Water's Wrath (Air Awakens Series Book 4) (20 page)

Vhalla was put into the main ring with Jax. It had a short wall built around the perimeter with a ledge above for spectators. Erion sent swords and pole arms in batches so each would get a round with the two soldiers in black. Being a member of the Golden Guard, Jax had trained with them before. As it was Vhalla’s first time, it took coaxing and encouragement of the soldiers who remembered her from the front in order to get the other soldiers into the ring with her.

Vhalla leaned against the side wall, catching her breath while Jax trained. His fighting style was a rough and wild combination of jumps and kicks. His flames soared through the air and crackled along the ground. It was different from the close-ranged combat Aldrik preferred. Jax kept his opponents at bay with bursts of fire, finishing with him plucking a dagger from some hidden location as soon as his opponent was prone on the ground.

“I need a breather, fight the lady.” He waved off the next soldier, crossing over to her. “All yours.” Jax motioned for her to enter the ring.

Vhalla adjusted the jerkin she’d been lent, shaking out the stiffness in her muscles. It’d been too long since she’d last trained, and she made a vow to do so more often.

“Daniel?” Vhalla blinked.

“I heard the Windwalker was sparring.” The Easterner gave her an easy smile that removed the awkwardness the Court had created during their last encounter. “Thought I’d see if I fared any better than the last time I went against your winds.”

“I’m not so sure you will,” Vhalla replied coyly.

“No?” Daniel chuckled. “Let’s make a wager then.”

“Of what sort?”

“If I win, let me show you my home?”

That certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting
. “And if I win?”

“I’ll do any one thing you ask of me.” Daniel drew his sword, a beautiful rapier with a golden pommel in the shape of wheat.

“
Anything
?” Vhalla raised her eyebrows.

“They say make love, not war,” Jax shouted down from the spectators’ ring that lined the training pit. “I frankly don’t care as long as you two get to one or the other.”

The peanut gallery burst into laughter.

“Is that how you treat a lady, Jax? There’s more to it than just saying hello and putting a sword through her eye!” Daniel jested back.

“Mate, if you’re going for the eye, your sword is in the wrong place!” A roar of laughter threatened to deafen them.

Daniel rolled his eyes and Vhalla found herself joining in laughter with the rest of them. It was all lighthearted jesting. He eased himself into a fighting stance and held his sword as gently as she would a quill.

“You have your deal!” The words rang out.
What could it hurt?

“Enough stalling. Fight!” Jax cried.

Daniel waited for her to charge. Vhalla pressed the wind against her heels and targeted his face with an apparent attack. He swung his sword upward, and Vhalla nimbly stepped out of its arc, dropping and sweeping her foot. The soldier did a half jump-step to avoid being tripped.

His sword cut through the air, whistling slightly as he wove it like an orchestra conductor’s baton, keeping her at length with a series of slashes. Vhalla realized he was cutting closer than he had before.
He had more faith in her magic
.

Daniel’s eyes caught hers, and Vhalla grinned. He grinned in return, and Vhalla rewarded him with a gust straight to his chest. The soldier tumbled, head over heels, regaining his feet with a lunge off the ground.

Vhalla was too fast for the blade and nimbly side-stepped. It was a good fight, but he was outclassed against her magic. With a flick of her wrist, the wind ripped his blade from his fingers, leaving Daniel prone and shocked, his blade hanging over him in the air.

“I yield!” He raised his hands, and the soldiers cheered at their display.

Vhalla helped him up from the ground, easing the rapier back into his palm. “You said you would do anything I wanted.”

“I’m a man of my word.” Daniel sheathed his sword.

“Well, I want to see your home.” There was still some air that she wanted to make sure was cleared and settled between them. It seemed as good an opportunity as any.

His face lit up. “I must run some more drills, but I’ll be available soon. Can you wait?”

Vhalla smiled and nodded.

She passed the time alternating with Jax in the training ring. The other sorcerer began to feed her advice between rounds, and Vhalla heeded it with a keen ear. However, he did the same with her opponents, and their skill showed marked improvement. Jax was experienced in combat, and he’d worked with her enough to tell people exactly where the Windwalker’s skill was lacking.

Vhalla was on her fifth consecutive opponent when there was a commotion from the spectators’ walk around the ring. She glanced up, unable to make out the source of the fuss with a blade swinging by her face. Vhalla dodged backwards, turning her attention to her attacker.

And then she stopped. It all stopped.

She felt his eyes on her, cutting into her soul. Everything slowed, and her gaze rose. Aldrik stood atop the spectators’ wall. His hands were folded behind his back. He looked down at her with guarded eyes, his expression betraying nothing.

Her vision shifted. His betrothed stood two steps away. Her emerald eyes fixed on Vhalla as though Sehra was once more looking at the crystal magic that she claimed lingered on Vhalla.

Her opponent was smart enough to capitalize on her complete distraction. The dull training blade came down on her shoulder, and she called out in surprise as it dug into her joint. Vhalla bent her knee and tilted to the side trying to absorb the shock of the impact.

