Page 69 of Taken By Shadows

“He might be an arrogant ass sometimes. But he does protect—”

“His investments. I know.” I finished with a roll of my eyes.

“Yes. I suppose you could say that.” She smiled.

“Well, he’s not here.”

“He’s not. No. He’s in the Cage.”

I winced. People kept saying that word like it hurt. It came up a lot last night when we’d all arrived back at the Alabaster Palace.

“And that’s the point. The city just arrested him for protecting you.”

“So we should be fixing that. Not here.” I gesticulated with vigour at the surroundings.

There was a pause, and Denora rested an elbow on her knee as she perched on a low wall. “What would you have done? If he hadn’t been there? If he hadn’t come when he did?”

The thought chilled my insides. The reality of what might have happened had been teetering on the precipice of my mind since I’d been healed by Celeste. And it terrified me.

I hadn’t found that piece of me that belonged. The part of me that had urged me to leave everything I knew. There was still a part of me that was going to fight for what I needed.

I wasn’t ready to die.

And I wasn’t ready to give up on my future.

Kaed had stood between me and that future. He stood between me and everything.

My freedom. Death.

Those men. Their lust for violence and brutality dripped from them like acid rain. I didn’t want to rely on someone else to save me.

I squared my shoulders and picked up one of the swords, testing the weight.

“I know you’re not trying to scare me. And I don’t like the truth that without Kaed or one of you around, I can’t defend myself.”

“So let’s change that.” She grinned at me and picked up the sword.

Everything hurt. I had bruises in places I didn’t know I could get bruises.

But Denora had been in a good mood, she said.

“I’d hate to see what your training looks like when you’re in a bad mood.”

She laughed with her whole face, and her short hair danced as she embraced the levity.

“Don’t worry. Those training days are reserved for Kaedian. He deserves them.”

I took a gulp of water from a canteen Denora had produced and drank greedily. “You really think I can get good enough at this?”

“Your footwork is excellent. Your sword work is good. We can improve it. You need to work on your awareness of your surroundings, though.” She was right on all counts. “There were a few times I beat you, and it was just because you weren’t paying attention.”

“My father—the man who raised me—was a smith.” I didn’t think she needed to know that distinction, but I gave it to her anyway. “That’s how I can use a sword at all. I’ve held one before.” I don’t know why I told her that, but it didn’t feel wrong to open up to her.

She just smiled at the proffered memory of my past. “You can do this. We all have the potential for change within us. It’s just about how we focus that potential. How we hone it.”

Denora walked me back, wooden swords crossed behind her neck. She was unapologetically herself, even in the streets of Viverna as merchants and children eyed us.

Before we even made it to the front doors of the house, Audrie came shooting out of them, a missive in her hand.