ARSONIST'S LULLABY ¹ | shadow & bone [ON HOLD]

EIGHT

( 𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗧'𝗦
𝗟𝗨𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗬 )

TWO WEEKS HAD PASSED since the incidental morning. And Katerina hadn't bounded off her routines. Every morning she would go down to the training yards to inspect — and teach the students when needed, report to Aleksander, and retire to the libraries for the rest of the day. She had uncovered new documents, studying late into the night.

Her powers were changing, or so she theorized. Before breakfast, at dawn she would venture down to the Summoner's Pavilion and train. Releasing her flames into open space. Pushing her body to do more and more.

But she was no where near her goal. Her flames had gotten hotter, their humidity steamier, the sweat that made her body slick worse than ever before. But she still hadn't achieved the pure light of the white fires yet. Not even a single change from the bright oranges or if she pushed hard enough, the pale yellows.

Sleep was scarce but her country was at war. She had lost too many friends to it. If by getting stronger she could push back even an inch at the enemy lines, she would do it.

The heat of her fires were hotter today. Nearly melting off the nearby tree trunks. It had gotten so humid that she had to practice in her undershirt, the silk and wool of her kefta nearly suffocating her. The blistering winter air barely doing much to cool her off.

Blasting a huge wave of fire at the stack of snowmen she had build, she watched as the ice melted in seconds, adding to the pools of shimmering water from before. Some days it would be the snowmen and others, the wooden soldiers she stole from Botkin.

Taking a deep breath she turned towards the other batch of snow victims. Pulling the sparks from the little lamp she had set under a tree, she turned her hands in motion, sending a sweltering wave of flames towards the it. However, a sharp breeze blew the fire out as if it were a quick a longsword cutting clean through a man.

"You should pay more attention to your surroundings," Zoya Nazyalensky's voice cut through the sounds of nature that surrounded her.

Katerina slowly turned to see the Squaller clad in her wool kefta lined with heavy fur leaning against a pillar. "Zoya," She greeted.

She had seen Zoya walking around the past couple of weeks, avoiding mostly everyone. Even her friends. She had been banned from the training yards for the time being and she would leave for Kribirsk soon after the feté for her suspension.

Zoya nodded in greeting. "So, this is why you come in sweating through your kefta everyday at breakfast."

Katerina smirked lightly. "I didn't realize you were paying such close attention."

"Yes, well unlike you, I pay close attention to everything around me."

Katerina tilted her head."Do you have any planned engagements?"