She hadn’t worried when she'd asked me to assail her, but learning I lacked attack skills seemed to trouble her immensely. “Well, then, I suppose we had better focus on getting you some. How to begin?” She was talking to herself now, I was almost sure. My mind started to wander. I listened for the men below. What were they doing there? “I‘m afraid we will have to work with your anger.” She smiled a little. “It seemed to work with your lunch.” I remembered the meat I had burnt when she’d been trying to provoke me with Steed. I flushed with embarrassment. “Yes, this could work,” she hummed with a sly grin.
“Let me see… oh yes, I’ve got it.” She began stepping a slow circle around me, talking as she walked. “The dreams you had… after the fairy dust… do you remember them?” Oh. “I have a few questions, you see. You had plenty to say about someone as you slept. You mentioned how his mouth tasted… muscles under his shirt. And, well, I was curious just who you meant.” No. “It couldn’t have been Chevelle; oh you should have seen his face. He was livid.” No. “Steed was certainly enjoying it, but, my dear, he won’t spill the secret to me. Whose strong back where you wrapped around, whose dark eyes–”
I was mortified and she was using it to taunt me. There was nowhere to go with the humiliation, it was too much, and it turned to fury as she continued. I snapped. The flames that had been coursing through me burst in my hands. She laughed and tossed her head. “Oh you should have heard it. You gave us such interesting details!” The image of Chevelle hearing my dreams, the sound of their laughter when I woke…
I knew what she wanted and I gave it to her. Fire shot from both my hands toward her, hotter than any I’d ever produced. I felt the warmth on my face and heard the slosh of Ruby’s heeled boots as the patches of snow melted beneath her steps. She batted away the flames and smiled. “Come now, you’ll have to do better than that.” She kept circling.
“Let me try harder.” She flicked her wrist and the end of her whip caught my ankle so fast I hadn’t even realized it was in her hand. She jerked and my leg came out from under me, so hard I hit the ground, slamming down flat on my hip. It hurt. The pain stole the heat from my anger, irritation replaced it as I started to stand up. Crack! The whip struck at my head, forcing me back down. She was still circling and every time I attempted to right myself, she cracked it anew, keeping me from getting a foothold.
“Come now, Freya, you must defend yourself. Fight me. Stop me.” Snap! Snap! Snap! She was faster now, cracking the whip above me and at each side, moving again and again, closer and closer. I had to think of something but my mind could only concentrate on the snap of her whip, closing in on me. I heard the splash again, her boots in the melted snow, and I sent the icy water racing up, under the material of her skirt, to her bare legs. Shock crossed her face and I hoped it would buy the time I needed.
What now? The cold water had thrown her for no more than a fraction of a second, but it was enough time to right myself and execute one quick attack. I volleyed a nearby rock, which struck her in the back of the head and threw her balance off for another instant. I knew I was larger than her so I gritted my teeth and lunged, grabbing her as I tried to figure my next attack.
She raised her face and, when her eyes met mine, they narrowed. Part of me was aware I should have been scared, but I was enjoying myself. Whatever pain I might receive didn’t factor; I had wanted to hurt this wicked little redhead since the first time I’d seen her, since her hand reached out seductively toward Chevelle and collected my ruby. My palms lit where they wrapped around her arms, I would finally burn her. She cocked one eyebrow at me. “Half fire fairy, silly.” And my body was flying through the air to land with a heavy thump a few yards away.
“Well, it’s a little unorthodox but at least you’re thinking on your feet,” she mused. And then she giggled as she realized I was, in fact, not on my feet.
My body ached as I stood and my best skill was useless. I desperately wanted to ask her to simply show me the way, but my ego stubbornly refused.
She must have picked up my mood. “You see, most of us choose one particular favorite, we focus on that and practice constantly. That way, it becomes easier, uses less energy, you know.” I didn’t know. “Maybe we should see what your strong suit is,” she said and motioned me to follow her as she walked to the rock ridge and jumped over, hurrying down to the men.