"Again! Faster this time!"
Elena's voice was sharp as I manifested my shade for the hundredth time that morning. My body ached. My head pounded. But I forced the curse to respond.
The darkness formed around me, solid and responsive. Better than yesterday. Still not good enough.
"Your manifestation speed has improved but your control is still sloppy. When you direct the shade, it hesitates. That hesitation will get you killed against someone like Daemon."
"I'm trying! The curse doesn't always respond the way I want!"
"Then make it respond! You're the host! You control it, not the other way around!"
Easy for her to say. She'd never had to wrestle with a curse from inside. Never felt the constant pressure of power that wanted to be used.
"Break time," Kael called from the edge of the training ground. "She's been going for six hours straight. She needs rest."
"She needs to not die when she faces Daemon. That requires pushing past comfort."
