Page 41 of Voices in the Stars (The Lost Witch #1)

Turns out that was all the convincing Leon needed. One moment, silence had blanketed us in the kitchen. The next moment, Leon finished slicing through the vegetables, leaving them to simmer in a dark liquid as he ushered me outside.

We were in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. There were random spots of grass that were much shorter than the rest. I glanced at the giant in front of me.

It was possible he cleared out this entire area surrounding us.

I looked back at the house we had just left; it was a log cabin.

Maybe it was more than a possibility then.

Clucking filled the silence as we rounded one side of the house.

There was a round, wooden fence with chickens moving around inside it.

“Wait here,” Leon mumbled, walking over to the side of the house.

A wooden ladder trailed up the house. I shifted my weight from foot to foot as I followed it up the tall building.

The ladder ended at a flat section of the stone roof.

It looked flat enough that someone could definitely sit up there.

I glanced over at Leon, wondering what the possibility of me climbing up there would be.

I shook my head. That was an issue for another time.

There were more important things that needed to be done now.

Leon walked over to a wooden beam that ran about halfway along the house.

Scabbards of all sizes were tied along it.

They seemed to be organized by size, and he was walking straight toward the broad swords.

It was much larger than the rest, the length of his arm and twice its width.

My gaze darted between it and the next largest sword that looked about double its size before wincing.

That one had to have been made specifically for him.

It made sense if he had certain things that were specifically his in the house that he would have his own sword.

The rest looked like they would have been dainty toys in his hands.

I rolled my still sore shoulders, slightly regretting asking him about this now.

Maybe I should’ve waited a day. Then again, if I did, Atlas could’ve told him about the plan to leave me by then.

I felt like I was already pushing the little luck I had saved up by asking Leon to do this now.

It was apparent they have a history. When Atlas was here it was the most relaxed I had seen him.

If Leon knew the plan, there would be no way I could convince him to go against Atlas.

He might be helping me now, but there was no confusion in my mind. He was no friend of mine.

He finally seemed satisfied as he grabbed one, bringing it over to where I waited for him.

The scabbard was pulled away from the sword and thrown to the ground.

Light reflected off the metal as Leon effortlessly twirled it around him, lunging and slashing out in a very practiced dance.

It only lasted a few moments before he was holding it out to me.

I glanced between it and the expectant look on Leon’s face.

“Please tell me you aren’t expecting me to do that,” I commented. There was no way I could do half of that without losing at least one of my fingers.

“No.” Leon shook his head, still holding it out to me. “Just take it.”

“Okay,” I muttered, grabbing onto the hold, only to hiss in pain as the handle ripped out of my hand as I dropped it.

Leon choked back a laugh as he quickly held it in place, tip buried in the dirt sticking straight up. “That is what I expected you to do. Try again,” he said, nodding toward the sword.

My brows furrowed, the fire in my chest sparking to life at the humiliation, and I felt my cheeks turning red.

My hands replaced his one as I tried to just hold it above the ground.

I grunted as I tried to lift it once again.

My hands shook as it barely hovered above the grass.

Pain burned from my shoulders as I kept pushing.

I needed to be able to do this. If I couldn’t lift a simple sword, then what hope would I have?

Atlas would be right to leave me while he went and got himself killed.

“Relax,” Leon said, placing a hand on top of the hilt .

“No,” I grunted back, the sword shaking with me now.

“Yes,” he commanded, pushing on the sword. I was helpless to stop as he pressed it into the dirt. “You’re going to push yourself too hard again.”

“I can do it,” I snapped at him.

Leon shook his head, pulling the sword away with ease.

I huffed as I watched him walk away with it, tears burning the corners of my eyes.

That was my chance at bettering myself, and he was walking away with it.

I had one chance to convince him to teach me, and I lost it.

I closed my eyes, pressing the palms of my hands against them.

I jumped as something heavy thumped on the ground next to me right before Leon spoke again.

“You can’t expect yourself to be perfect at something you’ve just picked up. I’ve spent the last twenty-nine years learning this,” Leon explained, his voice soft like he was talking to a child, before gesturing toward the rather large rock he had brought over. “Plus, you’re weak.”

