Page 61 of A Crown of Tears and Treason
“A snake.”
So she knew who’d done it. Of course she knew. I was the only one kept in the dark, and it annoyed me to no end. “Who sent the snake?”
“I have my suspicions.” She yanked the spear out of the dummy in a cloud of splinters. “But I was paid very good money to keep those suspicions to myself.”
I pursed my lips. How could I protest that? I didn’t have anything to offer Adara and loyalty was earned.
I had my own suspicions, too. Zandyr had hinted I’d met my attackers. If that meant only Blood Brotherhood members, the suspects were few and far between. The guards. The king and queen. The advisors. Kaya and Vexa. I doubted Goose would have still been allowed in my house if anyone believed he’d played a part in my unsuccessful assassination.
Zandyr had vouched for Kaya. I didn’t understand why the king and queen or the advisors wanted me gone. This marriage would prevent a Clan war, yes?
I had one certainty, though.
Whoever wanted to kill me wouldn’t get the satisfaction of my death. I refused. Allie would help train my magic, but I’d yet to see Blood Brotherhood members use even a lick of it in actual battle. And they were astounding when they fought.
My envious gaze watched Adara wrangle her weapons out of the wood, leaving deep wounds behind. The sting in my leg pulsed, the fresh memory of my failed attempt at magic even more raw.
My right hand flew to the bracelet caging my left wrist. If it helped me defend myself better, I would wear it.
“When did you start training?” I asked.
“Fifteen.”
That simple word gave me hope. Adara was spectacular. She had a few good years on me, but she hadn’t started her training in the cradle. Perhaps I could bridge the gap in my learning, too.
“Now I have a question,” Adara said. “Why would a future queen want to learn how to fight?”
“Because I might not become one if I don’t.”
“I agreed to teach you before I saw you.” Adara spun her dagger and embedded it in its sheath along her ribcage. “I specialize in close combat.”
“So?”
“You’re small.”
My cheeks pricked. “I am aware.”
Adara looked at me for the longest time, but I didn’t back down. The tension and anticipation were making my skin crawl; but better to feel my lungs constrict than to not breathe again.
“You’re wounded,” she said.
“Wounds heal.”
“It’s going to be difficult.”
“What isn’t?”
A ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Very well. The Dragon insisted, but I wouldn’t have trained you if you didn’t want it. I don’t waste my time. Once you can move properly, we begin. You will be bruised.”
The very essence of eagerness flooded my veins, so hard and fast, I almost jumped for joy. Then I remembered the wound, still seeping through my bandages.
“As long as you teach me how to bruise you back, I can take it,” I said.
“Ambitious.”
Now that had to be a compliment, right? For the both of us, because we both knew I couldn't so much as get within five feet of her if she wouldn’t allow it.
“The Dragon will be pleased to know,” she said, dampening the mood. “When he returns.”
