15. Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
My father was out of his seat and striding toward Sin before I could even blink.
“Explain yourself, Cennux Dreisin. My daughter tells me that you attacked her last night?”
Sin cast a dark look my way then straightened, facing the king head on. He responded to him in Rivellan, and I was dying to know what possible explanation he could have. The two of them engaged in a heated argument, and I leaned back in my chair, feeling a little wicked glee that Sin was likely going to get punished because of me. I took a sip of juice and waited for my father to lay the smack down.
A loud bark of laughter had me whipping my head up in time to see my father pat Sin on the back, both of them now sporting relaxed smiles.
What. The. Fuck?!
I sort of thought Sin would drop to his knees and beg forgiveness while my father called for someone to chop off his traitorous head for daring to touch the princess but nope. They looked like old drinking buddies.
Dey took his place across from me, and Sin claimed the seat beside him.
“Would someone care to loop me in on what the hell is going on?” I demanded.
My father patted my hand like I was a toddler who missed their noontime nappy. “All is well, Raynella. Cennux Dreisin was explaining how last night was all merely a misunderstanding.”
I glanced over to Sin, who just shrugged.
What kind of game was he playing?
“It was dark in the hallway,” my father explained, “and all he saw was a stranger fleeing the room of my comatose daughter. He reacted on instinct. While I do not appreciate him laying hands on you, I cannot fault him for his trained reaction to a potential threat.”
Sin took a sip of the kinna juice and held my gaze over the rim.
Okay, I’ll play your little game.
“Of course, that all makes so much sense.” I gave Sin a syrupy sweet fake grin. “I can’t blame him for making a mistake, now can I?”
“Excellent,” my father said, settling back in his chair. “Now we can move on to more important matters. Raynella has agreed to work with us in restoring the ley lines.”
Two sets of eyes flashed toward me. Dey looked pleased. Sin looked… pissed.
“I knew the princess would never abandon her people,” Dey said, pride gleaming in his eyes.
Sin mumbled something under his breath, and Dey elbowed him in the ribs.
“Of course she would not,” my father chimed in, unaware of whatever passed between the guys. “We must now move forward with our established plan to prepare Raynella for her journey through the dark forest.”
“Plan?” I nearly choked on my juice. “I just agreed, like, five minutes ago. How do you have a plan already?”
“Raynella, we have been preparing for this for many years now. We were simply waiting for you to arrive.”
Right. Because everyone was so convinced that I would jump at the chance to travel through a damn forest of monsters to restore some ancient magic while having no pertinent skills or knowledge to accomplish said task. Who wouldn’t sign on for that?
Resigned, I said “Ok, let's hear the plan.”
He smiled brightly. “As I mentioned before, the most important thing is that we awaken your magic. Deylan will work with you on this front. There are a few things that have been known to accelerate the process.”
I shot an inquisitive look over to Dey who winked in response.
“Generals Camden and Ramset will handle your education. It will be important that you learn as much as possible about Rivella and the creatures you may encounter in the dark forest, as well as what it means to be Vitaean. I believe you will find the generals to be excellent tutors.”
I took another drink to hide the laugh that threatened to escape. The two drunken jokers I met yesterday were going to be my teachers? At least it wouldn’t be boring.
“And Cennux Dreisin will handle you physically.”
“What?!” I shouted, spewing the liquid all over the table. My head shot toward Sin. He glared but said nothing as he picked up a napkin and overemphasized wiping my spit from his face.
I whirled on my father. “He’s going to do what to me?”
“He’s going to handle your physical training,” he replied, as if that explained everything. He snapped his fingers, and two servants rushed over to the table. One cleaned the mess while the other poured me another glass of juice.
“My physical training? Do you mean working out and stuff because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the inside of a gym. I thought this was just about magic.”
“Vitaeans cannot hold their magic once separated from the Source,” my father said in a placating tone. “Your abilities will return as you move closer to the Onyx Palace. On the outer edges of the dark forest, however, you will find yourself to be little more than human. My men will accompany you of course and protect you with their lives, but we cannot know what you will encounter. So you will be trained in combat as best we can in the short time we have. Cennux Dreisin is a very skilled warrior. You will learn much from working with him.”
