Tylen did as he was told.The sword barely missed the tips of his hair. He rested his hands on his knees and panted. His heart thundered to a race. The sun smothered his back with its heat. Sweat trickled down the side of his face, dripping on the gra.s.s.
Yet, none of them sounded more absurd than his thoughts about the pirate wanting to take his life.
"Now, roll to your right."
Pain slammed through Tylen"s knees as he curved away from his position. The blade swiftly came down and hit the ground where the Prince previously stood. Raz didn"t rest. She spouted her next instructions, swinging, "Now, your left."
Once again, the rapier sliced through the air until it met resistance made of dirt.
Tylen shifted his weight onto his bottom, raising his hands in front of his face. Had the pirate gone mad? She was supposed to protect him, not offer him as a sacrifice to Luna.
"How weak are you?" Raz seethed. She hovered the blade next to the Prince"s face. Her eyes had turned cold and hard while she watched him. It was yesterday when her companion had been kidnapped under the impression that she had a relationship with the Crown Prince. They came back to find the same Prince frolocking with his nurse.
How much did the people spoil him?
"Excuse me?" Tylen asked. He lowered his hands to meet the pirate"s stoic gaze, shivering as soon as his eyes made contact. The air seemed colder despite the hot sun.
Raz squinted at him, "You have fast reflexes but how much training have you gone through?"
"I"ve mostly learned the basics. It"s Hayden who went through advanced courses."
The pirate barred her teeth and clenched her jaw. Her mouth barely moved as she spoke, "Are you to rely on Sir Darkwood for combat? What about you? What can you do?"
"I"ve had defense training," Tylen said. Somewhere inside, he knew it wouldn"t be a satisfactory answer for the Rash of the Sea.
At his remark, Raz pulled back the rapier and pointed it over her shoulder, "Then, let"s see how you defend yourself against a sword while unarmed."
In one smooth motion, the pirate attacked the Prince.
Tylen scrambled onto his feet and kept his eye on the sword. He dodged each swing Raz made in his direction. She aimed for his ribs, his shoulder, his legs… the Prince kept a one-inch distance, maintaining the upper hand.
Maia and Cleon observed from their spot. The blue-haired pirate immediately noticed Tylen"s footwork. The work of an experienced fighter. Maia, on the other hand, regarded the Prince"s overall movement. The strain each body part went through at the choice of action—including possible weaknesses and openings.
When Tylen achieved a clean streak of dodging the blade, Raz changed tactics. She crouched to the ground and swept her leg against his ankles. The Prince found himself flat on his back in an instant with a sword pointed under his chin.
"Didn"t you say it would only be a sword?" He complained, flexing his feet. The ache around them almost made him wonder if the pirate had given him an injury.
"And that is reason enough to be open against other attacks?" Raz scoffed. She bent forward until her face covered the entirety of the Prince"s vision, her voice hissing out of her lips, "Listen to me carefully. I will not proceed with this mission while my companions are at a risk because some bloke cannot engage in combat. We may be here to supply you protection but mark my words, where we"re heading with this journey of yours, you need better skills. How exactly do you plan to protect your princess against your enemies, hm?"
Raz straightened her spine, sheathing the rapier back in its case, "We start your combat training tomorrow at dawn. After that, we leave. If you have any unfinished business, better resolve it soon."
Then, she walked away without looking back.
Tylen laid down stock still. The gra.s.s cradled his head and the sky gifted his eyes with serene clouds floating by. A big one blocked out the sun, saving him from blindness. The words of the pirate weighed heavily in his head. He had intended to take up more training. Unlike his best friend, he hadn"t been born with superior combat skills. Even when he had presented more effort, his swordsmanship barely improved. In the end, Hayden rea.s.sured him that he"d stay by his side and that he didn"t need to worry so.
"Aw, don"t be so down in the dumps" Cleon interrupted the Prince"s thoughts. He sat near Tylen, hugging his knees, "Raz is a monster on two legs."
"Ignore him. She simply wants us to be able to look out for each other" Maia rea.s.sured him as well. She crouched over at Tylen"s other side with a wide smile on her face.
