WE SAID GOODBYE with a kiss in front of my Arithmetic class. It was a brutal hour, but I raced from the room as fast as I could to make it to Art of War.
I showed up early but couldn’t claim my sword, because Tracey was swinging it in her left hand, the way professor Mia had that first day. Collin beat me again, and when I slouched to the cupboard to put my sword back, two small axes pushed to the far back caught my eye. It gave me an idea; I was sure Lucian knew how to fight with any kind of weapon, and now was the time to see just how good he really was.
I patiently waited for him after class.
“Hey, Sweetheart. Jeez, you’re early. That anxious to see me?” he teased as he walked in.
“Can I change weapons?” I asked, ignoring his flirting.
“To what?”
I ran to the cupboard and picked up the two axes to show him.
“Where did you find them?”
“They were here,” I said, and pointed to the cupboard.
He looked at the engravings and froze.
“Do you know who they belonged to? They were Queen Catherine’s.”
“Then what are they doing here?”
“I don’t know, but can you keep it a secret for now? Just until I find out.”
“Sure, anything. Do you know how to fight with them?”
He chuckled. “Do I know how to fight with them? That’s an insult.” He threw one in the air. It flipped end over end and he caught it by the handle in an outstretched fist. “They’re called Frankish Throwing Axes, and you have to be careful.”
“Just teach me,” I said, rolling my eyes.
He juggled with them one last time before handing them to me hilt first. “Why do you want to learn how to fight with them?”
“I like the way they look. They’re easy to carry around and the sword looks uncomfortable to travel with.” I decided to go with practical.
“You chose them just because they are easy to transport?” he said, and snorted.
“Does it matter?” I asked, smiling. “Just teach me.”
“It’s not common to fight with them. The queen was the only one of a handful of warriors that chose axes. As you can imagine, you have to be close to your enemy to strike, whereas with the sword you are allowed some distance. I guess Master Longwei wasn’t wrong about his mark theory.”
I rolled my eyes. For the love of blueberries, not him too? “Can we just start?”
The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. “With axes, fear of your enemy isn’t an option. Close range, like this.” He spun around me so fast that I didn’t see him and trapped me from behind. He came so close I could feel his breath on my hair. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered wildly, and I felt the urge to kiss him.
“What is nice about them is that you have two, which means you have time for a surprise blow.” He spoke with a soft, seductive voice, and I swallowed hard. He moved fast past me again and faced me, while his other hand came out of nowhere and hit me softly on the left ribcage. “That hit could have cost you your life.” He gave me a quick smile and kissed me fast on my lips.
I laughed.
“Axe warriors are fierce, they don’t hesitate, and they have fast reflexes.” His smile disappeared and his tone grew serious. “Now if you just want to knock someone unconscious, you can with the haft or the blunt side of the blade. I bet Collin will think twice after a blow like that, or it can be a weapon to throw.” He took a few paces backwards, putting distance between us, and threw the axe in his left hand so fast I didn’t even see it properly. It hit the target board on the bull’s eye.
“You’re really good at this,” I said, impressed.
“Thanks, sweetheart. I used to play with a lot of weapons as a kid. My father is one of the best weapon experts in Paegeia. I guess the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.” He walked to the target board to retrieve the axe.
I pinched my arm quickly. He was such a god, and I had to make sure that this wasn’t a dream. He came back and gently handed me both axes.
“Shall we?” He was formal again and bowed in front of me.
“Just go easy, please.” I tried to remember what Professor Mia had told me and stood up straight, not taking my gaze away from him.
“Okay.” He dropped his sword and picked up a shield. “Tell you what, you just swing away until you get the hang of it.”
I blew out a big gush of air and my hands trembled, but I decided to try it. I swung at him with the axe in my right hand and took my eyes off him for one-second. He blocked my blow with his shield while stepping forward. With one push of his shield, I fell on my butt.
“Why are you holding back?” He lowered his shield and lent me a helping hand.
“It doesn’t feel right; you don’t have any weapon to fight back,” I complained, and put both axes down on the ground to accept his hand.
He pulled me up. “Would you rather I pick up the sword again? It’s hardly a fight, Elena.” His smile went straight to his eyes.
