Authors: Kiersten Fay
Anya came awake slowly. For thefirsttime she awoke to a room bathed in darkness, which meant Sebastian wasn’t here yet. She wondered of the time,but elected to stay in her warm col ection of blankets.Once again, she’d slept poorly.Releasing a soft sigh,Analiawonderedwhy she hadn’t just accepted defeat and taken the bed.
The rumble of this ship was different fromwhat she was used to.Unfamiliar sounds,and vibrations throughthe floor woke her constantly.
Suddenly Analiasensed an energy in the room besides her own. Shooting straight up,she scanned her surroundings. A dark male figure, sat across the room facing her.Analia sucked in a harsh breath. Scooting back she hit the wal . Not a single movement betrayed him, only hissilhouettewas visible.He was so stil , she couldn’t even tel he was breathing.Her heart spiked in her chest.Was this a nightmare? If it was, it was adamnreal one.
“Good morning.”It was Sebastian.
The revelation didn’t calm her. He was malevolent,watching her fromachair that was pul ed out deliberately to face her. He must be livid.Oh, why had she chal enged him?Curling tighter into the corner,Analiaawaited his first move.
Then, in an undecipherable tone he cal ed, “Lights!”
The lights flashed bright. Analia shut her eyes to the sting, struggling every so often to open them,and keep him in her sights. After rubbing them vigorously,Sebastian came into view. His expression unreadable, almost void of emotion. Wel ,al but one, there was definite anger there, but as soon as she caught a glimpse of it, it was gone.
They stayed like that for—she didn’t know how long. Him, staring ather with emptiness in his eyes. Her watchful and wary. He seemed to be studying her, every-so-often itlooked as though he would speak, but then changed his mind.What was he thinking?He must be deciding on a punishment.
Final y,“Get yourself ready, there’s been a change in your schedule.Pick out someclothes that you can move easily in.”
Uh oh.
“What change?”
“I’l explain when we get there.”
His expression was blank,but she could sense his ire. Why hadn’t he commented on her sleeping arrangement? Was the change in schedule her punishment? She closed her eyes at the thought, wanting toburyher face in her hands. Instead she stood, holding his cold gaze for a moment,before searching for some clothing that she couldmove easily in.
Quickly,Analiashowered and dressed, whileSebastianwaited outside—she’d chosen a soft pair of pants and a simple T-shirt. The mirror reflected her fearful expression,and she took a moment to gather her courage. Sebastian couldn’t possibly be more creative than Darius when it came to doling out punishment. Could he?
She recal ed one of the many times she hung from the center of a room, arms tied above her,until she thought they would rip from the sockets. She’d survived that. Or the time he had locked her in a smal box, which forced her in a fetal position, for days. A smal square opening the size of a fingernail was her only source of air and light. She’d survived that. No matter what, she would survive anything Sebastian had to throw at her.
Bring it on.
Sebastian hadn’t moved, he was stil sitting on the chair ponderingthepile of blankets, left sitting in the corner. Slowlyhe rose,and advanced toward her.
Analiastopped breathing.
“This wil do nicely,” He said,eyeing her clothing. Then he walked past her out the door,expecting her to fol ow.
Reluctantly, she did.
Silence sat between them through the hal s.Sebastian’sbody was stiff as he led her. It was obvious,by the energy rol ing off him, that he wanted to howl at her. Analia felt hisoutrage. But hesaid nothing. She almost wished that he would. It would be better than the muted exchange that was happening between them.
She wanted to tel him she would use the bed,if onlyhe would al ow her tocontinueworkingin the gal ey with Marik. Instead, she decided to remain quiet.
Hal way,after indistinguishable hal way,final y they reached the recreation room. Analiascanned theexercise equipment, as wel as theweapons on the wal s.At the sight of them she swal owedthe thick lump that had been building in her throat.
What was he planning?
Through a side door,a large mat stretched across the floor,and a lot more weaponswereencased or draped on racks.
Calic stood, waiting in the middle of the mat with his arms crossed leisurely,a dreary look painted his features.“It’s about bloody time. I was beginning to think you wouldn’t show.” He said, and then gestured with his thumb and forefinger, “Was this close to going about my business and saying to hel with you.”
“We were delayed.” Sebastian replied smoothly.
