Flashback ( PDFDrive )

haven’t always done a good job of showing that. But we are. You need
us to break you into that prison for training? We’ll make it happen.”
“Exactly,” Sophie agreed. “I mean, we broke into Exile. How hard
could it be?”
The flames over Marella’s hands cooled back to blue, and her lips
pulled into a smile. “You guys should see the looks on your
bodyguards’ faces right now. It’s like a contest to see who can give the
evilest glare—though your guard doesn’t really look surprised, Biana.”
“I’m sure he isn’t,” Biana said, smiling over her shoulder at poor
Woltzer.
“The only reason I’m not dragging you all back to Havenfield,”
Sandor told them, “is because I’m assuming this is hyperbole to show
your loyalty.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Biana told him, tossing her hair.
“Obviously there’s a lot to figure out,” Sophie jumped in, before
Sandor could shift into overprotective mode. “And there’s no hurry for
you to decide,” she told Marella. “We just wanted to tell you what
Fintan said as soon as we could so you wouldn’t think we were hiding
it from you. But you can think about it for as long as—”
“I have to do it,” Marella interrupted, letting the flames over her
hands swell bigger and bigger, until it looked like she was about to
lose control. Then she curled her fingers, snuffing the fire out with a
thin curl of smoke. “I have to train with Fintan. I know there will be
risks, but . . . he’s right about this power. It isn’t just that flames call to
me. It’s like they’re in me. This constant inferno in my head, begging
me to let it take control.”
Sophie tried to hide her shudder, but Marella still noticed. And
instead of looking hurt or angry—like she had every right to—she