Zev turned her so she faced the Prince again. “Never take your eyes off your opponent. Anticipate his movements before he makes them so you can avoid them.”
Dyna raised her fists and braced herself. She studied Cassiel’s posture, the shift in his expression, muscles tensing.
“Ready?” He lunged without waiting for a reply. She ducked under his arm and swung. He rapidly deviated backward. Her knuckles skimmed past his jaw, scarcely missing it. Both blinked at each other, then she broke into a wide grin. It wasn’t a hit, but that was as close as she ever made it past his defenses.
Zev patted her head. “Well done.”
“Mere luck,” Cassiel said.
“You let your guard down.”
The Prince shrugged in mild admittance, but he was studying her with a furrowed brow. “She’s small. Against a man determined to hurt her …”
She wouldn’t stand a chance. With only two days of instruction, Dyna felt no more capable of fighting now than she did in Landcaster.
“She needs a weapon.”
“No,” Zev frowned at Cassiel.
“She needs to learn—”
“Noweapons.” An edge had risen to her cousin’s voice, but it was not anger. He looked uncertain, worried. “Dyna, I’ll always protect you but one day I might not be there. If you’re ever cornered by a man, aim for his moresensitiveareas.” He moved to Cassiel’s side and motioned at his body parts. “Eyes, throat, kidneys, and groin. One punch or kick there will take him down long enough for you to escape.”
Cassiel’s responding glower nearly made her giggle. He turned away and headed for the brook. “I will not participate in such a demeaning demonstration.”
Zev chuckled, calling after him. “She cannot spar with me. It’s not practical against my strength.”
“Let’s rest,” Dyna said, hiding a grin. “I’ll see to our dinner.”
She headed for their camp set up a few yards away near the forest. Zev went to the brook. He laughed again, at whatever Cassiel said as they refilled their waterskins. Dyna was happy to hear it. The tension between her cousin and the Prince was beginning to dwindle as they traveled together. She hoped it meant Cassiel was finding them tolerable.
She smiled and stirred scraps of vegetables in the boiling pot hanging over the campfire. They didn’t have much to eat, but broth would do good in the chill. It would pair perfectly with bread. She had been craving the taste of fresh rolls still steaming when cracked open. She’ll have to ask Zev to include it in their provisions once they reach Corron.
The meadow had quieted with the gentle lilting of Cassiel’s flute. Dyna glanced at the brook and found Zev blankly staring at the water flow, wearing the same uneasy expression she’d come to recognize. Tomorrow was the full moon. They had yet to tell Cassiel about Zev’s Other form. He hadn’t noticed the chains yet, nor had Zev attempted to mention them.
Dyna sighed and took out an empty burlap sack from their pack and headed over to the blackberry bushes on the edge of the forest. She picked the berries while she debated telling Cassiel about the Other, but it wasn’t her place. Zev couldn’t bring himself to tell the Prince what his chains were for, and she couldn’t either. They both worried about the same thing. What would Cassiel think of him after tomorrow?
The bag slipped from her berry-stained fingers. She lowered on her hands and knees to search for it in the tall grass when she heard a threatening hiss.
The underbrush rustled and a long brown snake slithered out. A black pattern etched the scales coursing down its back, and two minuscule horns extended from its head. She immediately recognized the venomous snake. It hissed, flicking out its long black tongue. Her heart rammed in her chest, panic gripping her. If the snake bit her, she would march through Death’s Gate within seconds.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when a quiet voice spoke to her from beyond the trees. “My lady, please do not move.”
Dyna stifled a whimper, fearing the presence and the imminent death in front of her. She didn’t dare look away from the snake’s glistening black eyes. Its hisses grew more aggressive, and it reared back, baring its fangs. A scream tore out of her mouth as it lunged. An arrow whizzed through the bushes and pierced the snake’s skull inches in front of her face.
She heard the flutter of wings before Cassiel dropped beside her. “What is it? What happened?”
“Dyna!” Zev reached her next. “Are you all right?”
She stared at the dead snake pinned to the ground and pointed a trembling finger at the trees. “There’s someone in the forest. He spoke to me.”
Zev inhaled the air. His wolf eyes flashed and he growled. “Who goes there?”
Cassiel unsheathedEsh Zayin. Luminous white flames sprung to life along the blade. The sight of it sent a spike of apprehension through her. His wings were exposed, but he did not attempt to hide them. He must have come to the same conclusion she did. Whoever was in the forest had already seen him.
“Forgive me, I did not intend to frighten her,” the voice said. The stranger had an elegant accent, theRs of his words smoothed over. It hinted he came from a different part of Urn. “I could not stand by while she was to be bitten. The venom of an Ecru snake is fatal.”
Zev yanked her away from the dead snake. “He killed it?”
