Page 56 of Lady for Embers

She heard Cassius yelling her name and felt Sorin’s panic down the bond. She had to block him out to put all of her focus into her magic. Flipping again, she threw out her hands to try to draw up some water from the sea, but she was still ?fty feet above it. Her shadow dragon would never form in time to catch her at this rate. She could hear the seraphs drawing closer again.

And then water was surrounding her. An orb of water in midair, suspending her there. The outer layer of water froze solid, creating a shield, and she looked down to ?nd Briar’s eyes ?xed on her. He gestured towards his mouth and nose, and she knew he was telling her to make an air pocket. Because she could breathe underwater, like he’d always said she could, and a moment later, she was gasping down deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She was still stuck in midair, the seraphs hovering around her aquatic safety, but then the ?re seraphs began throwing ?ames of orange and yellow at the ice-encased bubble. She glanced back down at Briar, his features tight as he worked to hold the shield, and she sent her own water magic to work with his, reinforcing the outer layer of ice.

Until black ?ames were shooting past her.

She whirled inside that bubble of water to ?nd Cassius. In theair.

Dark leathery wings protruding from his back like... Ranvir’s.

Those were dragon wings.

She lurched forward, her hands coming up to the icy wall of the bubble. Her gaze connected with his good eye. But it wasn’t chocolate-brown. It was a deep amber-red color, his pupil a vertical slit, and it was glowing like her eyes did when her reserves were full.

More black ?ames sprung up around him, and he threw them at the nearest seraph. And then the seraph was gone, nothing but grey ashes on the wind drifting down to the sea.

“Fall back!”

Scarlett looked up to ?nd another seraph hovering above them all. He had brown wings and black hair knotted on top of his head. His grey eyes were ?xed on Cassius with hatred. Cass was reaching for her with one hand, motioning to her to lower her shield. His other hand was still raised, black ?ames at his ?ngertips, warning off the seraphs.

None of them made a move for her as she pulled back her magic and felt Briar’s slowly peeling away too. The Water Prince kept a sheet of ice at the base, giving her some place to stand, and she inched towards Cassius. The moment her ?ngers touched his outstretched hand, he was jerking her into him, an arm looping tightly around her waist. She felt Briar’s magic disappear, and then she was hanging in mid-air, her arms tight around her Guardian’s neck.

There was utter chaos all around them. The sounds of battle rang out below, but their attention was ?xed on the ?ve seraphs before them. Cassius’s wings beat harder to keep them aloft. She didn’t know how long he’d be able to keep hold of his gifts. This was the ?rst time he’d ever used them fully, and she did not know how he was controlling them right now. The ?rst time she’d accessed her gifts fully, it had been a disaster.

“How is one of Arius’s guards here?” the lead seraph demanded. The remaining four who had been trying to get to her were in formation behind him, their wings an array of colors.

“He is not full-blooded.”

Alaric’s angry snarl cut through the din, and he appeared next to the seraph. His lip curled back as he took her and Cassius in.

“Put your ?ames out,” she said to Cassius. “Now.”

He didn’t argue. It took him a few moments to do it, but the black ?ames at his ?ngertips disappeared.

“Then who is his father?” the seraph demanded again.

“I do not know, but we will ?gure it out. There are not many options. Sargon is very particular,” Alaric answered. His gaze lingered on Cassius a moment longer before he met her eyes again. “Looks like we both had cards revealed today, my Wraith.”

“The only thing I am of yours is your death,” she snarled back. She felt Cassius’s arm ?ex around her waist. He had to be getting tired. No one could maintain this much magic their ?rst time accessing it fully. He didn’t know how to draw from his power wells properly. Hell, she could scarcely manage that most days, and she’d been training with her gifts for months now.

Alaric seemed to almost appreciate the statement she’d made, a look of pride crossing his features. “You are exactly as I trained you up to be, Scarlett Monrhoe. Ruthless. Vindictive.A weapon. I will see you at home.”

He turned to the seraph beside him. “I want her brought to me. The rest can go to the bottom of the sea.”

The seraph nodded, a warrior following orders, and then Alaric Traveled. Scarlett knew he wouldn’t be back. Not this time.

The moment he was gone, she released her shadows, willing them to pool quickly into her dragon. The seraphs above were already attacking again, but none came for them.

“Let go of your magic, Cass,” she said. “My shadows will catch us.”

“Gladly,” he muttered, and a second later she was falling again, only to land on shadows a few moments later. They were directly above Briar’s ship, and she dove for the ship’s deck.

She leapt from the shadows, landing on her feet next to the Water Prince. Cassius landed beside them, immediately sinking to a knee and trying to catch his breath.

“You need blood,” she said, dropping to a crouch beside him, a hand coming to his back. She signaled to a Fae across the ship who began to make his way over. It was slow going though. He had to stop every few feet to defend against attacks.

“I can wait for Cyrus,” Cassius said.

She turned back to him. The wings were gone, but his eye was still glowing, the pupil still vertical.

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