He winked and leaned down for his own blades. “Nope. I could only afford the dagger and some new targets.”
I shoved him off balance, then secured the bandolier across my chest. We’d tried many throwing knives over the years, but the ones I was armed with were my favorites.
We’d originally started with larger blades and sized down over time to test our skills. I’d fallen in love with the sleek, black, double-edged, six-inch beauties the first time they left my hand.
Procuring weapons was no small feat in our village. We sold the pelts and meat we caught for coin, saving up for the rare times mercenaries passed through. The more discerning we became with our weapons, the longer it took to not only find but also afford them. In fact, we never managed to get our hands on a sword, settling for wooden dowels instead. Waiting never bothered us, though. We were always content with what we had, while dreaming of what we’d find next.
The training ring was a near-perfect circle, level, and had little debris. We were speechless the day we’d stumbled upon the clearing that was about thirty paces wide and lined with towering trees.
Now armed, I sheathed the new dagger in my bandolier, replacing one of my blades—which was poised to find a target. Standing in the heart of the ring, I slid my eyes shut, and settled into the sanctuary of my mind, finding the concentration and clarity that allowed time herself to slow. I breathed in the deep forest scent of pine and earthy moss and focused on the familiar sounds of the small creatures rustling in the bramble.
The cool metal of the blade warmed as the heat from my fingers transferred to it.
My eyes flew open.
I was a flash of movement, pivoting from onetarget to the next before the previous dagger sank in. I pulled blade after blade after blade from my bandolier. The muffled thunks of the steel striking true caressed a place deep within me every time. Stars, I’d never tire of that sound. That feeling.
Before I knew it, I was down to my new dagger. Without hesitation, I pinched it between my fingers and let it fly, the series of fifteen blades taking mere moments to release.
Slowly, I rotated, scanning. Each blade was embedded in a tree, dead center of the target.
Eithan tracked my every movement as I stepped forward. “Again,” I said, and he walked toward the trees to help me reload.
Hours passed as we moved from knives to hatchets to bows, then to hand-to-hand combat, finishing with swordplay. It was exhausting, and utterly fulfilling.
Our sweat-slicked bodies slumped next to each other, spent, as we drew in labored breaths. We’d long since stripped off our shirts, the hot spring day making our layers unbearable.
Still breathless, Eithan grunted as he heaved himself up and offered me a hand. Wordlessly, I accepted his help, making him do the bulk of the work as he pulled me up.
“Lake?” The monosyllabic question was all I could muster. Eithan didn’t bother to answer as he moved toward our belongings.
Neither of us put our layers back on as the lake was only ten minutes off, and we’d always worn just our undergarments in—and sometimes not even that.
A short walk later, my foot hovered over the glacier-fed lake, and I braced myself for the jolting shock that awaited me. Only, it didn’t. In fact, my body delighted at the stark contrast. I hadn’t realized how much I’d overheated throughout the day and didn’t hesitate to wade in, Eithan following.
I paused as the freezing water hit my lower abdomen. Eithan gasped sharply and rose to his tiptoes while his body adjusted. Laughing at him, I put my arms up in defense as he lazily splashed water at me.
Once we’d adjusted to being waist deep, we paused, delaying the inevitable.
“On three?” he asked.
I clenched my fists and nodded.
“One…two…three!” We both took the plunge.
I went from fully submerged to gasping for air in what felt like a blink as my lungs hitched from the shock. For me, it was always the surprise, more than the cold itself, that caught me off guard. Instantly invigorated, I lingered in the lake for a few moments before getting out.
The tiny shoreline pebbles darkened beneath our feet from the water pouring off us. I wrung out my hair and accepted the towel Eithan held out to me.
Mercifully, the sun was still high enough to ease the freezing bite of the glacier-fed water, and a soft heat radiated from the rocky beach, warming my toes as we made our way onto the blanket that was invitingly warm from sitting out.
We lay down, and Eithan pulled the edges over, cocooning us in. Comfortably ensconced, sleep found me shortly after we’d settled in.
The cool air from the shadowing mountains dragged me from my slumber. I found myself nuzzled in the crook of Eithan’s shoulder with his arms wrapped around me, the blanket still tightly drawn around us.
I glanced up at him. His eyes, filled with brightness and thought, suggested he’d been awake for a while already. They traveled back from afar, and he focused on me before he drew me in and placed a kiss on my forehead.
“Welcome back, sleepyhead.” The heat from the whispered words caressed my skin. I put a hand on his chest and tucked in a little closer, wanting to freeze this moment and cherish his safe embrace.
