Chapter 13
Training started at dawn, so I was up and ready before the first rays of light entered my room. I dressed in another borrowed shirt from the chest. I still had no leathers to wear, as they were in my rooms above the forge. I pulled on my fingerless gloves and strapped on one of my swords.
My poor old boots had seen better days. I sighed as the soles pulled away, and I examined them closer to see the leather was splitting in places. When I took Lord Warwick’s children into the city, I would need to find a cobbler and see how much it would cost to repair the soles.
Not long after I arrived at the training arena, the soldiers were divided into three groups.
Tomas led the most significant group across to the far side, where targets were being set up and bows were being distributed.
Atlas had a group of at least fifty soldiers with him, and they were removing their leathers and stripping down to their breeches.
A large circle was drawn into the dirt, and two bare-chested men entered the ring, where they began circling one another.
The others gathered around as Atlas spoke.
I was in the third group. Closest to me, dressed in tight black leathers, was Torgrin. I tried and failed to ignore how they emphasised his broad chest and hugged his muscular thighs.
The men took turns sparring with swords while Torgrin corrected their form or made them practise a specific manoeuvere repeatedly until they mastered it.
Soon, it was my turn. I won my first round, tapping my opponent on the chest within minutes.
Torgrin crossed his arms and shook his head. ‘You can’t always rely on having the advantage of height, Caris. You need to pick your feet up.’
I glared at him, making it clear that I was unhappy with his comment. I had won his bloody tournament, hadn’t I?
‘Again.’ He motioned for another swordsman who was as tall as me to come forward.
The soldier was being overly cautious about striking me, which I used to my advantage. I had no leathers on, and a sharp blade could do severe damage, but I didn’t intend to let him get close enough to strike. I fought off each of his blows easily.
‘Stop!’ Torgrin shook his head at me. ‘You won’t always be fortunate enough to avoid encountering someone stronger and faster or someone who will go easy on you because you’re a woman,’ he said pointedly to my tall opponent, who attempted to melt back into the group of soldiers watching us with various expressions of pity and mirth.
Nobody enjoyed being berated by Captain Torgrin.
He was singling me out in front of his men, implying I was only winning because they all took it easy on me.
‘You fight me then!’ I challenged. I didn’t want to care if he thought I was a good swordswoman, but stars, I did.
‘Yes!’ called Wolfe from the balcony above. I hadn’t noticed that the boy and his sisters had arrived.
Ania was the only one not watching us. I followed the direction of her gaze and saw Atlas moving into the sparring circle with a wide grin on his face.
He pulled his shirt off and threw it at his opponent, exposing a broad expanse of glorious chest and a muscular stomach.
My eyes travelled down the line of dark hair that ran from his navel down beneath the leather breeches slung low on his hips.
I cried out in surprise as Torgrin’s sword came swinging at me, and I barely had time to block his blow. His eyes narrowed to coal-black slits. ‘Easily distracted, too, I see.’
Was that jealousy?
I gave Torgrin my sweetest smile before thrusting my sword at him with all my strength.
He batted it away as if it were nothing more than a swing from a child.
A fire burned in my chest and flooded my veins.
Torgrin’s confidence made me more determined to take him down a notch or two. I was going to enjoy this.
Soon, all you could hear was the furious clashing of our swords. The crowd surrounding us grew as others stopped training to watch us move around the arena.
Torgrin brought his sword down hard and I raised mine to stop it from taking my arm off at the shoulder. I felt the vibration of our swords shuddering down my body.
He was incredibly strong.
My arm shook from the strain of holding his blade back.
As soon as he lifted his sword, I had to move my feet and retreat.
I was being forced to defend rather than attack.
Torgrin would not give me an inch, and while I was breathing hard and could feel the sweat trickling down my back, he seemed not to need air at all.
He was slowly backing me into a corner, but I was determined not to let him win. If I allowed him to gain more ground, I would end up against the stone wall with nowhere to go.
I saw his strike coming towards my chest, but I stepped into it instead of deflecting it with my own. The move had the desired effect, and he pulled away and stumbled back to avoid impaling me with his sword.
While he was swearing and calling me senseless, I attacked.
I was finally putting him on the defensive.
Annoyingly, it didn’t last long. Torgrin barely retreated, and once again, I was losing ground.
