Page 4 of Enchanted Shadows (The Enchanted Kingdom #6)

N ot sure what it said about me, but I was looking forward to beating the hell out of Miles today. The best way to teach the women some self-defense was to show them myself.

“Listen up,” I commanded.

They all moved in closer in the training ring. I wasn’t sure if I was in a better mood or if there truly had been less grumbling this morning for our run. Maybe they had been looking forward to this. Regardless, the morning had gone relatively smoothly. Thus far.

“Self-defense is fluid. We’re going to start out with three basic moves.

Once everyone has mastered all three of them, we will move on.

But when it comes to defending yourself, there are no rules and honor does not apply because if you are not safe, you are not respected.

Cheap shots are allowed. Encouraged even.

I don’t care if you have to scratch, bite, claw, or go straight for a groin shot.

If you are being attacked, you do whatever it takes, understood? ”

There were a few timid nods, but I seemed to have all of their attention.

“Understood?” I snapped.

“Yes, General,” they responded together.

“This is Lieutenant Miles Rook.”

Miles added, “Otherwise known as his punching bag for today.”

A few laughs were heard as Miles and I moved to face one another. “Now. First off is the stance. Feet shoulder length apart. Don’t lock your legs, keep those knees ready to run. Stagger your feet so you are ready to move in either direction.”

I held up my hands. “I will teach you to properly form fists eventually, but for now, I want you practicing with open hands. Palms up. Particularly convenient for those of you with palm magic.”

I gestured with two fingers for Miles to come at me. And when he did, I used my entire body, core tight as I rotated my hips and forced my entire hand at his face. Because I was feeling generous, I aimed for the middle of his forehead instead of his nose.

As the smack sounded, there were a few gasps.

“I was kind and didn’t aim for his nose, because I do not hate Miles?—”

“Could have fooled me,” Miles interjected, rubbing his head. “Did you have to go so hard?”

I sent him a side-eye of a glare. “Yes. They have to learn how to do this right.”

“Right.”

I got back into ready stance and showed them the motion again. “But you should absolutely aim for the nose if it is real. Eyes, throat, groin. Rotate your hips and use your entire body with the motion. Keep your core tight and explode upward.”

My sister choked on a laugh on the word explode and started giggling.

“Wren. ”

“Sorry, now is not the time, got it.”

Miles looked annoyed as he glanced from me to her and back again.

“What other word would you have me use, Wren?”

Vivian offered none too innocently, “Thrust? A forceful thrust?”

I rubbed a hand down my face. We weren’t even done with the first move of three before the inappropriate comments started up. I swore the women were equally as terrible as my men training classes. No better than teenage boys.

“Knock it off.”

I was thinking it, but it hadn’t been me to say the words. I looked up to see Zara there, snapping at all of them. “This is important. For all of us. Save the jokes for later.”

My eyes hit hers and she gave me a barely there dip of her chin. Had she really just helped me?

I mimicked the motion again. “ Forcefully thrust . If truly being attacked, remember some of you have longer fingernails. You want to gouge in the eyes with those nails or scratch and cause some damage? Be my guest. Whatever scumbag chooses to attack you is not walking away unharmed, you hear me?” My eyes went to my sister’s.

“And I would think you, of all people, would want to pay close attention here, Wren.”

She closed her eyes a moment and swallowed before giving me one nod. There were a few curious glances between us.

I moved on to the second move, a groin kick, and ended with a move where you block with one arm and punch with the dominant hand. Blocking was everything in self-defense, and we would spend a day or more working on stance and blocking.

Lesson delivered, getting used to the motions was the best way to learn. “Now split up and let’s get to practicing. Really do the moves, like you do want to hurt one another. The person playing the part of the attacker can practice deflecting. ”

They all moved, forming groups of two. All except one. Zara.

“Guess you’re stuck with me,” I told her.

“They’re punishing me for telling them to stop,” she groaned.

“You were right.”

She sighed. “They know that too.”

I spun to Miles. “Walk around and make sure they are doing things right, would you? I’m fairly certain at this point they’d like to hear someone else’s voice telling them what they’re doing wrong.”

Miles smirked and moved to walk around the groups.

We practiced the palm strike first. With one problem. Zara was barely hitting me. “Come on,” I demanded. “Hit me harder. I can take it.”

The next drive she did, slapping my forehead harder. And I let her. She needed to learn to not be afraid to hit someone.

When we moved to groin kicks, she asked, “Don’t you want me to join another group for this?”

“No. You’re stuck with me.”

She mumbled under her breath as she shifted her weight to kick, “I’ve been stuck with far worse.”

Her words registered a moment later, so I reached out and snagged her foot before it could find purchase. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Her eyes went wide as she hopped on one leg. “Nothing.”

I dropped her leg. “Zara. You can’t ask for self-defense and then say something like that to me.”

She moved back to ready stance. “Just forget I mentioned it, okay?”

“No. Who are you afraid of?”

She swallowed. “And what are you going to do? Hunt them down and go all growly savage on them?”

