“Because you’re not him,” she said, standing. “Now, get up, so I can kick your ass.”
She strode away, finding a private spot to relieve herself. After walking the perimeter, she met Kaelan down at the stream just below their camp, where he was cupping water into his mouth.
He started to turn, but she thrust out her foot, hitting him in the back and knocking him into the water.
He came up sputtering and dripping. “Why did you—?”
“You’re off-balance and off-guard.” She hopped across a couple of stones and took position on a large flat one. “Draw your swords.”
He glared up at her, rivulets cutting over his face, tracing his scar before running down his jaw and dripping.
She held out her hands. “All I want you to do is knock me off this rock.”
“Then why don’t I just push you?”
She smiled, shrugging. “Go ahead and try.”
Lazily, he reached out to hook her knee with his hand. She caught his wrist, spinning him, and pushed him in the back, knocking him into the water again face-first.
When he came up, he had his swords drawn.
She smiled and released her daggers.
Until the sun rose, they sparred. He came at her from every angle, and it was quite a relief to her that she was able to stay on the rock. In truth, she needed the training more than he did. Though it generally did little good to train with someone of lesser skill, she was so out-of-shape and bruised by her recent battles that simply defending her stake on a slippery rock required all her effort.
Poor Kaelan was soaked. At some point, he’d discarded his coat and his shirt. He bled from his lip and a cut over his eye and numerous nicks covering his arms and chest, mostly from falling, though a few of them were from her daggers. Each time she grazed him, she let him get a blow in too, because she didn’t mean to cut him. Her control had suffered during her exile as much as her strength and speed.
As the pink light of day broke over the treetops, Kaelan moved in again from her weak side, forcing her into an awkward crouch. Her feet barely kept purchase on the uneven rock as she knocked one sword away and then the other, and then threw her elbow into his jaw.
Again he went flying, splashing into the water.
She huffed and retracted her blades, running her hands over her face. “I think that’s enough for the—” When her hands came away from her eyes, Kaelan was still under the water, hung up on a clutch of fallen branches along the bank. “Kaelan?”
She leapt off the stone and into the water, angling beside him to get under his shoulders and head and to pull him up to the surface. As she did, he hooked his arm around her knees and pulled her legs out from under her.
Should’ve seen that coming.
He’d even put away his swords, which she might’ve noticed if she’d been paying attention.
Locking her arm around his neck, she twisted him over, so they both plunged under together. She flattened him to the bottom, driving her knee into his back as she came up. Then she waded to the bank.
He came up grinning.
“I don’t know why you look so happy,” she said, dropping into the grass.
He slogged towards her. “At least I’m not the only one who’s drenched.” He plopped down next to her, raking his wet hair away from his face. “There’s still time you know,” he said.
“Time for what?” she asked.
“To change your mind.”
“You don’t think I should vie for Radiant?”
“I think...” he said, picking up his shirt and wringing it out, “that you might be happier if you didn’t.”
“Do you really think I could be happy abandoning everyone here?” She squinted over at him, water stinging her eyes. She swiped it away. “Besides, if Lavana becomes Radiant... Endreas will join with her.”
“To fulfill the old prophecy,” he said, tugging on his shirt. “You don’t think he’ll wait to see if she actually takes the Crown?”
