Chapter Twenty-Six
Sitri’s knuckles hit mine, and my grip on the morning star slipped. I gasped. The tip of a dagger pressed into the metal plate at my chest, and the message it sent was clear:If this had been a real fight, you’d be felled where you stand.
“For the last time, stop trying to out-speed me,” he said. “That thing weighs more than a post maul. It will never move faster than a blade.”
“Give me a blade, then,” I snapped back.
Sitri shook his head and lowered his weapon. I moved to reclaim mine. Frustration tensed my muscles and frenzied my attacks, making the impossible task of hitting him harder.He expected patience from me. That ask was utterly unreasonable.
“Even if I did, you only react to my movements. You cannot win on reaction alone. Put your weapon up, but do not strike. Watch.”
With a scowl, I complied. My hold on the hilt of my morning star tightened as I locked my eyes with Sitri’s. He reset, putting a few paces between us, then raised his daggers.
“Pay close attention,” he ordered as he took his first step forward.He advanced on his left foot, balancing his outstretched right hand. He twisted his wrist. Now that Sitri moved slowly, I saw he was hitting with his knuckles, not his blade.
“Look at this stance. Take your time and study it. My goal is to disarm you and strike your chest once you’re defenseless. How do you halt my momentum?”
“Strike your left leg,” I answered without missing a beat.
It was obvious now that my opponent stood still. Sitri was unbalanced. His lunge required contact with the ground to support his forward movement. All I had to do was twist my hands, swinging the head of my morning star into his leg and hindering his knuckles with its hilt.
Sitri smiled. “Good, Lillia. That’s what you need—a sharper eye, not faster weapons. You can’t outpace me, so don’t bother trying. Seek to outmaneuver. Got it?”
“I think so.”
Gears turned in my head as Sitri’s advice sank in. If only he’d thought to teach me that before he spent the better part of a week knocking me on my ass. Maybe he hadn’t realized how poorly I’d perform until I came face-to-face with a real threat, or perhaps my failure against Mara had been practice in its own right. If that had been the case, I’d failed the lesson miserably. Either way, my progress in training had stalled since my injury.
This might be the breakthrough I needed to change that.
“Once more,” Sitri barked as he reset his fighting stance. I returned to mine as well, taking a deep breath. When Sitri charged me, I was ready to meet him.
Just as he’d shown me, he lunged on his left foot and struck with his right hand. I waited for my opening before I moved, dipping the tip of my morning star. His knuckles hit my shoulder. Metal barbs cut grooves into the dirt. Sitri jumped back, and my weapon missed his leg by a hair’s width—at least, that’s what I thought, until the first trickle of bloodappeared on his hide leggings.
I froze, my heart lurching as the droplet ran down his armor. After days of trying from waking to rest, I’d finally drawn blood, but it was far from satisfying.
“Are you alright?”I asked, allowing my morning star to drop from my hands.
For a moment, Sitri stood perfectly still, eyes wide and jaw slack. Crimson liquid hit the dusty ground. He blinked—and then he burst out laughing, smiling from ear to ear. I breathed a sigh of relief.
“That was perfect, Lillia! Remember this lesson. It may well save you on the battlefield.”
The Prince’s smile was contagious. I couldn’t help but swell with pride. Praise never failed to raise my spirits, and Sitri seemed to know it, too. He offered it at every opportunity.
“Let us try again. I will move slowly. Search for the weak point in my stance.”
I nodded with a grunt, doubled back, and collected my weapon. Something about Sitri’s lesson clicked in my brain. As he moved, I became aware of the momentary openings he presented me. An outstretched foot. The gap between his weapons as he lunged. An unguarded stretch of torso. Each move he made, I matched him with the head of my morning star, and Sitri’s praise bolstered me after each successful maneuver.
As the lesson progressed, our movements grew faster. I suddenly understood the rhythm of battle. It was a dance, a deadly waltz, where one wrong step meant utter annihilation. So long as I moved to its beat, sang to its song, I commanded it.
When Sitri finally ended my training for the day, both he and I dripped sweat, and our chests heaved for air. I’d given him a touch of challenge. The proof showed in the rare bruises and scrapes he wore like badges, marks that revealed where I exploited his vulnerabilities. He’d gone easy on me—he had to, for my safety. This was the first time that Ihad bloodied him, though, despite his leniency.
“Even without Vapula’s talent, you learn fast, Lillia,” Sitri said in a voice bright with pride.
I smiled and gave a snort. “That’s exactly why you plan to drill me again tomorrow, huh?”
“Of course.” He returned his daggers to their sheaths and ruffled my hair as he strode past. “Who would I be to stifle your talents?”
I couldn’t bring myself to respond.
