Page 65 of The Last Dragon
“Maybe,” I drawl, releasing my grasp.
“I thought I told you not to hold back when we spar,” she retorts, blowing a curl from her face.
I chuckle dryly. “Not much for taking your own advice, are we?” I release her arm, and she takes a step forward. She’s close now, her heavy breath tickling my throat.
“I held back cause you did,” she hisses, rising onto her toes.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, that is so.” Her voice is slightly louder now, and I curve another smile.
“Then maybe I shouldn’t hold back.” I raise a brow, crossing my arms.
“No, I don’t think you should,” she stammers, shutting her eyes for a moment. I grin. Silence. One beat. Two. I quickly glance down at her legs, then back to her again.
I shrug. “Okay.”
My leg curls over hers once again, and I knock her on her back, flat against the mat. She winces, completely breathless.
“Shit!” she curses.
“I swear you two,” Eryca mutters, and I don’t really understand what she means.
Ilian plops over a high bench close to the mat to observe sparring. Not long after, Alex appears from his throwing knife session.
“You spend a lot of time throwing knives,” Ilian comments the moment Alex is close enough. Alex just sneers as Ilian pulls an apple out of his satchel.
He twirls it before taking a large bite. Two. Three munches. “You should practice your crossbow skills, you know? Something that’s more useful?” Ilian says.
Alex slowly turns his head to Ilian, who’s growing a wicked smile on his face.
“How ’boutyoube useful,” Alex says, teeth gritting. “Before I use you as target practice.”
Here we go again.
Ilian stops munching, cheeks puffed—a large piece of apple still in his mouth. He stands up, furrowing his brow, sneering, nostrils flaring, and moves closer to Alex. He takes deep, long, heavy breaths as he stares at Alex like he’s about to throw a punch.
“Are you gonna stop this?” Nida asks, tugging on my shirt.
Before I can say anything, Raumen’s already sitting on the mat with a wide smile.
“No, let’s see where this goes,” he mutters to us. Nida rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. I should intervene as the leader of this unit, but they clearly have things to sort out. It’s a way for Alex and Ilian to shift in their dynamic. Learn a thing or two about one another, even if it means spitting insults at each other. If Alex wants to be in this unit, he needs to find a way to deal with us not dealing with his shit. Eryca, on the other hand, wants no part of it, looking for a free cadet to spar.
“You know,” Ilian says, a piece of apple flinging out of his mouth and right onto Alex’s cheek. Alex sneers in disgust,wiping it off, while Ilian grabs another bite, munching loudly. “I bet your aim is shit.”
“Funny.” Alex scoffs, playing with a throwing knife in his hand. “I still hit more targets than you’ve had original thoughts.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s cuz they’re standing still. Easy to hit.” Ilian scrunches his nose, leaning forward with a mocking grin as he swallows. “Dumbass.”
In one fluid, lightning-fast motion, Alex yanks the apple from Ilian’s fingers and flings it hard against the wall. Then the knife flies. Silver flashes in the dim light, piercing the apple and sinking deep into the wooden sign that readsGlory for Humanity.
One good thing came out of this—and one good thing I’ve learned about Alex. No matter how pissed off he gets, he doesn’t take it out on others. At least not physically. He directs his anger toward something else as long as it’s through a blade. So now I wonder, if it really was him who killed the two lords in the Middle, what exactly prompted him to do it? And was the choice embedded in survival?
“What on the soil—That’s my apple!” Ilian exclaims, pointing at the juices trickling down the wooden sign.
“Yeah, now your apple’s gone.” Alex sheathes his other dagger and steps sideways to keep walking. “You’re welcome,dumbass.”
Ilian turns, but before he can say anything, I click my tongue, catching his attention. I shake my head.Just leave him be.Ilian sighs like a toddler denied his favorite toy after too much play, then lets Alex go.
