Page 133 of The Throne's Undoing

Fear dripped from Laurince like a living thing. She could sense his hesitancy, taste it even. The king's captain, Myra already knew, was not a man who wished to act without a plan.

But Myra was tired of waiting. Waiting had only ever made things worse.

"Fine," Laurince whispered. His armor creaked as he made to stand, but Myra called out.

"Wait," she whispered.

Laurince paused his retreat.

"What about my brother?"

"I will see what I can do."

Chapter 44

KALLIE

Kallie wipedthe sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand as Ellie and Terin sheathed their weapons. They had been training in the gardens for a little over an hour. The warm rays of the autumn sun poured down on them, casting a golden glow over the orange and yellow mums surrounding them.

"You're getting better," Terin said with a small smile.

"Yeah, we only knocked you on your ass, what? Five times?" Ellie remarked with a snort.

Terin's eyes widened, a rebuke forming on his lips, but Kallie only laughed.

"That's only because it was one versus two," she said. "If it was just you and me, Ellie, you would have been the one hitting the ground."

"Ha! Only because I would feel sorry if I kicked your ass too many times."

Kallie rolled her eyes.

When the laughter died down, Terin cocked his head to the side, his brows furrowing. "But you're still holding back," he noted.

Kallie snapped her head in his direction. "I am not."

"Really? Then why have you not manipulated us?" Terin retorted wryly, folding his arms over his chest. "You could have easily won numerous times and saved yourself from a couple of bruises."

Mouth agape, Kallie averted her gaze as her tongue grew heavy. She cleared her throat, trying to find the words.

"That would uneven the playing field," she muttered at last.

Terin snorted as Ellie asked, "Uneven the playing field? And what happens if you were to come across an enemy? Someone who wishes to take you?"

"Oh, like all of you?" Kallie retorted, her comment sounding more snarky than intended.

"Fair point," Terin mumbled, scratching his head with a frown.

"But it still does not warrant you holding back," Ellie argued, the tip of her sword digging into the dirt as she leaned on it. "We're not only taking the time to re-train you to help your recovery, but we also must prepare you for what is to come."

"Oh, and here I thought this was all just a fun distraction," Kallie said, trying to change the topic. Her efforts were futile, however, for Terin pressed forward.

"Ellie is right. Domitius will not give up his search for you."

"I think you all overestimate my worth to him," Kallie countered, rolling her eyes.

"And youunderestimate it," Ellie said. She took a step forward, and the tension between them increased ten-fold. "There was a reason he took you, remember?"

Kallie pursed her lips. "He hasn't come for me yet, has he?"

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