Delayed?She’d been ready in minutes, there was no delay on her part. Unless … how long hadSebastianwatched her sleep?
Sebastian motioned to Calic with his head. “You start training today. You’l be training with Cale for a few hours, each morning. After that you’l servein the gal ey, through lunch only. Then you’l head to The Devils Punchbowl. There you’l spend some time working for Sonya. She’l teach you the ropes, among other things.”
Stunned, Analiatook a moment to gather a reply.“Is this … Is this punishment?”She glanced at Cale, who winked at her.
Sebastian cocked his head. “No punishment. The training is for your benefit. Cale wil teach you to defend yourself. While you’re working for Sonya,she wil pay you in touri, which it a common currency for most space cities, so you’l have something saved up by the time …”Sebastiantrailed off. “I’l be back intwohours, to make sure everything went alright.”With that hewas gone,and she was alone with Cale.She sensed that he wanted to be here about as much as she did.
Warily she watched him, waiting for whatever was about to come.Calelooked smug on the mat as he crooked a finger at her. Stepping onto the matAnaliafelt her shoes sink in slightly, there were several weapons,set deliberately at the edge.
Cale picked up two long thin swords. “Here.” He said tossing one to her.Instinctively Analia jumpedout of the way—it didn’t matter thatCalehad tossed it hilt first—the swordlanded with athud.
Calerol ed his eyes. “Pick it up.”
Lifting the sword Analia was surprised at the weight of it. With astonishment she commented, “This is arealsword,and it looks sharp. I thought we would …
shouldn’t we practice first?”Analiasaid, shaking her head in confusion. “I’ve never done this before.”
“We wil use these for practice,it wil help you to takethis seriously. Try not to cut yourself. Now, hold the sword out. Like this”Caledemonstrated with his arm and sword straight out, as ifheand the sword were one appendage.
Analia fol owed his example—at least she thought shehad. Circling her,Calemeticulouslyadjusted her. He adjusted her shoulders, her grip, how far apart her feet were, even the angle of herhead.
“Focus on your body. Feel the grip of the sword. Feel how your body is balanced against the weight of the sword. Keep your head straight,” He scolded when she moved to look at him.
Facing her again,Calemimicked her stance,and swung the sword hard and fast, slashing at the air. The sharp sound of itmade her flinch. “Watch me,” he said,as he slowed down the move. “Now you do it.”
Analiatried,and failed to recreate the motion.
For a momentCalewas quiet, his expression turningdark. “I don’t believe you are who you say you are.”
Analia’s brows drew together.
“Tel me why you’re here.”Caleangled his sword at her,forcing her to backaway.
Shock and fear fil ed her at the change in mood.Analia looked around,for what she wasn’t sure. The door was closed, she was trapped.“I’m s … sorry? I don’t know what you mean.”
He moved forward,and again she backed away.
In a panic, she said,“I don’t know how to prove myself to you.”
“Tel me who sent you here.”Caleheld the sword to her throat now, her feet dangled on the edge of the mat. Al she could do was watchas the tip of the sword bit into her skin,thoughnot quite enough to draw blood. “The truth wil be known. You can’t hide who you are.” He growled.
Analia shook her head but didn’t respond.
“If you’re here to hurt my ship,or my crew, I wil make sure you truly do know suffering.”
Her whole body shook with fear. She might have already put fate into motion regarding the safety of the ship and crew. Hermere presence mayhave irrevocably marked them al for death.
Once more Calic’s mood changed. Stil holding the weapon to her,he continued as if hehadn’tjustthreatenedher. “If someone has you in this position, what do you think your best move would be?”
Analia gaped at him. He didn’t trust her, thought she was someone else entirely,but he was stil prepared to train her? To give her skil s that, in his mind,might one day be used against them?
These demons were difficult to understand.
Her mind raced,“I coulddive out of the way?” Al she wanted to do was run.
“Not a bad idea, but I can strike faster than you could dodge. You would need to distract me, or catch me off guard. You could use that sword in your hand to knock mine away. Give it a try.”
Already she had forgotten abouthersword. Tightening her grip on the hilt she hesitated, not sure how to accomplish the move without causing his sword to slash across her own throat. Her breath came fast,and her body tensed.
“Do it!” He ordered.
