Malidia POV

A knock sounded on the door, startling me awake. I glanced at the first light of the day breaking through the window, and groaned.

For the past few days, Cassian had been making me get up early and train with him. These past few weeks I'd been spending most of my time lying on the couch reading, or otherwise working out, seeing as Cassian refused to let me sleep past dawn.

I rolled over, and buried my head in the pillow. There was another knock, and I didn't reply. The door opened, Cassian walking in. He leaned against the doorframe, the wood creaking under his frame. I sat up, and saw him staring at me with his arms crossed.

"Fifteen minutes, and then I want to see you on the balcony." He said, before slipping back out the door.

I rolled my eyes, and threw back the covers. Swinging my legs around so my feet hit the floor, I stood. A rush of cold air hit me, and my wings spread in response. I hadn't used them since I'd arrived.

I grabbed the closest clean clothes I could find, and dressed myself. I looked at the window, trying to decide if I wanted to fly. Deciding I wasn't going to risk it, I walked down the hall to the balcony where we had set up a small training ring.

Cassian was waiting there, talking to Azriel. I blinked. Azriel hadn't been around for a few weeks, only coming every few days for very little time. They turned to face me as I walked through the door, and the glint in Cassian's eyes made me think I was definitely going to be sweating this morning. Azriel however, surveyed me calmly. I knew he was taking in the healed wounds, the filled out body and the new muscles from the workouts.

Azriel turned back to Cassian, some kind of silent conversation passing between them, until Az started to speak.

"Have you done any flying since you came?" He asked.

I shook my head, knowing what he was going to say next.

"You're getting back in the skies today."

I groaned, realising how much Azriel would push me until I flew. I looked at the glint in Cassian's eyes again, and moved towards them. I opened my mouth.

"This isn't going to end well Azriel."

Azriel POV

I hadn't known what to expect when I had talked to Cassian this morning about Malidia flying. Her body had filled out, regaining muscle and shape, and her eyes seemed alight with happiness.

"This isn't going to end well Azriel." She said to me, crossing her arms.

I shrugged, and told her to follow me. I set off for one of the smaller balconies, Malidia trailing behind.

When we got there, I paused, and crossed my arms. She waited, looking at me. I gestured to the railing, and she sighed.

"Can't we do something else?" She asked, basically pleading me.

"No."

She looked at the railing again, then climbed on top of it, standing steady. Malidia turned around again, a question in her eyes.

"Jump, and start flying." A quiet order. She turned back to the drop, surveying it. Her wings twitched, and she stilled.

The current picked up, and she tilted forward, falling, until she snapped open her wings and shot up. She twisted in place, hovering a few feet above me. I pushed off the ground, rising to meet her. The grin on her face was one I doubted happened often.

She turned away, and raced for the nearest mountain top. I followed, catching up as quickly as possible.

I flew by her side, until she broke the silence.

"Why did you come back?" She asked me.

I had to process what she meant, then replied. "I wanted to see how you were doing."

She blushed, and turned her head away. We reached the mountain, and Malidia stared at one of the snowdrifts, before she glanced at me. I caught a mischievous grin, and before I could change direction, she flew at me, and tackled me into the snow.

We landed, and snow flew everywhere. I pushed myself up, and saw Malidia a few feet away trying to get up. I padded up behind her, and whispered in her ear, "You started this."

She shrieked, and whipped around, but I winnowed in front of her, and when she realised what happened, I grabbed her arms and pushed her back, pinning her arms by her side. She struggled, but I held my grip firm.

Suddenly, she stilled, and I braced myself for what I thought was coming. I prepared myself for her legs to kick, but instead her head smashed up into me, knocking me off her.

She lifted herself up, and grinned at me again, before she jumped back into the air, ready to tackle me back into the snow.

Once more, I winnowed behind her, but this time, Malidia twisted and smacked me upside the face. I blinked at her, and she smirked.

I grabbed her arms, and threw her back into the snow, landing on top of her so she couldn't move. She wriggled, but I held firm, pinning her arms and legs to the ground.

She looked furious, before I brought my mouth down to her ear, and breathed, "Why don't you use your magic?"

I pulled back, and her eyes were wide, startled. She composed herself, and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"Because they have a track on it, obviously."

"And what if I told you that the track had been removed, and you could use it now?" I asked. I knew full well that Rhys had found a way to shake off the track when it was being used on him, and had done the same for Malidia, but I wasn't just about to tell her that.

