Page 58 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“Yes.”
“You want to train?” he asks in complete and utter disbelief, furrowing his brows. “Is this a joke, Kilah? Because if it is, it isn’t funny.”
“I’m not joking,” she mumbles, sounding more insecure than I’ve ever heard her. For a moment, I contemplate what to do. I get why Caelan feels that way. I’ve heard that Kilah has belittled the way he carries himself before. I’ve heard she looked down on the way he sees training as important, how he is more of a muscle person. If Kilah wants to get closer to her siblings and make amends, she can only do it herself. She can only prove it to them herself.
But, I don’t need to make it more difficult for her than it already is.
“You said a training partner wouldn’t be bad.” I look at Caelan. “I know I’m still a beginner… so I’m not sure if it will work.”
Caelan looks at Kilah. “Tell her,” he says.
“I’m a beginner, too,” she stutters.
I look at her, surprised. Even Eibhlin trains, not much, but she does so regularly. Caelan doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t look particularly happy, but he doesn’t send her away either. His big, teddy bear heart probably doesn’t allow him to push her away.
“Let’s continue, then. Kilah, you can join Azadeh.”
Kilah nods, grabbing one of the swords herself and joining me. Caelan starts over again, involving his sister too now. I’m certainly not a great fighter, but even I am shocked at how bad Kilah is. It’s almost like she never had even an hour of training. I have to give it to Caelan, though, that he doesn’t comment on his sister’s bad form. However, after half an hour, he stops. “How do you feel about the sword, Azadeh?”
“The swords are all very heavy,” I admit.
“Yes,” he frowns. “I tend to forget that these were tailored towards wolves. I think we should switch to a lighter weapon for you. You are surprisingly stealthy and have smooth movements. You could work a dagger.”
“I would like to try. Shayan has even learned to fight with battle staves, so we aren’t opposed to unusual weapons.”
Caelan looks at Kilah. “Kilah, why are you truly here?”
“I’m here to train,” she says nervously. “I know you and Endellion offered to help me all the time, and I always declined. And, I know this looks weird now, but I… I just figured it was about time to challenge myself, and, well… I need to know how to defend myself.”
“That’s good,” Caelan comments shortly, but despite his clipped response, he doesn’t sound unkind. “It’s never too late to start your training. I commend you for finally giving it a real try.”
Kilah looks surprised at his words. “Really?”
“Yes, why would I lie to you?”
“Because I turned you down, all the time,” she says quietly, “and looked down on how much you put training before anything else. I wasn’t nice to you, and I’m sorry for it.”
“That’s all I need to hear,” Caelan says simply. “You are here now. You apologized and want to do better. That’s commendable. So, shall we continue?”
Kilah and I exchange a gaze and smile. “Let’s continue, Alpha Caelan,” I tease, chuckling when Caelan’s cheeks turn red.
“Don’t address me like that, Aza.”
“The others do it, though,” I point out.
“Yes, but it feels weird when you call me alpha. It’s as weird as if Kilah would say alpha.”
Kilah giggles. “Why are you so shy, Alpha Caelan?”
“I’m not shy,” he grumbles, blushing even further. “Grab your weapons, now! We don’t have the whole day!”
Kilah and I grin, but neither of us teases him further. It’s always bad to tease your mentor or teacher. I do store the information in the back of my mind, though, for when it’s useful.
We spend two hours with Caelan until I can’t feel my arms anymore. The daggers, however, work well for me, while Kilah keeps her sword.
“How about a late lunch?” Caelan asks as he puts the weapons away. “Kitchen is closed, but as usual they put aside our lunch.”
“That would be great,” I say. “I’m hungry.”
