Moving deliberately, I inched toward him. “IfI am the Breaker of the Spine, I will break it on my terms, in my time, in my own good, goddamned way!”
Tymon threw his head back and laughed, and I could see Master Dorian and Lunella holding back a laugh, as well. I didn’t move from where I was—staring at Master Bebbenel.
“You’re too stubborn for your own good.”
“I will break the Spine as I see fit!”
Master Argo folded his arms. “You need to be broken.”
I glanced around at the men in the room. “You all want to break me?”
“I would train you,” Tymon said.
“As would I.” Master Dorian nodded.
Master Bebbenel stepped forward. “I would break you. I would take you down to your bones and rebuild you into something that might someday resemble a master. I would have you understand and obey the rules—”
“And you would destroy all that makes Kimber, Kimber,” Mistress Ophelia said.
All of us turned. Mistress Ophelia, rare as it was, spoke. A silent observer, a deep thinker most people at any gathering forgot was there.
But not this time.
The tall, lithe temple master rose from the chair to stand next to me. Her skin was like dark chocolate. Her gold and red caftan fluttered in the morning breeze, and the long rows of her braids ended in little metal beads that tinkled pleasantly as she moved.
“The Breaker will face challenges the likes of which none of us, save perhaps Master Dorian, have seen. And you, Bebbenel, Argo, would break her to conform to our way of thinking, our conventions for magic use, when what we are going to need is utterly unconventional.”
Her clear green eyes pierced them. “I expect that you will allow Tymon, Lunella, and Dorian to teach her. You wouldn’t consider her untrained talent an asset at all, while it is the very thing that makes her invaluable.”
She leveled a finger at the two of them, and even I was terrified of it. “You will let them alone. They will train her. And you will both make a trip to the cave, soon.”
Master Argo narrowed his eyes. “You are not the leader of this—”
“Shut up, Argo!” Mistress Ophelia’s eyes sparked in anger. “I am not the leader, you are correct. Neither are you. Apparently, though, I am the only one who can manage to think around here.”
Turning sharply, she assessed me from head to toe.
I shivered under her scrutiny.
“Move her in. Soon.”
The silent master marched out of the garden. Master Argo watched her back and then lifted a hand in a rude gesture.
The smack across his cheek was audible, and Ophelia’s glower from the doorway was clear. Argo turned red with anger instantly and stalked off, away from the training space.
Master Bebbenel shook his head and left as well.
Lunella let go of her laughter and doubled over, holding her stomach.
Seemingly unaffected, Master Dorian walked over to me and stared down. “Get used to the bruises, girl. There are a lot more of those to come.” He twisted his lips into a sadistic smile and left us there.
Tymon burst out laughing. “She smacked him!”
Lunella leaned a hand on Tymon’s shoulder, still chortling. “That was the best use of magic I have ever seen.”
I looked between the two remaining masters. “Are they always so angry with each other?”
Taking a moment to compose herself, Lunella flicked her hand, unconcerned. “They’ll fight it out between the sheets.”
