I bid farewell to Lana and the others before striding toward him. “I’ve been busy.”
He wasn’t dressed in the battle armor he had donned this morning, opting instead for sparring leathers and a dark shirt that hugged the dips and contours of his muscled frame. “Harassing Augustine? I’m well aware. Calendula told me.”
“I figured she might. Anyway, it’s not a secret. Echon let slip that the third challenge is taking place on Cosanus. I saw the opportunity to find information and took it.”
Irritation flashed through Kilian’s eyes. “I wasn’t aware Echon had spoken with you. What did Augustine say?”
I shrugged. “Just a bunch of crackpot scholar theories.”
His eyes narrowed.
“If you’ve got any information pertaining to the third Trial that you’d like to share, now would be the time.” I knew it was futile, but it was worth a shot.
He sighed. “I’m trying to help youpreparefor it. Which brings us to today’s session. I thought we’d do things a bit differently. Away from the house for a change, so we can train and talk.”
I scrunched my nose. “Talk? About what?”
“Us.”
I let out a harsh laugh. “There is no us. There’s you. And then there’s me. And I’ve got a Trial to prepare for. One my fragile mortal life depends on. I don’t have the capacity nor the inclination to talk aboutus.”
“Well, lucky for you, you won’t have to do much talking. You can run laps and train. All whilst listening.”
“We’re not sparring?”
He shook his head. “There’s a park nearby. We’ll train there.” He started toward the archway, angling his head to look at me. “Are you coming?”
I hesitated. After what had happened between us last night, and what seemed to always happen when I was near him, I didn’t trust my body to not do something reckless that my heart would later suffer the consequences of. It was much easier to shut him out. To remain cruel and callous and unfeeling.
“Lirah,” Kilian said, the softness back in his voice. “Please come.”
I don’t know if it was the gentle, almost reverent way in which he said my name or the fact that he said please, but I forced my legs forward, falling into step beside him. Kilian did not strike me as someone who ever asked so nicely.
He led me out the archway and along the cobblestoned path. We passed a signboard, written in the elven alphabet I now knew was called Rrasur, turning left. Up ahead, I could see the beginning of what looked like a park. Wide, open land stretched for miles, the grass green and neatly trimmed. A sprinkling of snow had melted, leaving drops of dew glistening on the blades. Tall trees and shrubs were scattered sparsely across the ground, lending shade against the warm midday sun. A running trail curled through the field, sloping toward a small, secluded lake where ducks idly floated. As we approached, I saw tiny goldfish flitting beneath the glossy surface, their scales sparkling in the catch of light. Kilian took a seat on a bench before the lake, scanning the ducks swimming by.
He looked so completely out of place there in full sparring leathers, the sunlight glinting off his hair turning it blue black.
“Do you… come out here often?” I asked.
Kilian shook his head. “I rarely have the time.”
He looked more at peace than I had ever seen. His posture was relaxed, arm slung across the back of the bench, legs crossed at the ankles. For once, his muscles did not radiate tension, his eyes devoid of their usual wrath. And when I brushed tentatively against the link, I found a quiet calm.
His gaze slid to me, standing at the edge of the lake. “Take a lap around the park to warm up. When you get back, I’ll run through a few core strengthening and endurance exercises with you.”
“Okay.”
I did a quick stretch, pulling at my quads and hamstrings, and then my calf muscles. I tied my hair in a high ponytail and rolled the sleeves of my tunic up before setting off in a light jog.
The trail was surprisingly quiet, and I didn’t see another elven along the path. It led me on a winding run through the park, past pine trees from which blue robins darted to and fro, carrying twigs and other bits in their beaks. When I returned to the lake, I saw Kilian had not moved an inch. He looked up at me as I slowed to a stop. I swiped at the light sheen of sweat on my forehead and tried to stabilize my breathing.
“Ten minutes,” Kilian remarked. “You need to work on cutting that down.”
“I didn’t know I was being timed. You said it was a warmup exercise.”
“And I’m sure that the next time you’re being hunted down by a creature who wants to kill you, it will understand that you haven’t warmed up yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “What’s the next exercise?”
