A/N: Another Cast in Peril reference. I just couldn't resist. This one's slightly more serious in tone than the last one, although if I can actually sit down and write it, the next one will be funnier. Enjoy! (Also, Fiefling is going to take a little bit to update because school and editing my novel is driving me crazy. However, NaNoWriMo is coming up in November, so if anyone wants to read the project I have planned, let me know and I'll link you guys to it. ^^)

Disclaimer:I do not own the Chronicles of Elantra. They belong to Michelle Sagara.

Bright Blades

Kaylin winced, watching as Cian gripped the sword by the hilt again, raising it up over her head to bring it downwards in a slash. She immediately stepped forward, grabbing the girl lightly by one wrist and stopping her before she could finish the cut.

"Cian, wait a minute-," she said. "Your hands..."

Cian's eyes flashed blue, the thirteen-year-old looking up at her mother in annoyance. "Mom, for the last time, I've got it," she said, adjusting her grip slightly. "Can I just please finish my drills sometime this century?"

"I'm just trying to help," said Kaylin.

"Yeah, well, I know what I'm doing," said Cian, pulling her wrist out of her mother's grip and stepping away.

No, you don't. Kaylin wanted to say. You're thirteen. You have no clue.

Kaylin frowned, watching as Cian raised the sword up again. She tried not to think of the Foundlings at thirteen, about how none of them would ever be allowed near a sharpened weapon, and tried instead to think about herself at that age. It didn't help, considering she had been trying to kill the Hawklord around that time and doing all sorts of stupid things. This had been a bad idea, she decided. A very bad idea. Why on earth did she think she could supervise Cian's training in Andellen's place?

"Cian—," she began.

Cian shot her a look, but the voice that spoke was not the young girl's.

"Erenne."

She looked up, her eyes fixing on the fieflord that had entered the practice room, standing against one bare wall. His eyes were a cool green, in contrast to Cian's frazzled blue-eyed stare. "Would you like to come watch with me?"

She hesitated, because he was taking Cian's side—and damn it, why was he taking Cian's side?—but at the combination of the look Cian shot her and his slow nod she relented, walking away from the center of the room and coming to stand next to him. Cian waited until she had gone more than three paces, before taking a deep breath to calm herself starting up the drill again. Kaylin leaned against the wall beside Nightshade and watched, trying not to think about how it hadn't even been a year since she had moved on to edged weapons, and how she was moving entirely too fast for someone who only had a few months of experience.

She glanced at Nightshade, but his eyes and his expression revealed nothing—his expression was blank, and his eyes watched Cian's movements intently, but they were still green, although the color had begun to shift into a more neutral shade. She tried to determine whether or not he was at all worried, but even through the bond between them, his feelings were opaque—she felt nothing but his regard.

When Cian moved a little too fast, lost her footing, and nearly pitched forward, Kaylin heard herself take in a sharp breath. The girl straightened up and glanced once at her, before continuing on with the set of movements. The glance was a precaution, to see whether or not she had moved. Kaylin hadn't, but it had been a close thing—she saw Nightshade's arm twitch slightly, as though he had been about to hold it out in front of her.

"She will never improve if you do not let her practice," he said, a slight hint of reprimand clear in his voice.

She exhaled. He was right, she knew—she would have said the same thing if she was watching a future Hawk train and someone else was acting like she was, but this wasn't just any teenager. This was Cian, and Kaylin knew better than anyone that she was capable of moving with almost-Barrani grace one moment and then knocking over an entire shelf's worth of items the next. Putting a blade in her hands was just nervewracking—the girl had very little idea of what to do with it and thought she did.

"I'm just worried," she said. "What if she gets cut?"

"Then she gets cut," said Nightshade calmly. "And she learns why. And she learns not to make the same mistakes. She will not be a child forever, and there are certain dangers you will not be able to protect her from, as there are certain truths she will have to learn on her own."

Kaylin's frown deepened, but she said nothing, turning away from Nightshade to watch Cian again. She felt the mark on her cheek warm slightly as she watched her daughter, Nightshade's words filling her mind.

It is not easy.

Kaylin snorted. Easy for you to say, she said. You're not worried.

No, Erenne. But in other things, I must also do the same.

Kaylin paused, thinking through the implications of that. She glanced at Nightshade, but he wasn't looking at her, his eyes were firmly on Cian. Kaylin exhaled slowly, turning away from him and opening up her mind again.

...Other things? she asked.

His silence was answer enough. She felt the mark on her cheek cool, his mind slowly withdrawing from her, and Kaylin sighed slightly at the loss of the connection, leaning back against the wall and continuing to watch Cian. It was easier this time. Not by much, but it was easier. After a while, she found herself no longer thinking about the potential dangers, and instead considering Nightshade and his reaction.

What was he worried about? What did he think was more dangerous to Cian right now than that sword?

As if he sensed the direction of her thoughts—and he probably did—Nightshade stepped forward, walking away from her and moving to Cian as she finished her set. He offered advice and corrected her grip. Kaylin watched, but found her attention beginning to wane after a while—it was all things she had heard before.

The lesson went on.

At length, Nightshade stopped, stepping away from her and raising a hand. Cian frowned, confused, but she stepped away from him as well, sheathing her sword.

"You may want to stop practicing," he said. "You have a guest."

"A guest?" asked Cian, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"Cian?"

The door to the practice room opened, admitting a dark-haired fourteen-year-old boy. Kaylin watched, blinking in surprise. Cian's eyes rounded, becoming blue with surprise for a moment before slowly shifting towards emerald green.

"The hallway led me here this time," said Kaden, frowning. "Um...am I interrupting?"

"Not really," said Cian. "But what are you doing here?"

"I—I mean, my parents and I were wondering if you wanted to come to the City tonight—apparently there's going to be some fireworks and stuff for the first day of spring."

Inwardly, Kaylin winced. She'd forgotten about that. The Swords were going to have a long night.

"That's today?" asked Cian.

"Yeah," said Kaden. "Do you want to come?"

Cian paused for a moment, then glanced meaningfully at Kaylin. She shrugged to show that she didn't particularly mind either way, and the both of them turned towards Nightshade. He met Cian's stare first, his eyes and his expression neutral again. "You may go if you wish," he said. "But you should leave quickly, before the sun sets. Return tomorrow before noon."

Cian bowed politely, but a grin broke onto her face as she ran out of the room, running past her friend. He turned, a frown appearing on his face for a moment as he watched her shoot past him.

"Just let me grab my things!" Kaylin heard Cian call from the hallway.

Kaden sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, and then, with a long-suffering expression on his face that reminded her in that moment very much of Severn, nodded at her, offered Nightshade a quick bow, and hurried from the room after Cian.

Kaylin listened to their footsteps fade, a faint smile on her face.

The smile faded as she caught the color of Nightshade's eyes.

They were blue. A faint blue, but blue nonetheless. His expression, however, wasn't angry. It was instead, contemplative and almost...almost sad. He turned away from her, beginning to walk towards the door, and she understood that he had meant for her to see that. And she understood what he had meant by 'other things'.

An image flashed through her mind—one she had just witnessed, but one that she now saw in a new light—Cian's green, green eyes as she ran past her friend, a grin on her face, and Kaden's exasperated look and faint smile as he followed after her.

Swords were not the only things that cut.

And the cuts made by swords would heal.

Nightshade paused as he moved past her, as if he had felt the weight of her realization too. She felt him regard her for a moment, before he continued on, leaving her in the practice room alone. His words echoed in her mind as he walked away, and she felt them fill her as she lowered her eyes to the floor, taking a deep breath.

I must also abide.