Page 17 of Enchanted Shadows
Dixon cocked his head, a sinister tilt to his lips which reminded me all too much of Theon. “Tell me, do you give them lessons in the kitchen? Personal lessons in the sheets perhaps? And what day is that?”
Forest green poured out of me, this time to tighten around his neck. “You know what, I was going to kick you out and go about our day, but after that, I don’t think so.”
“Tell me, Raikes, which one will you sleep with first? With such potential, however will you decide?”
“Get wrecked.” I tightened the strands of my power just tight enough to hinder him from speaking again as I turned around to the women. “Remember how I said I would teach you how to properly throw a punch?” I put up my right hand, lit up in green, and formed a fist. “Watch the thumb. You don’t want to break it. Tuck it across the fingers and use this as your base.” I used my other hand to show them the area around the first two knuckles.” I turned sideways. “You want to make sure to drive with your whole body. That’s why the core is so important. Drive through the legs, core tight, and put your weight behind it.” I threw a couple practice punches, so they could see the motion. “Got it?”
They were all just staring at me like I was mad. Maybe I was.
Behind me, Dixon Hill tried to talk but ended up coughing instead.
“Ready to see it in action?” I asked.
A few of them looked scared, a few excited. I was going to take that as a yes.
“Good.” I took two steps, threw all of my weight into it, and landed a punch to Dixon’s nose. A crunching noise was heard before blood began spewing everywhere.
At the sight of the blood, Dixon’s eyes rolled back just before he passed out entirely.
“Figures.” What a weak man. I used my magic to prop him up. “Wren, Jessina, and Zara.”
My sister was there. “Yes, broth—General?”
“The three of you run to the wall and ask for Miles and Allen. Tell them to come right away.”
Without another word, the three of them were running. I could have just told Jorah to send for them from our telepathic connection, but it was good for them to help too.
Within minutes, Miles came running over, beating the rest.
“What the hell?” he panted. “We’ve been watching the wall. How’d he get past us?”
I gave him a shrug. “Could have gone farther down the wall and used his powers to get himself over. Was being a real creep before running his mouth about the women. I tried to knock some sense into him. Not sure it worked though. Might need an extra dose.”
Miles kept shaking his head, not finding any humor in the situation. “Not okay. How’d he get past us at the wall?”
I put a hand on his shoulder. “Miles. I handled it. It’s okay.”
He looked to me, anger and determination in his eyes. “No, it’s not. I won’t let it happen again, General Raikes.”
“I know, Rook.” Every once in a while, you had students who inspired you. The two of you just clicked. Miles Rook was a goodman. Always had been. His character paired with his determination made him a force to be reckoned with. And he was his own hardest critic, a trait we both had in common. So though he sometimes needed tough love, I didn’t feel this was one of those times. He was going to beat himself up enough over this, he didn’t need me to.
Part of being a good trainer was knowing when you needed to push the team, and when you needed to build them up. Until my most recent assignment, I felt I was pretty good at knowing when to do each.
I turned slightly to speak to Miles and Allen both this time. “You two take him to a healer for his nose, then to the mountain. He’s earned himself a little time of reflection.”
A voice said from the direction of the path to the forest. “Why do I miss out on all the fun?”
Krew stepped around the blood to come stand next to me.
I grinned. “Too busy running the country and healing the realm, I suppose.”
He laughed and turned to the women. “Everyone okay?”
There were numerous nods as they all bowed. A few of them from the lower levels, like Zara and Jessina, were staring at him with wide eyes. He was the king of Wylan, after all.
I said more quietly to him, “There is no way he would have let this be. You should have heard the stuff he was saying.”
“Honestly, he did us a favor. We’ve been looking for a reason to watch him more closely.”
