Chapter Title: Burning

Summary: She understands nothing of power, least of all her own. And therein lies her greatest weakness—or, perhaps, her greatest strength.

Notes: Yes, I was procrastinating. But I'm here now, aren't I? Not quite as good as the last, because it wasn't something that actually happened. But I'm finished with the Shadow events now, then next one will come from Courtlight (which is probably my favorite, if I had to choose one)

Warnings: Spoilers for Cast in Shadow

Relevant pages in Cast in Shadow (mass market paperback) are 469-483

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"It is not over. Between us. Between the Old Ones. You are here, and you live, and you have used their power."

-Lord Nightshade to Kaylin, after the battle with the outcaste Dragon

She was full of surprises. This girl, Private Kaylin Neya, astonished him with what was beginning to become a frightening regularity. In dealing with her, he was no longer in possession of all the answers. And that in itself was enough to treat her with caution.

And keep her close. He would need to be more watchful—of her, and of her companions. He couldn't fail now, not when he had just begun. Not, he knew, as the Dragon had.

He had long suspected they had not heard the last from Makuron the Black. But even he had not expected a catastrophe quite of this scale. And yet, disaster had been averted. Because of her.

She had fought the dragon with every fiber of her being, and some of his as well. She had used him as her anchor throughout the battle, and he knew how she had struggled. Had known it when she lost, and the magic took over.

Then he had felt the change in her. There was power, almost limitless power, in her at that time. The dragon had known it. Severn and the children had seen it, or a manifestation of it. He himself had felt it in his bones.

She understands nothing of power, least of all her own. And therein lies her greatest weakness—or, perhaps, her greatest strength. Human power is limited by what they believe is possible. In her, because there is no sense of what cannot be done with her magic, there is a greater range for what can.

She was in possession of a power that could either save them all, or destroy everything. It all depended on her. And, obliquely, on people like himself as well.

He wasn't much given to illusion; he knew exactly how much power he had over her. Knew, also, that it was not enough. Others, too, had their influences on her—Severn, Tiamaris, the Hawklord, and even her Sergeant.

In time, her trust in him would increase. He had no doubt that he could convince her to come to him eventually. Barrani lives were long; he could wait. He could wait forever, if it became necessary, but he would prefer not to. Though he knew how to wait, he was not a patient person by nature. So it was a good thing she lived quickly, driven by her desire to know. Though it was not ideal, he would accept a bond built around curiosity.

She had asked him about the sword. The named sword. Meliannos. Tiamaris had been wary; Makuron had been shocked. But it had been her hand in the end, that was his downfall. Lord Nightshade did not make the same foolish assumption she did—he was not gone, merely defeated; he would go back, now, to lick his wounds in a safe place until the time came for another attack.

Perhaps she would be better prepared at that time. But knowing her, it was unlikely. He would just have to be prepared for her. That, he could do. And what he could do, he would do to prepare her for anything that should come. Like the Court. They would want to see her at the High Court, eventually. And then perhaps even the palace of the Emperor. The possibilities were endless--and so were the ways in which they could turn in on themselves and go wrong.

She would kill herself, inadvertently, without guidance. It was his job to see to it that such an event never came to pass. Not while they both lived. Not unless he was the one wielding the sword.

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