Page 30 of Dragon Unleashed

Powerless, I let him usher me toward the sports hall. The fall light is fading rapidly, and I stumble on the cobbled path. Beside me Silas rolls his eyes.

“Light and silent on the feet, princess. You’ll never get anywhere without the world knowing exactly where you are if you walk like that.”

I am light on my feet. I had to be. No decent thief got anywhere by stomping around. I just tripped. Picky asshole.

We end up in a gym, the wooden climbing equipment folded neatly against the walls, the big crash mats still in the middle of the floor.

“You’ll train every weekday, and on the weekends when Farrell’s away. What I will teach you is a bastardization of Krav Maga, Lethwei, and Capoeira. But for today, you’re simply going to demonstrate what little skill you already have.”

He starts rolling his shoulders, stretching. I didn’t recognize even one of those things he said I need to learn. Every day? He’s having a laugh.

“Into the middle,” Silas instructs, facing me in a crouch.

Here goes nothing. I tamp down my desire to show this grumpy old man what I’m really made of. He’s reporting to the Virrey.Keep a lid on it, Lorelei.

We circle each other, and I feign a few strikes, feeling him out. Wyverns live a long freaking time, but his face is creased with wrinkles. He’s old. Really old. I’m sure he was awesome in his day, but he could break a hip if I put him on the ground.

Umph.

My back hits the deck, the wind knocked out of me. In an instant Silas is sitting on my chest, his elbow under my chin forcing my neck back. Pain shoots up my spine and I break out in a cold sweat.

With some wacky move he’s on his feet and already yards away before I can begin to think about how to get him off me. I palm my knife from my pocket and heave myself into a crouch.

“That blade is better than you are, princess.” He smiles, an evil glint in his eye. “Your mother was a pretty awful royal, but you? You’re worse.”

My blade flies across the room, the whole force of my aether and air behind it, headed straight for his heart.

Silas’ eyes widen.I’m going to kill him. I’m going to kill an old man dead.At the last moment he sidesteps, and I breathe a sigh of relief. My knife should fly straight past, but by some weird aether fuckery it changes course. A grin breaks out on the old man’s face, and he throws himself violently backward, executing a near perfect flip.

My knife grazes his upper arm, spilling blood before it drops to the floor, energy spent.

“I knew you had more in there. Better aim next time. We’ll make a fighter of you yet.” Silas rips a strip from the bottom of his shirt, ties it over the wound, and settles into a fighting stance again.

He’s insane.

I crouch, readying my feet to move. Then it hits me. I used my aether.

Umph.

I land on my chest and the left side of my face. Numbness spreads out from my cheekbone and down my arm. I let my guard down for half a damn second. Silas moves with more agility and speed than any old man should. And without a drop of magic either. He holds me immobile, twisting my knife arm to the side. If I move, I’ll wrench my shoulder out of the socket. Crap.

I’m asphyxiating in the gym mat.

He knew I was there.

Silas knew I was in that room when he talked to Lady Tenebrae. He’s too talented a martial artist not to have known there was another living, breathing being in that room.

“Hello. Earth to princess.” He taps my nose.

“Silas, you knew I was under the bench, didn’t you?” My words are muffled, and I wonder if he heard me until he lets me go and stands, dusting down his long black robes.

“So, you do have a brain.”

I push myself to my feet, ignoring the hand he holds out. I clean my blade on my trousers for something to do with my hands that doesn’t involve strangling him.

“I’m sworn to protect our leader, Lorelei. I can’t break the vow. But I can bend it.”

My hand slips and I nick my finger.

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