AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My opportunity to end Ruslan’s life had passed, but one day, he would bleed beneath my sword, and I took comfort in knowing that day drew near.
35
Béke Day Nine
On my way to the sparring ring at Ryza Citadel, I ran into Zuriel. My body itched after days of inactivity, begging for movement despite the slight headache behind my eyes. The males were off hunting for the dinner that would be served during the masquerade, and the tug around my middle was driving me crazy. Exercise was the perfect distraction and solution to my restlessness.
“Zuriel! Care to join me?” I called out to him. He glanced at my leathers and plaited hair, amusement twitching his lips upward.
“I don’t believe we’ve ever sparred with swords. Show me what you can do, cousin.” We walked together into the open air, a slight bite in the wind sending shivers through me.
Better get moving to warm up.
Liliana bounced into the courtyard a moment later, calling for me when she spotted us.
The Angel dipped his head in greeting. “Lovely to see you again, High Lady Liliana.”
My friend eyed him appreciatively, and I rolled my eyes. She and Vadim were more alike than she cared to admit, and after watching her the previous night, I had no doubt that she would rival his own prowess by the time she finally decided to fully commit to Endre.
“We’ll have to settle for Zuriel as a sparring partner today. The males are all out on a hunt,” I joked.
“I promise to take it easy on both of you. I’ve only had two millennia to train,” he said casually as if everyone lived for thousands and thousands of years.
I resumed walking, shaking my head as I tried to fathom the stretch of time. So much had happened to me in my relatively short lifespan. I couldn’t imagine what else would happen if I lived to Zuriel’s age. Fae only lived for a few hundred years at best, and the Félvér, I’d been told, varied based on their heritage.
We trekked to the barracks in the courtyard at Ryza, finding the rings nearly empty and with plenty of space for us to use. A few young males trained at the end closest to us with older ones who shouted instructions and corrections when they faltered or made mistakes.
Across my back, I carried my new short swords, though I’d left the full set of armor behind, not needing full-body protection for some light sparring. I smiled to myself, Ruslan’s thoughtfulness in both choosing the gift and the design of it melting my heart for the second time.
I waited for Liliana and Zuriel to select weapons from the rack of training equipment. Liliana opted for a long knife and axe, and I pressed my lips together to suppress a smile. She and Endre were made for each other, if she could only accept his love for her and he could step up to be what she wanted him to be. He had the potential, if he would only open himself to believing it.
Zuriel only picked up a dagger, a hint of mischief in his icy eyes, and vaulted over the fence to the training ring before walking to the far end so we had plenty of space.
“Let’s go, Izidora.” My cousin called me out first, and grinning, I stepped forward to face him.
As I unsheathed my blades, the veins of silver in the dark gray metal caught the light, highlighting the long-stemmed roses etched into the blades. Positioning myself, I held one high in front of me while I let the other rest at my side, not entirely passive, but not entirely aggressive either. Zuriel stood motionless in front of me, not even blinking as he waited. A light breeze flitted through the ring, pulling strands of chestnut from my plait, and yet he still did not move.
My left foot raised as I prepared to take a step forward, and in a blur of motion too fast for me to comprehend, he knocked the blade from my left hand. It clattered off to the side, and, off balance, I stumbled forward and nearly into Zuriel’s waiting dagger. At the last moment I twisted, backstepping with my right foot to avoid the blade, but I was even more open than before.
He lunged, and I parried, my single blade meeting his sliver of a dagger a breath from my shoulder. Using only his thin blade and skill, he backed me all the way to the fence. It was as if every move I made, he knew I would make it before I did.
“Are you sure you’ve never spied on me while I sparred with Drazen and the other Félvér, Zuriel?” I laughed as I blocked his blade from slicing my neck.
His ice-blue eyes twinkled with excitement. “You mortals are so predictable.”
“We are no–” I started to protest, but while I was distracted with my opinion, he snatched a hidden dagger from my thigh and held it to my side. “I yield,” I huffed, and with a knowing grin, he returned my weapon.
“I can do better than that,” Liliana bragged, hopping from her perch on the railing and striding toward us.
“I’d like to see you try.” I took her place beyond the fence, leaning on it with my elbows as I watched my cousin and best friend spar.
Liliana lasted no longer than I had, quickly backed up no matter how she rolled, dodged, and parried with the knife and then the axe. Once she yielded, all of us now breathless, I asked, “So why do I train with Drazen and not you?”
“Because Drazen is a more reasonable opponent than I am. You’ll never catch me,” Zuriel said, amusement dancing in his tone.
Liliana and I shared a look, and without hesitation we sprung into action, blades singing as they swung through the air. And yet, two-on-one my cousin still managed to best us both without losing his composure. We collapsed in a heap of sweat on the ground after three consecutive losses against the Angel.
“You have over thousands of years of fighting experience. It’s totally not fair,” Liliana complained, tucking locks of sweaty hair behind her ears.
