Seth returned from the fire, carrying a sheath. Drawing the blade, he spun it gracefully before offering me the hilt. “This is a side sword. I think it’ll suit you.”
Taking the blade, I held it up to the fading sunlight and studied it. An intricate sphere of thin, metal circles protectively shielded the hilt of a slender, elegant blade.
“Pretty,” Percy commented, walking by with a bag filled with tonight’s dinner. “He never got me anything.”
“Your father was a vaunted officer, Percy,” Seth called. “You had a spear worth more than a small army.”
“Yes, well, I don’t have it anymore.”
Rolling his eyes, Seth led me to an open stretch of dirt near the fire. “I’m not teaching you how to fell armies, only how to defend yourself. That blade is made to point and fend off attacks while protecting your hand. So all you need to do is parry.”
Eleos sat on a rock nearby, flipping open a journal as he watched us. “Hold it away from you.” He instructed.
Thrusting the blade forward, I glanced between them. “Like this?” When Eleos nodded, I narrowed my eyes. “Wait. I thought Seth was supposed to teach you, too.”
“Psyches can fight.” Eleos deflected.
“How, exactly?”
Eleos moved to respond, but Seth cut him off. “Don’t worry. The scholar’s next.” Dragging a dagger across his palm, Seth shook his hand, sending droplets flying. Each speck of blood grew into a crimson dagger. Shooting forward, the daggers slammed into one another, seamlessly merging into a larger broadsword.
A broadsword that then sang through the air, aiming for my heart. Gasping, I ducked, shielding myself with my arms.
The broadsword effortlessly reached its target, swiveling at the last moment to strike me with the handle rather than the blade. A punch of pain rang through my ribs, and I landed in the dirt on my back.
I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to breathe. When air flooded back into my lungs, I opened them to see Seth standing over me, twirling a bloody dagger between his fingers.
“Theswordis your defense.” He said gently. “Throwing it away rather defeats the point.”
“I can’t help it,” I said, taking his offered hand. “My first instinct is to run.”
“Well, you’re backed into a corner with nowhere to go. So,” He leaned in. “Parry.”
Picking up my sword, I settled back into a defensive stance as Seth stood across from me. Studying him intently, I searched for a crack in his persona.
I couldn’t read him. Sometimes, he was the picture of politeness; other times, he struck me as harsh. One moment, his mouth curled in a snarl; the next, he grinned and winked.
Seth’s blood blade shot through the air again. This time, I held my ground, blade pointed forward, and managed to knock the incoming sword off its course. Reverberations rushed through my blade, and I shook my hand in pain.
“Perfect.” Seth commended. “Just like that.”
“This works against weapons, sure,” I said. “But how am I supposed to defend against chthonics?”
“One thing at a time.” He said, grabbing his scarlet blade from theair before he charged.
An entire man throwing his weight behind the blade made the impact altogether more difficult to parry. I flinched again as Seth reached me, barely managing to scrape his oncoming sword. Losing my footing, I tumbled backwards, desperately trying to keep my grip on the hilt.
We landed on the ground in a tangle of limbs, a bloody blade pressed to my neck while his other hand restrained the wrist holding my sword.
Finding myself at his mercy, fear trickled down my spine, just as it had on our first meeting.
“I thought you were teaching me to parry,” I said, twisting my head away from the blade.
“I am. But,” he glanced over me. “I saw an opportunity. If that nobleman wants you alive, you should learn toescape.”
Before this journey, I hadn’t thought much about strength. My arms could lift little more than small boxes, and physical feats were beyond me; usually, I batted my eyelashes at a strapping lad and got him to do it for me.
Seth wasn’t holding me tightly; I could breathe easily, but my wrist felt like a stone was weighing it down. I couldn’t see anything besides his, admittedly, handsome face.
