Page 123

Any excitement about my magic appearing was gone. If Prince Calder was correct and winter magic came out of me and I was powerful, King Magnus would feel it.

Bleeding skies. I had to get the Liar’s Salvation in my hands, not to lie, but to keep my magic at bay.

“Filip!” Vale called out.

“Wait your turn!” Sayyida yelled from where the pair had taken their sparring into the air. “I almost have him!”

She proved her point mere seconds later, slashing her sword against Filip’s chain-mail-protected belly and cheering. “Point for me!”

For the first time in over a day, my lips broke into a smile. It felt so foreign on my face, almost painful, but the way the pair landed and Sayyida performed a victory dance pried me out of my misery.

“Filip, over here.” Vale gestured for the youngling to join us.

The squire ran up, and I wasted no time assessing him. Today, he appeared coordinated, which told me he wasn’t going through a magical growth spurt at the moment.

“My prince.” Filip bowed when he reached us.

“My prince,” Thantrel mimicked and bowed, arms wide in exaggeration. “Simpering stars, Filip, are you for real?”

Vale’s lips twitched, but Filip insisted on always treating Vale in this manner, even if Vale wouldn’t have minded a more casual relationship.

“Just because you have no manners, doesn’t mean others should stoop to your level,” Filip sniped at Thantrel.

“Sothe lad does have teeth!” Thantrel barked out merrily. “There’s hope for you yet, young Balik!”

“Enough taunting him,” Vale interjected and set his gaze on Filip. “I want you to spar with my wife today. With dulled steel so she can better get used to the weight of real swords. Do not hold back.”

My wife.I swallowed and forced myself not to show the way my stomach roiled. Once a protection, now it made me think of our taboo night together.

“Very well.” Filip turned to me, patting at the woven metal chain mail he wore. He and Sayyida had been fighting with steel rather than wood, so they’d needed the protection. “There are extras by the weapons.”

I nodded. “I’ll be right back with those.”

“And holster two stakes,” Vale added. “If anything so you can get used to their presence and weight at your sides.”

“I know.”

“I’ll be off to the side. Out of the way.”

I didn’t miss the Riis brothers exchanging looks of surprise. Usually, Vale stood close by, and I’d have wanted him to be there.

I pushed all that aside as I retrieved weapons and additional protection from storage. Moments later, Filip and I were sparring, and I relished the movement. It allowed me to forget about everything else.

Forget who I was, the danger I was in, and about the person I cared for. The person I was distancing myself from. The person I was hurting.

While I sparred, none of that occupied my mind. Not if I wanted to grow stronger and have a chance at living.

Filip leapt and his honey-gold wings caught air as he soared over me.

I fell into a crouch, out of the reach of his blade.

“Thought I’d be able to get you out fast. Sayyida taught me that one today.”

“You’ll have to try harder,” I shot back.

And he did.

The next five minutes were a whirlwind of attacks, me on Filip, the squire on me, rinse and repeat. We both used our wings, and each time I did so, I breathed easier. Thanks to training, my wings grew strong. So strong that I no longer doubted their capabilities.