Chapter 14 Dianna #2
“He’s practicing, that’s all,” I said. “Are the people in the city worried, too?”
She shrugged. “Seeing and hearing his wings as he passes makes them a little nervous. I think they assume it’s her and her legion or something.”
“That’s why I have him training. Just in case something happens while we are gone.”
She nodded. “You won’t be gone that long, right?”
“I won’t lie to you. I don’t know, but I’ll try not to be.”
“Okay.” She sighed.
“And as for Reggie, that’s why he is going with us. Maybe someone in the Otherworld knows more about fates. We might find out that having spotty visions isn’t that serious. Maybe even how to fix them.”
She nodded. “He’s my friend. I just worry about him. Plus, I sometimes catch him muttering in his room, yet no one is there.”
My brows creased in concern. “I’ll talk to him. He’s had terrible headaches since we saved Samkiel, but I promise he will be fine.”
“I know.” She wrung her hands. The teal tank top she wore was a harsh contrast against the faint pink hue of her skin.
“My tea helps, but it’s not just that. Healers like me, like my mom, are attuned to nature itself.
We came from it, the wind, the trees, even the ground below.
It is how we heal, and every part of me feels prickly.
” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. Even with the sweat from our run, goosebumps rose.
“Something is wrong, or it’s going to be wrong, and I’m just scared. ”
“We’re family, right?” I asked, turning her to face me.
Miska nodded furiously, her eyes welling with tears. It was as if those words were ones she’d searched for her whole life.
“Then trust me when I say I am the only scary thing you have to worry about, and I will protect my family with everything I have.” I held out my hand. “Pinky promise.”
A smile finally bloomed across her face as she grabbed my finger with her entire hand. I giggled and showed her how to do it properly. She smiled back at me as her small pinky wrapped with mine.
“Pinky promise,” she said.
“They’re practically law,” I said, my nose scrunching.
She giggled in response. I turned toward the trail that headed deeper into the forest. “Now, come on. Let’s see if Cameron is surviving his new training.”
She skipped to my side, the mess of flyaways in the twin pigtails I had given her blowing in the wind.
“Will you train me, too?”
I glanced down at her as we walked up a small incline. “Sure, if you want. What do you want to learn?”
“Well, I’m not as strong as you, but I want to protect myself.”
I smiled, making sure she made it up the incline before it leveled out. “You are. Our strengths are different, but it doesn’t make you any less powerful.”
I placed a hand on her small shoulder, making her look at me. I was proud of her. She had stopped flinching away from our touch. Jade City rested in pieces at the bottom of the ocean, but I would burn them a thousand times over for what she endured at the hands of those wretched souls.
“Look, I’m going to show you how to defend yourself just in case we are ever separated, okay?”
She sighed deeply but nodded.
“You don’t have to kill like me, just disarm long enough until Samkiel or I find you. All right?”
A small smile creased her cheeks. “Okay.”
“Besides,” I smiled and leaned forward, “if anyone touches you again, I’ll rip them to pieces.
” I tapped her nose as I stood upright. A small giggle left her lips.
A loud grunt and the low murmurs of male voices came from higher up on the hill.
“Now, come on. I can hear Cameron whining, so he must be getting his butt kicked,” I said and wiggled my brows. “Let’s go watch.”
She flipped her pigtails over her shoulders and took off with me as we ran the rest of the way, her laugh infectious.
We cleared the treeline right as Cameron landed on his back with a grunt.
Samkiel stood and offered him a hand, helping him to his feet.
I was happy to see that only a few places were singed from flames.
Maybe one or two trees were burnt to a crisp, but their clothes were still intact, and there didn’t seem to be any serious wounds.
All considered, it seemed it hadn’t been a terrible day. Cameron was improving remarkably fast.
“Baby, can I have a knife?” I asked. Samkiel didn’t even question me. He just summoned one from his ring and palmed the blade, offering it to me.
Cameron grimaced and took the opportunity to stretch the arm Samkiel had tossed him with across his chest.
I took the dagger from Samkiel and turned to hand it to Miska hilt first. Her eyes widened, and her gulp was audible.