I didn’t know what was more ludicrous. The fact that I signed up for a potentially dangerous stroll through the woods or the fact that my underfed, scrawny body was somehow supposed to become a honed weapon. “I’m sorry, but let's be realistic. This is moving past ridiculous into pure insanity. How much can I possibly learn in a few weeks?”
Sin snorted, muttering something again in Rivellan, and it pushed me over the edge.
Shoving back from my chair, I leaned over the table and snarled, “And you! How the hell can you help me with anything when you won’t even speak fucking English?”
Sin shot to his feet, slammed his hands down and shouted back in Rivellan.
“Cennux Dreisin, take your seat,” my father commanded. “I understand your frustration, but you will address the princess in a manner befitting her station.”
Sin gave me a nasty look, then slid back into his chair.
I turned to my father and jabbed a finger toward Sin. “What’s his problem?”
“Cennux Dreisin is understandably concerned about your training interfering with his other duties,” my father said. “Duties that are ultimately less important than preparing you.” He gave a pointed look at Sin, who was suddenly very focused on his plate of food.
“And will Cennux Dreisin be speaking to me in English anytime soon?”
Sin looked up at me, his scowl morphing into a smug grin. “Whatever the princess desires.”
At the head of the table, my father gave a sharp node as if that resolved everything. “Please sit, Raynella. Finish your meal.” He gestured at the nearly full plate of food in front of me.
“I’m not hungry,” I grumbled, hating that I sounded like a petulant child. It was also a lie since I was still ravenous, but I wasn’t about to sit down and make nice with the asshole across the table.
“In that case, perhaps Cennux Dreisin is ready to begin your training. Deylan and I are needed in Civi Adasa today.” At my look of confusion he clarified, “The city beyond the gates. The King's Council will be held in six days, and we must prepare for our guests. It is unfortunate that the timing coincided with your arrival, but there is nothing to be done about it.”
I was too tired to even care what the King’s Council was. It sounded political and boring, and I was sure someone would tell me about it eventually. That’s how I got all my knowledge here—eventually.
I noted Sin’s mostly full plate of food. Feeling spiteful I said, “Yes that sounds like a stellar idea. Right now would be perfect.”
The scowl never left Sin’s face, but he pushed back from the table and said, “Whatever the princess desires.”
I was beginning to wonder if that was all he knew how to say.
Dey came around to meet me and clasped my hands in his. “I wish I could stay with you today, but Sin will take good care of you, I promise. He might seem a little rough, but he is very skilled and will train you well.”
I looked down at my small hands cradled tightly within his larger ones and felt a little tug at my heart. Dey genuinely did care about me, it wasn’t just sexual attraction.
“I’ll be fine. I can handle grumpy pants over there.”
Sin muttered something in Rivellan, but I ignored him. “Do what you gotta do,” I said. “I’ll see you when you get back. Maybe sometime you could actually take me into the city with you. It would be nice to get out of the castle.”
Dey smiled. “It would be my pleasure, Princess. The city can be a very dangerous place at times, but so long as I am your escort, you will be safe.”
I gave him a matching smile, then strode briskly from the dining room. “Will you be coming, Cennux Dreisin?” I called over my shoulder as I pushed through the wooden doors.
“Whatever the princess desires,” he said, and I flinched, not realizing he was right behind me.
My pace didn’t falter as I passed into the hallway. Whatever I desired, huh? We’d see about that.
As soon as we rounded the corner, and I knew we were out of earshot, I whirled around and shoved Sin into the wall before he could brace himself. “Okay, you want to tell me what the hell your fucking problem is? You absolutely knew who I was last night so what kind of shit are you trying to pull here?”
He grit his teeth, then pushed off against the wall, forcing me to step back. “You’re my problem, Rain,” he growled, keeping his voice low. “You being here is a great big problem.”
I scoffed. “Glad to see we’ve moved on from 'whatever the princess desires.' I knew your English was just fine.” I jabbed him in the chest. “And how the hell is my being here such a problem? Everybody else seems pretty damned thrilled about it.”
“Oh yeah?” he mused, moving forward leisurely, like a panther stalking his prey, forcing me backward until I hit the opposite wall. He slammed a hand down near my face, but I didn’t flinch this time. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear.
“Well I’m not everybody else,” he continued, leaning in closer until there was barely any space between us. “I want you gone. You don’t belong here.”
