A Court of Ash and Necromancy

11. The Seer's Warning

The artwork above is not mine.

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    Mikael drew both of his swords and took up a defensive stance. He held his old sword, Lovis, in his left hand and his preferred Illyrian sword, Alethea, in his right. Ameer regarded him thoughtfully, armed only with a metal staff.

    With a thrust of his wings, Ameer shot towards Mikael. Mikael brought up Alethea and blocked Ameer's staff. "You look tired," his father said.

    "I am." Mikael pushed him back and rolled behind him. Ameer whirled, sweeping his staff towards Mikael's ankles. He jumped, avoiding the attack, and landed a solid kick into his father's chest.

    Ameer staggered back with a hoarse cough. "Everything all right?"

    "Estelle had another nightmare." They began trading evenly matched blows. "It was...bad. She blocked me out entirely. I couldn't feel or hear anything from her."

    "Did you manage to get through to her?"

    Mikael shook his head. "She woke up on her own. I was going to wake Father and ask him to winnow me to the Night Court."

    "Why didn't you?"

    "She didn't want me to. I told her that I had to see that she was all right. She had the shadows bring her back to the Palace, just for a few minutes. She went back to the Night Court immediately after."

    Mikael's heart twisted with longing. When he'd woken from a light sleep that morning, her fresh scent still hung in the air, smoke and snowdrops. It had almost been enough to send him running out the balcony doors and flying to Velaris. Almost.

    He hated that he'd been able to restrain himself. Hated that Estelle wanted to do this alone. Hated that he respected her wishes. Mikael wasn't sure how much longer he could stand being apart from her like this.

    Lovis flew from his grasp and Mikael blinked his thoughts away, already too late. Ameer swept his feet and Mikael hit the ground with a dull thud. He stared at the sky, struggling to regain his breath.

    "You need to do something to distract yourself," Ameer said. "Besides researching and training. Go spend time with Calden, Celeste, and Sienna."

    Mikael stood with a grimace. "That's not a good idea right now. Calden is pissed at Celeste, and Sienna isn't on the best terms with her either."

    Ameer rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He jerked his head beyond the training ring. "Come."

    "Where are we going?" Mikael sheathed his swords and followed his father.

    "Dominic!" Ameer called as they walked past the senior warrior. "I'm placing you in charge of training this afternoon. Make sure the usual circuits are completed before any of the novices leave."

    "Yes, Sir." The male lowered his head respectfully as they walked past.

    Mikael waited for him to lift his gaze, but he didn't. He stared at the ground until both of them passed. Dominic had always been somewhat respectful to Mikael, but it was still unusual to find himself treated with full respect.

    Ameer touched his shoulder, giving him a knowing look. "They are learning."

    "Do you think they'll show Estelle the same respect they've begun to show me?"

    "I'm sure." Ameer spread his wings and soared away from the training grounds. Mikael kept pace with him as they flew to the Palace.

    "What are we doing?" He asked.