The two stared at each other, neither one wanting to relent. Kiora finally broke his gaze. “One day,” she said.
Alcander’s jaw clenched. “We will see.”
She looked out to the lake. “And then we go?” she demanded, turning
back to him. “Once you’ve had your time?”
His eyes narrowed, fixing on hers. “Are you asking me if I am willing to die for this Witow of yours?”
She stared silently back. “I am.”
Alcander stood up, seizing a stick next to him and angrily hurling it out
to sea. He stomped off, his blond hair blowing behind him. “Meet me in the middle of the village in an hour,” he yelled over his shoulder. “And Drustan, stay in the tent if you value your life.”
Kiora relaxed back into the sand.
Drustan rolled onto his back. “If you value your life,” he mimicked. “I should eat him,” he said thoughtfully. “using something with really large teeth.”
“Maybe he really is looking out for you,” she pointed out. “You remember what Lomay said about what they do to Shifters not on their side.”
“That’s why I wear this,” he said, tapping the bracelet. “Regardless, Alcander has an enormous attitude.”
“You all do, I don’t know what I will do when all three of you are back together again.” She closed her eyes. If, she thought. If I get them all together again.
* * *
THE CENTER OF CAMP turned out to be a large training area. Three separate training circles were drawn in white across the ground, each breaking down into smaller circles. Alcander stood on the edge of one, his arms crossed.
Kiora walked up to him. “What do you want to do?”
He acted like he hadn’t heard her. “After we get Emane,” Alcander paused, as if he very much doubted the likelihood of that scenario, “then what?”
“What?”
He whirled to face her. “Then what? What is your plan?”
She took a step back. “I, we . . .” Her eyes dropped. What was her plan? She had never had a plan, and she wasn’t any closer to having one now. “We need to get the lights back.”
“Don’t you think others have tried? We can’t just walk around hoping they drop out of the sky.”
“I know that! What do you want me to do?”
“I want you to figure out what it is we are supposed to do so I can train you,” he snapped, taking another step towards her.
She wanted to yell at him, to tell him she was doing the best she could, because she had no idea what she was doing. She was following instinct and stories and visions. But instead she hesitantly placed her hand gently on his arm. “Teach me how to mask my thread.”
His blue eyes locked on her hand, and his bristling posture softened for a moment before he abruptly he moved out from underneath her touch. “We will work on masking your thread tonight. For now, outer circle.”
She marched to the other side of the outer circle, unable to contain her excitement. She was getting closer. Hopefully they would have Emane back tomorrow.
“All right,” Alcander barked. “We’ll work on combining battle techniques with the natural abilities you posses. Since you have a larger range than I do, it should make it a little more fair.”
“You mean the elements?”
“Yes. Anything you can do to even the playing field is fair game. And with your lack of experience, you will need the playing field leveled.”
She wasn’t sure why, but that statement made her really angry. Maybe it was the comment, or maybe it was the buildup of power lingering under her skin that was like an itch she needed to scratch. Making as little movement as possible, Kiora pulled a gust of wind out of the air, put a spin on it, and slung it straight at Alcander’s feet. He realized a second before it hit what she was doing, but it wasn’t enough time to get out of the way. His feet swung out from underneath him. He landed flat on his back. Kiora started to laugh, but stopped when she saw his hands moving and the wind rushing back at her.
Throwing out her hands, she tried to redirect it. Luckily, she managed to take the edge off, but it still nearly blew her over. Planting her feet, she opened her magic up and the wind finally obeyed her command, moving back the way it had come. Unfortunately, Alcander was gone. His thread betrayed his presence and she swung around.
“You can command wind?” she asked. “I didn’t know—”