Page 38 of Of Kings and Thieves

My first mistake.

Without warning, Col lunged, and I barely raised my sword in time to stop him from splitting my head in two. In the days since our last training session, I had forgotten just how fast he was.

Magnus burst out laughing as I stumbled back. Killian sat back, studying the exchange but not offering any feedback.

“You’re still too slow, siren,” Col said, his voice low and dangerous. His hazel eyes met mine, filled with equal parts wickedness and concern. “Your body is an extension of your sword. Keep your grip firm, but not too tight—you need to be able to adjust your hold when necessary. Your feet should be loose and ready to dance, not rooted in the ground.”

“Easy for you to say,” I muttered.

“No sassy remarks, remember?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Those were the previous rules.”

“There are no rules when you’re fighting for your life,” Killian offered helpfully.

Col attacked again, and this time I managed to duck under his arcing blade. The air whispered past my ear as he narrowly missed it.

I yelped. “Asshole! You almost took my ear off!”

“Fight,” he commanded, ignoring my indignation.

I gritted my teeth and lunged for him. It was a clumsy strike, but I put every ounce of my strength into the thrust.

Col parried, his blade sliding over mine and sending me sprawling past him. Expecting to feel a sting on my ass, I spun away at the last moment, out of his reach.

Instead of letting me catch my breath, Col followed up with an attack of his own. I staggered back with the force of his blow, but my sword succeeded in stopping his. For a moment, the light in his hazel eyes danced with amusement.

But I was furious. He wasn’t even giving me any direction. He was simply hacking at me and expecting me to defend myself. With a yell, I ducked away from him and swiped at his bare, muscled abdomen.

Col slid out of the way, and with a move I’d never seen before, knocked my sword clean out of my hand. The flat of his blade rapped my knuckles as he did so, and I cursed as I flinched my hand away.

No blood, but my entire hand buzzed with pain.

“You just died,” Col said darkly, taking a step back and studying me.

Anger joined my pain, and I dove for my sword. Col made a tsking noise and I found the cold steel tip of his sword planted under my chin, making me freeze in a crouched position, looking up at him.

“Anger will serve you, but not if you let it control you,” he said, circling around me. I followed his movement, pivoting to keep from getting cut. Col lowered Bloodsong and gestured for me to rise. “What have you learned, siren?”

“That you’re an asshole, and you’ll never stop being one?” I quipped, nursing my sore knuckles.

Col laughed.

“Maybe you should tell me what to do instead of just trying to kill me,” I spat. “For that matter, maybe someone else will do a better job of teaching.”

I glanced pointedly at Magnus and Killian.

“There isn’t time to teach you finesse,” Col said with a scowl. “The art of sword-fighting takes years to master. All we have time for is to teach you not to die.” He raised an eyebrow and nodded toward where Magnus and Killian were watching with interest. “You think they’ll be nicer to you?” Col stepped out of the way. “Go ahead and test them, by all means.”

I glared at him, but my gaze found its way to Magnus, his enormous body nothing but muscles, and the giant two-headed ax still in his hands. Then I looked at Killian in his Deviant robes, his staff resting innocuously against a tree. It wasn’t harmless, though. It was deadly, as was he. I realized Col was right—I wouldn’t fare any better with either of those hardened warriors.

“If I can’t learn how to fight with a sword, then what’s the point of all this?” The old familiar feeling of being useless crept back into my mind, and I had to fight to push it down.

“The point, as you know, is that you’re not going to be able to rely on your siren powers to save you if we come across any enemies,” Col said, resting the flat of his blade against his shoulder. “You need to be able to protect yourself, at least enough to give us time to get to you.”

I snorted. “I don’t want to be a burden, or useless.”

“You’re not useless, even if you never master the sword. You have a voice that can enchant even the strongest of men,” Col said quietly. “And you have a heart that cares deeply for those around you. Those are powerful weapons in their own right.”

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