Page 6 of Great Falls Protector
“I made a mistake despite good intentions,” I tell Han, though the words are meant for Tye. “I hadn’t fully considered the likely consequences of my actions, and I apologize for the inconvenience.”
Still adding weight to his running sack, Tye gives no evidence of having heard me.
“Is there a reason I should care about what youmeantover what youdid?”
Without waiting for a reply, Han walks away from me, yelling at three cadets about their running form before ordering the whole lot into push-up position in punishment for someone’s slow time. The attention he gives the students grudgingly reminds me of Coal, though the similarities between the two end there. All of Coal’s training is anchored in survival; Han’s draws inspiration from victory—not the athlete’s triumph, since it seems the cadets working in the ring are as expendable to him as racing dogs—but his own.
Which, at the moment, works in my favor.
After a few long seconds, I give up on the game and stride up to Han’s side. “You want me on the team because I’m better than Katita,” I say, making no attempt to keep my voice quiet or respectful. “And you want to win. It’s as simple as that.”
Han turns his head, an amused gleam sparking in his eyes. “There is that,” he agrees, then raises his voice. “Circle up.”
The sweaty bodies forming a circle around Han and me vibrate with menace, each face telling me exactly how they feel about my presence. I wonder whether they are surprised by the challenge or have been waiting for this moment for a long time. Eyes shoot to Katita, who is taking her time drinking from a water bucket before striding forward as if she owns the sands. Not bothering to stop at the outer circle with the others, the princess goes right to Han. “Is it time to take out the rubbish, sir?”
Han lifts a brow. “That depends whether you can do it.”
Katita’s eyes flash to me. “With pleasure.”
“What if we don’t want her on the team, sir?” Tye’s clear voice rings out over the sands. “I, for one, little care what she can do with a blade. The damage she can do with her mouth is enough.”
The murmurs of agreement skittering around the circle don’t hurt nearly as much as the venom in Tye’s voice. My jaw tightens, my chin raised in high defiance as I try to pretend that none of it matters.
Han’s mouth twists into an unpleasant smile. “Tyelor. Yes, you’d know the damage she can do with her mouth firsthand, wouldn’t you?” His nostrils flare, and he tilts his head, his smile growing. Almost as if he’s scented the males on me—which is impossible. “Fortunately, if you keep your cock in your pants, that can be minimized.”
Tye’s face reddens, the hate-filled glance he shoots at me so painful, I have to dig my fingers into my palms to keep my face straight.My lips want to tremble, my eyes to fill, but either would end my time here in a split second.
The smile fades from Han’s lips. “If anyone else here is under the impression that their opinion matters, they can join Tyelor in an extra ten-mile run this evening.” The noise stops, the only sounds suddenly the heavy breaths of the waiting cadets. Han snaps his fingers at Rik, ordering him to bring a pair of practice blades while he addresses Katita and me. “The round will be three minutes. Standard Prowess rules: No contact with the head allowed; points will be awarded only for blows that connect with enough force to have caused significant damage were the blades sharp or else slices across vital areas.” Han draws a line over my pulse on both sides of my neck. his fingers cold. “Start back to back. Any questions?”
The last is directed at me as Katita plainly knows the Prowess rules forward and back. I do as well, Coal having cursed the damned things for a good half hour before coming to terms with them.“Why in stars’ name would you train yourself to avoid head strikes?”I can still hear him growling with indignation as he threw the rules into the flames.“Are we training for the common case of a headless opponent?”
“No, sir,” I tell Han, reaching for the practice blade Rik extends toward me. The boy pulls back at the last moment and throws the sword at my feet, wiping his hand on his pants when I reach down to pick it up.
“Positions,” Han orders.
Despite knowing this part was coming, turning my back to Katita is the last thing I want to do. Forcing my limbs to move, I twist in the center of the sand and feel the princess’s warm back press against mine a moment later. Her delicate rose perfume would cover up the sharp scents of sweat and adrenaline for anyone else, but not for me. The girl is nervous. When I look up, I find Tye’s beautifully sharp face two paces away, his emerald eyes ice.
“I wouldn’t accidentally get too close to the circle. Just a bit of friendly advice,” he says. The cadets on either side of him chuckle, then stop so suddenly that I’m certain Han gave a sign I can’t see.
A heartbeat later, the instructor’s voice rings out again. “Start.”
5
Lera
Ilaunch into an over-the-shoulder forward roll the moment Han’s order singes the air, getting distance from Katita before I’m even on my feet. The princess, who spun around instead, blinks once to orient herself to my presence. Finding me two paces away, she bares her teeth and rushes forward, her fury-filled volley forcing me into an unexpected defense.
Whatever Han has been doing with her over the past months is showing, the princess’s already crisp strikes now filled with a savage power. From the hard glint in her blue eyes, the harsh set to her pretty pink lips, I’m certain Katita would have no qualms about killing me outright—practice or not.
Taking a deep breath, I ground myself in the now of the match, letting the rest of the world fall away. The harsh sun beating down on my shoulders, the circling hawk patrolling the sky, the shifting sands beneath my feet. None of it matters. Not even the wave of menace coming from Tye. Or so I tell myself. This match isn’t about Katita or Tye or the trials. It is about keeping the mortal world safe.
Wap. Wap. Wap.The rhythm of our wooden practice blades fills the air with a familiar sound as I let Katita’s strikes continue to come at me, though now it’s by my choice. Studying the new power and speed of the princess’s blows, exploring the small changes of style. Building a plan before making my move. And then I do.
Breath steady, I track the opening along the left flank that the princess leaves whenever she parries too quickly, and swallow a smile. My muscles coil inside me, my eyes locking on Katita’s shoulders without ever looking at my true target. The blade in my hand snaps in a deadly feint, my blade swinging right toward Katita’s temple before—
The girl’s boot strikes my chest so hard that my breath catches, the watching cadets cheering with a cutting malice as I stumble back like a drunken sailor, little bothering to hide my confusion. I could have split Katita’s skull—any self-preserving being would have tried to block the attack or step from it or…Stars, I’m an idiot.Regaining my footing and my wits at the same time, I curse myself again. Katita never even entertained the idea that my attack could be real because Prowess rules forbid contact with the head.
No wonder Coal was furious with the notion. A few months of drilling that nonsense into one’s head, and grave things could come in battle.
