Page 28 of A Song of Shadow and Starlight

Atlas perks up at that, his eyes more intrigued than before. Eris and Finn exchange a strange look and even Nyx seems like he wants an explanation.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

"You were able to use your magic?" Eris asks, excitement in her tone.

"Because you were trying to protect Atlas?" Nyx's gaze bounces back and forth between me and his oldest brother.

"So what?" I cross my arms over my chest. "I'm not a monster. He needed help, so I helped him. Plain and simple."

"But your magic reacted to Atlas," Finn chimes in.

I don't like what they're insinuating, so I reiterate, "He needed help, so I helped him. Are you going to train me or not?" I grumble at Nyx, and he holds his hands up in surrender.

"Alright," Nyx says. "Back to hand-to-hand combat. When I said you don't know how to use your power, I didn't mean your magic. I meant your strength, your body, your wits. You have the power to bring a man to his knees."

"I can do that without throwing one punch," I smirk and Nyx quirks a curious eyebrow.

"Did – did you just make a joke, Kitarni?" A smile creeps across his face, and I laugh.

Wedidn'tgetmuchsleep the rest of the night. Everyone seemed to have wandering minds, myself included, but that's nothing new.

The entire morning, the Tronovians strategize as we pack up our campsite and walk until late afternoon. Atlas, Eris, and Finn bounce ideas off each other about the best course of action in keeping the Soul Eaters at bay but the more they discuss it, the more I come to understand that the Soul Eaters are unavoidable, and they'll stop at nothing to have their revenge. Our best option is to stick to the plan of getting to the Capitol of Bava and finding our way to Tronovia, all while staying vigilant for any surprise run ins.

Once we stop for the evening, Nyx takes his time teaching me self-defense moves and once I begin to grasp those basic concepts, we move on to how to strike first and engage an enemy.

"Good," Nyx praises, before reaching for a knife holstered on his lower back. "Think you can try with this knife instead of a stick now?"

I'm taken aback that he's willingly giving me a weapon, even though I'm not a fan of them. I was never interested in weaponry growing up, and when Bastian gifted me a dagger the afternoon before our wedding, I was not pleased with the offering. But now, with everything that's transpired, with the unknown hovering above me like a dark, gloomy cloud, I am more accepting of having a way to defend myself should I ever need to.

As I carefully reach for the blade Nyx extends, I notice it's the same one Bastian gave me my last day in Midori, and consequently, it's the same knife I stabbed Nyx with. And here, in the middle of the jungle, the Tronovian I tried to kill, offers it back to me freely and willingly. I don't know if it's his way of telling me he trusts me, or if he's just stupid, but I'm oddly excited to see the dagger and take it from his outstretched hand.

"You've had it this whole time?" I twirl it in my hands, and he shrugs.

"Considering it was lodged in my chest until I got aboard the ship for Finn to deal with it, yes. I kept it."

I chuckle, "I would have tossed it overboard the second I had a chance."

His eyes widen. "Do you know what this is?"

"A knife?" Is this a trick question?

"Not just any knife," he points at it with some sort of holy reverence, "it's Dwarven made."

Bastian had told me that when he gave it to me. I still fail to see why that matters, but by Nyx's stupefied expression, I know I'm missing something big.

"So…?" I press him to be more specific.

"Meaning, it's made from metal mined from the Durnan Mountains. It's the strongest blade you could ever wield and if in a pinch, could fetch quite the price in The Quarters."

I'm about to ask him about The Quarters when Atlas walks over to us, hands deep in his pockets, a weary amusement in his eyes.

"How is our student fairing?"

Nyx winks at me. "I'd say she's a quick study, so I'd watch my back if I were you, Atlas."

Atlas meets my gaze and smiles. "I always do." He points at the dagger. "Try not to get stab-happy on us again."

I flash my teeth, "I make no promises."

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