Page 11 of A Reign of Embers

She pauses, turning the sword in her hand. “It seems to shift—the way it feels. I start to think I’ve found my rhythm with it, and then it gets harder again.”

“That’s divine blessings for you,” Raul mutters. “Shifty and fickle.” He motions to Marc. “If you’ve got tips of your own, go ahead and ‘contribute’ them.”

I might not enjoy having the former emperor among us, but Raul’s caustic tone rankles me. There’s no denying that Marc brought Aurelia this weapon to help her cause. He didn’t have to mention it even exists.

Why is Raul heckling Marc when our old enemy is finally working toward our ends? I can’t see how talking to him that way is going to make him more inclined to keep doing so.

It isn’t as if I can really speak up, though, so I simply make a grimace at Raul that I don’t think he even notices.

Marc steps closer, focusing only on Aurelia. “You’re not fully committed yet. That makes sense—it’s unlikely to happen instantly, even for a practiced fighter. The pressure of Sabrelle’s influence can throw anyone off.”

She lets out a dry chuckle. “And how am I supposed to become more committed? Do I need to bend down before the sword like I would a godlen?”

Marc shakes his head. “Sink into the movements. Find a place where you believe that any violence you deal out with that blade is deserved. Youcanrule the continent with a weapon like that in your hands. Keep at it until you’ve cut through every doubt.” His voice warms with a tenderness I’ve never heard from my imperial foster brother before. “It might take days or weeks, but I know you have it in you.”

His admiration for her itches at me almost as much asRaul’s attitude did. I bite my lip, keeping my own counsel as Aurelia faces off against Neven again.

Blade and chair leg clatter together. The tip of the sword swipes close to Neven’s forehead, and Aurelia winces as much as he does.

Marc speaks up before she’s even stepped back. “Don’t shy from the bloodshed. If you nick him, we can heal him up. You can’t hold yourself back.”

Every particle of my body stiffens in rejection of that advice. It isn’t about holding herself back—it’s about needing to stay true to who she is at her core.

He still doesn’t truly understand her.

I lift my hand to gesture to Raul—and hesitate.

How much good will it do to pass on secret messages while the man who knows the most about this weapon doesn’t have a clue? That’ll simply leave Aurelia with conflicted messages and even more uncertainty, all of us in a muddle rather than on the same page.

We’ve missed so many warning signs and toed the edge of disaster enough times because of what we didn’t know, because of what we didn’t dare tell Neven or him us, because Aurelia didn’t dare trust in Marc’s devotion over his twin’s venom. Because none of us listened to Aurelia at first about what truly mattered to her.

We’re never going to win the war ahead of us if even those of us standing right beside her can’t properly collaborate.

Ignoring the anxious thud of my heart, I pitch my illusionary voice so everyone in the room—including Marc—can hear it.“No. That’s not the right way for her to find her footing.”

Marc flinches. His head whips toward me. “Was that— Did you?—”

I stare back at him, my mouth pressed flat.“Disagree withyou? Yes. You might know a lot about that sword, but you don’t know Aurelia—not well enough.”

Marc’s lips part for a moment before he reels his jaw back in. “Your gift—for fuck’s sake?—”

Bastien touches my arm, his expression tight. “Lore, what are you doing?”

Raul has braced as if he thinks he’s going to have to leap into battle right now.

I restrain a sigh.“After the way the two of you tackled the fire, he knows there’s more to both of your gifts than you ever let on. Does it really do us any good keeping mine a secret? I can support Aurelia better if I can talk as freely as I’m capable of instead of sneaking around.Hecan support her better if we’re pooling our information and resources.”

Raul bares his teeth. “Only if this asshole actually wants to help her and isn’t just looking to?—”

“Enough!” Aurelia’s voice breaks through his protest. She sets her hand on Raul’s arm to soften the criticism. “Lorenzo’s right. We have to learn how to work together,allof us, if we’re going to have any hope of standing up to Valerisse’s rebellion. Why shouldn’t Sabrelle want me gone if I can’t keep even four men in line.”

Raul lets out a huff but has the decency to look abashed at the same time. Before he needs to say anything, Aurelia turns to me. “What are you thinking, Lorenzo? Where am I going wrong?”

Her gentle consideration wraps around me like the softest silk.“It’s not what you’re doing wrong. It’s how we’re approaching your training. If you need to be confident and committed—I don’t think you’re going to get there if it means dealing out violence without direct provocation. You falter when you go on the attack. Raul and Marc should be teaching you every technique they know for diversion and defense.”

Marc opens his mouth, closes it again, and then lets out arough guffaw. He’s still peering at me with a bewildered air. “I think my mute foster brother may have spoken well, as absurd as that sentence sounds.”

I can’t stop myself from glowering at him, but he turns toward Aurelia. “The important thing is being able to use the sword effectively when you need to. Sabrelle doesn’t require that your strength be put toward conquest. Protecting what you have is just as valid. And that seems to be what’s required of you right now as it is. We can focus on defense.”

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