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“Lady Cassidy said I need to talk to someone,” Gray said

I’ll bet she did,Saetan thought Noticing the way Gray eyed the furniture and seeht to Draca, the Keep’s Seneschal I need some firewood in one of the courtyards now and refreshments in about thirty minutes

I thought ass much, Draca replied It iss already prepared

You don’t have to sound so a Gray’s ars first”

Sun and shade, Saetan thought as he ht would have given hi in the shade would give hih time to deal with Gray before he needed to retire

“Watch,” Saetan said He picked up a piece of the firewood, held it over a large, wooden half barrel, released one tiny blast of Red power through his hands—and turned a piece of firewood as big as his thigh into wood chips

Gray looked inside the barrel and frowned

“Now you do it,” Saetan said

“Why?”

He stared at the youngster until Gray picked up a piece of firewood

“I don’t kno to do that,” Gray said

Yes, you doPlacing his hands below Gray’s, he taught the boy how to destroy an object using power Nothing Gray couldn’t do just by following instinct But unleashing power and letting it destroy whatever was in its path wasn’t the sa it with control and purpose

Once Gray had the sense of how much Purple Dusk power to use in order to blast the firewood into wood chips of an acceptable size, Saetan settled in the shade and watched Gray drain away the anger that had grown to the point of needing a target

The barrel was half-filled ood chips before Gray paused and said, “Why a this?”

“Can you afford to replace furniture if you blast it into pieces?” Saetan asked mildly

“No”

“That’s why you’re doing this Chopping wood and usingas you remember to shield before you pick up the ax There is no reason to be careless or stupid just because youroff so firewood into wood chips” Saetan paused, then added, “Which, I’arden”

Gray’sarden ?”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

Gray huffed He paced He blasted a few more pieces of firewood into wood chips

Finally he growled, “I guess Cassie is going to have plenty of ardens”

“I know several Queens who always have plenty of ardens,” Saetan said

Gray stared at the barrel and sighed, the sign Saetan had been waiting for to indicate that enough of the boy’s temper was spent

“There’s solass for yourself You could use it by now”

There was more than water on the table There was a basin of ater, soap, and a towel; a plate of fruit, cheese, and soblet filled with yarbarah

He watched Gray as the boy washed up before pouring a glass of water and drinking it Strength and scars—and the temper that made a Warlord Prince a law unto hi more