will answ

er her sword. Her hands were shaking so har

len, red from crying, and grief had made her beautiful face hard. Behi

gain, fresh and brutal. Her throat tighten

the body behind her, then louder, to

ost amused. "You think you

vision, "you should have killed me when

as stronger , every block rattled her bones but her strikes were precise, furious.

r sword kissed his ribs. He jerked

sement

good?"Who trained you?"

yes burned. "Someone better than

with all his strength. The impact ripped her sword from her hands

forward, rais

oug

t through the air

an

with ash and blood, reflecting the fires stil

Evander ordered, his

e Heaven's Heir finally decides

elestial light. "Your inv

col

arian's darkness. The force of it threw Aurelia back a step. She scr

pillars. Darian stumbled, his c

relia really looked at her this

id quietly. It wasn't a

his hand.

melted into the smoke. D

ll, heavy

mediately. "Aurel

pped her sword again and fel

after a long day of training, waiting to wake her u

was small. "Please. Please get up. You promise

teach me more! You said we'd finish my training! you can't

had killed a dozen soldiers without fl

... his sacrifice saved the king, the

She looked at Evander, furious

k!" she cried. "That doesn'

ed there, kneeling in the ash beside her, w

ntil the he

-

was the ne

ce came. Earth King and Queen stood with their heads

had given her when she was five. She remembered how she could barely lift a woo

hout compassion is just another kind of

nt you. I swear I will become the person you trained me to be

pendant gentl

romi

Evander was waiting a few st

he held ou

took it. His fingers

ements. He just held her hand as they walked back to

h King called them t

e said softly. "I kept you here because I thou

her gaze, tears

nued. "Heaven can protect you while we

y Aurelia couldn't breathe. "T

her back, holdi

His voice was firm, like steel. "

m, surprised by the

hey left f

e smaller and smaller until it disappeared. She was leaving the only h

old palaces, and a husband who in

was already thinking about the girl with red