Page 22 of In Between Darkness

He summons back the knives, and they uproot themselves from their wooden crevices and glide into his hands.

I pluck one of the knives out of his grasp and toy with its weight in my palms. The handle is steel and smooth. I run a finger over its sharp edge and press the tip of my finger gently into its point. I tighten my grip around the handle, but I still feel it slip a little. My dad taught me a trick.‘When it comes to throwing knives, the most important thing is having a good grip.’I hold the knife out and give it back to River.

“Can you hold on to this for a second?” I ask.

His eyes widen as he looks at me with curiosity. “If you can’t throw the knife, just say so.”

“Oh, shut up.” I give him a sarcastic glare while placing the bottom section of my t-shirt between my teeth. I pull at it gently until a long piece of fabric rips off. He looks at me, genuinelyconfused now. I take the fabric and the knife and begin wrapping it tightly around the handle. I tie a small knot so it does not hang loose. I grip it now. It doesn’t slip. I take a moment to level myself with the wooden figure and close one of my eyes to line up the shot. I pull the knife back behind my head and fling it in the direction of the figurine. It launches through the air like a bullet and lands proud, in the centre of its head. Bullseye.

I can’t tell whether River is impressed or a little scared. He looks at me with intrigue.

“You never cease to surprise me, Asha Calloway.” He pauses for a moment, clearly thinking about his next sentence. “There’s a party tonight down in the archives. The potion students make their own liquor. Don’t get me wrong, it tastes like shit, but it’s pretty lethal, and the teachers never go down there… You should come along, I mean, if that’s your thing?” He gazes at me with want as he hangs on my reply.

“And there I was thinking you were a stand-up student,” I give him a sarcastic smile.

“Looks can be deceiving, princess,” he retorts. “Although I’m seriously rethinking that nickname now I’ve seen you with a knife.”

I narrow my eyes at him and let out a small laugh. “As you should.” I turn to walk away from him.

“So I’ll see you at the party?” he asks.

“I’ll think about it.” I flick my auburn curls away from my shoulders and carry on walking.

“Second courtyard at ten p.m. I really hope you’ll be there,” he calls after me.

I can see Nala walking over towards me. She must be done with Combat, and I don’t see any major injuries, which means she must have done well.

“I heard that you took out Alex!” she says as she runs the gap between us.

“Wow, news travels fast,” I laugh. “Not without its hardship,” I add, gesturing to my now swollen eye.

“That’s quite the shiner you’ve got there.” She grabs my face and examines it closely.

“You should see the other guy.” I’ve always wanted to say this.

“I heard his knee snapped in two,” she says with an unsettling amount of joy in her voice.

“Don’t believe everything you hear,” I wink at her, and she laughs.

“Come on, let’s go get something to eat. I’m starving,” she begs with doe eyes.

“You’re always starving!” I prod at her stomach as I say this, causing her to laugh loudly. “We both survived combat today, and I think that’s worth celebrating… don’t you?”

I raise my eyebrows at her and smile widely. “Party tonight down in the archives. You in?”

“Are you kidding me! Yes, I’m in!” She grins wider before saying. “Wait, how did you even…”

“Remember library boy?” I bite my lip.

Her eyes widen, and she nudges my arm.

“Super-hot third year that’s been making eyes at you all day? How could I forget!”

Chapter Nine

Nala and I are back in our dorm room. She is spinning out because she has no idea what to wear and wants to look good for Charlie tonight.

“This is gonna be the first time he will see me in actual nice clothes, not combat sweats or crappy taming gear. I just want to make a good impression, you know?” She looks at me hopelessly, waiting for me to say something reassuring back.