“You wanted to be trained. We start now.”
She took it cautiously and then looked up at me expectantly. I could sense her hesitancy, but her determination far outweighed her fear. Samkiel came up behind me and rested his sweaty arm across my shoulders.
“What? Miska gets a blade, but I don’t?” Cameron scoffed. “Insulting.”
Samkiel cut him a glare. “You don’t need blade training. You need to learn to control the fire you wield.”
Cameron mumbled something I was sure was a string of curses and insults.
I smiled. “Miska, I want you to try to stab Cameron.”
Her eyes turned to saucers as she looked at him, and he looked at me.
“Wait a second,” Cameron said, placing his hands on his hips. “I feel like I am in trouble somehow.”
I shrugged. “Well, you did leave while my husband was murdered, soooo …”
“Okay, all right!” he proclaimed.
I leaned past Samkiel’s large frame and threw Cameron an evil grin. “What? She may not even make a connection. She needs to learn, though. Unless you’re scared.” I dragged the last word out, and he snapped up the bait.
Cameron clapped his hands. “All right, you’ve hit my weakness. I can’t back down from a challenge.” He got into a ready position and beckoned Miska closer. “All right, little healer, let’s see what you got.”
She looked at me. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
I stepped out of Samkiel’s half embrace and gripped her shoulders.
“If you don’t want to, it’s fine, but you are right.
You need to learn to protect yourself. Besides, it may take you a long time to make contact with him.
Cameron is an accomplished warrior trained by Samkiel.
He will not allow you to seriously hurt him.
” She took a deep breath, and I stepped back.
She turned to watch as Cameron grinned and did some weird jump move.
I rolled my eyes and said, “Samkiel and I will show you some simple techniques, and you try to copy them with Cameron, okay?”
She nodded, and Cameron stepped closer. I held my hand out toward Samkiel and said, “Another blade, please.”
Samkiel smiled and summoned one, pulling me close for a quick kiss before handing it over.
“You bend too easily to her,” Cameron called, rubbing at his ear. “That’s why she’s so damned spoiled.”
I stuck my tongue out at him and said, “Miska, I’m going to show you how to stab him in the balls.”
“Hey, I was joking,” Cameron protested.
Miska’s eyes widened, and she gripped the dagger in both hands, holding it before her like a lifeline. I faced Samkiel, who eyed me with something close to fear. I lowered my stance and flipped the blade.
Samkiel summoned another blade and mirrored my position. “Please don’t stab me in the balls,” he whispered.
I winked at him, twirling my dagger. “I’d never hurt my most prized possessions.”
“All right,” Cameron called out, “there are children present.”
“She didn’t even hear me!” I yelled back.
Miska looked between us, bewildered.
“Well, think of my precious ears for once!” Cameron yelled back.
I flipped him off without taking my eyes off Samkiel.
He laughed and shook his head at the banter between Cameron and me.
We showed Miska a few disarming techniques and quick takedowns.
Miska was small, even for her age, so she needed to know how to move and where to hit, no matter the size of her opponent.
Practicing with Cameron and Samkiel will give her the experience and confidence to face much larger foes.
“Okay.” I clapped my hands. “We’re going to try something new now.”
Miska panted as she raised her hand and wiped the dirt from her brow. Cameron, however, looked worried as I stepped forward.
“Don’t worry, you’re not my target.” I spun and pointed at Samkiel. “He is.”
“Oh, thank the dead gods,” Cameron said on a huff and fell to the ground to sit.
Samkiel glared at him before walking to me. “What are we to practice now, akrai?”
“Easy,” I said. “Survival.”
Miska walked over, but I shook my head. “This part, you go sit with Cameron and watch, okay?”
She cast a look between us before nodding and going to sit beside him.
I grinned up at Samkiel. “I apologize for what I’m about to do.”
His eyes narrowed slightly. “All right. Make it up to me later.”
I winked before turning to look at Miska. “Okay, first rule in these realms. We are dealing with beings who have fought for hundreds of years, trained and killed for centuries. They will do what they must to survive, but so will we.
I lifted my hand, and without looking at Samkiel, I said. “Charge me.”
