“Plus, he needs the practice,” Gwinifer added, nodding toward her brother.
Reagan tsked and glanced at me. “You’re welcome to join us.”
“I have no intention of becoming a battle mage,” I replied.
“Self-defence isn’t important for battle mages only. Or are you too busy doing something else?” he asked. “Perhaps sneaking around the Hall?”
I’d been doing that, alone, after most of them had gone to their chambers. I had no idea how he knew about it.
He smiled at my silence.
“We’ll start easy,” Gwinifer said, setting the bottle down on the floor, her lips pulling back in amusement. “Unless you’re scared.”
I snorted, wondering if they used these childish tactics to get under each other’s skin. “I have no experience. It hardly seems fair to jump into a fight with either of you.”
Reagan leaned against the wall, watching me as if he were plotting something. “We’d teach you first. Surely, you don’t think we’d hurt you for the fun of it.”
That’s exactly what I think.From the little I’d observed, these two were clearly skilled and just twisted enough to find entertainment in pain. “I’m sure you wouldn’t. But I don’t think—”
“Give it a chance,” Reagan pressed, his voice smooth like honey-coated steel.
I had to stop following the noises in this place.
Still, learning basic defence could make me less vulnerable. That didn’t require any powers. What else was I going to do today, anyway? As large as this castle was, I was tired of roaming its hallways after five days.
“Fine. Butyouareteaching me,” I said, pointing at Gwinifer.
Her smile spread, dark and full of ill intent. “Wrong choice, Red. You should’ve picked him. He’d go easy on you.”
Reagan gave a one-shoulder shrug, and I wondered if she was right.
Gwinifer returned to the centre of the mat, her posture deceptively relaxed.
I took a deep breath, stepping forward. “Anything goes?” I asked, half-joking, to cover my nerves. “Punching, kicking, biting?”
Gwinifer cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. “Sure. But just know...if you bite me, I bite back.”
CHAPTER 11
“Again,” Gwinifer ordered as she circled me.
She’d spent the past half hour instructing me in techniques that required little movement, only the adjustment of stance and balance. I hadn’t expected her to be patient, yet sparring seemed to be one of the few things Gwinifer took completely seriously.
She guided me without striking, only feigning the movements and correcting my clumsy positions. I found myself utterly absorbed, barely noticing time slip past. It seemed a useful skill to learn, something that might one day help me if I committed to practising as she so clearly did.
She asked me to remove my ring, but after one assessing glance at my cotton sweater and worn denim, she decided they would suffice for now.
For the first time, I understood why Gwinifer always wore that scarf. Narrow, slit-like openings marked her neck, resembling the gills of a fish. She’d hidden them flawlessly until now, but with her scarf removed and her shoulders drawn back, I caught a fleeting glimpse of them.
I didn’t stare for too long, hoping she hadn’t noticed and wondering if they made her uncomfortable, given how carefully she concealed those features.
“Your feet aren’t wide enough. Lead with your left foot and rotate your body,” she said.
I drew in a steady breath and swung again, aiming for her chin just as we had been practising. In a heartbeat, she blocked my hand and twisted it sharply, her elbow snapping up beneath my jaw, and I stumbled back, letting out a sharp grunt as the impact reverberated through my face.
“I thought you wouldn’t hit me,” I said, cupping my jaw.
She gave a lazy shrug. “Consider it motivation for next time.” Gwinifer ran her hands along the length of her black sleeves. “I’m growing cold again since I barely have to move to block you.”
