Page 54 of Voices in the Stars
Leon walked over to a wooden beam that ran about halfway along the house. Scabbards of all sizes were tied along it. They seemed to be organized by size, and he was walking straight toward the broad swords. It was much larger than the rest, the length of his arm and twice itswidth. My gaze darted between it and the next largest sword that looked about double its size before wincing. That one had to have been made specifically for him. It made sense if he had certain things that were specifically his in the house that he would have his own sword. The rest looked like they would have been dainty toys in his hands.
I rolled my still sore shoulders, slightly regretting asking him about this now. Maybe I should’ve waited a day. Then again, if I did, Atlas could’ve told him about the plan to leave me by then. I felt like I was already pushing the little luck I had saved up by asking Leon to do this now. It was apparent they have a history. When Atlas was here it was the most relaxed I had seen him. If Leon knew the plan, there would be no way I could convince him to go against Atlas. He might be helping me now, but there was no confusion in my mind. He was no friend of mine.
He finally seemed satisfied as he grabbed one, bringing it over to where I waited for him. The scabbard was pulled away from the sword and thrown to the ground. Light reflected off the metal as Leon effortlessly twirled it around him, lunging and slashing out in a very practiced dance. It only lasted a few moments before he was holding it out to me. I glanced between it and the expectant look on Leon’s face.
“Please tell me you aren’t expecting me to do that,” I commented. There was no way I could do half of that without losing at least one of my fingers.
“No.” Leon shook his head, still holding it out to me. “Just take it.”
“Okay,” I muttered, grabbing onto the hold, only to hiss in pain as the handle ripped out of my hand as I dropped it.
Leon choked back a laugh as he quickly held it in place, tip buried in the dirt sticking straight up. “That is what I expected you to do. Try again,” he said, nodding toward the sword.
My brows furrowed, the fire in my chest sparking to life at the humiliation, and I felt my cheeks turning red. My hands replaced his one as I tried to just hold it above the ground. I grunted as I tried to lift it once again. My hands shook as it barely hovered above the grass. Pain burned from my shoulders as I kept pushing. I needed to be able to do this. If I couldn’t lift a simple sword, then what hope would I have? Atlas would be right to leave me while he went and got himself killed.
“Relax,” Leon said, placing a hand on top of the hilt.
“No,” I grunted back, the sword shaking with me now.
“Yes,” he commanded, pushing on the sword. I was helpless to stop as he pressed it into the dirt. “You’re going to push yourself too hard again.”
“I can do it,” I snapped at him.
Leon shook his head, pulling the sword away with ease. I huffed as I watched him walk away with it, tears burning the corners of my eyes. That was my chance at bettering myself, and he was walking away with it. I had one chance to convince him to teach me, and I lost it. I closed my eyes, pressing the palms of my hands against them. I jumped as something heavy thumped on the ground next to me right before Leon spoke again.
“You can’t expect yourself to be perfect at something you’ve just picked up. I’ve spent the last twenty-nine years learning this,” Leon explained, his voice soft like he was talking to a child, before gesturing toward the rather large rock he had brought over. “Plus, you’re weak.”
“Thanks?” I questioned with a laugh, wiping away the few tears that had escaped before sucking in a deep breath. “What do you expect me to do with that?”
I watched closely as Leon grabbed the rock, hugging it to his chest as he knelt in a squat which he held for several heartbeats before standing with it and repeating. He did this about five times before setting the rock back on the ground. I watched in amazement as he didn’t even break a sweat during any of it.
“I can do that,” I mumbled, mostly to myself since I was fairly certain I would not be able to do that.
The rock scraped along my hands as I tried to get a hold of it. Finally, I was able to pick it up. I closed my eyes and kept taking steady breaths to try and fight the pain still deep in my shoulders. My legs shook as I slowly knelt into a squat. My breathing quickly became labored as I held my position. It felt like my legs would collapse at any given moment. I kept pushing through it until I was able to stand. It eased the shaking some as I took the time to take in several deep breaths before lowering once again.
“You and Atlas are friends, right?” I grunted out the question, trying to distract myself from the pain.
“More like brothers, but yes,” Leon answered, crossing his arms.
“So, you would know what a Saeva is, then?” I asked as I stood.
There was silence until I was back in a squat.
“Yes” was all he answered.
“Great. You’re keeping it a secret, too,” I huffed out, keeping up the little routine.
“You don’t know?”
“Nope. I’m guessing Atlas hasn’t told you that I have very little idea as to what’s going on here. Grew up with a bunch of humans who are supposed to be dead.”
“They’re alive?” Leon exclaimed, arms dropping to the side. “I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken. How many times have you hit your head here?”
I finally dropped the rock. My lips pouted as I saw the dirt that now covered the dress. I wiped some of it off, but much of it seemed stained.
“Wish everyone would quit thinking I’m a liar,” I commented before sitting on the ground.
“I’m sorry,” Leon said before sitting down in front of me. “But I know the humans are dead. I helped kill them.”
