“Whoa!” Percy’s voice sounded somewhere to my left. “I thought you two were training.”
Heat rushed to my face as I realized our position. Seth crouched over me, face an inch from mine, strands of his hair brushing my cheeks. One of his legs was planted firmly between mine, holding me in place.
Which meant one of my legs was betweenhis. Perfect. Jerking my knee, I tried to ram it into his weak spot.
I was denied revenge for his grievances against me. Seth noticed what I intended and quickly released me, narrowly escaping my knee. Eleos snorted and hurriedly buried his nose in his journal.
Seraphim leaped over the rock Eleos sat on and plopped down beside him, grinning brightly. She looked like anoblewoman who’d acquired a personal box to watch her favorite play.
Sighing, I grabbed my sword and stood. “How’s that?”
“Hm.” Seth frowned. “I was hoping you’d discover more of your magic. Peril encourages it, usually.”
I turned my palm over. “Were you hoping I’d disintegrate you? I wieldthe Empty.”
Seth opened his mouth to respond, then snapped it closed. “Ah, hm. Good point.”
Eleos snorted. “Perhaps leave study of the strange new magic to the scholar?”
“Sorry, princess,” Seth said, twirling his blade. “We’ve no choice but to train the old-fashioned way until you can parry with your eyes closed.”
Sighing, I lifted my sword and retook a defensive stance.
Training proved to be as miserable as I’d feared. Seth beat me with the blunt end of his blade, correcting errors in my stance and offering advice. Whenever I managed to parry or block his attack, he’d smile like a bright-eyed child and attack me with renewed fervor.
Most assaults ended with me lying in the dirt and him explaining what I’d done wrong. Each time, I’d hope for release and greet disappointment when he hauled me back up and instructed me to retake my stance.
Night had settled over the land by the time he finally released me. Doubling over, I caught my breath and longed for a bath.
“Not bad.” Seth commended, running a hand along his blade. “Tomorrow we can tackle something more difficult.”
“I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” I huffed.
“No one is, at first,” he flicked his hand, and the crimson sword shattered into red droplets. Grabbing the sheath from the ground, he offered it to me with a smile.
Twirling the blade slowly, I attempted to mimic his fanciful blade work. I failed spectacularly, dropping the sword instead.
Seth laughed, retrieving the sword and sheathing it for me. “Not a bad first attempt.” He offered me the side sword. “It’s yours.”
Tilting my head, I stared into his scarlet eyes, trying once again to read him. Eleos was right. Even though I wasn’t a psyche, I could see the walls he built around himself to keep everyone else out. The smile seemed fake.
“What?” He asked.
“Just trying to figure you out,” I admitted, glancing down with a frown. I didn’t have a belt to sheath my blade on.
He chuckled. “Remember what we discussed? You never won a training bout, so I don’t owe you any secrets. But,” he grinned. “You owe me a few.”
“Ugh. I lost count of how many times I fell on my ass.”
“Start with one, then.” He ran a hand under his chin, cocking his head as he looked me up and down, focusing on the features of my face. “Why did you never try to escape? With your skills and looks, couldn’t you have charmed a nobleman and taken shelter in his estate?”
“Charmed, like married him?” I asked. Nose scrunching, I studied the dirt. Why hadn’t I taken advantage of some lonely, gullible noble?
“Surely he could have paid your debts.” Seth continued.
“I guess,” I said, swallowing. Buried in my foolish heart was a yearning for. . .more. I wanted a house by a lake. A loving husband and two kids.
“Well?”
