Page 48 of Sky of Thorns

Sweat drenches my body. My legs are on fire, my arms are like a bowl of gelatin as I once again try to maintain the posture. My breath comes out in ragged pants. I lose my balance after less than a minute the first few tries, but Kela encourages me to get back up.

“That's enough,” Kela claps, bouncing up from the bed. I collapse into a heap on the floor, grateful for the cool wood against my hot flesh. Who knew holding one position for so long would be so hard? “Now we move on to squats. Up.” Kela pokes my side with her toe, urging me back up.

“I am questioning what would be worse: being locked up in a tower or having to hold one more balancing position. I give up Kela.” I peer at her from the floor and shake my head before resting my cheek against the ground. I don’t even care that my sweat is mixing into mud with the dirt.

“What happened to the fearless unicorn ready to take on a wolf with her bare hands?” Kela nudges my side with the toe of her boots. “Get up.”

With a groan, I push myself into a sitting position.

“So with a squat—”

“I know how to do a squat.” I interrupt, wiping the sweat off my brow before squatting down and gesturing to my legs. My body curses at me as I position my knees in a bending position.Goddess grant me the strength to–

“You’re doing it all wrong.” She patiently chides as she walks to stand beside me. “Straighten your back, you’re hunching.”

“Am I though?” I look sidelong at her. “Squats aren’t that difficult.”

Kela rolls her eyes at me. “Well, you’re doing this one wrong. Butt out unicorn. Straighten your arms–”

“My arms are straight!” I groan.

Kela pulls my arms out from the slight bend in my elbow. I groan, knowing that Kela misses nothing with those wolf eyes of hers. “They weren’t. Now hold those there while you straighten your back and push into the ground with your feet. Your feet–” She taps my toes with hers, “are the roots that make you stand tall. Now pull through your core with an invisible string–”

“Like this?” I ask, being aware of an acute difference in my core and back. “Are you sure?”

“Yes girl! Like that!” Kela grins at me, wickedly. “Now, do fourteen more.”

“Goddess help me!” I groan. Through the repetition of the movement, the power builds up in my thighs and backside along with a comfortable burning heat. Sweat pours down my body as I pant. By the time I finish my last repetition, my knees are trembling and my thighs are screaming at me. “I don’t think I can handle anymore of your training.”

“Then let’s do a cool down.” The gentle smile from Kela makes me concerned. This training has thoroughly kicked my ass. My eyes wander to the door as my thoughts stray to the fluffy white snow banks slowly piling outside.

Another chuckle from Kela. I turn as she hands me a mug filled with half melted snow. “Have a drink and then we will do some stretches. They’re made to bring your body back to a normal pace. Plus, they help limit any soreness you’ll have later. You need to balance it with your breathing. Look inward at yourself, at your power. Your breath can help channel your power, gathering it up and then directing it where you want it to go.”

“You seem to know an awful lot about magic.” I mimic her movements with my legs spread wide before me on the floor.

“Tell me more about the shifters in Shadowvale. You mentioned Nero’s mother sided with the shifters. She even married a shifter…” I reach for my mug, only to find it knocked over in the bustle. The remaining water has soaked into a thick green paste on the floor.

“It’s true, we have many elementals who have joined our cause, or shelter shifters.” She pauses, dusting herself off and stares at me. “Not all towns in Shadowvale are open to us though. Especially those closest to the castle who’ve been poisoned by Tricella’s lies. Many of the shifters, or halflings like Nero, have fled to towns on the outer edges of the country and beyond. But not all have the means or the health to travel so far.”

“What kind of shifters live in Shadowvale? Do other species live here too?”

“Oh girl, there are so many species of shifters; wolves, tigers, foxes, rabbits, chickens, snakes, otters, deer, and birds.” She ticks them off on her fingers. “I’m sure there are dozens more. Most live in fear of Tricella and refuse to leave their humanoid form. There are a few fae and humans who live in some of the larger trade cities, like in Verdigris Falls near the northeastern coast. Then you’ve got the elementals. My grandfather used to tell stories about the great elemental rulers before the war who could become the living element themselves.”

I take a large sip from my mug, the slushy, cold water sliding down my throat. The abrupt coolness is instantly refreshing, and I stand a little straighter.

“I’ve spent my whole life in a pack of shifters and elementals with different forms of magic.” She lifts her arms high above her head before bending forward at the waist, her forehead nearly touching the smooth wood floor.

“If I try to do that, I’ll crack in half. You’ll have to carry the two broken halves of me back to your pack.” I bluntly assess her pose, and a chuckle escapes my lips. Kela cranes her neck, an identical grin plastered on her face.

“Oh, I’ll have you loving stretching so much, you’ll be moaning in pleasure and begging for more.” Laughing playfully, Kela quickly sits up.

Heat flushes my face, which only sends her into a fit of giggles. Kela falls backwards, knocking into the shelf behind her. A bowl wobbles precariously before falling upside down beside us. Fine dark green powder flies everywhere at the impact. The fresh, sweet, vegetal smell of matcha fills the air in the small room.

“Relax, Sybie. You’re too easy to tease. You’ve got to toughen up if you want to stand a chance in the pack.” Shaking her head like a dog, she sends hazy green dust clouds into the air.

Lemon shakes his body, sneezing. His fur is coated in a fine dusting of the powder giving him an ethereal appearance.

“Well, covered in green tea, you sure do look the picture of a mythical creature!” My hair clings to the sweat beading my forehead. “I’m sure I am not the picture of beauty myself; sweaty, exhausted, and covered in green tea powder.”

---