She blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Attack,” I said. “See if you can hit me.”
“Isn’t that a bit...dangerous? I could actually hit you, you know.”
“If you do, I’ll heal,” I said, and then laughed at her blanched cheeks. “I’ll make certain your blade doesn’t sink into my skin if you manage to catch me off guard.”
“This seems like a bad idea,” she murmured, spinning the blade in her hands. But then her eyes flicked up, narrowing. “It’s almost like you don’t think I can do it. And for that, I think Iwilltry to stab you.”
There it was. That spark I loved so much.
“Go on then,” I said, opening my arms wide. “Come at me, little métoikos.”
“Ugh, I hate it when you call me that.”
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
She narrowed her eyes and darted to the left. Her feet moved so fast that it caught me off guard. With a chuckle, I ducked out of the way just in time. I even heard the whoosh of the blade as it passed by my ear.
“Good,” I murmured. “You tried going for my face. That could do a lot of damage if it hit its mark. Try the stomach or heart next time though.”
“Stop telling me what to do!” Grunting, she lunged forward. I saw her blow coming though. She’d gone straight for my heart, just like I’d told her.
“And next time, don’t do what the enemy thinks you’ll do,” I said, swatting her arm aside. “I mentioned my heart. You went for the heart. Don’t be so predictable.”
“This is annoying,” she muttered.
“It’ll be far more than annoying if Panos gets his hands on you.”
She nodded, and then bounced on her feet. This time, she took several moments to think. She sized me up, her eyes darting from my stomach to my heart to my hands. Aradia would probably go for my neck again, thinking it would catch me off guard.
With a grunt, she raced toward me. I braced myself, readying for the attack. At the very last second, she swerved around me and rose her blade high. The dagger hurtled toward the center of my back. I spun on my feet, just in time, and caught her wrist with my open palm. Her breath caught as the very tip of the blade brushed the edges of my tunic.
“Good,” I murmured with a smile. “That’s better than I expected you to do. Now,” I said, turning to face the target once more, “hit that.”
She looked a little bit more determined now, all ferocity in her eyes and shoulders thrown back. Turning toward the row of targets, she lifted the dagger, aimed it at one of the sacks, and then threw with all her might. The blade sank into the flour with a thunk.
Aradia sighed and turned to me with defeat written in the blue of her eyes. “Mother of Midas. It’s no use. I’m not good at any of this.”
“You hit the target,” I pointed out.
“I was aiming at the one beside it.”
“That’s close enough, Aradia,” I said. “Have you ever thrown a dagger before?”
“No, but—”
“Your aim isn’t going to be perfect on your first attempt.” With a smile, I crossed the room and yanked the dagger out of the sack. “We’ve found your weapon. Now, your training will truly begin.”
* * *
Itrained Aradia for hours in the darkness of the dungeons, smiling as her speed and dexterity with the blade improved with every drill. In time, she could be lethal with a dagger, and no one would ever expect it until the blade dug deep into their backs. Unfortunately, we did not have that kind of time. What she’d learned this night would have to be enough.
At least Panos would never see it coming.
“I’m exhausted,” she said, slumping against the wall and wiping the sheen of sweat from her brow. “Everything hurts. But especially my forearms.”
“That only means your form is spot on. You’re doing well, Aradia,” I said, resting a comforting hand on her shoulders. Knots had formed beneath her skin, and her entire body trembled from exhaustion. “But let’s take a break for the night. We’ll resume your training first thing in the morning.”
