Kaelun removed his shoes and placed them on the top step, inviting me to do the same.
I raised a brow. “How do you expect me to throw with no targets and in a space that’s only ten paces wide?”
“Why don’t we try something new?” he said, the glint in his eyes letting me know I wouldn’t be a fan of what came next.
“And what’s that?” I asked, knowing full-well I was stepping into a trap.
“Trust.”
I bristled, and the shudder that ran through my body stole all the levity he’d tried to maintain.
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, his unara fast at work.
Needing to find that levity again, I threw a smirk his way. “Well... youdidmake such a good target earlier, so, I supposed I can make this space work.” His eyes lit with mischief in response. Stepping past him, I slipped out of my shoes and dipped down into the satiny sand which was gloriously soft against the soles of my feet.
“Ready?” my shadow asked, practically vibrating with excitement.
I nodded.
Within seconds the pit began to expand until it was at least four times the size of Thaddeus’ training facility. I looked to Kaelun, eyes wide, dozens of questions running through my mind.
“Whoever steps in first controls the facility,” he explained, and as if proving as much, the ground beneath us shifted to grass, then ankle-deep water before coming back to its natural, sandy state. “If you can imagine it, you can train in it.”
In a blink, forest began filling in the edges, and before I knew it, I was back in the Nettorian Mountains standing in the middle of a ring. My ring.
“This is,” I whispered, spinning around in a slow circle to take it in.
“Home,” he finished for me.
“Home,” I agreed, nodding with watery eyes.
“I hope you don’t mind. When my brother told me I’d be helping out, I made sure we visited it before reporting for duty. They’d told me how important training is for you, and well”—he grabbed the back of his neck and pulled—"I don’t know, I just wanted you to have at least one place you could escape to that’s yours."
Standing there, I took in deep breaths of the familiar resinous forest scent, reveling in the comforting blanket that seemingly wrapped itself around me.
“Thank you, Kaelun,” I managed, words thick.
“Don’t thank me yet—you haven’t even seen the coolest part.” He gestured around us, and I sharpened my focus trying to find his meaning. Something flashed to my right. Then to my left. Then straight ahead.
Raw, unfettered delight filled me to the brim. “Are those…”
He cracked a wide grin. “Moving targets? Why yes. Yes, they are.”
“Fuck. Yeah,” I said and grabbed a blade.
Chapter 27
Under a Canopy of Pink
The targets were high and low. At different angles. Far away, then close. Behind me. To the side. Then in front. The combinations were never the same. The targets were always in a different place. It was more challenging than anything I’d experienced before; and gods was I here for it.
Targets would only flicker for a flash before vanishing, requiring the next blade to be in the air before the last one sank in.
I knew without doubt that this would have been impossible as a human, but as fae—as fae—I felt like a vengeful goddess.
Thanks to Kaelun’s second unara, the blades kept reappearing in my hands instead of the bandolier, allowing me to throw to my heart’s content.
I had no idea how much time passed, but eventually I held my hands on my hips, sucking in deep breaths, relishing the sweat dripping down my body.
