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I nodded. “So be it.”
“Some of the fae aren’t happy with their presence here,” Toryn argued. “Too many mouths to feed, I’ve heard them say. Obviously, I don’t agree, but we don’t want someone else to follow in Asher’s footsteps.”
“We’ll give them tasks, but we’ll let them choose what they’d prefer to do. There are a few empty homes near the rear gates where they can live.” I held up my hand when Toryn opened his mouth to argue. “I will not kick them out of this city.”
“All right. Giving them tasks might be enough to satisfy everyone.” Toryn glanced at the closed door behind me. “How is she?”
“About what you might expect.”
“Both parents, gone.” A familiar haunted expression crossed his face. “She’s strong, though. She’ll get through this, especially since she has her sister.”
“If Oberon couldn’t break her, nothing can.”
“Her sister is damn strong too,” he said with a fond smile before clearing his throat. “Get some sleep. I’ll start preparations for the funeral in the morning.”
I gave him my thanks and then cracked open the door of my chambers. Nellie and Tessa were fast asleep on the bed, arms wrapped tight around each other. I went over to the fire, picked up a chair, and then carried it back out into the corridor. Then I settled in and waited for a new day to dawn.
* * *
“Iwant to train.”
It was the first thing she said the next morning when she yanked open the door to find me keeping watch in the castle corridor. Her eyes were haunted, but the determined set of her shoulders and the clenching of her hands told a different story. She’d woken from her trance. And knowing Tessa, that meant she needed to fight.
I stood, nodding. “Go to your room and change into some fighting leathers. And then meet me in the courtyard. Bring your sword.”
A flicker of relief in her eyes drove aside the grief, if only for a brief moment. “I didn’t think you’d agree.”
“I’ve been waiting for you to suggest it. What about your sister?”
Her eyes glazed over once again. “She’s still sleeping. I don’t want to disturb her.”
“That’s fine. She can stay there for as long as she needs.”
With a grateful nod, she took off down the corridor, still wearing my clothes. I went inside and changed into my own fighting leathers before taking a detour to let Toryn know where Nellie was, so that he could take my place standing watch in the corridor. After leaving his room, I made my way to the castle doors and pushed out into the courtyard.
Tessa was already there, waiting for me. At first, she didn’t hear me approach. She stood with the sword raised before her, knees bent, arms trembling from the weight of it. There was ferocity in the tense set of her jaw and the white knuckles of her hands. With a roar, she swung the sword, and the sweet whistle of steel filled the courtyard.
“Not bad,” I said, walking toward her. “Good control, but you don’t need to use so much force with your arms. More legs, less arms.”
She lowered the sword, and the end punched the ground. “It’s heavy. I don’t know hownotto use my arms.”
“Here.” I unsheathed my own sword and held it before me, the dull length resting against both outstretched palms. “Hold it like this and then try to lift it over your head.”
Frowning, she did as I asked. And with a deep breath, she managed to raise it into the air.
I arched a brow. “Impressive.”
“I’m stronger than I look.” She still stood there, chin high, with the sword above her head. Her arms began to tremble.
“You can lower it now.”
She exhaled and lowered the sword back to her waist.
“Good. Now bend your knees and use your legs to propel the blade upward.” I demonstrated what I meant, and then sheathed my sword, waiting.
Tessa took a deep breath, and I couldn’t help but smile at her fierce determination. She had a lot to learn, not just on how to handle a sword, but on how to use it—successfully—in a fight. We had a long way to go before she could be competent, let alone exceptional. But I did not doubt her for one moment. If she wanted to do this, she would.
She bent her knees and then straightened them, pushing the sword over her head. It rose as easily as a leaf in the wind. A gasp of surprise popped from her parted lips, and she was caught so off guard that she dropped the sword at her feet.
