Skulduggery Pleasant: Raising Cain

Chapter 150 - Like a bitch in heat

Chapter 150

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Warning: NSFW

Dedicated to Remus Cyka Crux

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The next day was, shocking to no one, a day of rest for them all, including Nadia who only got out of bed to stretch her muscles, eat and go to the toilet. Valkyrie had an enjoyable time going between films with her family and spending time with Nadia upstairs.

The next day brought the second day of training. In the fairly large back garden was their little makeshift gym and today Valkyrie intended to work Nadia!

"Are you awake yet?" She asked, leaning over the bed. She was in shorts and a top with a fleece jacket over the top. They were on the last legs of the good weather and a cold breeze had begun. Her legs would be fine, still very used to swimming in the ocean back home, but her arms were wusses so she needed the jacket. "Come on Nadia, you can't do this two days in a row."

"But it'll hurt," she moaned, glaring up at Valkyrie from under the covers.

"I don't care. You need to learn to protect yourself, not just from mortals but also anyone that might try to hurt you to get to the Dead Men and me. So get up."

It took some more persuading, but eventually gave in and Valkyrie helped her find some leggings and a top to wear. They went outside into the midmorning sun and began.

"Alright, so we went over some basic movements last time. We're going to warm up and then go over those to make sure you haven't forgotten anything," she said. Warmups were a few laps, some push-ups and sit-ups, which was repeated a few times. Nadia struggled with the push-ups as she lacked a lot of upper body strength, but she powered through.

They went through the drills they did last time, the clutches and kicks and how she should get out of this basic hold or that.

"I don't want to do these holds," she whinged when she had struggled out of the fifth one. "I remember them."

Scowling from behind her, Valkyrie took a step forwards, gripped one arm and had Nadia on her knees in a moment. Nadia made an attempt to escape it, the annoyance dying on her lips as she realised Valkyrie wasn't messing around. She shook herself and put all her strength into it but with just the strength of one arm, Valkyrie was able to keep Nadia on her knees and unable to get away from her. After a good forty seconds of trying to get out, she stilled.

"Okay, okay," Nadia said, her voice softer and a little bit pleading. "Let me up."

Valkyrie did. "Do you know why I did that?"

"No," she muttered after a moment of rubbing her shoulder.

"Because this is really important. Nadia, if I at seventeen can keep you from getting away from me with one hand, imagine what some of the evil people we deal with could do to you. I just want you to be just strong enough to handle yourself, you don't need to look like me or be able to fight off a whole army by yourself, just give me, you and our family the peace of mind that you aren't going to be completely incapable in a real fight."

"I'm not completely incapable–"

"I know," Valkyrie interrupted. "But that's only with magic. I mean physically. You can't use magic against a mortal if they attack you, can you?"

Nadia sighed. "Alright. I get it. Come on then, what's next?"

With a better attitude than before, Valkyrie started some new exercises. She needed to work Nadia's body to get to enough muscle strength to really be able to do any wrestling, so that's where they started. The breeze kicked up, but it was good on their skin as they worked out. Valkyrie demonstrated what she should do with the rocks, tires and dumbbells, and then Nadia would do it. Her technique was good, her lifting posture and her hand grip always as it should be, but she just lacked so much strength. Valkyrie had to assume that all the strength that she worked up from a child to teenager had melted away when she went to India and stopped eating properly. It had taken away so much of her fat but also gotten bad enough that her muscle mass had broken down, as not eating would do. Plus at this boarding school they apparently didn't do physical exercises and everything was in one building so not much walking was even done. They all relied on and used their magic.