"It's not a term we've got at home," he says with a shrug, "and I'm guessing you do things much differently than I'm used to seeing."

For one thing, in Alera, lightning comes from windcrafting, not firecrafting. That will likely be an interesting conversation one day. It is also the tacit admission he has some skill in windcrafting.

"Is it a common skill where you come from?"