Chapter 272
The training floor is alive with motion and heat when I walk in.
Wake’s voice cuts across the space like a command from a war god. “Again.”
Elanora’s body blurs forward in a burst of speed, water streaming from her arms like ribbons as she spins toward Miore. He reacts instinctively, summoning a current that crashes against her, pushing her back several feet before she regains her footing with a splash that sizzles against the energy field surrounding the padded floor.
Lile watches, his expression impassive, but his fists glow with cold light, twin shards of ice hovering beside him like weapons poised to strike. Wake nods to him.
Lile throws one. It arcs with deadly precision and Miore spins, deflecting it with a focused stream of pressurized water.
They’re getting better. Noticeably better.
Too good.
I step into the edge of the room and force myself to keep my expression neutral, even though my stomach is tight. Because I know now what could happen to them. What Lily could do if she decided to take control. They’re not just trainees—they’re loaded weapons in the hands of someone who sees people like us as pawns. I should tell Wake, but not yet. Not here. There are too many ears. Too many consequences.
“Impressive,” I say aloud instead, walking forward. Wake gives me a quick glance, expression unreadable, before returning his attention to the Heirs.
Elanora flips her long hair back, the water droplets spiraling through the air as she grins. “We’ve come a long way, haven’t we?”
“You have,” I say carefully. “But I was thinking… it might be a good idea to switch things up. Maybe a bit more hand-to-hand? Grounded combat?”
Lile raises an eyebrow. “You want us to stop using our gifts?”
“Not permanently,” I say, keeping my voice smooth, reassuring. “Just enough to build muscle memory. Gifts are powerful, but they’re not everything. What if your power is nullified? What if it backfires?”
“I don’t plan on it backfiring,” Elanora says, her smile stiffening. “And I’ve trained enough to know how to keep it under control.”
I try not to show my growing concern. “I’m not saying you haven’t. But it’s good to be prepared for anything.”
Elanora crosses her arms. “Is that your way of saying you don’t think we’re ready?”
“No,” I say quickly. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean?” Her voice carries across the training room, drawing every eye. “Because it sounds a lot like you don’t trust us.”
“I trust you,” I lie. “I just don’t trust what’s happening around us. There’s a difference.”
She tilts her head, eyes narrowing. “You walk in here like you’re some authority just because you’ve got lightning in your veins. You think we haven’t had to fight to survive? That you’re the only one who’s earned their power?”
“That’s not what this is about.”
“Isn’t it?” Her voice is hard now. “You think you’re better than us.”
I blink. “I—what?”
“If you don’t think we can handle ourselves,” she says, stepping forward, “then prove it. Spar with me. Show me how superior you are.”
Wake watches silently, arms crossed, and I can already tell he’s not going to interfere. This is mine to navigate.
I sigh. “Elanora, this isn’t—”
“Or are you afraid?” she challenges, water spiraling around her fingertips.
I stare at her for a beat. Then I step forward, shrugging off my jacket and tossing it to the side. “Fine.”
Wake gives me the slightest nod.
Elanora wastes no time.
She summons a torrent of water and launches it at me in a wide arc. I leap into the air, crackling with lightning, flipping over the wave and landing in a crouch. My hands spark as I push forward, sending a crackle of electricity dancing toward her feet.
She dodges, barely, the floor beneath her steaming where the charge hits. She retaliates with a spinning kick laced with water, but I deflect it with a jolt, redirecting the moisture into steam.
We trade blow for blow, her water forming blades and lashes, my lightning carving paths of fire across the air. The others have stepped back, watching. Lile’s face is unreadable, but Miore’s expression is one of restrained awe.
Elanora is good—nimble, aggressive, precise—but I’ve fought worse. I know how to read her rhythm. Her strikes are confident, but too dependent on form, on the expectation that her power will always give her the edge.
I show her what happens when it doesn’t.
I feint left, charge right, and send a pulse of lightning up her arm before she can react. She stumbles, gasping, and I close the distance, flipping her onto her back and pinning her there with a crackling palm against her chest.
Her eyes widen. “You…”
“I’m not your enemy,” I whisper, just loud enough for her to hear. “But you don’t want me as one either.”
I step back and help her up, releasing the current. She stands, bristling, but says nothing.
Lile steps to her side. “Let’s go.”
Together, they turn and leave, their silence saying more than words could.
Miore remains.
“Well,” he says after a pause, “I thought it was informative.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. Wake walks over and claps Miore on the shoulder.
“You’re serious about continuing?” Wake asks.
Miore nods. “Absolutely. That was the best show of strategy I’ve seen in months.”
Wake gives me a look, then smiles faintly. “Then let’s get back to work.”
Miore jogs to reset the training dummies, and I pull my jacket back on, my adrenaline finally beginning to settle.
Wake steps closer. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Later,” I murmur. “But, it’s bad, Wake. If they knew what Lily’s capable of… what she’s pulled off…”
“It might turn them against us.”
“Or turn them against themselves.”
He frowns, but nods, not needing the details just yet. “You did what you had to.”
I glance toward the door. “I just hope it was enough.”
Because I’ve seen what happens when Lily’s in control. And if she gets her hands on those three… no amount of training will be enough to save them.
Or any of us.
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