She writhed underneath him, her left fist swinging up in a vicious hook, but he blocked it, pinning that arm down too. His weight was solid against her, his body nothing but taut muscle and battle warmth as he pressed into her. ‘Nice try,’ he whispered, his face close enough that she could count each individual lash that rimmed his eyes. His chest heaved against hers, and her heart hammered hard enough that she knew he could feel it.
Something in his eyes shifted as he looked down at her, and Aya froze, the moment suspended between one breath and another as she scanned his face.
And then she felt it: a blanket of soft silence, like the peace that flooded her during battle without the hard edges that came with violence. It settled into her bones, relaxing each muscle as her breath came in a long, relaxed exhale. It feltlike holding a steaming mug of chaucholda. Like sitting next to the fire on a cold night. Like coming home.
Will smiled faintly. ‘Told you,’ he murmured.
And just like that, the sensation vanished as Aya snapped her shield into place with a vicious snarl. She cursed him colorfully, taking advantage of his gloating to hook her leg around his and flip him on his back.
I think there’s something else there, isn’t there, Aya love? Something you’d rather not explore.
Her fingers dug into the fabric of his leather suit as she tugged his upper half toward her waiting fist.
This … thisweaknesshad nearly cost her her very place in this room to begin with.
‘Enough!’ Galda’s voice cut through the raging in her head. Aya immediately released the vice grip she had on Will’s chest, letting him drop to the ground. Her breath was ragged as she stared down at him. Gone was that smoldering stare. In its place was a smirk that had her seeing red. Galda moved to the front of the ring, explaining the dynamics of fighting both with body and affinity, and Aya shoved herself from the ground, her hands tingling as she stepped away from Will. He stayed where he was, tucking a hand behind his head.
‘Always a pleasure, love.’
‘Get your lazy rump up before I mop this floor with you,’ Galda growled, stepping past him as the class broke into pairs one final time. He rolled his eyes, but did what she said nonetheless. Even Dunmeaden’s Dark Prince didn’t argue with Galda.
Galda waited until he strode off before turning her piercing gaze to Aya. ‘Your shield is usually impenetrable. You got sloppy.’ The words sent a burning through her veins. It was true – shielding was second nature. It would take mostpeople, even Galda, a great deal of effort to weaken her defenses.
But Will …
You could persuade me to fess up, I suppose. That is … if you could get through my shield as easily as I get through yours.
Aya’s hands curled into fists.
‘A tangled mind is a defenseless mind,’ Galda reminded her before walking off. Aya stared after the trainer, turning the lesson over in her head.
‘You can always join my shielding lessons,’ Yara chirped from where she’d appeared at Aya’s shoulder. Aya glanced at the girl, noting the teasing smile she fought to keep off her face. Bold, this young Visya. She didn’t flinch under Aya’s gaze, her mouth only pressing tighter into a thin line as a long moment passed.
Finally, Aya’s lips tipped into a smirk. ‘Our general is going to love you.’
10
Aya watched as the fiddlers in Main Square began their upbeat number, partners rushing to the center of the cobblestones to begin the first dance. Large torches lined the square, the fire from the Incends providing a warm blanket over the celebration that stretched into the smaller markets. The Caeli had also lent their powers, constructing a shield of warm air over each square to keep the bitter winds at bay.
The High Priestess, Hyacinth, a woman of Gianna’s age, had just finished the Dawning Ceremony, calling forward those who wished to start anew to lay their burdens before the altar of Evie. She reminded them that darkness had no reign in their realm. That the gods had been gracious in sparing them, and that it was up to each and every generation to continue to keep the darkness from consuming the world once more.
Because mortal greed … it could never truly be eliminated.
Yet the Conoscenza also spoke of the gods’ mercy. Of how they hadn’t truly underestimated mortal lust for power, and had ensured there would be one last failsafe, one final stand, should evil rise again.
Should darkness return, the gods hath not forsaken us. For a second of her kind will rise, born anew to right the greatest wrong.
Of course, there were laws to help guarantee the Decachiré stayed away, especially in the Original Kingdom. Anyone in Tala found with even a simple relic of the Decachiré was killed immediately. No trial, no second chance. It was anarchaic law, one that hadn’t been applied in over a century. Whether that was due to a fear of death or a reverence for the gods, Aya wasn’t sure.
Aya had knelt before the wreath of evergreen just as she did every year: head bowed, stomach heavy, mind blank.
She’d long since learned the Dawning Ceremony was far too short to relieve her of what haunted her.
Tova pressed a glass of wine into her hands, pulling Aya from her thoughts. ‘And who will have the pleasure of whisking you around the square? Elias, perhaps?’
Aya’s eyes tracked to where he stood slightly apart from the older nobles. His rich blue coat paired marvelously with his peachy complexion. He tugged a hand through his dirty blond hair, eyeing the nobles warily. Having only recently inherited his title, the older generation clearly had yet to warm to him.
‘Cranky old bastards,’ Pa used to call them, before reminding Aya to keep such language out of her mouth. She had her mother’s proclivity for swearing.
