“Supposedly?” Fenn shot her a glance, then shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. I care.” His gaze locked on hers. “It was wrong. I was wrong. And it won’t happen again. Is that understood?”
She swallowed, throat tight, eyes tracing the hard lines of his face as something in her shifted—small, dangerous.
“Fine.” She lifted both hands in mock surrender. “You’re the boss.”
“Rynna…”
“What!? I didn’t mean anything! I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” She raised her hand over her chest. “Cross my heart.”
He cast her a measured look, clearly expecting another snarky or flirty comment, but when she didn’t offer one, he gave a slight nod. “At least try to cross the pond, will you? Otherwise, they’ll think you don’t care.”
Her eyes drifted to the bag of balls tied to his belt, lingering just a second too long. He’d been using them to knock the others off the rope for the last twenty minutes.
When she glanced back up, she caught the faint flush of red coloring his cheeks beneath the mask.
“Here, I’ll move them,” he mumbled, reaching for the bag, presumably to put it somewhere 'safer.'
“Too late, old man!” She darted forward, ducking under his arms toward the rope bridge.
She’d play by his rules for now, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun, too.
With a flicker of motion so fast she barely registered it, Fenn vanished, his fumbling retreat melting into a seamless, fluid attack. One moment, he was behind her; the next, he was halfway across the clearing, blocking her path.
“As if I’d fall for that twice, Novice,” he said as he pulled out his notebook again, eyes lowering to the page as though nothing had happened.
Ohhhh, I’m going to get you, asshole, Rynna thought with a grin, and without another word, she darted toward him.
She struck out with a palm, aiming for his midsection, but he sidestepped in a blur, his book still open in one hand. She pivoted, launching another kick, only to feel the rush of air as he ducked under it. His book never wavered.
You’ve got to be kidding me, she thought, and her smile stretched further across her face. She could see the small adjustments in his stance, the way his weight subtly transferred from one foot to the other, ready to move at a moment’s notice.
Rynna pressed forward again, launching a barrage of quick jabs and feints, forcing him to abandon the book as the attacks came faster. When he finally snapped it shut and tucked it away, his full attention on her, she smirked, satisfied.
Got you now, Guide Fenn.
They moved in a tight circle, her hands darting out in bursts while he blocked or dodged with an ease that made her pulse quicken. She feinted left, then surged right, trying to get past him, the flash of cold steel biting deep enough to bruise even as he twisted back between her and the pond.
Damn. Panting, Rynna bent over, sucking on air. Holding her true speed and skill in reserve while going so hard was proving more exhausting than she’d anticipated.
“You almost got past him, Rynna!” Bran shouted from across the field, sprinting toward them. “I bet if I helped distract him, you could do it, no problem!”
“You wouldn’t stand a chance, even with Rynna leading, loser,” Taren scoffed as he sauntered out from behind a tree, his usually neat hair now tousled, dark strands falling messily across his forehead.
His clothes were scuffed, and a faint trickle of blood ran down his arm, but his tone was as harsh as ever. Elara followed, her face flushed, with strands of blonde hair sticking out at odd angles.
“It needs to be all of us,” the young girl wheezed, yanking a twig from her tangled locks and tossing it aside.
“Yeah, right!” Bran barked, though his bravado faltered as Taren grimaced.
“She’s right,” Taren said. “We need to work together.”
“But what about the rules? You’ll just run the rope without us!” Bran shot back.
Taren kept his gaze steady, betraying no emotion. “I guess you’ll have to trust me.”
They’re getting it. Rynna smiled, casting a quick look at Fenn, who continued to lean against a large boulder, pretending not to notice.
Bran stood still as he considered Taren's plan. Then, with a sudden burst of enthusiasm, he pumped a fist into the air. “OK, let’s do this!”
