Page 35 of Mirror of Malice
“I’m . . . trying,” I gritted out.
Lightning and Arrow had tracked down the Huntsman, their goal to throw off his scent, but just like Penn predicted, the Huntsman already knew who took me, had already been on his way—and now he was lurking outside the border of the forest. We didn’t know how long it would take him to figure out how to cross it. The best-case scenario was that the border might take care of the Huntsman for us, but I had a feeling the Huntsman would not be so easily felled. Penn had made it clear we would be leaving for my mission soon, and I still hadn’t figured out my escape plan.
Probably because these damn thieves kept me so busy training.
My teeth clenched together, and I grunted out as I attempted to lift myself all the way so that I could get up onto the branch and cross it.
My lungs squeezed the breath from my chest. Wood pressed into my hands, rough and opening already-raw blisters. I let out one more cry, then let go, and fell to the ground.
When I rolled over, Hammer stood above me, frowning and holding out a water skin. I took it and gulped.
“Yer going to puke again,” he warned. “Take it easy. I don’t need to see any more vomit than I already have.”
I glared at him but listened to his sage advice and handed the skin back.
I sat up, roping my arms around my knees. We’d been training for weeks now, using every moment available, and I was getting stronger every day. I’d never enjoyed fighting, running—any kind of physical activity—but it felt good to know I was so strong, so capable. My father never encouraged me to train or do any kind of challenging physical activity. He said fighting was for the soldiers. But I could see now how wrong that was. This training made me feel like I had what it would take to fight my stepmother, to win back my court. I felt powerful.
“I almost got it,” I said.
“‘Almost’ doesn’t count,” Hammer replied, tugging at his red beard, braided as always and hanging down to his chest. “‘Almost’ is going to get you killed. And anyone who’s on the mission with you.”
I peered at him. “Well, if I knew what the mission was, maybe I would have more motivation to train for it.”
Penn still hadn’t told me anything about what he wanted me to do. I’d barely even seen him since we’d fallen asleep together in that tree shelter. He’d appear at random training sessions, staring at me, reminding me I had a lot to learn in a small amount of time, and then he’d disappear.
I hadn’t been back to his tent yet, afraid he’d see me and know I was up to something. But everyday I was learning more, how to make myself invisible, how to be silent as a shadow, how to fight back if I got into a sticky situation, how to pick a lock. I’d trained with almost all the thieves now, each one teaching me different skills, and I’d been surprised at how patient all of them were, how... nice they were. Except Arrow, who seemed to delight in every mistake I made. She’d been especially gleeful when I’d almost shot Penn with an arrow. He’d caught it before it impaled his throat and then lectured me for thirty minutes about the dangers of not using a bow properly while Arrow just smirked.
I almost felt ready to get that mirror and get the hell out of here.
Hammer dropped down next to me on the forest floor. “You sure your betrothed isn’t going to mind all those pretty new muscles you have?”
I glanced down at my arm, noticing the defined edges that hadn’t been there before. I’d filled out more with all the food everyone was shoving down my gullet, Penn an ever-constant reminder that I needed to eat enough to keep up my strength.
“Of course he’s not going to mind. Jasper and I have been betrothed since we were three years old. We grew up together. He loves me for me.”
It might be a shock for him to see me like this, with short hair, wearing a tunic and pants, but he’d be so happy I was alive and in his arms that he probably wouldn’t even notice the changes.
“What do you like about him, anyway?” He reached up his hand, then slowly drew it back, beckoning a tree branch, which dipped down. Hammer pulled two apples off the branch before it snapped back up. He handed me one, and I couldn’t help thepang of jealousy at seeing his magic. I didn’t know if that ache would ever go away.
I sat the apple down next to me. “He’s, well, he’s...” I paused, fumbling for my words. No one had ever asked me what I loved about Jasper. We were betrothed, meant to be. It was my duty to marry him, to love him, to be his queen. Our marriage would strengthen my court.
“That’s what I thought.” Hammer finished eating his apple and threw the core.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“Is he not good in bed?” He leaned in. “You can tell me.”
I scoffed. “Hammer! That is your future?—”
I stopped, realizing I was going to say king, but Jasper wouldn’t be Hammer’s future king.
Hammer just laughed.
“I... well, I don’t really know how to tell if he was good or not. In bed. I mean...” Earth below.
In truth, sex with Jasper hadn’t been mind-blowing, but it was good enough. I never had someone to talk to about it and compare notes. If I told Jillian and Driscoll too much, it would just give them added fuel for all the ways Jasper was wrong for me. But they didn’t understand that their opinions didn’t matter. He was my betrothed, the future king of Elwen, a valuable alliance—I couldn’t forsake that.
Hammer just grinned. “That doesn’t look like the face of a satisfied woman.”