He was forcing me backwards, the wall behind me getting closer, and my swings slowed as my arms became fatigued from fending off his powerful blows.
I stumbled, and he pressed his advantage, forcing my sword up above my head with his own. I felt the coarse stone of the wall scrape against my back. He pressed his body into mine and pushed my arms against the wall above my head, leaving me completely powerless.
I breathed hard into his face, sweaty strands of hair sticking to my hot cheeks. His face was so close to mine that I could see his scars were a series of wavy lines, like branches on a tree. Is it possible for a scar to be considered beautiful? Our eyes locked, blocking out everything around us.
‘You shouldn’t put your life at risk like that,’ he breathed harshly.
‘You wouldn’t hurt me.’ Much to my surprise, this felt true.
His unyielding mask slipped slightly, and I thought I saw regret on his face. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘For what?’ I asked, startled by his apology.
‘For coming into your room while you were sleeping,’ he explained. ‘I’m sorry,’ he repeated.
I was suddenly aware of how his body fit so perfectly against mine. Our similar heights meant our hips pressed together intimately. His sword still held mine above my head with immense pressure.
Our rapid breathing intertwined while he waited patiently for me to yield.
I would make him wait, I thought as his gaze travelled down to my mouth.
I held my breath as he leaned forward slightly, our lips almost touching.
My breasts pressed against his chest as I inhaled deeply to catch my breath.
The friction caused my nipples to harden painfully, and an ache began between my legs.
I squeezed my thighs together, trying to ease the unwanted sensation.
The amber flecks in his black eyes ignited as I lifted my hips, straining to free myself from where he had me trapped. What was happening?
Torgrin didn’t seem like the type to be a gentle kisser. I imagined feeling the hard press of his lips on mine – his invading tongue and punishing teeth leaving my lips red, swollen and hungry for more.
His head dipped down, casting a shadow over his face, and at that moment, the air seemed utterly still.
I could feel my breath hitch in my chest like an invisible force had caught it.
The pounding of my heart echoed in my ears, its rhythm quickening.
A curious flicker of light appeared behind his overblown pupils.
‘Tor,’ I whispered, feeling like an ember catching flame.
A rumble deep within his chest reached my ears. Then he blinked as if waking from a trance. I wanted him to kiss me so badly that I almost cried out as he pulled away from me.
The tips of my ears burned as he took several steps away from me. My first instinct was to hide my face now that he had freed my hands, but I forced myself to lower them to my sides.
I looked away from the mask he had dropped back into place to see the audience we had attracted. Over Torgrin’s shoulder, I met the green eyes of Bethel, who was clawing at the rail in front of her.
Every soldier in the arena had their eyes on me. Had they heard me all but moan their captain’s name? The only person not looking at me was Torgrin.
I didn’t wait for Torgrin’s dismissal. I fled the training arena and didn’t stop until I was safe inside the fortress.
I stripped off my damp clothes and attempted to wash the sweat from my body quickly. I wanted to get to the stables and see Webber about horses for Bethel and Ania.
I ignored the way my breasts still ached and the tingling between my thighs as I roughly washed with a cloth and cold water from a jug.
I felt betrayed by my body’s reaction to Torgrin.
The sharp pang of desire for him had taken me by surprise.
We hardly knew each other. I also felt I was betraying Cillian and what we had started before the tournament.
Cillian.
With his sweet kisses and gentle touches. Cillian was the kind of man who would treat me the way my father treated my mother – with devotion and respect.
Had I kept Cillian at a distance because I was nothing like my mother? She had always been kind and received love with an open heart. Loss had hardened my heart. Did I even deserve a man like Cillian?
I pushed my conflicted feelings aside and headed to the stables, where Webber helped me saddle two gentle mares for Lord Warwick’s daughters. As promised, Wolfe would be with me on Nightmare. I was saddling her when Webber brought over his slate and chalk.
Not sad anymore? he asked.
I shook my head no. I smiled at him to prove I was feeling better.
Good! He smiled back.
Wolfe and Ania soon arrived, but not Bethel. ‘She said she had a headache,’ Ania explained.
I shrugged. One less person meant less work for me.
Satisfied that Ania could handle her horse well, we headed into the city with Wolfe sitting before me.
