Page 31 of Highland Spy

She turned and strode from the room, her slippers silent on the floor.

He wanted to stop her, to demand she tell him who’d hit her with such force. But he already knew the answer.

Sylvi.

• • •

Ariana tightened her grip on the pole in her hands. The wood was cold beneath her fingers, but her body was warm. Ready to fight.

Delilah stood in front of her, her face calm and her dark eyes watching Ariana with matched intensity.

“Go,” Delilah said sharply.

Ariana’s coiled muscles fired into action, propelling her forward. The pole whistled in the air and smacked harmlessly against Delilah’s padded armor with a muted thwock.

Delilah grinned. “Perfect.” She swept a hand over her apron, smoothing out the puckered dent as if the fabric were a fine gown. “Again.”

Ariana’s shoulder glowed with pain, but she whipped the pole around again and slammed it into Delilah’s side with all the strength she could muster.

Delilah staggered slightly against the blow. “Even better.” An errant curl slipped from her perfectly pinned hair and fluttered against her cheek. “You’re picking this up far quicker than even Sylvi did.”

She leaned closer and the floral notes of her perfume surrounded Ariana like a friend’s embrace. “But don’t tell her I said that.” Delilah’s doe-like brown eyes twinkled.

“Oh, never,” Ariana agreed in a conspiratorial whisper.

Delilah grinned. “Now let’s get out of this ugly armor and see what Percy’s made for us to eat. I wanted to ask you about the masquerade balls you attended.”

“Of course.” Ariana felt herself smile in response. Delilah was full of questions about court. What gowns were being worn, what food was being eaten, what dances were being done.

From what Ariana had gathered, Delilah had spent her life dreaming of attending court. While she finally had made it there, something had prevented her from staying very long.

Ariana was sure it was the reason she was now at Kindrochit.

They were both almost out of their padding when the clangs of a weapon against steel rang out, sharp and in quick succession.

Delilah’s head jerked up and her mouth fell open.

Ariana plucked the last tie of her armor loose and looked up toward where Sylvi and Connor were training.

Sylvi was a bolt of lightning, lithe and fast, striking at Connor, making him step back and back and back. She moved with such haste, Ariana would never have been able to keep up with her. But Connor matched the speed of her blows, smooth and graceful.

“Teach me what he taught ye.” Sylvi’s voice exploded from her with the same force as her blows. “Ye know how to kill and ye willna show me.” Her strikes matched her words, which were heavy with a rough lilt Ariana had never noticed in her speech.

Tension snapped in the air and alarm jolted down Ariana’s spine.

Delilah uttered a soft curse and ran toward the two with Ariana following closely behind, but they both stopped short against the whipping of Sylvi’s blade.

“Sylvi, stop this,” Delilah hissed.

But Sylvi did not stop. Her blade lashed out at Connor, but he blocked it with his own.

“Ye dinna know what ye ask for.” Connor parried and ducked smoothly.

Ariana’s body tensed watching the two. Connor was strong, yes, but Sylvi had never been so out of control, so reckless.

“And ye dinna know what I saw. I want to kill them, every last one of them.” Sylvi’s bellowed words were raw with unmistakable pain, her attacks blind and wild. “Ye never knew what I had to endure to be here. Ye’ll never understand.”

Connor leapt at her then, like a cat descending on its prey. He dodged the flash of her sword and slammed her back to the ground, where he pinned her.