“Fine, don’t complain if I hurt you.”
He shook with laughter, making me feel like an idiot.
“With weapons, not easy,” he teased.
I squinted, raising the axe in my right hand, keeping the left back, holding it defensively as I crouched low and approached him. The axes felt good in my hands, much lighter than Excalibur. My quick attacks surprised Lucian, judging by his expression, though my blows rattled off his shield harmlessly.
Somehow, I knew what to do next, as if the axes and I were meant to be together. When the pain grew too unbearable in my side, we stopped.
He didn’t speak but stared at me with huge eyes. We burst into laughter.
“That really felt good.”
“I think you’ve found your weapons. You’re really good with them, Elena.”
I wasn’t comfortable with compliments but had to admit it felt great. Becky might be right about this class becoming my favorite. “Beginner’s luck.”
“There’s no beginner’s luck in fighting, only in gambling.” We started fighting again when the pain in my side faded.
He was better prepared this time and blocked all my blows, except the last one where he tripped over his own feet. “Dammit, Elena! Whoa!”
My stomach did a double somersault.
Damn, this is fun. Who would have thought?
The third time, he didn’t fall, but it was a hard and long fight. When we’d had enough, we were both breathless. I couldn’t believe it felt so easy now that I’d finally found the right weapons. They were going to be my twins, and we would never be separated, that is if someone didn’t take them from me because they used to be Queen Catherine’s.
“Do you think Professor Mia knows about them?” I asked Lucian as I put the axes back in the cupboard with the other weapons.
“I have no idea. She should know, but then I’ve never seen them before, so she might not.” He was no longer out of breath, but his skin glistened with sweat.
We walked hand in hand to the main building, chatting about our session. I could tell that he truly enjoyed it, and I couldn’t recall a time when I’d seen him this excited.
Satisfaction was a sweet feeling, and it made me feel as if I was finally getting somewhere. I found my second wind, ran up the stairs to my room and reached the fourth floor in no time. A smile ran across my face as I thought about Lucian. I was crazy about him, and I’d never felt anything like this before. Why did he have to be a prince?
I took a shower and couldn’t wait to tell Becky and Sammy about the axes.
Sammy came in first after her drama lesson. Her eyes lit up as I told her about my little discovery.
We both fell silent as the door opened and we watched Becky drag a huge saddle into our room.
She smiled from ear to ear and her face looked flushed.
“That. Was. Amazing!” She left the saddle by the door, threw a pair of flying shades that could easily be mistaken for swimming goggles on top of her dresser, and collapsed onto her bed.
“You finally rode George?” Sammy said.
“Yes, and it’s the best feeling in the world. I can’t explain it.” She turned around and rested her head on her one arm to look at us. “Lift-off was really scary. I didn’t like the speed at first, and George must have sensed it somehow, because he slowed down until I was ready for more. He took me high above the clouds, and I actually wanted to cry when Master Longwei told us to go back.”
“Master Longwei was with you?” I asked. “Flying as a dragon?”
“No, he had a magic carpet with him. Yes, in his dragon form. C’mon, Elena, it’s not as if you don’t know that he’s a dragon,” Becky teased.
“I just can’t imagine him as one,” I admitted.
“Well, he’s a beautiful one,” she said and went over to the fridge to get a soda.
At dinnertime, Chef had prepared a feast. Roasted beef with gravy and mash, and pork glazed with honey, served with rice—food that made Becky pull up her nose. Sammy and I loved it.
Lucian came in shortly after we’d seated ourselves at our normal table, and took the pillow next to me. We chatted about my skills with the axes and listened to Becky and George telling Lucian about the flying lesson.
After I said goodbye to Lucian, I prepared for my Latin lesson tomorrow but called it a night when my mind felt as if it was going to explode. I didn’t dream about anything, and when my alarm clock went off again, I finished getting dressed so fast that I had to wait forLucian.
The two-mile run turned into three, and right before I wanted to pass out, we reached the lake. He took me on a different route today. We even ran half of the way back, which made me feel pretty good about myself.
Blake called off our tutoring for today. The Viden wanted to see him after school. Sammy tried to help me, but was nowhere near as good as her brother.
The next day went fast, and before I knew, it was Friday afternoon.
