Page 21 of Enchanted Shadows
As soon as we hit The Dead Lake, I felt better. The Dead Lake, which was now clear, and teeming with green grass, sunlight, and chirping birds. It didn’t even feel like the same place.
Aletta and Jessina had gotten into it today, but there had been some minor drama all week long. The looming trial test was getting to them.
I had them spread out on the grass around the lake, my eyes going to that very purple hydrangea tree which bloomed year-round and held the sword which had ended Theon.
I loved the lake and coming here. It was beautiful, but it also reminded me of how far we’d come. Why we were still fighting for it today. Because the world we had busted our asses for was not only better, but worth it.
“Get your circuit done in fifteen and we can stay for a few extra minutes.”
Without another word, they got to work, and so did I. Training the women all day didn’t give me much time for my own training, so I did the moves with them, just like I did when I trained teams of men. I hated teachers who only barked orders and never understood the pain of it. That was Theon Valanova’s entire mode of operation.
We finished and I heard a few of them whispering before Wren’s voice said, “You ask him.”
“Ask me what, Wren?”
Wren groaned. “Sometimes they want me to ask you things. Thinking that you are easier on me.”
“Not true,” I responded back. Wren and I definitely looked like siblings, same brown hair, same green eyes. “You piss me off all the time. Rather regularly.”
“See?” Wren said to the others as she gestured both hands at me.
“You’re my sister, but that doesn’t mean I give you special privileges,” I added.
“He does yell at her often when we run,” Zara admitted. “He might even be harder on her.”
“Thanks,” Wren told her, as if grateful someone had her back.
“So what did you want to ask me?” I swore if they asked if they could skinny dip in this lake I was going to need a headache tonic. Today had already been unnecessarily difficult.
“We want a team name,” Sam blurted out. “Something catchy.”
“Okay.” I shrugged. “Like what?”
We all sat in a semicircle, and I joined them near the stones, absentmindedly throwing a few rocks into the water.
“Womb-bats?” Molly offered.
“Boobie Brigade?” Sam suggested.
A smile twisted at the corner of my mouth while Molly cackled. I was definitely not offering up options for this. I was terrible at naming things.
“Maneaters?” Vivian laughed.
“Savage Sisters?” Sam tried again.
“Thunder sisters,” Molly amended. “Because Owen’s goal in life is to make sure we all have thunder thighs.”
I ignored the fact that she had slipped up and used my first name. “You need powerful legs; big thighs arenota bad thing.”
“Slay Sisters?” Sam asked.
A blanket hushed the rest of them. I kept throwing stones.
There was movement to my right. Zara grabbed a stone, throwing a rock that skipped twice on her first try.
Challenge accepted.
“We will think on it and circle back,” Sam finally told me.
