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Thea grinned. ‘Thanks.’

‘There’s only so many nosebleeds a woman can have before the masters ask harder questions.’

‘Good thing you always have the answers then.’ Thea slung an arm around her sister’s neck. Wren was a revered alchemist of Thezmarr, whereas Thea was more of a drifter. While she worked alongside her sister in the workshop and in the library to earn her keep, her mind was always elsewhere, with the limited years she had left, with her dreams of damning the rules and wielding a blade of her own against the darkness.

Wren clicked her tongue in frustration and shook her off. ‘I would sooner hit you than hug you right now.’

‘Only because I taught you how.’

‘Know when to shut up, Thee.’

Sensing that her sister’s annoyance was indeed at its limits, Thea clamped down on the rest of her retorts.

The sharp ring of steel on steel echoed up from the courtyard and she went to the window, nails digging into the damp sill as she looked down.

A new unit of shieldbearers, varying in age from teens to mid-twenties, were making their way towards the gatehouse, some sparring as they went.

The guild honed warriors from the very beginning, training shieldbearers in the art of war until they passed their initiation tests to become Guardians of the midrealms who bore the totem of a pair of crossed swords. From there they could stay faithfulmid-level warriors of Thezmarr, or they could work their way up to commanders and masters of a particular field. Then, there were the Warswords.

To be a Warsword… was to be a legend incarnate.

But below, there was no sign of the elite warriors, nor could Thea see Esyllt, the weapons master. Thea’s chest tightened as she watched them go, shields slung across their backs, no doubt on their way to drills she’d watched a hundred times before, hidden away in the Bloodwoods.

Her fingers itched to retrieve her dagger from her boot.

‘Thea…’ her sister warned.

Making up her mind, Thea snatched her cloak from Wren’s grasp and thrust the papers back at her. ‘I feel another nosebleed coming on.’

‘Thea, no —’

Thea was already walking away. ‘Oh it’s going to be a bad one, I can tell. Transcribing Audra’s fascinating tomes and re-shelving dusty books will have to wait, I wouldn’t want to mar the pages…’

Wren attempted to block her. Her eyes, a near perfect match to Thea’s, blazed with frustration. ‘Gods, you’re not a teenager anymore.’ She glanced back at their friends.

‘I’ve got a blinding headache, too, Wren.’

Her sister flung her hands up in exasperation, shaking her head once more in disbelief. ‘You’re a damn fool, Althea.’

Thea grinned; she knew exactly what she was. But she would rather live a hundred lives in three years than waste the little time she had left in these realms. She threw a little wave over her shoulder as she started back down the stairs and burst out into the rain once more.

Outside, true dark had fallen around the fortress and Thea passed unnoticed through the gatehouse as usual. She followed the unit of shieldbearers at a distance, knowing precisely where they were going. The Bloodwoods were a dense forest surrounding the territory of Thezmarr, where the trees bled the blood of warriors long dead and whispered ancient secrets with the rustle of their leaves.

Further south was a clearing that the weapons master, Esyllt, favoured for initial drills with smaller units. He would already be there waiting, but Thea kept off the main trail in case there were any late comers, though she doubted even the dimmest of shieldbearers would be that stupid. Esyllt’s wrath was not to be trifled with.

Wonder who’d emerge victorious if he was pitted against Audra…Thea snorted. Audra could beat him over the head with one of her books easily enough, and shehadbeen a knife throwing champion long ago.

Still amused at the thought, Thea delved deeper into the dark glades of the Bloodwoods, relishing the damp smell of the earth and the slide of the leaves beneath her boots. She was close enough to hear the unit bash their way through the forest, could even see the stragglers at the back.A stealthy bunch to be sure, she scoffed. Though, she couldn’t help but eye the weapons that swung at their belts with envy.

On the night the prophecy had been triggered, the Master Alchemist, Farissa, had evacuated all the children of Thezmarr to a hidden cellar. But after the others had fallen asleep, Thea had found a grate in the stone, giving her a glimpse of the scorched courtyard above. She would never forget the sight of the women surrendering their blades in the dead of night. The steel had sung as the swords were thrown into a pile, their rage palpable.

‘The prophecy has begun,’ the Guild Master had called over the shouts of fury and the several brawls that broke out. ‘We can no longer have women wielding blades. You will find other occupations, or henceforth leave the guild.’

‘Osiris you bastard,’ someone screamed. ‘You would leave Thezmarr so weakened? You would turn your back on all those who have served loyally —’

‘It is not how I wanted things to be. But it is the will of the gods,’ he replied. ‘Surrender your weapons, or they will be taken by force!’

Thea had been too young to understand then, but it had haunted her ever since. Except for Audra, the warrior women had left that very night, to where, no one knew, for it was a law not only of Thezmarr, but the midrealms in their entirety. No woman would brandish steel again.