

“Maybe we should invite Iléana to one of these sessions to spar with you,” he said.

I mirrored his smug look. “Finally, an idea I can agree with.”

He stepped around Alixe and came nose to nose with me, angling his head and grinning savagely in my face. “But then again, why would Iléana’s presence bother you, when you’re so happy with your mortal boy?”

“Taran,” Luther barked as he pushed off the wall. “Back off.”

“Youback off,” I snapped back at Luther, halting him in place. “I can defend myself.”

“Not against anyone with magic, you can’t,” Taran mocked. To prove his point, he shot a cloud of dark spikes at my feet, forcing me to jump out of the way to avoid them.

I growled and launched myself forward, shoving my palms into Taran’s chest. My emotions made my form sloppy, and he spun easily out of my grasp and sent me sprawling to the floor.

He stared down at me, brows raised. “Is that the best you can do?”

I scowled and held out a hand to him. “Quit gloating and help me up.”

He flashed me a victorious grin as he reached for me, but before he could haul me to my feet, I hooked an ankle around his knee, throwing him onto his back with a loud thump.

I climbed to my feet and brushed the dust from my clothes. “Honestly Taran, that’s the oldest trick in the book. I’m disappoi—”

A boot slammed into my back and sent me staggering forward. Before I could turn around, Taran had an arm around my neck and another circling my waist, pinning my wrists to my sides.

“Lu said you were a good fighter.” Taran laughed as I squirmed against his grip. “All I see is a puny little girl.”

“Use your magic,” Alixe scolded. “Both of you.”

I wriggled one arm free and jammed my elbow into his ribs, forcing him to release me as he coughed for air. He managed to snatch my arm as I jumped away, but I twisted until his wrist bent awkwardly, and he let go with a curse.

“Having some trouble with the ‘puny little girl’?” I mocked.

He let out another raucous burst of laughter, then threw a fist out toward me. He was too far away to land the punch, but a shockwave of serrated darkness raced my way, barely missing me as I ducked out of its path. I had no time to recover before he launched another series of blasts that I had to dive, lunge, and roll to avoid.

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