“Yes.”

I waited for her to tell me something, anything, but she didn’t say a word, just moved right into the stance and went for another kick.

I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Are you safe? Just tell me you’re safe.”

“I am now,” she responded back.

“And if you’re ever not, you will let me know?”

She kicked at me again, this time far harder. “Sure.”

Neither of us believed that.

We moved into doing some blocking. Zara hadn’t been wrong in saying she already knew some of this, so the blocking drills I had her do were one step farther, blocking and spinning away.

“What’s Zara short for?”

Her eyes stayed on mine, but her feet faltered. “Who says it’s short for anything?”

I smirked. Was she always this bristly or was it just me? “The fact that we are on the fourth day of this and sometimes we have to say ‘Zara’ multiple times before you answer.”

“It’s a nickname. One my family uses,” she explained.

“What’s it short for then?” Zarlynn? Zarell? Zarbana? Yeah, I was bad at this.

“I will tell you when I trust you,” was her only response.

“Are you intentionally trying to be mysterious? You seem to keep to yourself.”

She sighed and relaxed out of ready stance, her lone blonde braid swinging as she did. “No. I’m not trying to be anything. I just have trust issues. That’s all.”

I looked to the sun and took a deep breath.

“I once had to stand there and watch the dead king, the same one I eventually helped kill, rub Wren’s back.

It was—” Even now I had to stop and clench my jaw remembering the level of helplessness I felt.

“Repulsive,” I finally finished as traces of forest green ran along my veins in my forearms.

“Why are you telling me this? ”

“Because I may be growly. I may yell. I may straight up be an ass. But I made a promise to myself that I would never stand there and allow something like that to happen again.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

“Okay.”

“Don’t say it.” She got back into ready position.

“Say what?”

Her voice went deeper as she imitated, “Again.”

It wasn’t all bad, but her voice couldn’t dip as deep as mine was. I had been saying that an awful lot lately. I grinned. “Again. And this time bring it.”

A few minutes later, I heard Miles call for me, “Raikes.”

“Be right back,” I told Zara before heading over.

Remy was bent over, grabbing at her stomach.

“What happened?” I asked Miles. Maybe this was why we shouldn’t start defense training in the first few days. They weren’t confident enough on their feet yet, hadn’t pounded out enough miles. Hadn’t gotten used to their own limbs yet.

“I don’t know,” Miles told me. “She just started gasping out in pain.”

I looked to Remy. “You take a kick to the stomach?”

“No,” she gritted out.

I noted the way a few of the other women were glancing between themselves and realization dawned on me. There were a few things different about this training class, but I also had two sisters. “Cramps?”

“Yes,” she hissed.

They’d likely been bothering her all day and if she hadn’t been drinking enough water, they’d only get worse.

I turned to her partner Jaya. “Go grab her water.”

“Heat should help, hang on.” And before thinking to really ask, I sent my power out in thick strands to wrap around her back and stomach. Remy wasn’t Enchanted, but Nerede seemed to be less afraid of Enchanted people these days. So hopefully I hadn’t overstepped. “Let me know if it’s too hot.”

Within a few minutes, she was able to breathe better. “Thank you,” she sighed.

“Do yourself a favor and don’t drink any caffeinated beverages until they’re gone,” I told her as she was finally able to stand and drink water, my green magic still around her like a thick belt. “They don’t help. Just narrow your blood vessels.”

Harlow asked, “General Raikes, did they prep you in how to treat menstruating women or something?”

My lips twitched. “No. I was already properly trained by the fact that I have two younger sisters.”

“Didn’t see that one coming,” Jessina whispered, though I could still hear it.

“I know,” Zara agreed. “A little surprised he didn’t tell her to bleed faster.”

I pinned her with a glare. “I would have, if I thought for half a moment it would work.” I turned to Miles. “Go to the healers and ask for some of their heat packs, would you? I need a handful of them to be kept at the barracks for the team.”

He gave me a nod, seeming rather confused by everything he’d just seen. “Sure, boss.”

I turned back to find the women all looking at me like I’d grown horns. “What?”

“That was awfully kind of you,” Molly voiced.

I shook my head. “Well don’t get used to it. Tomorrow I’ll be back to yelling my encouragements.”

“Pick it up,” Pippa imitated.

“Hustle,” another said.

“Exactly,” I laughed.

I allowed Remy a break to sit while my magic warmed her, so long as she kept drinking water. I had Zara train with Jaya while we finished out our first defense session .

I let them learn and get in the proper reps, knowing that would be the best teacher.

As I observed, I noted the variety of my team before me.

All colors and shapes and sizes. Some Enchanted and some not.

All women. So many different strengths and weaknesses before me.

My task wasn’t to rid them of their weaknesses, rather it was to magnify their strengths.

Pull them out in a way they hadn’t yet considered.

Even though this job had been forced on me, I couldn’t help but be a little proud too. They might annoy me rather regularly, but they weren’t all bad either.