Maybe the Paragon would kill me for being a waste of space.
Hefting Cierthine, I pointed it toward Liam and lunged forward. My brother's gaze shifted to something behind me, and panic flashed across his face. But it was too late to change course.
What happened next was a blur. A shadow descended over me as I took my first step. Warmth enfolded my being, and Cierthine crashed into another blade—but it wasn't Liam's.
I blinked. A man stepped from the shadows behind me and blocked my path. Before I could register his appearance, I felt his free hand on mine. And then Cierthine was ripped from my grip.
The blade's weight left my hands, and I stumbled, surprised.
A knight with fiery red hair stood between Liam and me—silver armor gleaming softly in the moonlight. He held a goldenrapier in one hand and spun Cierthine in the other, as though it were no heavier than a feather.
Liam's dagger whirled through the air, flying toward the man's exposed back. He didn't even glance back as he lifted his rapier and swatted the knife from the air with a metallic clang.
"I've never held Cierthine before." The man smiled at me. "It's not as heavy as Killian claimed."
My mind spun rapidly, desperate to regain my poise.
This was the man I'd been instructed to wait for. Tiernan. Leader of the Paragons, chosen of the holy rapier, and . . .
I blinked a few times, taking in his bronze skin, easy smile, and brilliant golden eyes. To say nothing of the unnatural, warm aura he exuded.
I thought Paragon Tiernan was a Fireborn. Why had no one thought to mention he was actually a Solheart?
Straightening my back, I knitted my hands at my waist. "Paragon Tiernan!" The words emerged as little more than a squeak.
So much for dignity.
Liam straightened out. "Woops. I was aiming for Mare, not you."
I shot him a glare.
Paragon Tiernan grinned. Flipping Cierthine around, he offered it back to me, hilt-first. "Don't worry, you wouldn't have hit me."
Taking Cierthine, I let it fall by my side. "I thought you weren't supposed to be here for another week."
"I was already on my way south." Paragon Tiernan sheathed his rapier. He glanced at Liam. "May I steal your sister?"
"Take her." Liam pushed me toward the Paragon. "Talk some sense into the nobles while you're at it." He retrieved his cloak and stalked away.
Knowing my brother, he was searching for the perfect spot to eavesdrop.
The grin on the Paragon's face vanished. "Are you alright?"
I stared at him in silence. Of all the things I'd imagined the Paragon's first words to be, 'Are you alright?' had not been among them.
"Yes," I finally answered. "All things considered."
Paragon Tiernan glanced around, radiant gold eyes taking in every inch of the yard. He stepped closer and lowered his voice. "You haven't held a sword before, have you?"
"I have. Two or three times."
His mouth flickered with a faint smile. "Walk with me."
Shoving Cierthine into its hilt, I fell into step with him. He towered above me as we walked the streets of Kentoro—and not just physically. Killian had stood out on the ramparts in the same way.
I walked alongside a legend. Someone larger than life. He had a confident bearing, the stride of a man who'd been a soldier for years.
And he was a Solheart. The shimmer of light and warmth they exuded reminded me of why they stood above the rest of us in the hierarchy.
