Page 3 of Tipped in Frost and Blood
“No,” I said as I rushed for him, but I stopped short of leaping into his arms, expecting him to be covered in blood. My eyes fell over his black leather armor and the sheathed throwing knives strapped to his chest.
“My team encountered no darklings tonight, so you can take a breath,” he teased, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He pulled me in tight against him and lifted me off my feet, spinning me around.
Even if it was only temporary, the darkness that had held onto me so tightly receded, recoiling from the light of his presence.
CASSIE
“Shit!” Liam grunted as his back slammed into the dirt.
Thalia rose to her full height after flipping the warrior -in-training over her shoulder, her cornsilk braid flipping onto her back as she twisted around to face her other opponents. Sasha and Zach, another pair of trainees, paced around her as they gripped their training daggers, both watching Thalia as they prepared to make another move. My eyes fell to Liam’s waster as it slid to a stop before me. The training daggers were made of wood, but while they weren’t sharp, they’d still hurt if a blow landed.
“Better get a tighter grip on your weapon, Liam. You won’t last long against a darkling empty-handed!” Zephyr chided as he assessed the groups sparring with each other.
Damien halted his advance on me, and I stiffened as I realized I’d gotten distracted.
“Sorry,” I muttered between heavy breaths. Sweat rolled down my back despite the cold winter air, and I focused on pacing my breathing. My grip tightened on the hilt of my dagger as Damien stepped toward me, and I braced myself as I blocked his attack before diverting his blade away from me, slamming my shoulder into his chest.
He grunted, hand clutching his chest as he stumbled back, and a charmingly crooked, smug grin curved his lips. “Getting more physical now, are we?”
I sucked in a gulp of air and gave him a smile that was all teeth. “What? Is the Lord of Shadows afraid to get physical with a demi-goddess?”
He blinked at me, his brows rising at the bite in my words, but his look of surprise melted away into something heated. “I’ll happily get as physical as my goddess desires.”
I huffed a laugh and bit my lip before charging for him.
“Don’t get too cocky now,” he said as he caught my blade with his. We spun around each other, our wooden blades meeting briefly with each swing. My skin heated as he blocked and evaded me. My stamina was falling short where his seemed near limitless, despite his heavy breaths. Given how my heart pounded, I only had another minute before I’d need to tap out.
I ground my teeth together, determined to win this match as he’d won the last two. Going for his back, I spun around him, but he side-stepped out of my reach and stuck his foot out to trip me. I grunted as I hit the ground, and a groan escaped me as I pushed myself up, irritation burning in my vision as I noticed a few of the recruits glancing our way.
Seconds after my boots met the damp earth, I turned to launch myself at him once more, and he took an uneasy step back as he lifted his dagger, barely blocking my blow again. I smiled at him, and it seemed to catch him off guard as he frowned.
Perfect.
I shifted my weight away from him, and he stumbled forward. He grunted as I kicked my foot out, hooking his ankle, and pulled it out from under him, my body nearly faltering as well, before I caught myself. His grip loosened as he stumbled, and my free hand shot out, grabbing the guard of his dagger. I twisted, pulling it from his hold as I spun around until I faced him once more, both daggers secure in my grasp, the wooden blades halted against his bare throat.
His chest heaved, his hands rising in quiet surrender as I stared into his eyes. “You’ve been watching Thalia.”
“She’s pretty talented at fighting off numerous larger attackers,” I said between panted breaths. “I figured I’d take notes.”
His lips tipped up in a smile as he took a step back. “Excellent. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
I handed him his dagger before throwing my hands over my head as I drew deep, even breaths, calming my heart. Just a bit longer and I might’ve collapsed. It was reckless, but we didn’t have time for me to hold back, to tiptoe around my limits. I turned, my eyes passing over the training yard of The Outpost. Our onlookers seemed to have returned their attention to their own tasks, the numerous warriors-in-training sparring with each other.
Barrett was nearby, working with another flame Stoicheion user to train a recruit with the same fire magic. Flames sputtered into existence briefly before dying out when they couldn’t maintain it. I’d seen the man training at Barrett’s side a few times before. His name was Aiden, and if there was one thing I’d learned about those who wielded fire magic, it was that they all seemed to be hotheads, although some more than others.
He was short-tempered, insufferably impatient, and Barrett seemed to be the only one who could stand to be around him. It wasn’t clear whether they were truly friends or just tolerated each other.
“Here,” Damien said, handing me a bottle of water, and I thanked him before downing it. “Your skill with a dagger is coming along nicely. I’ve taught you everything I can about your Nous ability—all that’s left is to practice what you know and push your limits. You can even try talking to me through thoughts alone from time to time, start working to expand your reach.”
“I think I can manage that.” I wondered just how far of a distance I could reach him from.
“Zephyr and I were discussing your Thiríon magic.”
I blinked, my brows rising. “Thiríon?”
He nodded. “Do you remember how he can shift into a raven? That’s Thiríon magic.”
My heart picked up pace, excitement swelling in my chest. He’d been reluctant to add to my training over the past few weeks, had been furious with Selene’s orders to continue it despite everything that had happened. “I can finally start learning new magic?”