I wanted to see what she thought she could do.

"Then I'd beat you."

Her voice was deadpan, and I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.

"I suppose that we shall have to see another time, if it's so obvious that they have a track on you."

I stood up, and turned around. I walked a few steps, then looked over my shoulder. Malidia was standing, breathing heavily, looking at me with a calculating spark in her eyes. With her hair falling half over her face, and peppered with snow, she looked rather menacing.

"Are you coming or not?" I said.

I took a few more steps, until a shadow alerted me to a burst of power. My feet suddenly felt heavier, as if I couldn't move them. I glanced over my shoulder, and saw her hands bunched into a ball. She released her fist, and my legs became heavier, and a strange sensation spread upwards over my body.

I looked down, to see stone slowly spreading over me. I looked back, and she grinned.

The stone made its way down my arms, and up my neck, freezing me in position. It crept around the back of my head, until only my face was free.

Malidia walked up to me, and stopped in front of my face.

"I'd say I won the fight, wouldn't you?" She said with a sweet venom.

I huffed a laugh.

"I'd say you did, except for one thing." I paused.

"You forgot one very important thing."

Her eyes widened, and she froze, until I whispered gently.

"I can winnow."

Her face slackened, and by the time she whirled around to stop me, I had disappeared into shadows, and prowled around her.

She looked around, glancing for any sign of me, while I watched, invisible. I circled her, until I realised my mistake. Footprints.

Malidia was watching the snow, anticipating where I would be next. I abandoned the shadows, and materialised in front of her.

She took a swing, but I ducked, and the next one I caught. Gripping her fist in my hand, I pulled her close, and wrapped my arm around her.

The next second, I pushed off into the air. She shrieked, and flung her spare arm around my neck. I slowed down, and she pulled her head back a bit. Glaring at me, she dug her nails into my back.

"Put me down!" She yelled, over the rush of air.

"As you wish." I replied, and let go.

She fell for a few seconds, before spreading her wings, and rising up to meet me.

"Asshole." She spat.

"There's no need for such language, Malidia." I chided.

She rolled her eyes, and sped up. I chuckled, before racing to catch up. We raced across the sky, until a figure began to fly next to me.

"I take it she can fly now." Cassian said.

"Evidently." I replied.

"Clearly I can't, seeing as I'm just floating through the air right now." Malidia's sarcastic voice came from my left, and I rolled my eyes.

"Seeing as it didn't take that long, I'm sure you can still do some training with me this morning." He replied.

"I'm sure you can train alone, seeing as I doubt you did anything while I wasn't there." She snapped.

They continued bickering until we got back. I landed on the balcony, and turned to face the others.

"Pick a weapon. We're sparring." Cassian told Malidia.

"No weapons. Fists and magic today." She replied.

He narrowed his eyes, but nodded.

They began, and I watched them from the wall. Most of the time they were a whirlwind of blows and blocks, but every now and then I saw a glimpse of the moves they were using. Malidia's technique was good, but a bit stiff.

I felt that something wasn't quite right. I'd seen her fight before, and it felt as if she was holding back.

Malidia had been thrown to the ground, and Cassian had one foot on her chest, claiming victory. I would have walked forward, if I hadn't seen the smile on Malidia's face. She ran her hands along the stone, and tapped the ground with her hands.

A hole appeared where Cassian's foot was, and he plunged through it, falling off Malidia. She threw herself up, and stood with a smirk on her face as she beheld Cassian stuck in the hole with only one leg.

The hole grew larger, and Cassian fell through completely. He disappeared, with only booming of his wings being a sign that he was flying back up.

He shot up over the side of the balcony, and Malidia rose to meet him, and the fight continued in midair.

A few moments later, Malidia was forced to the ground again, this time pinned on her stomach, with her arms behind her back.

"Yield." She whispered, and Cassian stepped off.

"Sloppy." He said.

She glared at him, and he shrugged. She strode inside, without another word.

"She's holding back." I said.

"I know she is. I want to see how much I have to push her until she does what she's capable of."

We fell into a comfortable silence, each thinking over something different.

Hey, sorry it's such a short chapter. I just needed to get this out, and I'll try to post a bit more frequently, but I have a bit of writers block. However, this story is far from abandoned. Thanks for reading!

-CrystalShadowStar