Page 51 of A Sword of Shadow and Deceit

“Ruen!” Theos’ angry yell has me pulling my hand back immediately as Darius collapses the rest of the way to the ground. Theos jogs up, hurrying to put himself between us as I take a step back and allow it. “What the fuck were you thinking?” he demands, looking from Darius to me.

“I was thinking he needs to be better if he’s going to survive the battles,” I reply.

“You’re not Kalix,” Theos snaps back. “That’s not how we do things.”

“Perhaps training with Kalix will better prepare him than training with you.”

Theos rounds on me, rage flashing in his eyes and darkening the golden hue into near blackness for a brief second. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

The sound of boots scraping against the ground reaches my ears and I already know that Kalix is on his way. I blow out a breath and close my eyes for a moment before reopening and fixing my attention on Theos. “You’re going too easy on him,” I say. “I know Darius is your friend, but this is serious. He’ll need to get used to others using their abilities in the ring and figure out a way to counteract it. Not only does he need to be physically faster, but he needs to be mentally a step ahead.”

“Theos…” When Darius gets to his feet and turns to face both of us, I lift my gaze to his. A small part of me feels a twinge of guilt at the pallor of his skin and the way his hand trembles when he grabs ahold of Theos’ arm. “He’s right.”

“No.” Theos shakes him off. “No, this was ridiculous. You need to tell Axlan that you were wrong to advance him. He’s not ready for—”

“Theos!” Darius’ voice deepens and Theos finally stops glaring at me to look at his friend. The second he does, Darius’ face softens and he changes tactics, reaching up and cupping a hand over Theos’ shoulder. “I can handle this. Ruen is right. I’ve got the strength and control over my abilities now. I just need to put what we’ve learned into action. Trust me. I’ve got this.”

Before Theos can formulate a response, twin arms come up and round both my shoulders and Theos’ in the same instant. Kalix dives his head forward with a grin and fixes his intense look on Darius. “Then do you think you can take me on too?” he asks, excitement dripping from his tone.

Darius’ expression goes from placating to nervous, but instead of backing away as I would expect any sane person to when propositioned by Kalix, he draws in a breath, drops his hand from Theos’ shoulder, and nods. “Yeah, bring it on.”

I nod. “I think that’s a good idea.” Jerking my chin back, I wave Enid forward. “Darius, you and Enid should try to take Kalix on using your abilities. If you can land one hit on him then you can call it a night.”

That perks him right up and I hear Enid’s footsteps pick up the pace as soon as those words are out of my mouth. The two of them have been out here for hours, so of course the thought of a break from more training is something that’ll motivate them.

Kalix whoops and dives forward, swinging an arm around Darius and leading him away as Enid quickly rushes past Theos and me, taking the sword I hold out for her on her way. A moment of silence passes and then another and another. Neither Theos nor I say a single word until we’re sure Kalix has led the other two far enough away and distracted them to keep our conversation as private as it can be here.

Turning on me, Theos shoots me a look full of venom. He opens his mouth, no doubt to lay into me, but I stop him before it starts. “You know I’m right about him,” I say. “You’re too easy on him.”

“At least I don’t try to fucking kill him in the name of training,” Theos spits back.

I sigh. “You know I’m not trying to kill him. If I wanted him dead, he would be.” That’s a simple fact. At Darius’ current level, he couldn’t hold his own against me even if he tried. The three of us—Kalix, Theos, and I—were entrusted with advancing others for a reason and it’s because we’ve gone through our own battles multiple times.

“He will get better,” I continue. “He couldn’t stay in the lower classes forever, you and I both know that. This would’ve been his third time being passed up for advancement. One more and he would’ve been required to move up regardless of whether he was ready or not.”

Theos bares his teeth and turns away from me, anchoring his hands on his hips as he takes two steps and then stops. “We could’ve had more time at least, damn it.”

“Why are you so concerned about the timing?” I ask. “Most of the Gods who preside over the battles don’t demand the death battles.”

“Most,” Theos bites out the word, repeating it as he looks back at me. “Not all.”

I lean back on my heels, reaching up and fingering the open slit over my shoulder where Darius’ blade had actually managed to pierce me. Despite the blood lingering on the fabric, the wound has already healed. “I think you're scared,” I reply. “You care for him and I understand that, but you should know as well as I do that anyone too weak to win their own battles will never last—not here and certainly not around us.”

“You think you know me so fucking well, do you?” Theos turns completely and drops his hands from his hips as he strides forward. I don’t move as he walks right up to me, not stopping until our chests brush against one another. “You and I both know that misfortune strikes not when you least expect it, but when you’ve become arrogant enough to think it will never touch you.” His words pierce me as his upper lip pulls back in a sneer. “Your arrogance is showing, brother.”

With that, he pushes away, turns, and calls out to the others. Loathe as I am to admit it, even if he is right, there’s nothing either of us can do now. Darius will either pass these battles with the wounds of hard-fought lessons or he won’t … I dread the day we find out. Because if the former happens, I fear Theos may never be the same.

Chapter 23

Kiera

To my surprise, the Euoplos dignitas appears in my room a few days after the events that took place between first Rahela and I and then Caedmon. Though I can’t truly talk to the creature, I can sense that it seems curious about me if not still feeling me out, but at least it follows my summons.

The Euoplos dignitas is like no other familiar I’ve ever had. It appears when it wants and where it wants. Sometimes, I’ll find it resting on my pillow on my bed as if it’s a slumbering dog waiting for its owner to come back from a long day at work. Other times, it disappears and when it returns, it acts as if nothing has changed.

With the creature firmly under my purview, I’m thankful that I no longer have to directly control the sheer amount of spiders within the Academy. I can pass along orders to the Euoplos dignitas and it’ll see to it that the other spiders act accordingly. It’d been worth it to sneak into the courtyard and dig it up.

Though time has passed since my initial meeting with Caedmon, the memory of the darkness in his eyes remains an ever constant in my mind. Some nights, as I lay beneath the thin sheets on my bed, closing my eyes only brings it all back. It doesn’t matter how many of my little friends I call to me, even the venomous bite of a spider can’t always pull me out of my thoughts.

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