To the Stars | Throne of Glass

28

Shit.

Celaena swore as Allennon knocked the blade from her grasp. He was steadily getting better. She ducked as his own sword breezed over, millimetres above her head, then rolled as he angled it and sliced downwards.

Springing to her feet, she launched herself at Allennon, twirling away from his jabs as she landed blow after blow to Allennon's gut. Though his breathing grew heavier, his grip remained strong as ever on the hilt of his sword. He lunged, and the sword swept for her feet. Celaena grinned. Then she leapt.

And ran up the blade. Literally ran up it. One kick to his head, and Allennon sprawled to the ground. Celaena landed with him, crushing her boot onto his hand so that his sword sprawled out of his grip. Allennon twisted, and lashed out with his foot. They were both now grappling with one another on the ground.

Celaena rolled out of reach, and vaulted to her feet. Allennon was already up, and lunged towards her - but she flicked her wrist, and a knife shot out. Allennon swerved, and the blade missed his ribs by a hair's breadth, tearing through the fabric.

He drew his own knife, and in a flash, they were at each other's throats. Celaena stood with her arm outstretched, dagger hovering above his Adam's apple. Allennon had mirrored her stance, and the edge of his knife lay dangerously close to her throat.

Eyes blazing, they stared one another down.

~

Then Celaena drew another dagger, and Allennon was lunging, the tip of the knife brushing her chin as she thrust the knife away from her. She flew at Allennon, a whirlwind of steel, and gradually, he yielded, step after step, out of the ring, further, further, until his back met the wall. She leaned in, a dagger against his throat.

But he wasn't done yet. Slowly, a smile stretched across his face.

And a knife ripped into Celaena from her abdomen up.

~

It was Allennon who screamed, and slumped to the floor. Blood bubbled from the dagger in his throat. Celaena had seen it- seen the knife a heartbeat before he struck. He was dead another heartbeat later.

The tip of the knife had barely pierced her skin, thanks to her reactions. But the tunic was now scrapped, a huge tear stretching from underneath her left breast to her right hip. Celaena peeled off the shirt, which was drenched in sweat and blood; her cropped undergarments left her stomach feeling rather bare and exposed. The skin beneath revealed a small red line where Allennon had reached. It hardly stung.

Celaena tugged the dagger from Allennon's neck, gathered her discarded weapons, and began cleaning them.

~

Ben hurried as fast as he could, trying not to look too panicked, to the training room. He was walking past the kitchen when he heard the scream. His chest had instantly tightened. Not her. Not her. Ben prayed. If anything had happened to her...

Arobynn had ordered that there be one instructor, if not Ben or Arobynn themselves, to keep an eye on Celaena as she trained. Arobynn had sworn Celaena would not be harmed.

When he reached the training room, the first thing he saw was Celaena. Alive and very much unharmed. His chest loosened. But she was shirtless. And polishing her dagger. Ben nearly choked. Of all things...

Then he saw Allennon, head bowed, limp against the wall. His chest tightened again. What had she done? He crossed the room to her. Celaena looked up, not to look at him, but to inspect the blade.

'Where is your tunic?'

She pointed to a pile of cloth at her feet. 'There. And that's the first question you ask? Not what happened, or are you hurt?'

Ben toed her with a boot. 'I can see that you are perfectly fine. As for the other question- what did happen?' 

She stood up then, to reveal a long, shallow slice which stretched across her stomach. 'He was going to kill me but I got there first.'

Ben snorted. 'Are you always going to be that blunt with words?'

Celaena shrugged. 'I'm going to get this cleaned.' She gestured to her abdomen, and it took almost all of Ben's self control not to keep staring for longer than necessary. At her broad, strong shoulders, toned arms, ever so slightly tanned, and that sleek chest muscle.

Celaena cleared her throat. 'Don't you even think about it.'

Ben's cheeks heated, and despite him being her senior, he felt a little guilty. 'I wasn't!'

'Just stand stark naked in front of the mirror if you like muscle, Ben. Then you can admire plenty and I won't judge,' she scoffed.

Ben felt the heat start to creep up him neck. Celaena poked him with a finger. 'You. Stop feeling and do whatever you're going to do. I'll find you later.' Then she sauntered away, and Ben stared after her, at the swagger in her steps, the swish of her hips-

Celaena stopped, and turned. Then she snarled. Full on snarled with her lips pulled back from her teeth. 'Ben. I would recommend you stop staring. Or I'll pluck out your eyeballs for you.'

He didn't doubt that for a second.

~

Celaena knew that Ben wouldn't try to take advantage of her. She grinned to herself at the mortification on Ben's face as she caught him staring at her not once, but twice at her body.

The second time, well. It was bait, but the swagger was still found in her usual swing. The tight bodice of her top just displayed her body in a different way. Which was why Celaena favoured the cloak and tunic. Twirling a dagger with her fingers as she ascended the stairs, she ran the other hand up the smooth banister. She still slept with the Apprentices. It was almost humiliating.

Celaena pushed open her door, taking care to step over the piece of string she'd tied across the bottom of the doorframe, and hopping nimbly over the knife that would've plunged into her gut if she'd tripped.

There were no locks on the doors in the bedrooms of the Keep so Celaena wasn't taking any chances. The only person she trusted to her room was Ben. But he always just knocked and waited on the outside.

Celaena removed the heavy chain of weapons from round her waist - it was even heavier now with the knives she swiped from Allennon. Over her rutting dead corpse would she regret his death. A boy from Adarlan; that quick a death was kinder than what he deserved. Celaena took a pouch of healing herbs from her dresser. Then, rougher than necessary, she stalked out, slamming the door behind her.

***

when i say 'cropped undergarments', i mean a crop top vest thing 👇👇👇

um ye