Page 33 of Whispers Beneath the Deep
And he’d chastisedmeon war and treason. Old fool.
I half turned to Percival and commanded, “Cancel it.”
His face reddened. “Cancel it? I couldn’t possibly—the schedule!”
I shrugged, feeling bold with the blade in my hand and Kai’s near-glowing eyes on me. It was courage, that stare. “Throw the schedule into a lava seam for all I care.” I turned back to Kai.
His smile was breathtaking. “Are you looking to battle, Odele?” he asked with amusement.
I hated when he called me by her name. Just once, I had the impulsive desire to be called by who I really was. To hear him saymyname in his beautiful accent. For him to know exactly who I was, and who I was not. But that’s who I was pretending to be, after all. Princess Odele.
“That depends on the opponent.”
He smiled wider, obviously pleased with that coquettish answer.
“Clear the floor!” he ordered.
Everyone rushed to obey, moving aside so he could pass. It was rare to see him so commanding. To see him take charge. And I rather enjoyed the layer of niceties stripped away. I had not bowed to him, and he had not kissed my fingers as royal propriety dictated we greet one another.
I swam over to the mat. My guards and Percival filed into the room after me. More to watch what would surely be a spectacle rather than to protect. I had no experience with sword play.
‘The princess is a skilled fencer,’Captain Saber had told me those first days on our journey from Lagoona to Eramaea.
Iwasn’t skilled at anything, and Prince Kai would soon find this out.
But the challenge in his gaze was impossible to ignore. So I took my place opposite of him on the mat.
And waited.
Kai paced back and forth, a prowess in his posture. The katana was held lightly in his hand, almost carelessly. He knew I’d be no match against him. But it’d still be fun to try.
“A powerful blow does not come in thestrengthof your swing…” He held his own katana at the ready. “...but in theangleof the swing.” He demonstrated by bringing the sword over his head and flying down in a graceful arc, then a few more at opposite angles. The sleeves of his bright training robes slid down his arms, giving me the perfect view of long forearms… and the scars crisscrossing his skin. “Brute force does not win battles, my gem.” He twirled through the water in a series of swings until he had closed the space between us, the distance of the blade the only thing that kept us apart. A blade he slashed against the sleeve of my dress, tearing it down to the elbow. “Skill and cunning do.”
I stared down at my sleeve with widened eyes then back up at him. He was already retreating back to where he’d been before.
Mischief gleamed in his eyes. A dare glowed there as well. A challenge to come towards him. My eyes narrowed. “I was fond of this dress.”
“I wasn’t.” He smirked. Even that was beautiful, and distracting. My tongue felt suddenly heavy and I couldn’t swallow. Was this a mistake? Was I in over my head? “I’d much rather see you without it, anyway.”
My face flamed, and I cautiously looked around to see if they’d heard. But of course they’d heard. We were locked in a room where sound traveled through water. They gave no indication that they were listening, except for Percival, who was fuming with rage at the very suggestion.
I turned back to Kai and pointed the blade at him. My voice shook when I replied, “Is that a challenge?”
His eyes were alight with adrenaline. Yes, there was something spectacularly different about him. I wouldn’t doubt it if he had a hidden personality in there somewhere. The soul of a dragon lingering, ready to break through that carefully construed surface of politeness.
His eyes roamed over the length of my body and I could almost feel his fingers on me, pulling each garment slowly from my skin. Funny, just how much a single look could convey.
It was like it was just the two of us, and everyone else was falling into an abyss.
“It could be, my gem. In fact…”
I didn’t see him coming. He was a blur before my eyes. I felt the snag of the blade on my clothes, the other sleeve ripping at the seams. The flaps of the material floated to my elbows.
“Try and bare me before your merpeople.”
A challenge.
“Alright then.”
