Agatine (Terres book II)

Chapter Twenty Seven

Wren pushed Phina away from her. She slid her hand up Phina's arm, pinning it behind her jade wings. Phina let out a hiss of hot air and tilted her head forward as Wren pressed the dagger into the weak spot in her neck, where she'd been instructed. Phina nodded in approval.

"Let go of my arm now," she said. Wren's breathing was ragged in her chest. She'd nearly forgotten that this was only an exercise and not really a fight. She let go of Phina's arm. Her long, slender limbs twisted out underneath her and grabbed at the edge of Wren's wings. She twisted, hard, and Wren fell to her knees with a screech.

"That hurts," she said, as Phina dug her kneecap into the small of her back. Wren tried to grab at her hand with her free arm, but Phina grabbed that too, and pinned both behind her shoulders until she could not move any longer. Phina let go. Wren rubbed at her shoulder blade and turned around. Phina lunged at her and she ducked out of the way.

"Stop," she said, as she leaned against the wall. Her lungs burned, and her throat stuck together when she swallowed. When she moved her arm, her shoulder spat a sharp word in protest. She moved it in a circle a few more times to see if it would stop. 

Phina tucked the dagger into the waistband of her skirt and leaned next to her. How many days had it been now? Four? Maybe five? Wren still didn't feel like she was making any headway, though every day it got a little harder for Phina to pin her, and every day she got a little bit less scared of the idea. She put her hands on her knees and waited for her breathing to slow.

"Do you want to try to fly today?" Phina asked. Wren glanced out over the ledge and shook her head. The idea still made her feel sick to her stomach. Phina laughed and brushed a strand of her dark hair out of her face. "You need to learn eventually. Someday it won't be an option anymore."

"I don't want to think about it," Wren said. She kept the corner of her eye on Phina. She knew, just like it always did, that the practice would start again without warning. She stood up straight and used her wings to balance her against the doorway. The sun was starting to set, which meant that soon the air would get cool, and they'd retreat inside to get a drink before Wren walked herself home. 

"You have to eventually," Phina repeated. She grabbed a waterskin she'd rested against the doorway and handed it to Wren. Wren uncapped it and took a long, greedy gulp. Phina struck like a cat. Wren didn't even notice her move until she had her arm up against the wall by the wrist and her other hand at Wren's throat. She used her hip to block Wren from grabbing her dagger out of her pocket. She glanced around for Phina's as her fingers dug into Wren's jaw.

She tilted her head up and caught the flash of metal out of the corner of her eye, still sticking up out of the waistband of Phina's skirt. She grabbed for it with her free hand and tilted it under Phina's chin. She let go of Wren's jaw and grabbed for it with her free hand. Wren gasped as the metal cut into her palm and the weapon disappeared. Her back pressed into the wall as Phina leaned towards her until their faces were almost touching.

"Nice try,"  she said. Their eyes locked. Wren could not look away. Her heart jumped into her throat. She scrambled to find her dagger or Phina's dagger or any dagger. Phina let go of her and they stayed there for a long moment, but Wren's heartbeat did not slow. Time froze. Phina brushed the fringe of hair out of her face, and the terror Wren had felt at being pinned was replaced by an entirely new type of terror.

She could hear Phina's breathing, and the blood rushing in her own ears, and the sound of the wind whistling over the rooftops. She could feel her bodyweight pressing her against the wall, and smell the perfume she used, and feel her own heart clamoring against her ribcage. She did not know why she reached for her when Phina let go of her wrist. She did not know why she didn't run when their faces got close, or why she did not protest when Phina kissed her, apart from the fact that it felt like the first right thing she had done in a long while.