Page 143 of Ashborne: Defiance

“No, no, not sucking in,” he muttered. “Brace here, like you’re preparing for me to punch you.”

I inhaled, then tightened my muscles as I would if I saw a blow coming and he nodded. “That’s it, now hold that. You should be able to hold that, and still breathe normally. You throw on the exhale.”

He looked up from where he touched me and our eyes locked.

He didn’t say anything, and for a moment, it turned out that I couldn’t breathe.

Then he cleared his throat. “And you face your target just like that,” he said quietly.

“Like what?”

“Not shrinking, not arrogant. Chin level. Shoulders square.” He stepped to my side and I frowned as he pointed for me to look at the leaf on the tree.

“Throw,” he said abruptly.

And, as if my body bent to his will, I did.

It felt different. Awkward. But solid. And the thunk was stronger this time

“Good,” he said, then stepped past me and went through the same process with Bren. I’d smiled when he told me the throw was good, but deflated as he moved on without even looking at me. I was angry with myself for the sinking feeling. I’d wanted him not angry. I’d wanted him to treat me like a real Flameborne. And now he was.

So, why did it still hurt?

We practiced for another twenty minutes, but then Gil called a halt. “We’re losing too much light. Knives and darkness aren’t a good mix. Besides, it’s almost dinner.”

Voski, who’d been on my other side, watching our form, nodded and immediately started toward the stables on the other side of the launch hollow.

Gil returned the blades to Bren and me as he called after him. “Hey, are you sticking around? There’s a meeting—”

“I know. Kham came for me,” he said tonelessly, without turning around.

“I thought you didn’t have patrol for a couple more days?” I blurted, because something in my chest went tight that he was walking away without saying goodbye.

Bren looked at me, but Voski didn’t.

“I don’t. Meeting. Things to do. I’ll be gone again tomorrow.”

And then he took one glance over his shoulder to lock eyes with me, before walking away completely.

My breath left my body. He wasn’t angry, but it felt—

“What the hell was that?” Gil muttered.

And when I turned, both he and Bren were staring at me.

“What was what?” I asked nervously licking my lips and busying myself with sheathing the knife. I still wasn’t accustomed to having the thick leather on my belt, and had to look to put it away, unlike the others who seemed to know where it was instinctively.

“Grace… Did Voski—”

“Oh, it’s fine!” My voice was too high and I swallowed to clear my throat. “He’s just upset with me that I followed him again and—”

“Wait, what?!”

“Yesterday, when I went out to bathe. The dragons were out there and I could feel Koa, but I found him and he didn’t know I was there and—”

“You snuck up? On Voski?” Gil asked, shocked. “You followed him?”

“Yes. I know it’s not good. He was very angry. Again. I told him I was sorry—I didn’t realize he was hiding. I didn’t mean to frighten him. I thought—”