I grip the strap of my bag more tightly. “You? But the life debt—”
“It wouldn’t count towards that. Only Myla’s lessons will. But if you’re wanting the extra instruction…” He shrugs, smirkinginto the wind that blows his long hair behind him. “I would be happy to help.”
“Do you know how to fight?” I don’t know why I ask, one look reveals that he very clearly has experience at leasttrainingfor a fight. He’s packed with lean muscle beneath the black leather he wears, the style similar to Myla’s.
I expect a sharp remark, but Navin just laughs, the sound soft and inviting. “Who do you think taught Myla?”
I grin at the image of Navin teaching someone like the aggressive fae as I think over his offer. There is a chance he could use my proximity to do something insidious. Yet every time I have seen Navin, he has always offered me a kind gesture. He seems to get under Myla’s skin more often than not, and he believes me to havenormalsiren magic. I doubt it would get me very far, but I also have my dagger in my satchel. All I need is to get out of the cavern and into the water if he tries to attack.
Navin’s dragon, Lan, stretches his wings out, their near translucence brilliant even beneath a cloudy sky. Veins of black spread like cracked porcelain all throughout his wingspan, breaking up the hues of blue. Where the wing bends on either side, there is a single sharp talon—similar to the ones that grow from my fingers, only much larger.Gods, he is massive.
Seeing my focus, Navin says, “Lan here won’t be a problem. In fact, I’ll probably tell him to go hunt for an hour.”
That helps make my decision. “Alright, Navin. I will train with you.”
He pumps a fist in the air before turning to look at Lan, the two seeming to communicate for a brief moment before the dragon crouches low and then leaps into the sky. He lets out a deep roar that rattles my bones before banking right with an elegant sweep of his wings, flying towards the dark and misty mountains in the distance.
Navin leads us into the cover of the cavern, reaching a hand into the bag strapped to his chest and pulling out a black tunic, which he then tosses to me.
“Did Myla tell you to bring this?” I ask.
He shrugs, gesturing for us to walk towards the cavern. “No. She actually doesn’t know I’m doing this.”
“Bringing me a tunic? Or training me?”
Navin climbs up the large boulders to get the platform, turning to reach a hand down to help me up the last few feet. “Both, I guess.”
I remove my satchel and lay it against the wall before slipping the shirt on. It hits my knees but is softer than the last one Myla brought. “How did you know I would agree?”
“I didn’t,” Navin answers, tying his hair away from his face. “But I hoped.”
“Why?”
“Because if you were desperate enough to withstand a life debt with my sister, I figured you must have a reason for wanting to learn.” He folds his arms over his chest as his gaze works over the cavern. “And I want to help.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely.
His own sincerity shines back as he dips his chin and then lifts his hands up in front of him, taking on the defensive posture Myla taught me last week. “Show me what you know so far.”
I go through the series of ducks and blocks that I know, grateful the swim here warmed my muscles up. Navin spots the same weaknesses that Myla did, but he’s much nicer about how he corrects them. He doesn’t outwardly ask about the scar on my foot, though I see his gaze bounce to it a handful of times. “I was attacked by rogue sirens,” I decide to tell him, lifting my arm to block a slow punch. Navin’s teaching style is calm, his body movements elegant as he runs through another round of punching combos for me to practice avoiding.
“Rogue sirens?” he questions, drawing my attention to his leg as he sweeps it out in an attempt to take me down. I step back to avoid it, bouncing on the balls of my feet as we begin to circle each other again.
“In my queendom, sirens who break the law are banished from Lumen and all of the surrounding cities and towns. They are forced to wander, without the home or community that my kind craves.”
“That’s a fitting punishment, I suppose,” he says, extending his right arm out and smiling encouragingly when I quickly block it. My own cheeks lift, and I duck beneath the next arm that he swings out. “In my kingdom, anyone found doinganythingremotely against the king gets sent to the dragon fields.”
I blanch, lifting my guard too late to block his punch. Luckily, he’s moving slowly enough that it merely brushes against my cheek, marking the spot that would have gotten hit were he actually trying to take me down. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, this is all part of training. Talking while we warm up and while you’re still learning is a great distraction, but just remember the basics. A hit like that from an opponent who knows what they are doing will take you out. Be vigilant. Stay focused, even when you’re trying to hold a conversation. Let your strength start in your core and then draw the other muscles in towards it. That’s where your power originates.”
I nod, lifting my arms again as I work to engage my stomach muscles. “I imagine the dragon fields are not a place one walks out of alive.”
“No,” Navin says, his expression falling as he sweeps his leg again, a little faster this time. I’m able to bounce back, blocking the immediate right punch he sends in my direction. Pride blooms within me, and my next steps are lighter because of it. “Unfortunately, our father isn’t known for his mercy.”
I cringe at the thought of being killed by a dragon, my focus so wrapped up in what I’m doing that I don’t realize what Navin said until a few rounds later. “Wait—yourfather?”
He nods, bouncing on his feet while mine fall flat to the stone. He extends his arm out again but stops it halfway when he realizes I’m not holding my guard up anymore. His eyes regard mine, a confused expression wrinkling his forehead. “What?”