He didn’t hesitate. It should have been impossible with his size, but his steps were so light against the ground that if I hadn’t been so deeply attuned to him, I wouldn’t have heard his approach.
But, as always, I felt him. I spun and dropped to the ground, but not to kick him.
No, I hooked the loose dirt with my foot and sent it flying toward his face.
That was the last thing he was expecting, and he skidded to a stop, nearly blinded.
He shook his head, coughing and blinking as he tried to clear his eyes.
It would only take him half a second to recover, but that was all I needed.
I grabbed his arm and twisted, using my body weight to propel his colossal form over me.
His back slammed against the ground, and he let out a deep huff when I landed on top of him.
I rested my forearm against his throat as if it were a blade and looked at Miska.
“Everything around you is a weapon. There are no rules for survival. You fight dirty and do whatever is necessary so that you walk away. We are not only surrounded by monsters but also seasoned, battleworn warriors. Warriors are trained to follow a code. That is a weakness that can be used against them because we are not bound by honor.”
She nodded and stood, Cameron pushing to his feet beside her. I rose and pulled Samkiel up with me.
“I’m sorry,” I said, raising up on my toes to carefully wipe the dirt from his face and eyes.
“No, that was a good lesson,” he said, squinting his eyes as I cleaned them. “I don’t think she will always have access to dirt, but I approve.”
I grinned and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before turning to look at Cameron and Miska. I leaned against Samkiel’s side and said, “Okay, your turn.”
We spent the rest of that afternoon demonstrating different moves and techniques. We showed her how to move her arms and feet, taking her through the steps. After slowing everything down, I had her mirror my movements before turning her over to practice with Cameron.
She was initially nervous and timid, but Cameron threw a few playful punches at her and bounced around her like a fool, making her laugh.
Cameron and Miska ran through slow maneuvers as we watched.
Her jabs and swings were horribly clumsy to start, but with a few adjustments and Cameron’s corrections, she was doing better by the time we stopped for the day.
She still needed a lot of work, but it was something.
Cameron lifted Miska and put her on his shoulders as we headed back to the palace. Samkiel laced his fingers with mine, and we followed behind them.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked down our bond.
“Absolutely,” I said. “Miska may be a healer, but she’s not weak, and with all that’s happening, I need her to have some ability to protect herself. I did the same with Gabby, you know?” I said, turning to look up at him.
He smiled at me. “Oh, yes, I could tell by the way she stabbed me in the gut the first time we met.”
I didn’t even try to hide my laugh. “I trained her well.”
“Very.” He smiled back.
The harsh truth was that while I may have trained Gabby, it hadn’t saved her. I just prayed we could protect Miska because I didn’t think I could handle losing her as I had Gabby.
“Don’t push too hard with her. Remember, she is still a little girl,” he said between us.
“I won’t,” I said, glancing up at him.
“You can only prepare so much, akrai,” he said, squeezing my fingers. “And there is no reason to prepare her for war when it won’t even reach our borders. I’d never allow it.”
“It’s better to be prepared than not. I just want her to have power, or at least feel like she does, if she needs it. That’s all.”
Samkiel, sensing my thoughts, lifted my hand and kissed the back of it. He was aware of every worry that crossed my mind, and I knew in my heart he didn’t need our rings for it.
“I think I am just worried since we are leaving them here while we go to the Otherworld.”
“I know, but Cameron is here. Neither she nor the city will be left defenseless,” he said. “And Cameron has improved greatly over the last few weeks.”
I couldn’t help the worry in my gut, and it had grown so heavy over the last few days that it was like a stone weighing me down.
I knew where my concerns came from and why I had them.
The fractured, bruised part of me where Gabby’s loss lived may never heal.
I didn’t say that out loud either, but I knew Samkiel felt it, his thumb running over the back of my hand.
I didn’t want to face those feelings right now, so instead, I changed the subject and sent a mental picture with it.
“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll kiss all your bruises.”
Samkiel laughed, and I heard Cameron and Miska giggling about something ahead of us. I smiled but looked around, unable to shake the feeling that we were being watched.