Page 68 of Of Blackened Blood (The Blackened Blade #3)
GADRIEL
I place my duffle bags down as soon as I enter the abattoir and the space being used to train Micai.
I glance around as I prepare the weapons I plan to use for the day.
The room is a little old and run-down looking in certain areas but had so far been perfect for training and sparring with Micai. She also seems quite comfortable here.
I pull my daggers and a small spiked mace out, laying them down on a nearby table. I have had many questions rise in my mind since being brought here by Ezra, with more growing each day.
But an agreement was made, and I am a being of my word. I will not pry any further, especially if it’s to help Micai. Being able to spar with her again and watch her strength flourish here is enough for me.
Micai did however show me her new ability as we began training on our first day. Watching her pull those black blades from the marks on her wrists ... it left me completely awestruck and speechless. Never before had I seen such an ability. And I thought I knew more than most.
This strange and miraculous ability seemed to suit Micai the longer I watched her with them. She grows stronger at handling them each day and seems to have some kind of inner connection with them.
For a warrior, it was the perfect ability. And Micai is one through and through.
A small sigh slips from my lips as I continue to organise my weapons, my mind flowing to Micai in the dean’s office yesterday morning.
She had been through more than I had even realised: isolated, ostracized, harassed, and attacked by people that should have been peers. The academy was a place to build connections and make memories for most students, but this ... what Micai has suffered ...
A lump forms in my throat. I wish I had seen it all sooner. I should have done something the night I found her, even if it went against her wishes.
I would have helped sooner had I known of her suffering— no matter what I had to do , I would have protected her. To hell with my name, with being a faculty member, to my investigation, and to it all ... if she suffers then there is no meaning to it.
I grip the longsword I’ve pulled from my bag tightly in my hand, the cold metal against my skin slightly calming my mind and darkening thoughts.
I will protect Micai in whatever form she needs; shield or sword, I will be at her disposal. I will not allow her to suffer again.
Footsteps pull me from my thoughts as I turn toward a dark-haired boy entering the large space. I believe his name is Creed.
I give him a curt nod as he makes his way toward me, a slight scowl set on his features. I’m not sure if he doesn’t like me or if that’s his normal set expression, as I haven’t seen any other emotion cross his face since we’ve been introduced. But by the looks of it, it seems to be a bit of both.
“Micai will be here soon.” He narrows his gaze at the sword in my hand. He folds his arms, a rigid stance taking hold of him as he continues to watch me.
I nod before placing the sword down, glancing toward the doors he entered from, awaiting her arrival.
Silence fills the space between us before he decides to speak again.
“What exactly do you get out of all of this?” He glares my way, hostility rolling off him in waves. “You can’t be giving your weekends and personal time to simply help a student. So, what is it?”
He clearly doesn’t like me or trust me. And I can understand to some extent. We don’t know each other. Building trust also takes time.
He’s made it clear he doesn’t like me in his space and fears hidden motives.
If our roles were reversed, would I be so welcoming to someone unknown entering my home and moving around my family?
I shake my head. I would probably be just as wary as he is now.
I meet his dark glare again. “And what if it is just that simple?” I try to keep my tone and expression light, to show him I’m sincere. “I am only here to help Micai.”
I would never hurt Micai. And that now extends to them as long as they are by her side. I can see that they’ve created their own place in the world to belong, and that Micai has accepted these men as her partners.
A small slither runs across my chest with the thought before I tamp it down. Micai is safe and happy.
Spending this last while training with her here, I’ve seen her smile more than I ever have before. If being here makes her happy ... if they make her happy, then that’s all that matters.
If I can stay beside her in some form and help her, even if it’s just as a friend, then I believe I can find my own peace in time.
“Just to ‘help’ her?” His tone is even more curt as his gaze darkens. “I’ve never met a teacher that selflessly wanted to help their students without receiving something in return.”
I don’t enjoy the persistent hostility he’s throwing my way. Even if I understand part of it, it doesn’t mean I will continue to take each hit willingly.
