Bonds of Light and Fire

9. Haunted Memories

The artwork above is not mine.

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Vaughan massaged his temples wearily. He'd been up from sunrise to sunset the past few days. He wasn't even sure how many had passed, exactly. Fenrys had taken complete charge of his groups during training, while he and Nascha focused solely on Luciana. She still wasn't making any progress, and her anxiety was growing by the minute.

Vaughan knew that was why she seemed to be plagued by voices. There were times when they sat at the table over dinner that she zoned out, and when he tried to catch her attention, she had a panicked reaction. Vaughan hadn't tried to wake her again after the first time either. Luciana still wouldn't say who or what she'd heard, but he knew it was bad.

That understanding ignited cold anger in his gut. Ghosts of her past were holding her back, and she couldn't seem to break free of them. There were only two days left before Aedion's patrol was scheduled to return to the camp. Vaughan had little hope Luciana would impress the General.

"Try it again," Nascha urged. "Go slower this time, both of you."

Luciana and Lysandra nodded, taking up their starting positions. Vaughan folded his arms over his chest and watched. Lysandra had been spending some time at the camp during Aedion's absence. To his surprise, Nascha had been the one to invite her to train with them today. Usually, Nascha avoided her fellow Lords and Ladies. Perhaps she was finally willing to improve relations with them after all that had happened during her time in Terrasen.

Vaughan certainly hoped so. His little sister had been lonely long enough. It was time she made some friends, and it was time the Lords and Ladies finally treated her like one of their own. It couldn't hurt for Luciana to gain their sympathy as well.

Nascha sidled closer to Vaughan as Lysandra and Luciana ran through a training sequence. "This isn't going to work," she murmured. "I don't understand what we're doing wrong."

Vaughan shook his head with a sigh. "Me either."

"She'll be devastated if she has to leave Aeron."

"She will, but at least if she stays with me, she'll be within easy traveling distance of the camp."

Nascha glanced at him. "You're all right with her staying with you for an extended period of time?"

"She's your friend. Helping her is helping you."

"Don't do something you're uncomfortable with just for my sake."

A smile crossed his lips. "Like I told her, I wouldn't offer if it made me uncomfortable." He thought for a moment. "And perhaps being a soldier isn't right for her. She might be happier if she did something she enjoyed, rather than something that will keep her close to her brother."

"Maybe, but I think safety is more important to her than happiness right now," Nascha replied.

Vaughan inclined his head and returned his focus to Lysandra and his charge. Luciana's cheeks were flushed with exertion. Her gold eyes sparkled, both with adrenaline and anxiety. Her blonde locks, which had been previously tucked into a braid, were now loose and dangling in her face. Luciana swatted them away with an irritated huff.

Lysandra looked as pristine as ever. There wasn't a hair out of place on her dark brown head. Her cheeks were flushed as well, but more from the chill in the air than from exertion. There was a hint of concern and frustration in her emerald gaze. "Maybe we should take a short break," the Shifter suggested.