“And it is very useful in battle,” he replied. “I have become somewhat desensitized to the painful effects of fenite over the years.”
It was honestly more than I expected him to share, and I seized the chance to keep him talking.
“Have you fought in a lot of battles?” I asked, regretting the question the moment I started imagining Sin shirtless on a battlefield, his chest gleaming with sweat as he cut down his enemies.
“Just the one,” he said simply, getting to his feet. “And no, I’m not going to talk about it.”
“Fine. So are we going to talk about what happened earlier then?” I asked, hoping to provoke some kind of response. I hated this new cold Sin. I hadn’t even realized how much I had enjoyed bickering with him.
“No,” he replied firmly.
“No?”
“No.”
“And I don’t get a say?”
“No,” he reiterated, turning back toward the hallway that surrounded the arena.
“So that’s it?” I shouted to his retreating back, equal parts annoyed and disappointed. “We pretend like nothing happened except now you keep to one word sentences? Look, it was a stupid mistake, and you were just reacting in the moment. You’ve made it very clear you don’tfeelanything for me, and I’m fine with that. So can we just go back to normal?”
Sin paused at a door, and I hurried up behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, I saw a room full of metal bars and round balls of increasing size that filled the racks throughout the room.
A weight-lifting gym then. Lovely.
“You’ll start in here to build up your muscles,” he said, still refusing to face me. “Start by lifting the smallest ones. When you’re done, run ten laps around the arena for stamina. Get some food afterward, then come find me in the barracks at the back of the castle.”
He turned to leave, but I caught his arm, refusing to let him walk away. “Sin, you said you were actually going to train me today.”
“I can’t train you when you’re this weak,” he stated, all of the earlier passion missing from his hard face. “Anything I teach you would likely just get you killed in the forest if you attempted it. You’re better off trying to improve your overall strength and endurance for now.”
He yanked his arm out of my grip and headed toward the stairs. At the base of the first step he paused, reached into his pocket, and tossed me a thin black cord. “To keep your hair out of your eyes.” Then he was gone.
I clutched the small bit of leather in my hand and leaned back against the wall. I hadn’t thought he noticed or even cared that I was struggling with my unbound hair. Was this just Cennux Dreisin following best practices for training, or something else?
Frustrated, I dragged the smallest weight I could find over to a bench. Maybe I was just trying to see something in Sin that wasn’t there. I’d been sleepwalking through my life for so long, of course I’d be drawn to someone who was so intensely alive. Didn’t mean he felt the same.
Still, I’d do what he asked if only in hopes it might fix things between us. At the end of the day, he was my only chance to learn anything useful.
I struggled my way through a couple bicep curls, but even the lowest weight was almost more than my pitiful arms couldhandle. I sighed, dropping the hunk of metal to the floor with a thud.
Maybe Sin was right. Maybe this was all just a huge waste of time.
I lifted weights for as long as I could, then started on my laps. I made it less than one loop before I was huffing and puffing, but it was a start at least.
Dragging my ass back to the castle, I decided to skip lunch in lieu of an obscenely long shower. I felt a little bad about all the magic being used, but I couldn't resist lingering under the hot spray, enjoying how the heat poured over my skin. Back home, I always had to rush my showers in order to keep the water bill low.
Clean once more, I collapsed onto the bed, not even caring that my wet hair was soaking my pillow. I just needed a short rest, then I’d go see what pointless plans Sin had for the afternoon.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I registered was soft hands caressing my back, and fingers running through my long hair. The ministrations felt heavenly, and I snuggled deeper into the blankets, content to enjoy the delightful dream.
My eyes popped open as reality crashed into me. Kiahna and Niahna pulled their hands away when I shot up in bed.
“Shit!” I swore, rushing to the window. Sure enough, both suns were on their descent. I slept the entire afternoon away, and Sin was going to kill me.
I sank back onto the bed, and Kiahna began brushing my hair again as Niahna selected a purple sleeveless dress with blue paneling from the oversized wardrobe.
I was debating abandoning the sisters to go find Sin to apologize, when Dey rapped his knuckles on my door andstepped inside. He spoke to the females in Rivellan, then Kiahna stopped brushing my hair, and they briskly exited the room.
