Page 114 of Deck of Scarlets

He considered my words and lightly touched my shoulder. “I believe some are chosen to fight a greater evil, more so than what others constantly face.”

“What a burden to carry,” I mumbled.

“But what a Blessing it can be.”

Chapter Forty-Six

Ipromised myself to at least do an hour workout so I wouldn’t slack while Josh recovered, and knowing him, he would reprimand my ass for not keeping up. When I arrived in the training room, I saw Baron leaning against one of the pillars, arms crossed, smirking as I approached. “Welcome. I thought you might show up here.”

“Uh, hi?” I replied, dropping my backpack at my feet.

“Since Josh is out of commission for a bit, I will be training you,” he declared.

“And here I thought I would get off scot-free.”

Baron gave a hearty laugh and chucked a dagger at my head. Thankfully for his sake, I caught it without blinking.

“Nice. Your reflexes are quick. A good sign that you’re catching up to the others.”

“Should we test yours?” I asked, getting ready to throw it back at his head.

Baron held up his hands in defense. “Hey, I’m only trying to help.”

“Where’s Chloe, your actual Scarlet?”

“We finished training this morning. She’s an early bird.”

“How miserable.” The idea of rolling out of bed that early was nauseating.

“Are you ready?” He held out his hand for the dagger.

“I guess so.” Plopping it in his open palm, I joined him on the blue mats.

Putting the dagger away, he replaced it with a long sword. “We’re going to try this today.”

“Why? My signature weapon is a dagger. When will I ever wield a sword?” Was he losing it?

“Sometimes, using something other than your weapon makes you a better fighter. If you can master a dagger, a sword, and a bow, then anything can become a weapon in your time of need.” He slashed the air, testing its weight.

“But a sword?”

Baron rolled his eyes. “Yes, a sword, now catch.” He tossed it high in the air, directly over my head.

I watched the weapon come down, judging where the pommel would land, exactly in my hands.

“Let’s begin.”

Baron taught me how to wield a sword properly. Every pace, swing, and lunge became a mantra as I counted the steps in my head, swiping at the air, pretending to slay a demon. Next, he rolled out a few dummies, lining them up on the sidelines, and locked the wheels so they wouldn’t roll away. He instructed me to try the different combat moves and to pay attention to my form as much as possible.

I swung the sword directly through a dummy’s neck, the head slicing clean off and falling to the floor. I gave Baron a triumphant smile, who only sighed in response.

I deflated like a balloon. “What?”

“Great job.” The dummy head made a loud thump, rolling across the floor. “Only some demons grow back their heads,” noted Baron, picking it up and tossing it out of the ring.

“Since when?” I scoffed.

“Since forever. The heart is their direct line to their life source.” Baron rolled a second dummy from the line, replacing the old one. It occurred to me that the first time I slew a Magidoz, I got a lucky shot to its heart.

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