I tilted my chin up defiantly and said, with as much venom as I could summon, “I don’t want me to be here either, but since I’m stuck, I thought I might do some good in the meantime. Haven’t you heard? I’m the fucking savior.”
He let out a low chuckle, and his breath was hot on my face. I inhaled sharply at the intensity in his gaze, immediately regretting it. The scent of him overwhelmed me, and I wanted nothing more than to close my eyes so I could picture myself alone on a pier at night, waves crashing angrily against the rocks as they fed on the might of a rising storm. If I couldn’t see him, then I could imagine literally anybody else in front of me, their hard body pressed so close to mine without actually touching.
I wouldn’t give in, though. I kept my eyes open, unblinking. He would not break me.
“I know exactly who you are, Rain,” he hissed, and I hated the way he said my name with a sharp bite at the end. “The important question is… do you?” The hand near my face curled into a tight fist. I could feel it shaking as if it cost him a tremendous effort not to strike me.
“What the hell did I ever do to you?” I demanded, wondering how someone I just met could hate me so much.
His teeth ground together, and I could see every tension line on his face. There was a war going on inside him, and I had no idea what I had done to cause it. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. A painful grimace crossed his face, like my scent was the most repulsive thing imaginable.
Just as I opened my mouth to say something, he pushed himself away from the wall and stalked off down the hallway. “Let’s go,” he barked over his shoulder. “Your training awaits, Fea Remia.”
I waited for my heart rate to ease before sprinting after him. God, this was going to be a disaster. There was no way we could get through weeks of training. One of us would definitely kill the other one first.
I followed Sin through the castle and out into the front courtyard. Each guard we passed snapped to attention in his presence, and I wondered if they were all as terrified of him as I was.
Once outside the castle, he veered to the left, and I followed him toward the arena. My steps faltered when we stepped through the arched entryway. I had seen from above that the space was big, but being inside was a whole different perspective. There had to be over a hundred circular rows of pale stone seats, bisected by a massive set of stairs that descended into a pit the size of a football field.
“Move it!” Sin shouted from halfway down the steps, glaring up at me.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” I huffed, following after him as he headed into the pit. Each stone step was polished from probably centuries of use, and I nearly ended up on my ass a handful of times since my chucks weren’t exactly slip resistant.
I made it to the bottom in one piece and looked around, taking in the sand covered arena with boulders larger than dumpsters scattered throughout. A handful of scorch marks along the walls had me curious as to exactly what kind of battles happened in this place.
“Over here,” Sin called from off to my left.
Set a few steps lower than the level of the pit, a covered walkway ran along the entirety of the outer rim with entrances every ten yards or so and several doorways leading back into what I guessed were training rooms. Or maybe preparation rooms for whatever kind of fighting they did here. This place was giving off some serious Gladiator vibes.
I followed the sound of Sin’s voice through the open hall until I came to a door on my right. Racks and racks of swords, maces, flails, and other strange weapons I didn’t recognize filled the room.
I put my hands on my hips and looked at Sin. “Now what?”
“Now you learn how to fight.” He gestured to the arsenal around me as if I should pick one. Surely he didn’t mean for me to take up sword fighting on day one…
When I didn’t move, he selected an impressively ornate broadsword that was mounted above a rack of more basic silver swords. He swung it around in his hands a few times, and I hated to admit how good he looked doing it. Something about a guy with a sword was undeniably hot.
He handed me the weapon. ”Here. I’ll even let you use my personal sword. It’s perfectly balanced. Excellent for a novice.”
As my hand took hold of the hilt, my arm sank under its immense weight, the point of the sword slamming a few inches into the hard-packed dirt.
Well, shit. These things were heavier than they looked.
I glared at Sin who didn’t even bother to hide the satisfied smirk on his face.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” I heaved the sword up, using all my strength just to lift it, yet my arms gave out within seconds. No way would I be able to swing it with any kind of accuracy. It had to be at least twenty-five pounds, too much for my scrawny arms to wield, and the asshole had to know that.
“It’s too heavy,” I huffed out.
Stalking over to me, he snapped, “Then come find me when it isn’t.” In one fluid motion, he grabbed the sword from my hand and spun it with a little flourish to effortlessly sheath it behind his back.
Without a word, he strode off, leaving me surrounded by weapons that I couldn’t even use and wondering why the hell I ever agreed to any of this to begin with.