Ananara made a sound like a dignified scoff but mercifully shut up. Kaelith paced around the glowing basin of water in the center of the room, his movements deliberate and predatory. I could already tell this wasn't going to be a friendly lesson. If Seraphis had sent me here, it was for one reason only: punishment disguised as "education."
"Do you know why you're here, Silverthorn?" Kaelith asked, his voice as cold as the stone beneath me.
"Because the principal hates me?" I offered, leaning back on my hands.
Kaelith stopped pacing, his gaze like molten gold boring into mine. "Because you're undisciplined, reckless, and entirely too smug for someone of your limited skill."
I raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You really know how to boost a girl's confidence."
"You don't need confidence. You need control." He gestured to the basin. "And that is what I will teach you. Now, focus."
