Page 115 of Thorns & Fire
Thea stretched out her legs, crossing them at the ankle, and pinned Wren with a knowing look.‘I’m guessing this isn’t about Delmira and the political nightmare unfolding around us.’
‘No.’
‘The Bear Slayer?’Thea guessed.‘He’s standing guard out there like the midrealms’ moodiest statue.Hardly said two words to me.Do you want to talk about it?’
The thing between Wren and the Warsword was beautiful, like the rose she had been so desperately trying to propagate...But it was not without its thorns, and it had left them both bleeding more times than she could count.
‘Eventually,’ Wren told her.She got up and went to the washroom.After splashing cold water on her face, she returned to Thea.‘It’s been a while since I sparred properly.’
Thea grinned.‘Then say no more, sister.Let’s go.’
Wren rummaged through her trunk of clothes and found some leggings and a form-fitting shirt.She made quick work of stripping out of her dress and apron and into the new garb while Thea perused her workbench.When she had laced her boots and fastened her cloak, she reached for the door.‘Coming?’
Thea surged forwards, and Wren soon realized it was to place herself between Wren and Torj, who was indeed standing guard outside.He was as handsome as ever, even with the dark smudges beneath his eyes and his broad shoulders caving slightly forwards.
‘You’ve got the night off, Bear Slayer,’ Thea declared, slinging an arm around Wren.‘Don’t wait up.’
‘Thea,’ Torj implored.‘That’s not how this works.I don’t—’
‘She’s got her Warsword guard,’ Thea countered.‘I protected her before; I’ll protect her tonight.End of story.’
Thea was already tugging her towards the stairs, and Wren’s heart warmed.She’d missed her sister’s rebellious spirit.
‘Thea.’Torj’s voice was firmer now as he started after them.‘You can’t—’
‘Know when to pick your battles, brother,’ a familiar voice sounded from the other side of the corridor.
Wilder Hawthorne looked the same as he always had: an imposing figure wrapped in black leather, his two swords peeking from behind his back.He wore a resigned expression on his dark features.
Wilder lifted the bottle of wine he was holding towards Torj.‘Drink?’
Wren felt Torj’s gaze on her, but she didn’t meet it.Instead, she let Thea guide her down the hall, leaving the men in their wake.
The hour was late, so thankfully, the gymnasium was empty.As Wren pushed open the heavy wooden doors, the familiar scent of leather and sweat enveloped her.In the open space, with its high, vaulted ceilings and expanse of uninterrupted floor, Wren felt as though she could breathe again.
With that relief came perspective.Wren had spent the past two days thinking of nothing but the Warsword she’d just left behind.Despite the myriad of greater issues that demanded her attention, she hadn’t been able to cast the Bear Slayer and what he’d told her from her mind.But now that Thea was here, solid and real before her, she could not ignore those greater issues any longer.
As Thea stripped off the bulk of her armour, the metallic clanks echoing in the empty space, Wren studied her sister.Thea’s movements were fluid, her warrior’s body honed by years of training and constant practise.Wren felt a pang of guilt as she realized how much she’d neglected her own physical conditioning lately.The burning pain she often felt in her back as she worked was a direct result of that neglect.Even now, she could feel the tightness in her muscles as she rolled her shoulders.The endless hours of crying hadn’t helped.
‘Ready?’Thea asked, raising an eyebrow.
Wren nodded, forcing a small smile.They fell easily back into the routine Thea had created for them when she’d been Wren’s temporary bodyguard.As they moved through the familiar stretches, Wren felt some of the tension begin to leave her body.The rhythmic sound of their breathing and the occasional pop of her joints filling the silence was oddly comforting.
‘You haven’t been training as much,’ Thea observed as Wren dabbed the sweat from her brow with her sleeve.There was no judgement in her tone, only concern.
Wren avoided eye contact, focusing instead on a scuff mark on the floor.‘Things have been a little chaotic here.’
‘Don’t forget that moving your body helps,’ Thea said gently, reaching out to correct Wren’s form.‘It’s the thing that houses that brilliant mind of yours.You’ve got to take care of it.’
‘I know,’ Wren sighed, the weight of everything she’d been carrying suddenly feeling impossibly heavy.‘It’s been hard, Thee.’
The fact that she was admitting it told Wren just how much she’d been struggling.Usually she was a grit-her-teeth-and-get-through-it kind of woman; to admit hardship, even to Thea, meant that things were worse than she feared.The realization sent a shiver down her spine, despite the warmth of exertion.
The way Thea’s celadon gaze softened told Wren her sister had come to the same conclusion, that she saw past the steel exterior Wren so often presented to the world.
‘You’re allowed to buckle sometimes, you know,’ Thea said softly.
Wren gave a rough laugh.‘I feel like that’s all I’ve been doing.’She followed Thea’s lead through the next round of stretches, holding her elbow above her head and feeling the pull through her entire side.‘I don’t know how you do it,’ she muttered.
