Page 174 of Lady for Embers

She had a point there.

Scarlett turned to Cethin. “What are you doing here anyway? I thought we weren’t training until later.”

“Training is going to be a little different today,” Cethin said. “Razik says Cassius is gaining more control over his power. You two need to train together. Learn to depend on one another.”

Cassius started to say something, but Scarlett cut him off. “You want Cassius and I to learn to ?ght together?”

Razik was already pulling his tunic over his head, presumably so he didn’t ruin yet another when his wings appeared. Cyrus had seen that happen more than once over the last week that he had been going with Cassius up to the Nightmist Arena to train.Razik was right. Cassius was getting better. It had taken him a few days to ?gure out how to summon his magic. Tybalt had been the one to instruct him on that, while Razik had been the one to talk him through isolating the Shift from the ?re. The male might be a dick, but he was unexpectedly patient with Cassius. Cyrus could admit he might have been able to help him gain control of his magic, but that Shift? It would have taken months they did not have.

Cassius picked up on things as quickly as Scarlett did once he ?gured out how to bring his magic to the surface, and while it still ?ared out of control often enough, he was mastering it more and more every day. The fact he was the grandson of Sargon obviously aided in that too.

“We know you can ?ght together, but it is different when your magic comes into play. Cassius needs to learn to not only protect you but also aid you, and you need to let him,” Cethin said with a knowing look.

She scowled back at him, but he made a damn good point. Scarlett was always concerned about everyone else. It was why she’d wanted Callan to stay below deck when the seraphs attacked. And, yeah, that was the smartest move for various reasons, but even she had known she would be distracted by making sure he was safe. Sorin nearly dying already split her focus when he was ?ghting beside her. And there was no denying that Cassius might be her Guardian, but she would gladly hurl herself in front of danger to save him.

“I am not going to try to drain you. Not this time,” Cethin was saying. “We just want you two to spar with us. Kailia will keep your twin ?ame busy if necessary.”

The Avonleyan Queen was circling Cyrus and Sorin, and Cyrus wondered if she ever wore shoes. She left ashes in her wake every time she took a step. Rayner did not do that, even barefoot. Kailia caught him studying her, and the little smirk that tilted on her lips told him she knew exactly what he was thinking about. How were she and Rayner the same and yet different?

“Use your shadows today, Scarlett,” Cethin said, drawing Cyrus’s attention back to the match that was about to take place. “You will need them. When we start attacking each other, Raz and Cassius are going to be driven to defend their Wards. It is going to get messy.”

Scarlett nodded, her and Cassius exchanging some weapons before falling into positions beside each other so easily. It was clear this was not the ?rst time they had done this. Cyrus had been watching the male before him train for the last week. He knew he’d trained Scarlett. He could see it in how similarly they moved, even if Scarlett’s own training had progressed when Sorin showed up on the scene and then more so when she had come to the Fire Court. Cassius had laid the foundations for her. They had been ?ghting beside each other since Scarlett could pick up a sword, and to see how they had grown now? Yeah, Cyrus was eager to witness it.

“Ready?” Cethin asked.

Scarlett’s answer was a burst of star?re from her palm directly at her brother, which in turn had Razik snarling and shoving Cethin to the side. Cethin and Scarlett were both godsdamn laughing while Cassius and Razik were staring each other down. And by the gods, the King of Avonleya and the Queen of the Western Courts were more alike in that moment than Cyrus had ever witnessed.

Cassius had shifted, his wings appearing and eyes glowing amber-red while his cousin’s glowed bright blue. When Scarlett sent star?re at Cethin again, Razik had had enough. Twin short swords appeared in his hands amid ?ares of black ?ames, and he was advancing on Scarlett, while her shadows tangled with Cethin’s darkness. Then Cassius was stepping into his path, sword in hand, and black ?ames ?aring to life in his other palm. It was seamless, and Cyrus couldn’t help but smile at how comfortable he was becoming with his gifts.

Razik and Cassius leapt for each other. They sparred in the air while their Wards dueled it out on the dirt below. Cyrus saw what was going to happen a second before it did. Scarlett glanced up, checking in on Cass, and Cethin capitalized, his inky darkness winding around her and yanking her to the ground. She coughed, rolling onto her hands and knees, the wind having been knocked out of her when she’d landed on her back.

“No, no, Fire Prince.”

Cyrus turned to ?nd Kailia with an arrow aimed at Sorin’s back. He was so tense, he was visibly trembling, ?re ?ickering in his palm. Kailia circled around to his front, her head tilting as her arrow remained trained on him.

“They’re sparring, Sorin,” Cyrus said, reaching over and clamping a hand down on his shoulder, squeezing tightly. “She’s not in real danger.”

“I would not go that far,” Kailia said thoughtfully.

“Not helping,” Cyrus ground out when Sorin somehow managed to go even more rigid.

Kailia just shrugged her shoulders in apathy.

“Trust him to defend himself,” Cethin was saying to Scarlett as she stalked towards him, star?re ?aring down her spirit sword.

The ground shuddered when Cassius landed beside her, Razik hitting the ground beside Cethin at the same moment.

“Fight together,” Cethin ordered. He threw a hand out, shadows swirling around Razik, and Scarlett glanced between them before understanding seemed to cross her face. She did the same, shadows and ?re surrounding Cassius that were thick enough to shield him to some effect, but still gave him plenty of space to move.

Cethin nodded in approval before he and Razik attacked again. Razik’s dragon ?re tore through the makeshift shield, and Cassius grunted, having to summon his ?re to stop the attack.

“More,” Cethin demanded. “Maintain it while you ?ght me. Don’t look. Trust your magic, and trust him. When you face Alaric, you cannot have your focus split.”

Scarlett gritted her teeth, more shadows swirling around Cassius as the Sargon descendants took to the air once more.

“She will not be able to do this,” Sorin was muttering beside him. “She worries too much about everyone else.”

“I think that’s the point,” Cyrus replied. “What is she going to do when it’s you ?ghting beside her again? You think I haven’t noticed that she freezes when you are in danger? She can’t do that, and you know it. It’s only going to get worse as—”

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