Page 50 of A Sword of Shadow and Deceit

Caedmon leans back in his chair before spinning it around to face the window once more. His head tips back and he focuses on the woman surrounded by webs. “Caedmon, Kiera,” he replies. “Please call me by my given name, and though I appreciate the offer, little one, you’ll soon have your hands full. Don’t concern yourself with me. You should only come back should you need to know more from that darkness you saw.”

Not on my life. Though Caedmon seems kind, he is still everything I’ve learned to hate. Divine. Powerful. If anything, his benevolence is more terrifying than any anger he might have shown. The dark of the chasm inside of his eyes—whatever that abyss might have been trying to hint at—is not one I want to know. Prophecy be damned, fate is something I’ve chosen for myself and it’s something I’ll continue to choose.

My chest tightens, breath escaping my lungs. Be it darkness or light, the unknown and the future walk hand in hand and I fear both equally.

Lowering myself into a respectful bow, I clasp my hands in front of me. “I’ll be going then … Caedmon.” The God’s name tastes foreign on my tongue, but unlike I expected, it doesn’t leave the lingering taste of something odious.

No. This whole conversation has left me with something else entirely. The only problem is that I can’t identify it or whether or not it’ll either help or harm me in the future.

Chapter 22

Ruen

The clashing of swords clang in the near distance. Sparks fly off the edges of the blades as both Enid and Darius separate only to come crashing back into each other. Each time it happens, the quick flare of metal scraping against metal lights up their faces, illuminating the cut of their darkened expressions and glistening off of the sweat clinging to their flesh.

Had it been a mistake for me to recommend Darius for advancement? I hadn’t thought so at first, but now Theos’ mounting worry is grating on my nerves. Though I’d already planned to help train Darius to prepare him for the battles, it is because of Theos that we’re here on the training grounds, still at it hours after the others have gone to bed.

Night has long since fallen and now the arena is lit only by the flaming torches that circle the area. The fires flicker, causing shadows to dance upon the dirt ground as the sounds of grunting and curses fill the air.

“You’re being too heavy-footed,” Theos calls out, directing the comment to Darius as Enid forces the taller and wider man back. Despite her smaller stature, she is more skilled with her footwork. She’s faster and she knows exactly how to use her speed. She’d been a damn good choice for Theos to choose, and for Darius she’s just as good of a sparring partner. As long as the two of them keep up this level of intensity, whenever the Gods deign to announce their battles, they’ll both have more than a fighting chance.

“Lighten your stance and use her speed against her, Darius,” I call out. Both Theos and I keep several paces back as we watch our respective chosen ones fight it out.

The Gods, for all of their planning and scheming, appear to enjoy the randomness of when they announce their battles. There’s no telling when it’ll happen. It could be tomorrow or a month from now. Every moment with Darius and Enid counts. Every moment to train them and ensure that they will survive it.

Behind Theos and me, Kalix sits against the wall of the arena with one leg drawn up and bent towards his chest and the other straightened out. His groan of boredom sounds for the fifth time in the last half hour. Turning slightly to glare at him, I frown.

“If you wish to leave, you're welcome to,” I snap.

He groans again. “What I wish for, you won’t let me do!” he replies.

Theos turns as well and scowls at our brother. “We’re training them not attempting to kill them,” he growls.

Kalix sinks one hand into a mound of dirt at his side and flings it at Theos in childish annoyance. The mass of it doesn’t even make it to the halfway point between the two. “If you’d let me call the Terra for some entertainment,” he huffs, “I wouldn’t be so godsdamned bored.”

His fascination with the silver-haired beauty that’s had the unfortunate luck of becoming our Terra is getting on my last nerve. Though I have to admit she’s impressed me with her reserve and ability to handle my brothers, at the end of the day, she’s still mortal and therefore, breakable.

“No,” I snap. “Now drop it.”

“Ugh!” Kalix lets his head drop back against the wall hard enough for an audible thump to reach my ears. “Then let me fight,” he insists. “I’ll be careful. I won’t kill them, but you have to admit that merely training them like this won’t do much for them in the long run. You have to challenge them if you want them to survive the battles.”

Theos’ expression darkens further and he returns his gaze to the two battling it out several paces away. I’m starting to regret my decision to recommend Darius for advancement. I know how Theos feels about him. Of the few Mortal Gods we align ourselves with, even fewer can be considered friends, and for Theos, Darius is one of those rarities.

Taking a step forward, I halt the fight with a raised hand. “Enid, pass me your blade.” I can feel the heat of Theos’ gaze on my back as I stride away from him and towards the two. Blinking with curious, dull brown eyes, Enid doesn’t fight it as I take her sword from her and gesture for her to take up a stance at the edge of the arena.

I turn to Darius and take a deep breath. “Darius, do you believe I made a mistake in choosing you for advancement?” I ask.

He stiffens, wide shoulders tightening. “No,” he grits out. “I’m ready.”

“If you’re ready,” I say, widening my own stance and settling down into my thighs. “Then show me.”

That’s all the encouragement he needs. His sword clashes with mine, sliding down the flat end as I twist it and spin out of his control and reach. My body, similar in both size and weight to his, appears to have a better effect on his mind as he watches my movements. He counters faster when I drive him back and then dodges at just the right moments.

All the while, the searing mixture of Theos’ anxiety and anger lingers over the space of the arena. Thrust. Dodge. Counter. Strike. Around and around we go, Darius and I. Little beads of sweat pop up along my spine. Training with someone other than my brothers will usually ensure that my own Divine abilities are repressed, but this is different. Darius is Theos’ friend and as such, he’ll need to learn to fight with his abilities and against those of others.

A breath hisses from my teeth as his sword clips my shoulder, cutting through the fabric and into my flesh. A moment later, though, with a rush of Divinity, I appear behind him and flip my sword so that the hilt is what slams into the side of his back, right over one of his kidneys instead of the sharp end. With a pained grunt, he goes down to one knee.

I could stop there. In fact, I contemplate it. But it’s not enough. He hasn’t reacted fast enough and the battles are quickly approaching. I lock my hand onto the back of his neck and allow the Divinity collecting beneath my palm to spread outward. The sharp tingles of my power stab forth and the scream of agony that echoes out of Darius’ lips, arching up towards the night sky, is met with shocked silence.

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