Our first stop was Cillian’s. He was up early working in the forge when we arrived. I felt a wrench in my chest. I already missed him.
He looked up as we neared, and the moment his face lit up with that wide grin, I knew he would forgive me. I introduced Ania and Wolfe as my new charges, and Cillian took them on a quick tour of the forge.
Wolfe marvelled at the tools, asking Cillian if he could lift all his hammers. ‘What about that one?’ Wolfe pointed at one that was at least seventy pounds. Cillian grinned and winked at me as he indulged Wolfe and swung the massive hammer at an anvil, colliding with a thunderous clang of metal.
Ania was more interested in the shop and bought several hair clips and a small dagger. ‘I will be careful with it,’ she assured me. ‘I just think it’s beautifully made,’ she murmured.
When the Warwick siblings had finished shopping, Cillian handed me a pouch of coins. I looked inside to see it was full of silver and gold.
‘What is this?’ I asked, having never seen so much coin all at once.
‘It’s your share of the profits we made before the tournament,’ he said, laughing at my stunned expression.
‘There’s so much, Cillian!’ I tied the coins to my waist with my rope belt and lowered my shirt over it to keep it hidden from nimble-fingered pickpockets.
‘Yes, well, now I can upgrade the rooms above the forge.’ His happiness made my heart flip a little, despite what his words meant.
‘I’d better collect my things so you can get started.’ I smiled despite the twinge of sadness I felt.
His tone dropped a register, and his words sounded like warm honey to my ears. ‘Well, you can keep some things there. They are your rooms for as long as you’re in Murus,’ he promised as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
A tingling sensation skittered over my skin at his touch.
I was happy he still wanted me around the forge despite leaving the way I did.
Nervously, I touched his broad chest and slowly pressed my lips against his.
With a groan, he pulled me in tighter, wrapping his enormous arms around me and kissing me back.
He released me far too soon, leaning back to catch my gaze.
‘I think I know why you did it.’ His face grew serious. ‘You were looking for your mother’s murderer, weren’t you? You said he was a soldier?’
I nodded. ‘He’s not there,’ I admitted. I looked to where Wolfe and Ania were waiting outside by the horses. ‘I have other things keeping me in the fortress for now.’
He lowered his voice. ‘Are you safe there?’ His honey-brown eyes searched my face.
I knew what he was really asking. ‘I’m safe,’ I assured him.
Cillian pulled me back into his arms and peppered me with playful kisses, starting from the corner of my mouth and making his way down the side of my neck, where my pulse fluttered rapidly. ‘I hope you can visit occasionally when you aren’t protecting royalty,’ he teased.
Reluctantly, I left Cillian’s warm embrace. He watched over Wolfe and Ania while I went upstairs to collect my things. I no longer had armour, but I now had coins to pay Cillian to make me more. I took most of my clothes but left a few items behind, just like he suggested.
When I returned, he wrapped his massive arms around me again, and I couldn’t resist brushing his warm lips with mine once more.
I had struggled with a simple hand touch a few months ago, and now I craved his embrace.
The memory of Torgrin’s touch flashed through my mind, but I knew what I felt with Cillian was better. Safer.
‘I’ll come visit,’ I promised.
‘You’d better.’
Then I was out the door, ensuring my new charges obeyed my directions to stay close to me.
First, I stopped off at the cobbler and bought myself a fine pair of leather boots, then we spent the rest of the morning browsing the market stalls.
I closely watched Lord Warwick’s children as they moved from vendor to vendor.
We came to a familiar honey cake stall. The Murus man I had fought in the tournament stood to the side, watching the crowd go by as his wife and daughter sold their wares.
‘Greetings, Swordmaker. I’m Randal Runewood.’ His hand rested easily on the hilt of his sword. ‘I’m glad you won.’
He introduced me to his wife, Hilda, and their daughter, Sofie, who was a similar age to Wolfe. I tried to buy more cakes, but they refused to let me pay. There was no mention of what had happened that day outside the forge, but their appreciation was evident.
The rest of our excursion went smoothly, and we soon headed back to the fortress. Wolfe and Ania thanked me for taking them out and headed to their rooms to enjoy their new finds.
Having eaten plenty at the markets, I decided to skip the midday meal and went in search of the library on the first floor.