The Spymaster's Assassin (An ACoTaR Fanfic)

Chapter 9

Clang. Thunk. Thwap!

I attacked the dummy with my twin swords, slashing at the wooden thing in front of me.

"Who on earth taught you how to fight?" A taunting voice said behind me and I froze, sword stopping merely an inch from the dummy.

I looked to Azriel who sat cross-legged on a tree stump with wings slightly flared out. He was looking behind me, so I turned around to see Cassian standing before me now.

"I taught myself. I had to. I was forced to fight to death in an arena because Amarantha likes to see people die." I gritted out.

He looked me up and down, then said, "You're sloppy. You swing with your arms. You're fast, but if a practiced warrior were to fight you, he could knock the weapon from your hands. May I?" He gestures towards me.

"What are you going to do?" I said defensively.

He let out a laugh. "Teach you how to fight with a better stance, that's what."

"I thought Azriel was in charge of that." I challenged.

Azriel merely shrugged and said, "The Night Court's general wants to teach you how to fight properly and you turn him down?"

I glared back at the Shadowsinger who didn't seem too phased by my anger and just picked at his nail absentmindedly.

"Well?" Cassian asked and grinned down at me.

I scowled and said, "Fine. What do I do?"

"First of all," He said and stepped closer to me and took my hands. I could have sworn Azriel growled but when I looked back at him, he had only moved one foot to the grass.

Cassian cleared his throat and I looked back up at him. "First, you have to strengthen your arm muscles. Being able to swing fast and move fast and dodge you already got down perfectly. I'm impressed with how much you were able to teach yourself. It took me years to master quick movements."

"I was down there for twenty-one years." I said hoarsely.

"You also had no instructor." He said and turned my hands around so they sat palm up in his hands and he gripped my wrists. "But can you fight with your fists? That is what I'm here to find out."

I clenched my fists and went to pull them from his grasp but he merely held on tighter.

I heard Azriel move behind me again, by Cassian didn't look at him and we just kept our eyes locked onto one another.

I stepped in a little closer, turning my hands so they held his wrists and kept my eyes locked into his, then drove my knee between his legs. He immediately released me and collapsed to his knees, groaning with his hands over the wounded area.

"See, Cassian. I just use my looks. All men are the same. Pretty girls touching them never ceases to rattle or stop them." I say with a grin and through a grimace of pain, he laughs a little.

"I do have to say, Adrianna, I'm impressed." He said with a wheeze. "I'll remember to be more careful next time." He said with a grin.

Then, his leg suddenly kicked out and swept my legs out from underneath me and I landed hard on my tailbone and winced.

Azriel was standing now.

"Never let your guard down. You did that with that other Illyrian in the Ring. And look what happened." He gestured to my stomach where I still was bandaged, as he stood then held a hand down to me.

I glared at him and smacked his hand to the side and stood, then said coolly, "You were doing so well until you started talking about the Ring. You weren't there. So don't you dare tell me anything about it like you know what I went through. I doubt anyone other than Rhysand and maybe Azriel would be able to understand what it was like down there."