Page 79 of Lost and Stolen Gods
“Fucking hell, Blue. Foul mouth much? Seriously?”
“Just clarifyin’ for ya.”
Pashim’s lips twitched. “He’s right. On all fronts.”
I stared at him in shock. “Don’t encourage him.”
“Pashim and I have an understandin’, don’t we,boo?” Blue scampered up to sit on Pashim’s shoulder. “He gets me and my foul-mouthed ways.” He dropped a whiskery kiss on Pashim’s cheek, then hopped back onto the table.
“I value honesty,” Pashim said. “And you, Blue, are as honest as they come.” He said the words to me because Blue was a part of me. An extension of me. “Finish your meal. I’ll see you at class.” He rose fluidly, scooping his long, thick hair up into a knot and securing it with a tie he kept on his wrist. My pulse skipped because you’d have to be blind and have no pulse not to be affected by him, especially when he was decked in his black training armor.
“He’s good for us,” Blue said once Pashim was gone.
“We can’t have him.”
“I know.” Blue picked up my leftover bread and nibbled. “Ooo, this good.”
He was so easily distracted by food. I smiled fondly down at him, then offered him my leftover omelette. “I’ll see you at training.”
“See you there,” he said with his mouth full.
It was time to batten down the hatches on my strength and act like everyone else. This was going to be draining.
Chapter 28
ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST…
My mace connected with Joe’s sword with a clank that reverberated up my arm. I drew back, gritted my teeth, and swung again, pulling back last minute to reduce impact. I’d become a pro at this, but it left a knot of repressed aggression inside me which could only be expunged by running laps, something I did every evening before the dummy run with Ravi.
We had an audience today. Several native demigods stood around the arena watching us spar. The sun was out in full force, and it was the warmest it had been since our arrival, enough to cause a slight sweat to break out across my forehead.
I wiped at it with the back of my wrist, trying to get a better look at the watchers, but potentials in the middle of their matches blocked my view.
Pashim hadn’t explained the native demigods’ presence. He hadn’t asked them to leave either, and my gut was all squirrelly because I couldn’t help but think they were here as part of our lesson.
My suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later when Pashim called us to a halt.
“I’ve invited some of our strongest demigod potentials to train with you today,” he said. “They have passed all the tests and will be taking the labyrinth in a few days. They embody the skill that you must aspire to. Kriti and Evan, please demonstrate.”
A woman and man stepped forward, and we all backed up to make a circle around them. The woman was tall and athletic, her body packed with lean muscle. She swung her sword in a figure eight, a slight smirk on her lips. She screamed confidence.
The guy was a tank, his combat outfit almost too snug, and I had no doubt that the mace he held would do some serious damage. His golden hair was shorn close to his head, a style I’d noticed that most seasoned demigods had adopted, and his ice blue eyes held nothing but focus.
“One of the ice mountain dwellers,” Chaya whispered. “Rare to have them as demigods. The tribes keep mostly to themselves.”
The two demigods circled one another for a beat before attacking.
They moved fast and struck hard, kicking up dirtand sand with the frenzy of the encounter. They seemed equally matched in the dance of combat, and I focused on their feet, on the placement, and how they used their body weight to their advantage to avoid being toppled or knocked back.
Pashim was right; this was gold.
“Enough!” Pashim called out.
“A fabulous display.” Guru Chandra joined Pashim.
I’d been so absorbed in the demonstration that I hadn’t heard him arrive. I spotted Araz by the awning. How long hadhebeen here?
“Well done, Kriti and Evan.” Guru Chandra smiled warmly at them. “Now how about we put you to the test, hmmm?” His gaze raked over us and landed on me. “You…Leela, is it?”
