The Curse's Breath

Chapter Fifteen

Celni strode into the training building with a confident, bold attitude, only to falter in her steps at the sound of yelling and clanging metal. Training was already in full swing--and by looking at the clock on her right, it had been for several hours.

She cursed under her breath. How would she make an excuse to Mawk?

"A little late to the party, eh?"

Celni whirled around to run into the gaze of two eyes the color of an arctic glacier, slightly distorted by the presence of glasses. "D-Dyrnen!" she stuttered.

His eyes did not blink. "Miss Celni."

"I'm so sorry for being late. I-I was just--I had this thing that my dad asked me to do, and you know how he feels about being told no, and I..." She let her sentence fall. "You're not buying any of this, are you?"

The maker of the Training Arena tilted his head, his lips breaking into a smile at her blunderous attempt at covering up her tardiness. "Nope."

She winced. "Any chance you'll..."

"Cover for you?" he finished. Dyrnen gave her a nod. "Certainly."

Celni gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Dyrnen."

He dipped his head, causing the edge of his silvery hair to dance on his forehead. "Of course."

Celni followed him into the Training Arena. The young soldiers were sparring with each other in groups of two. Each had been given a longsword and basic leather armor. Most were getting solid blocks and strikes, but one girl was having a bit of difficulty handling the heavy sword.

"Enough! Stop! You're doing it all wrong!" Mawk shouted at her. He took the sword from her, his biceps rippling as he set the sword into a clean swing. "Did you see that? I used my left hand to brace the sword and my right hand to give it power and direction." He handed the weapon back to her. "Now you try."

Biting her lip, the girl prepared to give the sword a swing, but stopped when she saw Dyrnen and Celni walk up to the group.

"Why did you stop?" Mawk asked sternly. He followed the girl's gaze. "Ah. Miss Halderan. Mr. Dyrnen. It's nice of you two to decide to join us." He folded his meaty arms and set them with a reprimanding glare. "Either of you want to tell me where you've been?"

Dyrnen cleared his throat. "My apologies, sir. It was my fault. I kept her from training. Celni was helping me work on a project for her father."

Mawk narrowed his eyes. "Very well. But I will not allow this to happen again, Dyrnen. Do you understand?"

The young man lowered his gaze. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now take group one, four, and five and give them the abilities lesson. I'll take the rest. And Celni," Mawk said, leveling her with one more glare. "Pay attention. You need to make up for the time you missed."

Feeling slightly guilty, Celni rubbed her elbow as groups one, four, and five came up to surround her and Dyrnen. Most gave her silent glances that were almost sympathetic before looking away. Srenya, as usual, gave Celni a withering stare that ate away at her confidence.

Dyrnen straightened and attempted to clear his throat, but it came out more like a cough. His cheeks flushed and he fiddled with the edges of his jacket. "Um... alright then. Everyone, please follow me."

The clump of young adults followed obediently. Celni hung back so she was at the tail end of the group, hoping to go the rest of the day without being asked any questions. Unfortunately, that was not what Srenya had in mind.