Axel raises his eyebrows. “Is that so? So what is?”
Zryan seems to hesitate for a beat too long. “A cat.”
Acat. Skylar wants to laugh. A cat! Sheknewshe’d seen something at the Blood Binding.
“This isbrilliant,” she says, and she is actually smiling. “So now all I need to do is kill the cat, right?”
“Wrong,” Axel says, and she frowns at him. “A witch doesn’t die if their familiar does. Only the reverse is true.”
Skylar wrinkles her nose at that. Although, to be fair, does she really want to kill a cat?
“At least I don’t have to face the fox, though,” she says, thinking of those teeth.
“Yes, well, don’t get cocky,” Zryan says. Axel coughs at that. “Shemay not have a strong familiar, but she has a way with potions, and she can cast. You, on the other hand, have an attitude and some fancy tricks with knives.”
She bares her teeth at him.
“If one of those potions hits you, you’re dead,” he states flatly.
“Great. So all I’m hearing is that I’m witch carrion. Which is fantastically helpful.”
“You need to train.”
“What does it look like I’m doing—having a picnic?”
“Do you need me in discussions anywhere?” Axel asks Zryan, talking over her.
“No,” Zryan says. “You’re doing what’s needed right now. I just wanted to fill you in. We should all be on our guard—I can send a couple of Dreki to watch your backs.”
“No, thanks,” Skylar pipes up. They both ignore her.
Zryan turns to leave. She lets out an incredulous laugh. “That’s it—seriously? Someone tried to kill the witch, but go ahead, carry on climbing?” She shakes her head. “If the witch is going to be so hard to beat—even without a fox who can tear my throat out—then shouldn’t I be learning how to fighther?”
“Axel will switch tactics with your training once you come back from the island,” Zryan says over his shoulder. “First, survive that. We’ll figure out where we stand when you return.”
“And you?” she bites out. “You just going to keep spewing instructions from the sidelines?”
He turns toward her, and she swears it’s so he can quite literally look down at her. “I’m going to wait, until a fight between us means I won’t break you.”
“Oh, come on.” She makes her voice a taunt. “The best way to learn how to fight an heir is to practice, right? And you were an heir up until, what, a few days ago?” She smiles in a way she knows people hate. “Let’s see if I can take you.” She knows dimly that it might be a bad idea to push him, but she feels that throbbing behind her temples, urging her on.
“No,” Axel says firmly. “There’s no way you are ready for—”
But Zryan holds up a hand. “She wants a shot at the big leagues. So let’s give it to her.”
He’s fast. Too fucking fast. A punch comes out toward her face and she ducks—only to feel his foot colliding into her legs. She falls to the ground.
“Move before he can touch you,” Axel demands.
She jumps up, spins. And she tries, honestly she does. She dodges one attack, then the next. And ends up flat on her back with a kick to the stomach. Right at the edge of the cliff.
So this is what an heir is, she thinks dimly, even as she forces herself up again.
She is so totally screwed.
She swipes a trickle of blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.
“I told you,” Zryan says, with almost a hint of sympathy, “you’re not—” But she’s fast, too. Fast enough to snatch her dagger, to stab, just about grazing the side of his arm as he blocks. She spins out of his reach, throws the dagger at his shoulder. But he Teleports out of the way—and it very nearly hits Axel instead, who dodges, swearing loudly.