“We do exist ... although there are not as many of us as there should be.” I meet his dark, questioning gaze with my own as I continue. “But whether you believe my sincerity to help Micai is real or not isn’t for you to decide, Creed. It’s Micai’s.”
His eyes narrow further with my words, his hands balling into fists at his sides. He opens his mouth to argue, I assume, but I cut him off and continue.
“And I will help her with or without your blessing. As long as she wants me here— and as long as I’m allowed —I’ll stay to help her strength grow to its full potential. And make sure no future foe gets the better of her.”
The atmosphere grows heavy and thick as Creed glares toward me. His lips part again just as the large doors to their private quarters swing open and Micai enters. She fixes the long sleeves of the tight grey workout top she’s wearing before brushing her hand down to her matching leggings.
She takes a few more steps inside before her gaze finally meets mine, and I watch as her smile grows. And something warms the depths of me with the happy expression she’s wearing at my presence.
Her gaze then turns toward Creed and quickly narrows, her smile fading as her eyes flicker back and forth between me and him as she makes her way to us. Has she sensed the hostility in the air?
“Is there something I’m missing?” she asks, a genuine, curious look taking over her soft features. “Has something happened?”
A beat of silence passes before Creed answers her, his voice gruff. “Nothing at all. Start your training. I’ll be back later.” He turns to leave after eyeing me one last time. And before Micai can form any kind of reply, he’s already across the room and heading through the doors she entered from.
“What large stick found its way up his ass?” she murmurs before quickly whipping around, realising her words. “That— Sorry .”
“Don’t be.” I shake my head, a genuine smile tugging at my lips. “I was thinking the same thing.”
Her smile returns as a small chuckle leaves her lips at my words.
I turn around and grab a pair of elven daggers— her favourite —and throw one to her as I grip my own. “Let’s warm up first, shall we?”
A spark of excitement enters her deep blue eyes as she takes her stance, flipping the elven dagger skilfully between her hands before gripping it tightly. She narrows her eyes at me before they trail down my frame, watching me intently now as her opponent before I slowly begin to move closer.
Suddenly she dashes toward me, her blade clashing with mine as she attacks fiercely. I dodge and counterattack, not letting up as we move back and forth in the large space around us.
I feign an attack to her right side and at the last minute target her left, trying to catch her off guard. But Micai reacts with great adaptability, evading the attack with ease before twisting around and launching her own attack toward my front. And I just barely block it.
Each attack she throws my way is more precise and faultless than the next. She reads each of my movements better than she ever did before, strategizing while defending with no issues. Her growth in just these past few training sessions has been immense. She’s now a master in her own right.
We clash back and forth, time lost to both of us as we fall into our own rhythm and world, an exhilaration and excitement taking over me that I only ever feel when I’m with her.
Everything else fades away, only her lithe figure surrounds me, and only her deep blue eyes pull me back and forth with her.
I twist around, dodging another one of her attacks, but just barely. The attack in question takes an inch off my hair on my right side as I move back and away from her.
I hear a muffled chuckle somewhere as I counterattack. I kick off the ground, twisting into a flip above her while dodging the second attack aimed at me, only to land quickly behind her, my blade pointing toward her neck.
Her blue eyes meet mine as she turns, a bright twinkle in them as she glances lower down my body and to my chest ... where her own blade resides.
My grin widens. We are evenly matched.
Each time we spar I feel more excitement and reverence than I have with any other fighter, even ones from my own clan.
I gaze deeply at her, falling further into those blue eyes as my heart beats loudly in my chest. We stare at one another, nothing else existing as a beautiful pink hue tints her soft cheeks.
Suddenly, a loud clap rings out around the space, pulling us back from our own little world as I realise we have an audience. Creed, Ezra, and Micai’s two other partners are standing to one side of the room, their eyes watching us with intent.
Micai shakes her head before turning toward them and giving each of them a warm smile. It immediately breaks the silence that has spread in the room.
The tall, tattooed partner makes his way over toward Micai, wrapping his arm around her before pulling her in and kissing her.
It has her soft eyes immediately closing and her free hand falling on his chest. A small content hum leaves her lips as she leans into his embrace.