Page 137 of Lady for Embers

“And he can dream-walk. That was inherent to Sera?na,” Sorin supplied. “Just like Scarlett’s... star?re.”

“The white ?ames,” Luan clari?ed.

“Yes,” Sorin said. Scarlett was not even trying to listen now.

He went on to ?ll them in on the prophecy and the little bit of history they had learned about the Wards and the Witch who had enacted them.

“Cethin is going to train her on how to defend against Alaric,” he was saying.

“Wait,” Eliza said, perking up. “We get to train with them?”

“We are meeting Cethin shortly to start. I do not think he intended to train everyone—” Sorin started.

“Let them come,” Scarlett said suddenly, getting to her feet. “If the Avonleyans are going to ?ght with us, we all need to train with them. Learn from each other. Understand each other’s ?ghting style.”

“Exactly,” Eliza said, practically jumping up from her seat. “Iamsupposed to train with Callan this morning. He can come too.”

“Where are the mortals?” Luan asked, as if he just realized they were not present.

“At Hale’s estate,” Briar said, setting down a glass of orange juice. “Tava was up before the sun to help Lynnea with breakfast. The children are not adjusting well to the Avonleyan schedule.”

“Understandably,” Scarlett said, yawning as she stretched her arms above her head. She looked down at Sorin. “Ready?”

“Did you eat enough?”

“Yes, Sorin,” she sighed. “I will suf?ciently be able to hand anyone their ass in a training ring today.”

“That sounds like a challenge, godling,” Cyrus said, getting lazily to his feet.

Her eyes ?ashed to him, ?ames sparking in her irises. “Darling, you have no idea.”

They made their way to the front steps to meet Cethin, Callan and Drake appearing a few minutes before the king. Hale was with them, apparently curious to watch them train. Between Cethin and Razik, they Traveled their entire party.

Sorin blinked a few times against the brightness of the sun when they stepped from the air. They were in the middle of a stone arena. It was circular with a dirt ?oor and large enough for a hundred warriors to easily train without it being too tight. Scarlett was already bouncing from foot-to-foot beside him, needing to expel some energy and work through everything she’d learned.

“So what are we doing ?rst?” she asked, turning to her brother. She rolled her neck, ?ngers ?exing. He could feel her practically vibrating down their bond. She wasreallywound up this morning.

“We thought we would let you warm up a little. Then I could start draining you, and we can work on defensive maneuvers,” Cethin said.

The words were hardly out of his mouth when Scarlett said, “Deal.” And her shadows slammed into Cyrus.

He swore, coughing from where he lay on his back in the dirt. She stalked up to him, pulling the spirit sword from a swirl of star?re. “Call me godling again,Darling,” she sneered.

Cyrus coughed again. “I really should have expected that.”

“You really should have,” she simpered, twirling the sword in her hand.

Cyrus chuckled, getting to his feet and brushing off his pants. He pulled a sword from ?ames. “Shall we then?”

Sorin watched as the two sparred, some of the others pairing off as well. Eliza was working with Callan across the arena. Sawyer and Cassius were sparring, and Briar and Luan were siphoning off some of their own magic. It still made him take pause every once in a while to see Prince Azrael Luan among their company.

“We need to discuss something,” Rayner said, his voice low and quiet beside him.

“Oh?” Sorin asked. He kept his eyes ?xed on Scarlett, but every other part of him was focused on his Third.

“There is someone here who can move among the winds or ashes. I have not been able to catch them,” Rayner murmured.

“When did you notice?”

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