Page 228 of Axis of Fire

Stasia, meanwhile, looked completely relaxed.

Or at least she made it look that way.

“You already know Stasia,” Tarven continued, gesturing toward me.

“And this is Illariana—Airis’s protégé.”

“He’s also one of the Strongest Twelve, and today he’ll be helping you develop your abilities.”

“Develop?” I echoed immediately.

“Airis thinks I should focus on control and suppressing my magic as much as possible.”

“Airis’s methods have always been...” Miloran said softly.

He paused for the briefest moment.

“Intense.”

His pale eyes, framed by white lashes, studied me with quiet curiosity.

He was strikingly beautiful.

And yet...

Something deep inside me warned me to stay on my guard.

“But today,” he continued, his thin lips curling into a smile that promised absolutely nothing good, “we’ll be doing things differently.”

“What exactly is your magic?” I asked after a brief hesitation.

What kind of power could possibly counter both fire magic and plant biochemistry?

“I’m a giver of life,” he replied.

Silence hung between us for a heartbeat.

Then, instead of explaining further, both he and Tarven flicked their wrists.

Statues rose around us instantly.

Human-sized.

Each carved from a different material.

“Your first fight begins now,” Miloran said.

Before either of us could react, he closed his fist.

Every statue came to life.

******

It took only seconds to understand the real danger.

And it wasn’t the statues themselves.

It was their powers.