  &quot;Lessons will be of a different kind today, for both of you,&quot; Wesley announces at breakfast. I arch an eyebrow at him over the rim of my delicate porcelain teacup. There are so many places I would rather be than stuck in this dining room with both of Dmitri s parents for the second time in twenty-four hours (this has never happened before; we usually dine with either Wesley or Zinaida but not both), such as on the roof reading or in the training room practicing or anywhere at all, if Dmitri and perhaps a horse would be my only company.
  &quot;How do you mean, Father?&quot; Dmitri inquires. He s apparently less displeased and more curious than I am. I think he dislikes the finer points of Russian grammar and word choice we ve been talking about with our literature studies lately and is rather grateful for any sort of reprieve.
  &quot;With the possibility of war, I think it s

  The two young men begin to circle each other, sizing each other up and examining the training area as they do so. My heart is in my throat. I do not like this situation at all. I ve positioned myself in a corner in the hopes that they ll keep their attacks away from me. I wish just as strongly that we d use this time on targets or something. Did Wesley not tell Giacomo that, while I have improved immensely in various skills since learning of my magical endowment, I am nowhere near ready for any sort of combat? But what would Wesley know of that, unless Dmitri told him?
  Giacomo, as challenger, moves first, launching a mighty wave of water in Dmitri s direction. Dmitri leaps into the air and wings of fire sprout from his shoulders, holding him safely out of the wave s path as he shapes and throws fireballs. He does this seemingly effortlessly. My breath catches watching him. I knew he 

  My dear sister Kyla,
  Your last letter has greatly disconcerted me. I find it strange that one such as you, who always scorned the things of God and the Church, should now so strongly turn to faith for solace. Understand, I have no objection to your faith, but rather to your circumstances. Does not your dear Weston have any power to protect you from his parents? Dearest sister, I implore you, charge him with this: If he truly loves you, he will do everything he can to protect you from such misery as that which I fear you must currently experience. Please do not be angry with me for encouraging this course of action; I am simply concerned about you, as any sister and friend would be after receiving a letter from you such as your last one.
  On a slightly brighter note, the revelations brought to me in your last letter, about how your marriage came about, where you are, what your in-law

&quot;Lessons will be of a different kind today, for both of you,&quot; Wesley announces at breakfast. I arch an eyebrow at him over the rim of my delicate porcelain teacup. There are so many places I would rather be than stuck in this dining room with both of Dmitri s parents for the second time in twenty-four hours (this has never happened before; we usually dine with either Wesley or Zinaida but not both), such as on the roof reading or in the training room practicing or anywhere at all, if Dmitri and perhaps a horse would be my only company.
  &quot;How do you mean, Father?&quot; Dmitri inquires. He s apparently less displeased and more curious than I am. I think he dislikes the finer points of Russian grammar and word choice we ve been talking about with our literature studies lately and is rather grateful for any sort of reprieve.
  &quot;With the possibility of war, I think it s only right that the two of you begin training in earnest to use your abilities. Aerys, you have a l

Chapter 35 The Tutor