"Good!" Reese grinned.
"Saints!" I hissed. "I thought we were finding my catalyst?"
"You were just standing there. I figured I'd test your reflexes." He twirled his rapier. "No luck?"
Lowering my heavy blade, I rubbed my temples. "No."
"That's alright. These things take time."
"It's not alright, is it?" I snapped. "I'm not a mere student—and we aren't in times of peace."
I bit my tongue. I wasn't mad at him.
If my words offended Reese, he showed no signs of it. "Strike whatever you just tried from the list. In the meantime, we can get more training in."
My muscles screamed at the thought of more training. I wasn't meant for this. I was a lady of the courts. Gossip and rhetoric were my weapons.
Tightening my braid, I prepared for another round of bruises and defeat.
Reese frowned at me and sheathed his sword. "You're still holding it wrong."
"Does it matter how I hold it?"
"Yes," he insisted, circling behind me. Taking my right hand, he slid it up the hilt. "Dominant hand against the guard. Opposite hand as far down as possible."
The lesson melted to mush, flowing in one ear and out the other. I focused instead on his arms looping around me to mimic how I should hold the blade—guiding my hands for me.
I could feel the hard muscles in his shoulders and biceps, the strength in his grip. It was distracting.
"You'll have a better grip for a long guard." He thrust the blade for me. "See?"
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized he was right. This stance and grip felt much better. Mostly, I turned bright red.
One of his hands—the arm he'd kept covered by a glove—burned hot against my skin. It was not a pleasant sensation, not like the gentle warmth the rest of him gave off.
Every hair on my body stood on end, screaming at me to run, that this man would kill me. That he was wrong.
Was the flush rising to my cheek from fear, panic? Or was it the awareness that one of the most powerful Solhearts stood so close?
A snapping twig caught my ear.
I turned to look, but Reese was faster.
The Paragon stepped between me and the noise: a cluster of bushes growing against the inn's wall. He flicked his blade. A shimmering sword of pure light manifested before him and whizzed across the yard.
It flew faster than an arrow—a mere blur. With a heavy thud, it struck the old wooden wall, tearing chunks and splinters loose.
The entire movement happened in the blink of an eye. Saints above. I'd been mercilessly beaten into the mud every morning, and the whole time the Paragon had been holding back.
A cloaked figure stumbled from the bushes, yelping in surprise. "Shit, Reese!" They yelled. "You couldn't ask 'who's there' first?"
I recognized that voice. "Ferris?" I uttered in disbelief.
The prince—who should have been on a return journey home to Aenir—threw back his hood, spilling loose his steel curls."Sorry, couldn't resist. I was curious what you two were, ah, doing."
His emerald green eyes flicked from me to the Paragon, one corner of his mouth turning up.
Well, there was another rumor for the Aenir gossipmongers.
