The Art of Blood and Power (Book 2 in The Gifted Trilogy)

16- The Realms of Light and Dark

The next morning, I was the first person in the training yard. The sun had barely started rising yet but I was jumping in place, warming my body up for my first official training session with Cicero where he was going to teach me how to control my Shadow Gifted abilities.

    I was nervous and slightly nauseous at the idea of using my shadows willingly again, but whenever I began to doubt that I was doing the right thing, memories of my desolated and destroyed home flashed through my mind. I was doing this for them, so that I could make sure what happened to the people from my village never happened again to anyone else.

    As the first few Ember Soldiers started filing in, I looked up in surprise as I heard my name called out, turning to watch as Katrina walked over to me at a slow pace.

    I grinned, meeting her halfway. "Thank the stars you guys got back all right" I said, taking in her white-blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Katrina and her icy exterior until this moment. While she had been a pain in my ass at the start of the Garner, I'd somehow gained enough of her respect and trust that, when offered the chance to win the Garner by killing me, she chose to save me instead. While we weren't the same and didn't agree on most things, there was a mutual respect between us. We had each other's backs, and at a time like now, that meant more than most things.

Katrina gave me a nod of greeting, the highest form of affection I was ever going to get from her.

    "I heard you're the one who held Nox back," Katrina spoke, her eyes searching my face, evaluating my reaction at the news that she knew. "How you used mind control to lead all of his soldiers into a house before burning it to the ground, killing them all."

    "Yes," I said, refusing to show any remorse over my actions. Katrina wasn't someone who would look favorably on mourning the deaths of people who had tried to kill her.

    She crossed her arms, tilting her head at me. "So it's true. Somehow you're a Shadow Gifted, and that was the only reason you were able to hold off Nox in the final trial while we escaped?"

    "I understand if this changes things," I replied, hiding the fear in my voice as I spoke. "I understand if you don't want to talk to me or if you don't trust me anymore. I know this might-"

    "Just answer me one thing, snowflake," she interrupted, uninterested in my speech. "What are you willing to risk to kill Nox?"

    "My life" I answered immediately, meaning those words entirely.

    "What about my life?" She asked, eyes narrowing as she pointed towards where Cicero had just walked through the entrance to the yard. "Or his? Or how about theirs?" She pointed and I watched in surprise as Tessa walked through the doors alongside Ash and Kess.

    "No," I said quickly. "I wouldn't risk any of your lives."

    Katrina sighed, staring down at the ground for a second. "That's what I was afraid of" she muttered to herself before placing a hand on my shoulder. "You being a Shadow Gifted doesn't change anything between us, okay?" she reassured me. "But there might come a day where you're no longer able to play martyr, only putting yourself at risk. If war is coming, like both of us know it is, there are going to be casualties. You can't save everyone, snowflake, so you might want to start narrowing down your list of people you can't bear to live without."

    Katrina's advice was harsh and cruel, but I knew she meant it and that there was truth in her advice. I opened my mouth to speak but stopped as I felt another arm swing over my shoulder. "You two having a 'welcome back' party without me?" Briar joked, nudging Katrina who rolled her eyes but nevertheless seemed pleased to see her.