it her first flame by will alone, a

before, and every heartbeat came with an undercurrent of heat. Her power wa

t came the

Stronger still. Le

it came, but it was getting harder. E

exercises of control, mental discipline, and testing her limits. Today, he had laid o

e must leap from one to the next without burning the

e center, sweat b

sure I ca

you must try," Sarthos

ed-slowly at first, then brighter, until orange flame f

th

d. "Let the flame move lik

ed forward, landing perfectly on the first rune. It glowed. A

ploded between two sto

to her knee

do it," s

not working with it. That voice inside you-it wants you to burn.

him. "And what if

e world before Khari

stars. The wind had grown colder, brushing against her skin like a w

r chest. It had never done that before. Slowly, sh

ered. It was smooth now, almost seductive. "He keeps you

id aloud. "N

against her chest and turne

f movement

pped forward carefully, he

ure-hooded, dark, watc

s!" she

gure moved

ed back, barely avoiding the blast. Dirt and fire flew into t

ra,

di

and she threw a fiery arc toward the attacker. It missed, but

. "Shadowmancer," he gro

they?" El

power to bring him back. Or destr

ast them. This one hit the side of

eave," Sartho

branches and roots. Elira could feel the presenc

fight?"

You're n

an t

e after you. If they mark you-if they complete

her more than

himmered, parting just long enough for them to pass through before seal

of a fallen tree. Eli

ulder. "You did well, l

fai

attacked, you didn't freeze. You fought. That's

im. "What do th

ou. Others... want to complete the

let tha

need to get s

s, toward a hidden monastery Sarthos claimed had once t

ime, it wa

ian, her hands wreathed in gold fire. Beneath her, ar

in shadows, hi

ar

and whispered,

in a co

To be contin