Of Phoenix Tears and Demon Blood

31 - Explore (1/2)

I ducked a swing, Gen's sword whistling overhead, and jumped forward. They effortlessly parried my blow, and so I pushed forward, our blades ringing with a clash of metal. I switched the direction I was circling them and saw the opening I carved. I lunged forward, prepared to claim my victory, only to feel Gen's sword clang against the metal of my breastplate. The tip hovered at my heart. I sighed and stepped back, accepting defeat.

Gen grinned. "Good match," they said as they extended their hand. I shook it, then sheathed my sword. I smiled ruefully. Gen had been the one to teach me much of what I knew about sword fighting, and while I had grown immensely in the years they'd trained me, the instances I beat them were few and far between. A part of me suspected that they allowed me to win those infrequent matches to avoid crushing my hope.

"Go ahead," I said to Audrey, who was waiting behind me, alongside Ella. "I'm going to take a break."

It was a late afternoon and copper sunlight shone in through the high windows of the training room. It was a large room, with high ceilings and arched windows. Soft rugs covered parts of the floor while bare gray stone showed in others. I walked over the racks of weapons that lined the walls and returned the sword I had borrowed. I slipped my metal breastplate over my head, hating the way it snagged on my clothing.

Ella approached me and returned her own sword. "Done fighting?" I asked.

She nodded and forced a smile. "Yeah, it's not like I can beat Gen anyway." She leaned against my shoulder as she stared out the windows and at the forest beyond. I chuckled softly and guided her back to watch Gen and Audrey fight.

"Are you doing okay?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah," Ella replied simply.

Audrey was losing, backing up with each swing to avoid Gen's blows. Sweat shone on her skin and her face was twisted with anger. Gen lunged forward and tapped Audrey's chest. Audrey frowned. The tip of her sword pulled towards the ground. "I'm tired of fighting. We should go do something else," she complained.

"What? You don't want to fight all day?" Gen questioned playfully, then laughed. "Sure, what else do you have in mind?"

A thoughtful look crossed Audrey's face, her eyebrows were pinched as she chewed on her cheek. "Let's leave," she suggested, her face beaming. "There's a nearby town, Mortstiv, between here and the capital. We could get something to drink, take a walk, and check out the marketplace."

Ella shook her head. "We can't. Althea's not allowed to leave."

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Althea's not supposed to do a lot of things. That doesn't mean she can't do them, it just means she shouldn't get caught."

My mouth parted in surprise, out of all of us, Audrey was normally the most concerned about the rules. Gen mirrored my surprise as they laughed. "Audrey, this is unexpected. Althea, what are your thoughts?"

I shrugged. I was tired of sitting at Azhar and having a group of guards watch my every movement. The days had been boring between everyone being so concerned about me dying and the Oathbreaker not only not visiting me, but declining my attempts to talk with him. I knew I shouldn't after all the assassination attempts, but no one knew who I looked like outside of Azhar and the last place an assassin would suspect me to be was a small town. "We shouldn't," I began, watching as disappointment covered Audrey's face, "but let's do it." Audrey and Gen grinned.

"I need to go grab something," Gen said. Audrey echoed her.

I nodded. "I'll slip out the window to escape my guards and meet you at the south entrance. By the time they notice I'm gone, hopefully we'll be back. Ella can come with me." Everyone nodded in agreement.