Page 7 of Beast of Blood and Ash
I knew better than that.
"Reika!" Terra spotted me, her face lighting with approval. "Welcome, I’m glad you made it." She closed the distance between us, ignoring the way I instinctively stepped back. "We're running defensive drills. Kira needs a partner."
I nodded, not trusting my voice. Kira was already moving through the exercise, her small frame belying wiry strength. She held her staff like she knew what she was doing … and like she had a plan to do a lot more. She caught my eye and gave a little nod, not quite happy, but acknowledging.
We were all damaged in different ways.
I slipped the satchel from my shoulder and set it carefully against the wall. The small collection of herbs I'd managed to purchase before Omvar appeared weighed heavy inside, wrapped in cloth. I should have left them in my room, but I couldn’t shake the feeling someone might take my stuff if I left it behind. I couldn’t let it out of my sight. It was my shield against the dark, my pretend purpose when sleep refused to come.
Learn the plants. Learn to heal. Learn to be useful.
As if anything could fix what was broken in me.
I moved into position across from Kira, staff held at the ready. My muscles could manage this, at least. Basic defensive posture. Weight centered. Eyes forward.
"Begin!" Terra called.
We circled each other. Around us, a dozen other human pairs moved the same way, a dance of survival we'd cobbled together from military backgrounds, desperation, and hard lessons.
The cavern's other half pulsed with the true violence of Scalvaris. Drakarn warriors, massive, scaled, deadly, sparred with unbridled intensity. The clash of bodies sent echoes bouncing off the walls. Each snarl carried, amplified by rage and determination.
They fought with fangs bared, wings occasionally flaring for balance, tails lashing. Their training had spectators, other Drakarn lined the edges, watching, assessing, calling encouragement or mockery.
We humans didn’t draw crowds. We were barely tolerated.
Kira lunged. I parried, the staffs connecting with a hard thwack. The impact vibrated up my arms. She was fast, but I was getting faster. The months of captivity had stripped me down, but muscle memory was a tricky bitch.
I’d never been a warrior, but once upon a time, I’d been scrappy.
Sweat beaded at my temples. My focus narrowed to the movement—block, step, strike, recover. The rhythm was meditative. My chest loosened.
I could do this. I could be there. I could function.
"Good," Terra said, passing behind me. "Now switch. Kira, defend."
My next strike came harder, fueled by the smoldering anger I kept banked. Kira met it, her eyes widening slightly. The staffs cracked together. The force shuddered through me, not entirely unpleasant.
There was certainty in this. Black and white. Action and reaction.
"Better," Terra said. "But you're still holding back." She paused beside us. "You need more strength training. And cross-species practice."
My rhythm faltered, and I nearly dropped my weapon. "What?"
Kira missed a block. My staff tapped her ribs, too light to hurt.
Terra's gaze swept the Drakarn side of the cavern. "You need to learn to fight them, not other humans. If something goes wrong, it’s the seven-foot-tall lizard monsters we need to worry about.” She gave me a grimacing smile. “You need practice against bigger opponents. The kind with wings and claws. Darrokar agreed to let willing Drakarn train with the civilians for two hours each week."
Ice water rushed through my veins, and I tightened my grip on my staff to keep my hands from shaking. "You want us to spar with them?"
"I want you to survive," Terra replied simply. "I’m not talking about warrior training. Just defense."
"That's suicide," I said before I could stop myself. The memory of Ignarath, of that desperate run for freedom with wings beating in the air behind me, of being pinned, helpless, flashed white hot in my mind.
Terra's expression softened a fraction, but she didn’t give up. "Darrokar and Khorlar will vet every volunteer.”
Kira shifted uncomfortably. "How do we know the 'volunteers' won't just use it as a chance to hurt us?"
"They won't," Terra said with absolute certainty. She had that luxury—her mate, Darrokar, was the most powerful Drakarn in Scalvaris. Her faith was protected by seven feet of scaled muscle and political authority. “Anyone who does more than leave bruises will pay.”
