“I’m just disappointed in myself. I’m late again for training. My brother told me if I was late one more time, he wouldn’t coach me anymore.”
“Which brother?”
“Colin.”
She whistled through her teeth. “The Master of the Guard. Damn. You messed up a gig training with the Master of the Obsidian Guard? Yeah, you fucked up.”
“Now who has the filthy mouth?” He leaned his head back and looked up at the sky. “In my defense, this is the farthest I’ve run in this body. I underestimated how long it would take me.”
Her smile faded, and she leaned toward him. “I wonder if we might help each other.” Her thumb scrubbed nervous patterns over the back of her opposite hand.
“What do you have in mind?”
Harlow’s eyes twinkled mischievously. He wished he knew the secrets flitting like ghosts through her expression.
“What if I train you?” She tapped her chin three times and then pointed her finger his way. “And you pay me one gold tallon per day to do it.”
For someone like him, living on an ambassador’s salary, a gold tallon—a hundred dragmars—wasn’t a lot of money, but he snorted anyway. It was such a strange proposal. “Now why would a woman like you want such a position?”
“That’s my business.” She glanced toward the Silver Sunset. When he didn’t respond for a beat, she added, “We live in a patriarchal society, Marius. Can’t you imagine why a woman might desire her own income, one her father knows nothing about?”
He could imagine. He slanted her a wry grin and asked, “What makes you qualified to train me?”
She chuckled. “I’ve been a regular at the pits for almost five hundred years. I’ve even trained a bit, if you must know, although they won’t let me fight, obviously.”
“Exactly. If you’ve never even competed—”
“I know how to fight.”
“But you’ve never fought in the pits. Whoever taught you probably went easy on you.” He was needling her, but he couldn’t let it go. For some reason, he wanted to test what she was made of.
“Let’s settle this,” she said tersely. “You are concerned that I do not have the skills to train you. I put forth that I do. You’ll never believe me unless I prove it to you. So let me prove it to you.”
“How exactly do you plan to do that?” He leaned in closer, lids heavy. She smelled good, like water lily and a cool night breeze.
“Name the time and the place, and I will fight you. If I win, you train with me for the fee we discussed. If I lose, I’ll go home, patch up my dignity, and never bother you again.”
For some reason, that thought sobered him. He enjoyed speaking with Harlow. It would be a tragedy not to be bothered by her in the future. “I might hurt you.”
“Dragons heal quickly.” She tipped her head to the side inquisitively.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “Come to the private training arena at the palace. I’ll give your name to the guardhouse.”
She beamed at him in a way that made his skin feel warm. “You’re on.” She stood and straightened her dress. “Do you need me to call a carriage to take you back to the palace?”
He shook his head and pushed himself up from the bench, stifling a groan. “No. I’m fine now.”
The curve of her lips suggested she was aware of the aches and pains he was still feeling despite his efforts to hide them. But she didn’t mention it. With a wink, she said, “Good to know. I wouldn’t want you to be sore for our match tomorrow.”
Harlow adjusted her dress over the training outfit she wore underneath as the carriage she’d rented pulled up to the palace guardhouse. She wouldn’t get far wearing her training clothes anywhere, but dressing like this made her feel hot and confined. She had on too many bulky layers for the tropical climate of the kingdom.
“Harlow, meeting Marius,” she said to the guard through the window.
The young dragon inside the tiny house nodded and slapped the seal of the palace on the side of her carriage. “Please proceed.”
They started to move again, rounding to the back of the palace where the curved stone walls of a private training pit came into view. By the Mountain, the wealth! Her family had once been affluent, but even the wealthiest of her Firedrake neighbors hadn’t boasted a private fighting pit. The facility was magnificent. Nothing short of extravagant.
Her heart thudded in her chest. Was she really going to do this? It had been a long time since she’d practiced pit fighting. Yes, she had a friend, a former champion, who’d trained her and practiced with her occasionally. She understood far more about the sport than most males. Still, Marius had the height and weight advantage. He was at least twice her size, and she was out of practice. This could go terribly wrong.