In a clumsy move she bowed her back, clearing her neck from harm. Her sword swooshed up, dul y clanging against his. Though his sword barely moved an inch,she lost her balance completely. Her butt met the hard floor,and her sword clattered to the ground beside her. She knew her cheeks were flaming when she looked back up at Cale.
He stood tal , looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. “That was real y bad.”
Embarrassment turning to ire, “What did you expect? I’ve never even touched a sword before!”
“Get up. We’l start again.”
Analia pul ed herself off the floor and reached for the sword.
“Leave it. We’l come back to the sword later.”
After gingerly setting itbackdown, Analiafol owed Cale to the middle of the mat. He’d gone quiet,and kept glancing at her in an I’m-going-to-figure-you-outsort of way.Ha! Good luck with that. She couldn’t even figure herself out.
Suddenly, he moved so quickly she hadn’t had time to comprehend a possible reaction.From behind,he wrapped his big arms around her torso, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
Oh no, this wasn’t punishment. This was torture.
Al business Cale said, “If you’re caught like this what’s your next move?”
Analia wiggled and writhed against his hold. She hated feeling trapped,and being held against her wil . Panic raced like a toxin through her, clouding her mind. She let out a pure panic-laced whimper.
“Calm down and take stock.”Calesaid in a soft tone … wel , soft for him. “What parts of your body can you move?”
Through the haze of her anxiety she replied, “My legs. I can move my legs.”
“And your head. If someone your own height were to grab you from behind,you could use your skul to bloody his nose, it would be painful and blind him for a moment. You could stomp your heel into his foot. You’re forearms are also free in this hold and you could do much damage to aman’s lowerregions. A good hit wil send him to his knees. Once his grip has been loosened enough to free your arms,use your elbow as hard as you can against his head, or wherever you can get a good strong hit.”
Analia nodded, picturing al the moves in her head. But picturing and doing are two different things.
Calehad her practice in slow motions for some time,before he said. “Good enough for now, let’s move on.”
She could already feel the soreness in her body, but was surprisingly eagerly for his next lesson.
Just as before,Calemoved swiftly into his next hold. Like a whip his arm shot out, giving her no time to react. Powerful hands wrapped around her smal throat,and he squeezed with a gentile pressure, enough to be uncomfortable,but not enough to real y hurt her.
He meant to prove a point, butAnaliaknew this hold wel —had been on the receiving end of it many times. This was a hold that could easily render you unconscious. She kept steady, oddly feeling safe even though her pulse spiked wildly.
“How should you counter?”Caleasked.
“I could kick you in your bol ocks.”
He smiled at her candor. “Aye, you could, but a man of any brains would expect a move like that in this position. A better move would be to raise your arm up and bring your elbow down across my arms. If you learn to do it right you wil break my hold, and wil be able to get yourself in a better position for a counterattack.Thenyou go for the bol ocks.” He had her practice this move for a long time. A thousand times she must have rammed her arm into his.It wasn’tuntil she had accomplished a smooth,fluid action, breaking his hold and successful y scrambling away,thathe movedon.
“Now pick up your sword.”
Oh no.
She looked at the heap of metal. “I … uh.” With that,Calegave her a look that saideither you do it or I’l make you do it. His fistwasalready claspingthe hilt of his own sword.Snatchinghersfrom the ground,Analia faced him with the sharp tip hanging at her side.
“I’m going to slash at you,and you’re going to defend yourself. Ready?”
“What?”
He swung his sword upward and she jumped back, just barely avoiding fal ing on her ass again.
“Defend! Use you sword to block mine. Don’t worry, I wil not hit you.”Caleswung again,and she tried to meet his metal with hers.
Clang!
She immediately felt the vibration of it through her wrists. “Hold it tight, like it’s an extension of yourself.”
This time,when she swiped through the air her whole arm lashed out, both swords struck with force. The vibration of it snaked up her arm. She winced,and he grated, “Better.”
He took a moment to show her specific moves, slow and calculating. He showed her the right angle to defend against certain attacks, and the proper He took a moment to show her specific moves, slow and calculating. He showed her the right angle to defend against certain attacks, and the proper countermoves for others. The practice drawled on and on, until she thought her arms and legs would turn to putty. Then he said four little words that made her heart crash land in her stomach.