Page 76

It had surprised me when the princess arrived with Sayyida. Saga claimed to want to learn more about self-defense with her friends, and her brother wasn’t about to deny her.

Truth be told, the practice wouldn’t hurt Saga. I was already better than her and Marit.

“Argh!” Filip grunted as I soared above him, wings straining with the effort to move fast, flipped, and hit his honey-brown wings from my inverted position.

From below, Vale clapped. “Ingenious, Neve! Filip, you’re out! Saga, you too!”

My heart leapt. Of those on the other team, only Sayyida remained. I spun in midair to find her, taking a moment to marvel at how much more dexterous my wings had gotten. Daily physical training and swordplay had enhanced my reflexes, which Vale had already deemed very good. And though we’d only been partaking in aerial training for two days, my wings were benefiting from the exercises.

Soon, I wouldn’t fear flying high in the air. I’d ride the winds like I’d been born to do.

For now, though, I soared toward Sian as he took on Sayyida, a wide grin on his face. The young Nava captain was bright red, revealing how hard she was battling the experienced warrior.

She was so focused on Sian that Sayyida didn’t even see me coming. Heart pounding, I lifted my wooden sword and brought it down as she jerked out of the way, twisted, and stabbed me in the arm.

“Ow!”

“Out, Neve!” Vale called.

“Thought you had me, huh?” Sayyida laughed. “Not likely, Neve—hey!”

Sian finished her off by zooming over and giving a swat to her thigh. “Never turn your back on your strongest opponent.”

“Yeah, Sayyida,” I teased.

“Shove it,” she shot back as she dropped to the ground and marched off.

Sian and I followed, clapping our hands together in victory as our feet hit the floor. “You flew well, Princess Neve.”

“Thanks. I feel a lot stronger.” I shifted my wings so that they pressed down my back, into a resting position, and winced. “More sore too.”

“Have you taken to the mineral baths?”

I swallowed. As a slave, I’d washed in a bathhouse with natural mineral pools, and I’d heard Frostveil boasted something similar, but I hadn’t gone to them. Not after what had happened back in the Vampire Kingdom. The day I’d killed a vampire.

The day I’d risked my life for a new beginning.

“I’m not partial to them,” I lied. For now, I’d stick with Vale’s vast tub.

“Perhaps a sauna, then? I find those always help when I’ve overtrained.”

“The one in the city?” The only one I’d seen was the fancy one in Lordling Lane.

“We have one inside the palace,” Saga chimed in from behind. I twisted to find her skipping toward us. “Iwant to go too, Neve, so let’s do it! Sayyida will come too.”

“I will not,” Sayyida shouted. She stood with Filip, and the pair looked to be plotting how best to beat me and Sian next time. Sore losers, both of them.

“You will,” Saga muttered as she closed in. “We should go now.”

“You’re already done training?” Sian smirked. “You didn’t last very long.”

He wasn’t wrong. It was still early in the morning, and we usually trained until lunch.

“We have the theater tonight.” Saga’s hands landed on her slender hips. “And I bet Neve has to pick up her dress still.”

I did. Or at least, I had to send someone to do so for me.

“So, you see, Sian, we have time to sauna, eat, and then go to the shop before we have to get ready for the show,” Saga continued.