His eyes, too, prickled. A lone tear followed the slope of his nose. He closed his eyes when I reached for it. I wiped it away, turning my thumb salty.
We looked at each other for a while, then I finally asked, “Do you think the Ilmans will ever be free? The Water Priestesses? And their powers, will they ever be restored?”
“I don’t only worry about that. I also worry about what else could happen if we’re not prepared. If Naar schemes another unpredictable attack like the one they very well pulled off, we would be—” He shook his head. “They entered Ilma from Crystal Bay,undetected, for Boreas’s sake. Unseen and unheard. How?”
I realised then why the alliance between Silch and Ramel was necessary. In not-so-icy regions, Sand Wielders were the best match against Naar. On Ice, the Naaris wouldn’t stand a chance. He must have seen the look on my face as he softened his features and said, “Hey, don’t worry about it, all right, I’m just saying that we need to be cautious.”
I nodded, giving him a tight smile. I was about to ask him about the peace treaty—about why his parents had signed it—but my tongue caught when he murmured my name.
“Cordelia, if you ever want to talk about your par—”
“Are we here to chit-chat or are we here to train?” Eldric asked, startling us both.
Should I curse him or should I thank him?I wasn’t entirely sure.
Would I have told him? I wasn’t entirely sure either.
We stood to our feet. Aegir gripped his shirt—I realised then that he never got to wear it.
CHAPTER 28
Eldric was lost in a full-body stretch, his eyes closed, his breathing long and deep.
“Grab that bag,” Aegir ordered, pointing at a brown sack. He motioned for me to follow. We crossed the paddock and moved towards a shaded area beneath the mesa. Bales of hay were scattered along the rocky wall. On them hung what looked like makeshift shooting targets. Aegir took out a small bow and a quiver filled with arrows from the bag he made me carry. I may have beamed.
“Have you ever shot one of these?”
“Never.” Then I confessed, “But I always secretly wanted to.” I held the bow and donned the quiver with pride.
He grinned. “Do you know what this means?”
“Uh, that you are now going to teach me how to shoot arrows?”
“Yes, but it also means that next week, we’ll be starting one-on-one combat. And not just to defend yourself, if you know what I mean.” I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I was happier behind a weapon that could shoot from afar, or one that could be thrown.
The side of Aegir’s face was dangerously close to mine. One of his hands was at my elbow, the other was fixed on my back.
“There,” he murmured, placing my index and middle fingers on the string and pulling. My other arm was outstretched at a slight angle. “Aimand shoot. Don’t let your mind take over, just let go of the string as soon as you aim. Let it go naturally.”
He stepped back and I just…aimed, then let go. Bull’s-eye.
I gaped, my forehead creased, and Aegir coughed a short laugh. His eyes, though—he looked at me like I was a mind-boggling puzzle that could never be solved.
“Are you sure you’ve never shot one of these before?” He scratched his crown.
“Never. Beginner’s luck?”
“We’ll have to test that theory to find out.” He picked an arrow from the quiver and pointed towards a different target. He stood close, tempted to correct my posture. He didn’t. “Go.”
Another bull’s-eye.
Then another…and another.
I swore that out of all the weapons I’d practiced with, this felt completely natural, effortless. It felt as if it wasn’t just arrows I freed into the wind. Weighted fragments of myself, ones I despised, were carried away, too.
“You’re doing well. And I’m not only saying this because ofthis,” he said, pointing towards the struck targets and swaying his head. “You’re running faster, lifting stronger, nailing your self-defence sessions, and now, you’re shooting exceptionally. I told you not to underestimate yourself.”
I blushed at his words. “I—I’ve never properly thanked you. For Cinnamon, for this, all of it.” I shook my head. “You have no idea how demeaning and frustrating it is to spend your days locked, starving inside a dark room from sunrise to sunset. It drains your life, makes you feel weak. This—I don’t know how to explain it, but out here, training, it’s the opposite of that.And Cinnamon, I still can’t believe it’s all real. Thank you, Aegir. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
