Free Wings of Nestor by Devri Walls Page B

use any magic once they shift. They adapt the physical strengths of what they have become.” He looked around. “Where is Drustan? I told him to meet us out here.”
    “He was still sleeping when I came down,” Emane said.
    “You work with Kiora,” Alcander said to Emane, “while I go wake the Shifter. Again.” He stomped off to the house.
    Emane smiled at Kiora. “You don’t have a sword.”
    “I hate swords.” She groaned. “I am no good with them and I am never going to need to use one here.”
    “Oh, really?”
    “Really.”
    “What happens if you run out of magic during the battle? Like last time?”
    “A sword would not have helped when Dralazar showed up.”
    “You don’t know that. And what about after that, when you were stuck in the woods—by yourself, I might add—which were full of Hounds? And then when Soolan showed up? And what are you going to do when the Shadow appears and you don’t have any magic? Or—”
    “All right!” Kiora threw her hands up in submission, a sword appearing in one at the same time. “There. Are you happy?”
    “Very. Now, hold your sword how I taught you.” Emane dropped his shield and moved toward Kiora. He swung his sword and it connected with hers. Kiora’s arm vibrated.
    “Ow!”
    “Ow? Kiora, I barely connected.”
    “It still hurt,” she insisted.
    He teased her as he walked around her. “Come on, Kiora. You have to move your feet, remember? Just turning your head to watch me is not going to cut it.” To emphasize his point, he caught her between the shoulder blades with the flat side of the sword.
    She turned to face him and he moved in, quickly pushing her sword back until they were nearly nose to nose.
    “You are not trying,” he said with a grin.
    “I don’t know what I am doing.”
    Alcander and Drustan came out of the house. Alcander yelled across to Emane, “Are you going to flirt with her all day, or shall we train?”
    Emane turned to face him. “I am not—”
    “Yes, you are.” Alcander walked straight past him. “And you are going to get her killed. Now, would you like to continue with your flirting disguised as sword play, or can we actually train?”
    “Alcander, do you have to—” Kiora began.
    “I suppose you can train her better than I can?” Emane demanded over the top of her.
    “Of course I can.” Alcander held up two fingers. “One: Because I can do magic, which is what she needs. And two: Because I am not afraid to let her get hurt. You, on the other hand, treat her like she is a glass doll.”
    “I am her Protector,” Emane said.
    “And you will protect her to death. Do you think others will be as careful with her as you are?”
    “Stop it,” Kiora said, stepping between them. “We can’t be at each other’s throats—there is too much to be done.”
    Emane ignored her as if she were not there, stepping to the side. “How can you enjoy hurting her?”
    “Emane.” Kiora took a deep breath, trying to keep from yelling at them both. “He doesn’t…”
    Alcander moved so quickly that Kiora didn’t realize he had started moving until he was nose to nose with Emane. “I do not enjoy hurting her.” He seethed with such fire that Kiora’s breath hitched. “But teaching her, really teaching her, is the only way to keep her alive. Now, can you allow her to hurt?” Alcander punctuated each word, his eyes narrowed to slits. “Because if you can’t, you can’t help train her.”
    “Alcander!”
    Emane’s gaze did not waver, his jaw working. “Fine. You train her.”
    Kiora huffed, crossing her arms. Alcander was right—he did need to train her. But the two of them talking as if she were not there was annoying.
    “Thank you.”
    “I am standing right here,” Kiora snapped. “You two don’t get to stand around and discuss things as if I am not. Emane, if it does come to war, I would like you fighting with Drustan. Training with him would help you two learn to work together, to play off your