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“It’s not babysitting,” he said, clapping me on the back. “It’s teaching.”
Chapter Seven
Emilie
My parents had finally left for Dreslen.
Thank the gods.
Something gnawed at me, telling me I should’ve felt guilty. That I should’ve felt lonely now that they weren’t here and that I should’ve missed them. But I only felt free.
It had taken everything in me to hold back a squeal of delight as I’d watched them step into the carriage taking them home. An unfathomable amount of weight had lifted from my shoulders as it rolled away from the castle and out of sight.
There was an extra pep in my step as I headed toward the training grounds. I didn’t even care that Ladon was the one teaching me. I’d been ecstatic when Cyrus had found me the day before to let me know I’d be getting lessons. So much so that I hadn’t even flinched when he’d told me who my instructor would be.
The halls of the castle were bustling. Citizens of Renoa were there to see the king, members of the guard on their way to the training facilities, noble constituents doing whatever it is that they did. I smiled and waved at a servant exiting the kitchen as I walked past and they returned the gesture. Nothing could bring me down.
I was wrong.
I wiped the sweat from my forehead and glared at Ladon from my resting place on the ground. I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I’d found myself flat on my back with an ache crawling up my spine.
This wasn’t at all what I’d expected training to be like. In hindsight, I should’ve known when I found out that Ladon would be my instructor that this wouldn’t be enjoyable. I just hadn’t expected it to be so brutal. It was almost like he wanted to inflict pain.
The first few times I’d found myself lying in the dirt, I had assumed it was because I lacked skill. I’d never had any training, and it was normal that I would struggle. But after the fifth time, I was positive Ladon was doing it on purpose. On the few occasions that I’d looked around the training field, I hadn’t seen one other person hit the ground with a sword to their chest.
Ladon removed the tip of the sword pointed right between my breasts and took a step back. I pushed myself up off the ground and stood once more, shaking the dirt from my pants and my shirt that had once been white but was now brown. I noticed a small rip in the fabric where Ladon’s sword had been pressed against me moments ago. It was a good thing I didn’t like that shirt.
Ladon walked in a slow circle and cracked his neck a few times before turning to face me again. “You hesitate too much before striking. I know what move you’re going to make before you even lift your blade.”
For some reason, I was mesmerized by the way his muscles flexed and relaxed as he rolled his neck and shook out his arms. He’d started the day with a loose cotton blouse, but as the sun had risen and beamed down on the training courtyard, he’d removed and tossed the shirt aside. Now his ridiculous muscles were gleaming in the sunlight and distracting me from my lesson.
I lifted the wooden sword, and my arm protested against the weight. I’d never been one for working out and that day made it clear how out of shape I was. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of complaining, though. So I nodded. “Okay.”
He licked his lips and gave me a once over with his eyes, like he expected me to collapse at any moment. “Let’s move to some hand-to-hand combat for now.”
Masking my relief at finally having a break from the weight of the weapons, I leaned my blade against a stone pillar. Just then, an arm snaked around my neck, and I found myself gasping for air.
“First lesson: Don’t turn your back to an assailant.”
I tapped his forearm, but he didn't release me. His arm was a vise made of stone and I couldn’t force it from my throat. He dug into me and my shoes slid against the dirt as I tried to escape his clutch. My eyes watered at the lack of oxygen, and my head began to feel fuzzy. I was losing consciousness. Was he insane?
It took everything I had in me to jam my elbow into his stomach, but it didn’t have the effect I wanted it to. He just linked his free arm through mine and when he finally released my throat, it was only to spin me around and pin my hands behind my back.
I sucked in a breath and nearly cried with relief, but my delight was short-lived.
My chest pressed against his, and he looked down at me with a mixture of amusement and disdain. He was so close I saw every speck of silver in his blue eyes and I felt his breath ruffling the loose strands of my hair. He smirked. Like a wild animal that had caught its prey.
At that moment, I knew—I hated him. I’d never wanted to kill someone before, not even my mother, but I could’ve taken that sword and driven it straight through his chest. Yes, even the wooden one. It would’ve been grisly, but it would’ve been satisfying.
My fury only grew when I realized with irritation that while my chest was heaving from the scuffle, his breath was even and controlled. Completely unfazed.
His hold on my wrists began to sting. “You’re going to have to do better than that,” he said, before finally releasing me and taking a step back.
“You’re supposed to be teaching me. You haven’t taught me a thing all day,” I shouted at him, releasing my anger. I’d been bottling it up all morning and I couldn’t do it anymore.
Ladon chuckled, and the sound of it made me want to scream. Instead, I let my emotions get the best of me. I couldn’t help it. He ignited something in me that I couldn’t control. I silently commanded the wind like she was a friend of mine, swirling it around him and building up a vacuum effect.
He didn’t realize what was happening at first. The dirt at his feet disrupted, rising in the air. He tried to take a step forward, but he was caught in my airstream now. His face turned red and the veins in his neck pulsed as breathing became more difficult. The air moved too fast for him to inhale. And then his eyes flashed with a wrath I hadn’t seen yet, and it was my turn to smirk.
