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No answer.
“Oh, here,” Liana said, pulling the ruby from her vest. “A gift.”
Liana let go of my hand, moving to the edge of the drop-off. The Wraith came to meet her there. I clenched my hands into fists to keep from following her. I didn’t want to scare the creature and ruin her plans.
She’s fine. She’ll be fine.
Liana held out the gem for the creature, and it reached out with a thin arm and snatched it from her hand with small webbed fingers. Its black eyes widened at the sight. Then it moved away, it’s tentacles propelling it backwards.
I sighed in relief.
…three days…The Wraith’s scratching voice said in my mind.…we return to this place…
“Meet you here, in only three days? Is that enough time?” I asked.
…time?... We are many, winged male…we find the ships...
The Wraith blinked its double eyelids, and I heard Kade make a disgusted sound behind us.
I wondered how he was holding up. He didn’t like to admit, but he’d had a run-in with a Wraith once as a younger male. I don’t know how he thought fire would win out over water when he dove in off the docks to catch one. He’d come back up sputtering and rubbing at his skin as though it were covered in acid instead of a bit of algae and a couple angry red tentacle marks.
“Thank you. I will not forget this,” Liana said to the Wraiths, bowing to them to show her gratitude. I did the same.
…three days…The lead Wraith reminded us and then sank back under the water and the seven of them disappeared like streaks of moonlight into the deeps.
Chapter Five
Liana
He’d tied back his golden hair. Wearing nothing more than a light tunic and his trousers. No shoes. No armor. And yet Tiernan looked more like a warrior than any male I’d ever seen as he circled me in the ring. His muscles taught, and eyes focused on me like a predator. He waited for me to initiate the attack.
I watched his movements, how one step crossed over the other as we circled each other. How his arms were raised, ready to block an attack. He didn’t have a weak point. We’d been at this for over an hour and he hadn’t even broken a sweat.
My hair stuck to my neck and back where the long ponytail brushed against my skin and the small hairs at my neckline broke free from the leather band. Sweat beaded on my chest and dripped between my breasts. I had three new bruises, though they were healing quickly even without the use of my healing Grace.
It was because of my healing Grace that I told him not to go easy on me. I could heal any injury he gave me so long as he didn’t break any bones.
I’d likely need Healer Loris’ help to heal that and the old crone has been recluse and extra bitter since we told her Aisling wouldn’t be returning. My eyes pricked at the mere thought of her. I tried to shake off the feeling, but it lingered in bones. A heavy, hollowness.
Focus,I demanded of myself.
I lunged, quick as I could, spinning at the last second to use the force of gravity to make the kick more forceful. He caught my leg and threw me back. I stumbled but stayed upright.
“Not fast enough,” he said, his green eyes shining. Challenging me. “And you must hit harder. Remember to use your full body weight—that’s the only way you’ll be able to do any damage. And don’t aimforme—”
“Aimthroughyou,” I finished for him, “I know.”
“Then do it,” he taunted, and I lunged forward again, feinting left before going right, raising an elbow to his throat. Using the force of my entire right side to make the blow stronger. He ducked at the last second and I sailed through the air until he kicked my legs from under me and I fell to the sandy ground.
I grunted past the pain, trying to regain my breath. Gritting my teeth. Fire raged to life in my core as my frustration took hold.
Tiernan tsked, “No Graces,” he reminded me, taking a cursory look around the outskirts of the sparring ring. We hadn’t used it since before we even knew about my Graces. We had to practice those in private now, but for hand to hand combat training, we could have an audience. So, an audience we had.
I tried to ignore them like Tiernan said, and it had been working, but when I fell yet again, I heard their gasps and whispers. Some worried I would be hurt. Others whispered how weak I was. But the vast majority seemed put off by the fact I was sparring at all—and in trousers no less. As if I should spar in a gown. Becausethatwouldn’t be a hindrance at all… did they think I couldn’t hear them?
“Just order them away,” Tiernan said, stepping in to help me stand.
His mistake. I grabbed hold of his forearm and threw a kick into his abdomen, using the strength in my legs to lift his feet from the sand. Tossing him over my body to land with ahmphhon his head.
