Page 75 of Shadows of Winter

“From the pool.”

“Oh.”

She shook her head. The last thing she needed was for him to believe she was into him.

Fortunately, he didn’t comment on her gawking.

“We usually remove all our clothing as practice for enduring the cold,” Vlerion said, “but I’m told it’s not polite to walk naked among women.”

Kaylina refrained from replying that she wouldn’t mind and would be curious to see the rest of him—comments like that couldn’t possibly be considered respectful to lords.

“That’s right,” was what she said and took off her sling and knife before removing her boots.

Staff in hand, Vlerion hopped onto a stump acting as a stair step and padded barefoot onto the log. It wobbled, turning left and right on the spindle, but only a little. His steps barely stirred it.

Why did Kaylina have a feeling it would rotate violently and pitch her into the water?

“Do I get a staff for balance?” She eyed the rack of them.

“They’re not for balance. They’re for striking your opponent. It’s a contest to improve your balance and teach you how to keep your composure when you’re in a battle.”

“If we’re going to battle each other, I absolutely need a staff.”

Vlerion smiled slightly and held his staff out horizontally. In offering?

Glad there weren’t many witnesses around, Kaylina climbed onto the stump and then more carefully the log. With its bark peeled, the wood had little texture and nothing to grip with her toes.

The log wobbled, affecting Vlerion as well as Kaylina, but he adjusted easily to the motion. She flailed, causing it to spin in earnest. His expression never changed as his feet shifted, and he took small steps to stay on top as it rotated. His upper body barely moved. She ended up sideways, flailing harder and feeling like a spectacle.

Vlerion sank low, shifting his weight downward, and the log slowed to a stop. At least she hadn’t fallen in. He could as easily have made it spin faster, she realized. Or used his weight to send it rotating in the opposite direction. Maybe he would once they started their “battle.”

She crept carefully toward him and accepted the staff. “I get to try to hit you?”

“If you can.”

“It doesn’t seem right to attack an unarmed man.”

“I am not without my means.”

Yeah, with those muscles, he could heft her over his head and throw her into the water—or over the courtyard wall.

“What do I get if I knock you into the pool?” Kaylina decided that swinging the staff like a club would cause her to lose her balance. Instead, she gripped it in both hands, holding it close to her body and pointing one end toward him. Thrusting would be less likely to upset her balance.

“If you remain on the log for five minutes, I will tell ten influential citizens about your meadery and suggest they might enjoy the fare.”

Great, he knew how to manipulate her. Not that she was a hard person to read. During that drugged interrogation, she’d spewed everything not only about her dreams but her need to prove herself to her family.

“Ten influential citizens and the king,” Kaylina countered, testing how fast and hard she could thrust without making the log rotate.

“The queen is the connoisseur of fine food,” he said.

Ah, that was right. Kaylina had read the culture column the queen wrote for the largest kingdom newspaper. It was one of the reasons she’d chosen Port Jirador for her new business.

“Okay, tell her about my meadery. And that our beverages are fit for royalty.”

“I already know they are.”

“Oh?” She inched closer to him with the staff. “You didn’t get a chance to try any, did you?”

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