Liora shot me a half-smile. “I doubt it worked. And you underestimate yourself—if anyone can change her mind, it’ll be you.”
I clamped down on the impulse to snort aloud, not wanting to shatter her illusions. There were enough people seeing me as incompetent, including myself. I didn’t need that from Liora too.
We reached the training grounds to find it deserted. Adrianna pulled a locket from her jacket pocket and opened it. I saw liquid silver form the numbers 8:02BN beneath a crystal face. She put the watch back and said, “It won’t be that long before the bell goes, and I like to do warm-up exercises before then. So, first, we’re sprinting from one side of the pit to the other two times. If you feel like you need to vomit, don’t.”
Ugh. More running. “Right.”
Adrianna gave me a warning look, like she expected me to complain; as if I would give her more excuses to doubt me.
“Ready?” Adrianna asked, her attention fixed on me.
“Yes.”
Adrianna veered left and aimed for the fence. Cai was already jogging over to join her. She’d placed her hand on the fence but didn’t move. She appeared to be waiting for us. Gods, how did she keep going like this every day?
Pride and training, the voice answered. Indeed.
Liora gave me a commiserating look. My pulse ratcheted up another notch as we went to lay our hands next to theirs. As soon as Adrianna bounded forward, we sprang after her and ran two laps. Cai won, much to Adrianna’s annoyance. But the real surprise was that I came in a close third. I needed to work on my endurance, though. My breath was shallow and rapid, and my chest ached with every savage pound. At least the effect of Cai’s salve wasn’t wearing off. The pain from my side and jaw had all but gone.
Adrianna stepped away from the fence. “Follow my example.”
She’d directed the order at me, but Cai and Liora snapped to attention. With her back facing us, we imitated her movements. We moved through lunges to push-ups to squats.
I invented very colorful curses for her as my limbs shook. But I didn’t stop. Elain had been right to call me willful. She’d meant it as an insult. That it’d made me cold and remote, like a star in a winter’s sky. But right now, it was the only thing keeping me going.
Finally, mercifully, Adrianna turned to me. “That’s enough. You need a breather before Wilder shows up and starts the real training.”
Was I crying? I put a hand to my face—no, just sweat. I wiped my face on my jacket sleeve, brushed the sand from my hands, and collapsed against the fence. Liora and Cai slumped down next to me.
Adrianna refused to slow down and walked over to the five weapon racks pressed against the fence. She picked up a sword and shifted through different positions. It was exhausting just watching her. Liora’s head slumped onto my shoulder. And as the smell of roses tickled my nose, a smile touched my lips. Maybe this was friendship then: having someone to lean on when the world has beaten you senseless.
For the next ten minutes, we three watched Adrianna dance with a sword in hand.
“Where does she get the energy from?” Liora asked in a scratchy voice.
“Sheer will,” Cai replied with a crooked grin.
I kept my mouth shut.
The clang of the bell sounded, and we pushed ourselves off the ground while Adrianna returned her practice sword to the rack. Anxiety and fear sluiced through my veins. I guessed the real training was about to begin. What happened next didn’t soothe my nerves. Five fae flew into the pit: two females and three males. Each looked fierce and every bit the warrior. They carried several weapons apiece. They were all clad in layered pieces of the same black-silver fabric and leather, with knee-length boots to match. But their coloring varied, as did size, for only two of the males were large or muscular.
“They’re the instructors,” Liora explained needlessly.
She pointed to the tallest female. “That’s ours—Goldwyn.”
“And by far the nicest,” Cai added.
She also was painfully beautiful with short gold hair, and a willowy frame supporting yellow wings.
Cai thumped me lightly on the arm. “We should go meet her. We’ll see you at lunch.”
My heart skipped into a nervous beat. He winked and moved off with Liora, who gave me a quick, reassuring smile over her shoulder. “See you at lunch.”
My throat got stuck, so I gave her a nod.
Adrianna sidled next to me and jerked her chin at the tallest fae male. “That’s Wilder,” she whispered.
At that, he turned and looked our way as if he’d heard from halfway across the ring. He started forward, looking every bit the powerhouse, with a small sword and a long dagger resting on his hips. My pulse leaped and swept through my body, carrying a low buzzing: a humming.
He stopped not two feet in front of us. I cursed fae senses, hoping he wouldn’t hear or gods forbid smell my body reacting. “I thought you didn’t like training with other people, Adrianna?”
His voice rumbled, deep and rough. The sound prickled my skin, setting a fire in my belly. Alarmed, I scrambled for control.
“Just a one-off.” Adrianna gave a casual shrug.
“You must be my new recruit?” The weight of his gaze settled on me and roamed from head to toe. As if he saw every weakness, every flaw.
“I’m your instructor, Wilder.”
I needed to say something. He was waiting, but my blood was boiling in my veins. I’d forgotten my own name.
His tied-back hair, a caramel gold, matched his tanned skin. His eyes were a forest green. The matching scars marring both stubbled cheeks, the muscles and broad shoulders, marked him out as a true Warrior and stalker of battlefields. Next to this male the others looked like boys at play, and it was doing funny things to my insides.
“Sere—” Before Adrianna could finish, I blurted out, “That’s my name. Serena.”
My cheeks flamed. This was beyond visceral. Like being punched in the gut, fifty times over. What in the darkest court was wrong with me?
His lip twitched. For one glorious moment, I thought he was about to smile.
No such luck.
“Well, Serena …” he rolled the “r.”
I wondered what that tongue could do to me … Damn. Snap out of it!
“I hope you’ve realized I can’t hold the others back because of your late arrival. I’ll be training this pack at the same level and pace as before. You must do your best to keep up.”
“Of course,” I bleated. I may as well have been a sheep.
“I haven’t finished,” he growled softly.
My knees knocked together. It was getting harder and harder to look him in the eye.
“Hilda and I have agreed that I should give you extra lessons. You’re to come back to the ring every evening, 8AN sharp—understood?”
I didn’t know if it was excitement or dread that settled into my belly. All I could do was nod in agreement.
“It won’t be easy,” Wilder said with a grim turn of his mouth. “Even fae find our training demanding, and you have the disadvantage of coming into this in poor shape, with only a month to go before trials start.”
Something crumpled in my chest. Poor shape. Those words would stay with me for a while.
Wilder continued. “You’re here because Hilda liked your spirit. Now, you must prove worthy of the challenge. The other recruits are on their way.” He cocked his head as if listening. “Serena, follow Adrianna’s example—she knows the strengthening drills by heart. No point waiting for the rest of the pack.”
“Which one is it today, Master?”
It was the first time I’d heard her sound remotely humble.
“Level two—four sets. Move onto grappling exercises after that and pair with Serena. I’d like you to continue in your role as a mentor.”
I dared to peek at Adrianna; if she was annoyed, she didn’t show it. She just stalked off to a space closer to the middle. Wilder grabbed my arm before I could follow. “I don’t expect you to keep up, but that’s not an excuse to slack off. D’you hear me?”