Page 17 of Heavenly Bodies

‘What are you doing?’ she managed to breathe. He turned, mirth playing on his lips.

‘Does a little skin make you feel uncomfortable, Princess Elara?’ His torso gleamed with sweat in the unforgiving brightness, shining on the hard muscles carved into hisstomach, and deep lines that disappeared into his loose-fitting trousers. He stretched his arms out, and she averted her eyes.

‘I just didn’t think a prince would need to flex his glamour muscles for an ego boost. Nice tattoo by the way,Lion of Helios.Subtle.’

He smirked as he paced, infuriating her more. ‘Where do you think people got the nickname?’

For once, she didn’t have a reply ready and cursed herself, her traitorous eyes drawn back to those muscles.

He drew his sword, tossing her another from his belt.

She caught it, looking to it warily. ‘I don’t fight with swords.’

‘Then today you’ll learn. You’re too in your mind. You need to be in your body. As a boy, it was when I would reach the point of mental exhaustion that my light would pour out of me. Right now you don’t need to worry about control. Only release. We’ll start there.’

He raised his sword, and Elara copied the motion, the weapon too heavy in her hand. Elara had been taught combat growing up, but always with a dagger or knives. Cunning and illusions were what had helped her during her training in Asteria.

‘No magick,’ he warned. ‘Only weapons.’

Enzo struck, and Elara’s sword immediately flew from her hand.

In another clean move, Enzo had Elara on her back, the point of his sword pressed to her neck.

She wheezed, the wind knocked out of her. ‘Up,’ he said.

She hauled herself to her feet, and picked her sword up once again.

‘Change your stance,’ he said. ‘Put more weight on your back foot, so that it can anchor you when defending, or propel you when you attack.’

She blew a strand of hair out of her face, obliging. This time, when Enzo struck, she gritted her teeth, keeping her sword up. She felt the impact jar through her entire hand and shoulder, and cursed, but it held. Until Enzo struck again, and she was disarmed once more.

‘Again,’ he said.

Strike, parry, disarm.

Strike, parry, disarm.

Again, and again, Enzo moved, until her shoulder ached and her breath heaved from bending to pick her sword up every minute.

Something in her began to fray every time Enzo laughed as he beat her, as he mocked her. This was meant to be hand-to-hand combat. But the thread on Elara’s temper grew too thin, and she was tired of following the rules he had set. There was a shimmer as she weaved an illusion, a serpent slithering across the ground, its scales shining emerald in the Light.

Enzo saw it and stumbled to the left, out of its way. Right into Elara’s trap. She had dashed behind him, and now kicked his legs out while he tried to right himself.

Enzo grunted as he was knocked to the ground, sand billowing up in clouds. His sword fell, and Elara kicked it out of his grasp as she pounced upon him, thighs locked around his waist as her sword grazed his neck. She could do it. In one swipe, she could slit his throat.

Enzo’s eyes flashed.

‘Do it then,’ he hissed, pushing his neck closer against the blade. A bead of blood formed, and she gritted her teeth, willing herself to end him.

But Enzo’s furious gaze didn’t once show fear, he didn’t once plead or beg, or back down. Those eyes just continued to simmer. She shifted upon him, her mouth drying, her plait grazing his bare stomach. And maybe it was thestubbornness he displayed that convinced Elara he truly could help her. Or his stupid courage, which had him staring death in the face with utter wrath. Either way, her hand trembled with adrenaline as she lowered her weapon and lightly jumped off him.

She chuckled quietly to herself, the euphoria of triumph coursing through her veins. Then there was a loud pop, and she turned to see him back on his feet again, flames sparking from his hands, a look of thunder on his face.

‘You illusioned.’

She shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter what I did. I had the Lion of Helios’s throat under my blade.’

‘It was fucking darkcraft.’

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