Page 173 of Lady for Embers

“I wish I could give you more insight, but I know little,” Tybalt said. “I was not sent here until after Saylah had been here for a century. I did not come here until Achaz discovered her whereabouts. It was then that Arius decided his children required Guardians.”

“Why?” Scarlett asked, leaning forward slightly.

“Because the war in this world? It is nothing compared to the war that has been raging for a myriad of years beyond this realm. The war in this world will merely be a battle in a much bigger war. But the outcome of the war here? It will not only determine the fate of the world here, but it will also determine the course of war there.”

Chapter 33

Cyrus

"Do it,” Scarlett demanded.

“No,” Sorin gritted back, folding his arms across his chest.

Her eyes moved to Cassius. “You do it,” she urged, holding a bow and quiver out to him. Cassius stared back at her, sternly shaking his head. “Cyrus?”

He took in that pleading look on her face and bit down on his laughter. Pushing off the wall of the arena he’d been standing against, he reached for the bow. “Fuck it. Why not?”

“No, Cyrus,” Sorin growled, stepping forward and snatching the bow and quiver full of arrows from her hands.

“Please, Sorin.”

And Cyrus didn’t hold back his laugh at the sound of Scarlett Aditya, Death’s Maiden, Princess of Avonleya, and Queen of the Western Courts, whining and begging.

Sorin stared back at her, unimpressed. “Even your elusive manners will not convince me of this.”

“I’m Avonleyan. My mother is a goddess. I should be able to catch an arrow in the air,” she said before tossing a hand in Cass’s direction. “So should he.”

Cassius was suddenly staring intently at the ground, and Scarlett’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t,” she hissed in an eerie whisper.

Cassius turned his palms up helplessly. “It just happened, Seastar. We were training, and it came out of nowhere, and I just... sort of caught it.” He was scratching at the back of his head, refusing to meet her gaze.

Cyrus had seen a lot of ridiculous shit over the centuries, butthis was nearing the top as one of the most inane things he’d ever seen. Speaking of which...

“And you say the Fae throw tantrums,” Cyrus mocked. “I think a godling takes the prize for that one.”

“Cyrus, I swear to—”

“Mommy dearest?”

Her eyes narrowed on him, but before she could respond, Cethin, Razik, and Kailia strolled in the training arena. They all paused as they observed the stand-off.

“Are we interrupting?” Cethin asked, eyes darting between Scarlett and the three males.

“I want to try catching an arrow out of the air, but none of them will shoot one at me,” Scarlett grumbled.

“I’ll do it,” Razik said, reaching for Kailia’s bow that was strung across her back.

The female spun so quickly, Cyrus almost missed it, an arrow nocked and aimed at Razik’s throat before he took his next breath.

Cethin sighed, reaching over and pushing her arm down without even looking at her. “Razik, you know not to touch her bow. It makes her exceptionally violent.”

Razik chuckled darkly. “I know. I’m in the mood for some violence.”

Scarlett turned to glare at Cyrus, Cassius, and Sorin, hands on her hips. “Are you happy now? The dragon prick is my new favorite person.”

Cyrus scoffed. “We all know Eliza is your favorite person.”

“Eliza would shoot an arrow at me if I asked,” she retorted. “She also enjoys violence.”

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