Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 686(@200wpm)___ 549(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
She feigns fighting back, rubbing her dirty fingers on my face until I push her far enough away. Then she runs off to her garden that runs along the walls of the courtyard, giggling.
Laughing, I wipe the dirt off my beard. I bring my attention back to Brynla only to catch her staring at me with a look on her face that I rarely see. There’s a wrinkle across her forehead, a strange longing in her gaze. It only lasts a second before Steiner takes advantage of her distraction and slaps her on her armored shoulder with the sword.
“You’d be dead,” Steiner says. “Pay attention.”
Brynla shakes her head, looking slightly chagrined, then suddenly drops to her hands in a push-up position and kicks out at Steiner’s ankles behind her, leveling my younger brother to the ground in a heap.
“No, you’d be dead,” she says, towering over him and dusting her hands off.
Then she reaches out for his hand and pulls him to his feet, even though I know my brother doesn’t need the help. We’ve spent every moment over the last ten days testing Brynla to see if any of the suen has taken a late hold, but she doesn’t seem different, just as naturally strong as before.
“Go again?” Brynla asks him, brandishing her wooden sword as if it could slice him in two.
Steiner shakes his head, rubbing at his ass where he fell down. “I think I need a break. Andor, you want to take over?” he asks me.
“I’m not wearing armor,” I tell him, holding my arms out, but I’m walking toward them anyway. “I’m not sure I trust her not to stab me.”
“You’ll have to take your chances,” she says sweetly as Steiner tosses me his sword.
I catch it in midair, not even having to look at it. Okay, perhaps I’m showing off a little.
“You know I like to take chances,” I tell her.
“Good luck,” Steiner mutters under his breath as he walks away, the gravel crunching under his boots. “I’m going to see if Moon has come back to roost.”
At the mention of his white raven, Brynla’s face falls.
I take advantage and lunge, tapping her other shoulder with my blade. “There, you just died again.”
She gives me a pained yet annoyed look.
“Hey,” I say to her, trying to keep her focused. “Moon will be back any day now. It takes four days to fly from here to the Banished Land. There’s probably a day trying to find your aunt in the underground city, then four days back.”
“That’s nine days.”
“And it’s day ten. Give the bird a break.” I reach out to tap her again, but this time she’s quick. She swiftly raises her sword and almost knocks mine out of my grasp.
“Ah!” I cry out, grinning at her. “There we go. Give it to me.”
“You don’t want me to give it to you,” she says with a smirk, and I strike again. She grunts, twisting at the waist, her footwork smooth, keeping her just out of my reach. Then she slices down at my sword, preventing me from cutting her the other way.
“You don’t think I can handle a little blood drawn?” I say, stepping back and keeping my eyes locked on her warm brown ones so that she can’t follow my next move. An easy mistake is to let your eyes betray your plan.
“I suppose you can simply heal yourself, can’t you?” she asks.
“Actually no,” I say, ducking as she strikes with a wide swipe. “It doesn’t work that way.”
“So how does it work?” she asks, trying to slice at my neck. I block her sword just in time.
“You’re so curious about the healing,” I say. She’s been asking me about it here and there but I haven’t been very forthcoming. I’m sure she’ll find out one day. I’m surprised my uncle hasn’t trotted out my failure at the dinner table.
“Maybe I have an ulterior motive,” she says in a low voice, blocking a jab.
“Like what?”
She stares at me for a moment, opens her mouth like she wants to say something. There’s a war being waged behind her eyes and it isn’t one fought with swords. Then she shakes her head and with a growl attacks me, nearly plunging her sword right into my heart, pulling back at the very last second.
I suck in my breath, feeling the sharp point of the sword penetrate my shirt, poking the skin. Even though it’s carved from wood, I have no doubt she would have killed me if she had driven it in at full strength.
She swallows hard, eyes wide as she takes in the sight. “Sorry.” She abruptly withdraws the sword and turns her back to me, her head going side to side in a stretch, her hands on her hips.
“Don’t be,” I call after her as she walks a few steps away. I look over to Solla, who is in her garden, head poking around an elderberry shrub and watching us intently. She shrugs. Meanwhile Lemi, who has been dozing in the sun at the foot of the fountain, lifts up his head and watches Brynla with concern.