“Thanks?” I questioned with a laugh, wiping away the few tears that had escaped before sucking in a deep breath. “What do you expect me to do with that?”

I watched closely as Leon grabbed the rock, hugging it to his chest as he knelt in a squat which he held for several heartbeats before standing with it and repeating.

He did this about five times before setting the rock back on the ground.

I watched in amazement as he didn’t even break a sweat during any of it.

“I can do that,” I mumbled, mostly to myself since I was fairly certain I would not be able to do that.

The rock scraped along my hands as I tried to get a hold of it.

Finally, I was able to pick it up. I closed my eyes and kept taking steady breaths to try and fight the pain still deep in my shoulders.

My legs shook as I slowly knelt into a squat.

My breathing quickly became labored as I held my position.

It felt like my legs would collapse at any given moment.

I kept pushing through it until I was able to stand.

It eased the shaking some as I took the time to take in several deep breaths before lowering once again.

“You and Atlas are friends, right?” I grunted out the question, trying to distract myself from the pain .

“More like brothers, but yes,” Leon answered, crossing his arms.

“So, you would know what a Saeva is, then?” I asked as I stood.

There was silence until I was back in a squat.

“Yes” was all he answered.

“Great. You’re keeping it a secret, too,” I huffed out, keeping up the little routine.

“You don’t know?”

“Nope. I’m guessing Atlas hasn’t told you that I have very little idea as to what’s going on here. Grew up with a bunch of humans who are supposed to be dead.”

“They’re alive?” Leon exclaimed, arms dropping to the side. “I’m sorry, but you must be mistaken. How many times have you hit your head here?”

I finally dropped the rock. My lips pouted as I saw the dirt that now covered the dress. I wiped some of it off, but much of it seemed stained.

“Wish everyone would quit thinking I’m a liar,” I commented before sitting on the ground.

“I’m sorry,” Leon said before sitting down in front of me. “But I know the humans are dead. I helped kill them.”

I glanced over his large figure before asking, fighting the urge to shift away from him as my mouth opened and closed several times.

I thought Atlas was a murderer this entire time, but having Leon admit it so casually sent a chill down my spine.

The only thing stopping me was the haunted look in his eyes.

“Because you wanted to?” I questioned, swallowing the lump in my throat.

“No.” His laugh was void of humor as he shook his head. “Eris threatened to kill Atlas if I didn’t join the soldiers sent out to slaughter the villages. He’s the closest thing to family I got.”

“I understand.” I nodded even though I wasn’t fully sure I did.

There was so much I was willing to do for my sister.

I still was hoping to find a way back to her so I could show her everything I’d learned.

That there was so much more around us than the marriages arranged for us.

The difference was that I was no longer alone.

I had Atlas. If things had turned out different, I could imagine the desperation I would feel to get back to my family and keep them safe .

“There’s a whole town full of humans,” I offered Leon, hoping it would ease his torment.

His face relaxed with a smile as he glanced over at me.

“Saeva have a terrible reputation because of Atlas’ sister and father.

” Leons voice was soft as he explained. “They are creatures that feed on the magic of others through their blood. They absorb it through consumption. It makes them deadly, causes them to go into some sort of frenzy.”

“Has Atlas ever…” I trailed off, stomach twisting at the thought of finishing my question.

“No. My mother was strongly against all of that.”

I jumped, turning at the sound of Atlas’ voice above me. His eyes were dark as he stared at the two of us.

“Atlas.” Leon jumped up, shaking the ground as he stood.

Atlas placed a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “It’s alright. I’m glad you two seem to be getting along,” he said before turning to me, holding out a hand to help me up.

I accepted it, legs still shaking slightly as I stood in front of him. Heavy steps signaled Leon’s leaving. Atlas slightly turned his head, watching his friend leave.

“He shouldn’t be teaching you to fight,” Atlas commented before looking back at me.

“And why not?” I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.

“I told you; you aren’t coming with me,” he argued, face scrunching together.