The Prince shifted his head in her direction, "Maia, how are you?"
"I"m good. No need to worry" the redhead patted his shoulder lightly.
"Am I really that bad?" Tylen asked, staring at the sky again.
"You"re fast on your feet, I can tell you that" Cleon answered.
He had heard the same thing from Hayden and their instructors. Was that all he was good at? Fleeing? The clouds continued to roll in the sky. They clearly had nothing to worry about whether they did it slow or whether they could defend themselves from attackers.
Because no one attacked them.
The Prince held up a hand to the sky, as if meaning to capture the clouds in his palm. They remained where they were and moved on with their day.
Such an easy life, so far beyond his grasp.
Did Ariene live such a life? If she did, would he be able to take her from it?
===
Raz laid out a futon on the wooden floor. She and Maia had been given a room to spend the night. It only had one bed, enough for one person. The Rash of the Sea wasn"t about to take a "no" as an answer—not even from a redhead pirate.
"Why not take the bed, Raz?" Maia said. She entered the room from its adjoined bathroom. Her damp hair soaked the night clothes lended to her by Lily. She accepted it, grateful to be rid of her filthy clothes for the time being.
A light breeze flew through the window, making her shiver.
"You deserve a proper rest tonight," her leader explained. Raz took the blanket and the pillows that had been provided and placed them neatly on the futon. Unlike Maia, she merely stripped off her outerwear and shoes, leaving her tunic and her trousers.
"I think you deserve it more," the redhead argued, "You also spent the night in the forest. I bet you didn"t even sleep even when I took over as lookout."
Raz chuckled, "How about this? We push the bed to the wall and pull down the mattress. That way, we both sleep on the floor."
Maia contemplated the idea. It seemed quite fair compared to only one person having the privilege of the bed. The two girls pushed the bed until it hit the wall and placed the mattress next to Raz"s futon. They lied down, backs facing each other. Raz stayed near the window in case of an intruder. Yet, the night remained quiet and darkness wrapped them up in a blanket.
…
…
…
Smoke engulfed the air as flames of crimson heat soared high up to the ceiling. Screams of terror echoed away from the room. Beams crashed against furniture, breaking them into splinters. Gra.s.ses of kindled fire soon covered the floor. They crawled over it and sprouted like weeds.
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In the middle of it all, stood a little girl.
Her entire body had been covered in soot. The dress she wore burned at the hems. Inexplicable pain seared her skin. She ran around the room of fire. Her hands touched any wall and searched for an exit. Despite the uncontrollable blaze, none of them caved in. They kept the room upright no matter how many sc.r.a.ps of wood fell from above.
She coughed.
She choked.
Her vision began to blur and her knees caved in. She knelt onto the floor, wheezing what little air she had left. She could hear the others but no one heard her. She closed her eyes. Her fate had been sealed by the walls that kept her locked in.
Silent tears rolled down her cheeks, her only source of water inside the inferno. They tasted salty against her tongue but her mouth had become so dry that it welcomed the tangy droplets.
One by one, the flames crackled until they left no surface untouched—including the little girl.
Maia woke up, her eyes wide with adrenaline. She sat up and panted. Sweat trickled down her forehead. She wiped it off with the back of her hand. Then, she placed it on her chest. Her head felt light and her nerves trembled. Each time, the dream became more lifelike and each time, the same hopelessness weighed in her heart. Even awake, she could feel the fire creep up her skin, toasting her body.
She licked her dry lips and focused on her breathing. In this room, there was no smoke. The air was clear and it tasted fresh from the trees.
"Maia, are you alright?" Raz rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, sitting up.
The redhead was a sight to behold. Her lips had gone pale and her hair had snarled up into a haystack. Raz could see her visibly shake from head to toe. One look at the frightened amber eyes in front of her and she knew.
Tears welled up in those eyes when they stared back at her, "I—I—"
Raz reached out and yanked Maia into her arms. She rubbed her back, smoothing out the gooseb.u.mps that rose on the redhead"s skin, and whispered into her ear, "Sshh, it"s okay, it"s okay. It was only a nightmare. It wasn"t real. I"m here. I"ll protect you."