The next few weeks tested Aeron in ways he had never imagined.
From the moment the sun touched the rooftops till it went off, he threw himself into two impossible tasks: mastering the sword and mastering the strange gift Nyella had called pyromancy.
Sword fighting at least had rules. There were stances to learn, strikes to memorize, and footwork to drill until it became instinct. With Varek's guidance, Aeron's movements became faster and more precise. He could beat most ordinary soldiers. Still… the skill of the Phoenix Guard was a mountain he had yet to climb.
Pyromancy, however, was a different thing altogether.
Every day, Aeron would search for answers, ancient scrolls, and different types of old writings, anything that spoke of men or women who could command fire without a dragon's aid. He found nothing. No records. No legends. It was as if he were the first to bear this gift in the history of man.
He refused to believe that.
