Page 104 of Bright Soul

Aaron, the less serious of the guardian witch twins, pointed to the shadowy claws lengthening over Phaeron’s hands. “We do bleed, though.”

“I shall be gentle,” he replied. I felt his eagerness for a practice match where he could use some of his considerable power.

But first, we tried sharing magic. First came Ben, who traded a part of his blood witchery for a portion of my celestial witchery. He carried his father’s staff, Evening Guidance, intending to practice with it first.

I held out my finger for Phaeron to prick with one of his talons and winced before drawing the blood rune for strength on my arm.

“Not like that,” Ben said, taking gentle hold of my hand to draw it a second time. With a squeeze on the pad of my finger, he drew out enough blood to etch the rune for energy right below it. There was a surge through my muscles, and I itched to use them, practically vibrating in place.

Geo offered me his shield. It was a massive slab of crystal, but I buckled it to my arm and lifted, amazed when it came off the ground smoothly. He gave me a measure of his endurance,necessary for taking hits in the thick of battle and continuing on without tiring.

Lastly, Phaeron drew one of his swords, offering it to me laid out flat against his palms. “A weapon of two worlds, yours to wield,” he murmured.

A sense of wonder that didn’t belong to the circle suffused me. Braza slid into my mind, her electric presence further augmenting me in a way that felt as familiar as sliding my feet into a pair of shoes. Together we admired the shining length of metal, polished to gleaming, with words in the dimensional language etched up the middle.

“He reforged his Soiluirian blades with Earth silver upon learning how deadly it is to unnaturals,”she told me privately.“This blade is Flame. It’s the shorter of his two swords, made for his left hand.”

“Thank you. Your swords are named?” I asked.

He nodded, tapping the gemstone set into the end of the pommel. It was a gleaming yellow-orange, tones I’d seen in his eyes countless times. The other, still sheathed at his side, had a red-black stone. “Shadow and Flame, to reflect myself,” he explained. “As long as you have my skill to wield it, I believe Flame suits you better.”

“And mine as well,” Braza said through me, creating a two-toned echo to my voice.

“Between us, she will be unstoppable,” he said. I felt him lend me some of his considerable knowledge of swordplay, honed over endless years at war.

Madigan picked up her warhammer, slinging it up at the ready. “All right, let’s see what you all can do,” she said. With a grin, she swung the massive weapon at me.

For all the skills of others swirling in my head, I still panicked and held up the shield, taking the full force of the blow. The crystal rang and vibrated my arm, and there was dissonance inmy head. Geo thought I’d done a great job, but Ben and Phaeron would’ve sidestepped, and Braza was annoyed, wondering why I’d taken such a slow attack head-on.

I lost control of the connections with my men, and the shield tipped toward, threatening to take me toppling over with it. Several masculine shouts sounded as Phaeron caught me and Orthus did something with his magic to make the shield lighter.

“Let’s try that again,” Madigan suggested.

And thus began the first session of us practicing combining our skills under pressure.

PHAERON

We had little downtime as a unit from the moment Madigan and her mates started helping us train. My shadowborn side liked that—we were moving closer to our goal, even if we weren’t leaving the library yet.

Cress’s coven and friends moved back into their rooms by the second day of our training, many of them helping by pressuring Cress with their magics. She was figuring out how to channel for longer and flinching less when spells or weapons came her way.

I tried not to be too territorial when she spent much of the evening before bedtime in a communal area with her friends rather than her mates, but I felt her contentment too. She needed community and, sensing my mood, dragged me in to spend time with them too. As we chatted, she rested in the circle of my arms, where she belonged.

According to them, things were silent as the grave up on the streets. I knew that meant Myuna was also practicing her magic, testing the bounds of her army’s control through her new ascended.

“When will you tell her your suspicions?”Braza asked. Now that we’d exited the bedroom, she was privy to all my thoughts and worries again.

“I don’t know.”I still hoped I was wrong, but it made too much sense. Selecting Carly for ascension was akin to the twist of a knife. She was also the only target we’d hesitate to kill, as Myuna’s control would falter with the death of her chosen assistant.“There’s one more factor I’d like to consider. Why present Cress with a problem and no solution?”

Lucas was here. He was growing stronger by the day, and the unusual ripples that suffused his soul were flattening, smoothing into a new whole to represent who he was after his ordeal. I had to see what his new magic could do and that would only be possible if I witnessed how he healed one of Myuna’s victims. If he could mend the cracks and traumas that resulted from soul ties, perhaps he could help me remove a seed of corruption planted in Myuna’s chosen ascendant, regardless of whether it was Carly or someone else entirely.

“Promise me you’re not going to go after Carly on your own,”Braza said, nervous.

“Of course not.”

Grant was the only coven member not here. I intended to shake him for information on a certain blue-haired teenager once he returned from his spying.

Cress leaned her head back to look at me, and I took the opportunity to kiss her sideways. “Penny for your thoughts?” she asked.

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