“Vhalla, you should know better. Don’t take your eyes off your opponent in a fight!” Jax shook his head, strolling away from the wall he’d been resting against. He glanced behind and gave a small nod to the prince before quietly adding, “Not for anything.”

“Of course.” Vhalla glanced away. She felt the weight of Aldrik’s stare remain on her.

“Why don’t you take a breather?” Jax patted her shoulder, and she winced. “Are you all right?”

“Fine, fine.” Vhalla brushed by him, barely remembering to thank her opponent before she walked out of the ring. She didn’t know where she was heading, but she knew staying anywhere close to Aldrik was not a sound idea. There were too many things unsaid right now, and this was not the forum to say them.

Familiar footsteps crunched the ground behind her, and Vhalla didn’t even have to turn to know the prince was there. Aldrik strolled by, his future wife in silent company. He didn’t look back at her once.

Vhalla retreated to the tall table underneath the sunshade. Erion no longer occupied the space behind it. Now Baldair was managing the guard and working on schedules.

“I heard you were here.” Baldair assessed her thoughtfully.

“With how often people speak of me, I sometimes think I can exist in multiple places at once.” Vhalla massaged her shoulder.

“My brother heard as well.”

That explained it
.

“What’s going on with you and him?” Baldair’s voice was thoughtful, but it carried an unusual weight.

“Nothing is going on.” Vhalla frowned. “Everything is over between us.”

“Really? And, does he know that?” Vhalla narrowed her eyes at Baldair’s remark. It didn’t dissuade the prince from continuing. “We all know what happened the last time you both tried this path. But that will be nothing compared to what will happen if you try to get in the way of his engagement.”

“Good thing I’m not trying then.” Vhalla pursed her lips, barely refraining from remarking how, despite her general hatred for the Emperor,
she
had never tried or suggested his assassination—
unlike Aldrik’s current betrothed
.

Daniel appeared shortly thereafter, putting a blissful stop to the conversation. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“And what’s this?” Baldair glanced between his companions with a tiny smirk.

“Two
friends
catching up,” Daniel responded easily.

“Sure,
sure
.” The prince held the word for emphasis. But the tease was empty. It lacked the weight of any real suspicion for things going on between them.

Daniel led her away from the prince, and Vhalla found herself breathing easier the farther they got from the Tower and the training grounds—the farther she got from the princes and the axe. They walked out of a side entrance into the common area of town. Daniel immediately turned to the right, and they strolled up a small street to the section where nobles and dignitaries lived. In the distance, Vhalla could see the high walls surrounding the water gardens around the golden ballroom. Vhalla smiled faintly.

That was a different time. The dance she had shared with Aldrik was the last night he had just been a prince and she had just been a girl. She’d yet to learn of the depth of their Bond, and she’d yet to be known as the Windwalker.

“Have you ever been to the mirror ballroom?” Daniel asked, seeing where her attentions were.

“I have, once,” she sighed wistfully.

“It’s quite the spectacle.” Vhalla hummed in agreement as Daniel continued. “I hear that’s where they’re holding a gala following the wedding.”

“The wedding?” Vhalla repeated, her voice revealing no emotion.

“Yes.” Daniel’s voice was soft as he spoke. He knew what he was saying to her, what she was hearing. His words were the nails in the coffin of a love she’d once coveted above all else. Her hand went to the watch around her neck. “It should be sometime just after the new year; all the Court will be invited. They want to make it a wintertime ball.”

“It’ll be lovely, I’m sure.” Vhalla forced a smile.

“But you don’t think you’ll see it with your own eyes.” Daniel gave sound to the words between her words.

“I doubt I’ll attend,” she agreed.

“I’m not surprised.” He brought his eyes away from the towering walls of the water gardens. “I wouldn’t want to go, if I were you.”

Vhalla regarded him cautiously. She didn’t know how to respond to the sentiment, so she kept her mouth shut and waited for him to give it more color. Daniel obliged.

“You know, I was engaged.” Vhalla nodded, prompting him to continue. “She still lives in Paca. And, I
still
haven’t had the courage to go back there yet. Not even when I went East looking for you. I had thought, if I’d found someone new. . . If I could show that I had not been nearly as devastated from losing her as I was that it would be easier.”

Vhalla realized he was talking about her. He had been her crutch, and she had been his validation.

“Then again, I built a bit of home here instead.” Daniel quickly put an end to his prior train of thought.

“Built a bit of home?” Vhalla was unfamiliar with the expression.

“You’ll see. It’s what I wanted to show you.”

Daniel finally stopped before an iron gate leading into a narrow alleyway. It was tucked between two large buildings, and Vhalla glanced around curiously. He produced a key, unlocking the gate and motioning for her to go ahead.

The alley was so narrow that they could no longer walk side by side, and Vhalla was forced to take the lead. She ran her hand along the stone walls on either side of her, utterly overcome with curiosity about where they’d end up. The walkway opened into a courtyard that stole Vhalla’s breath.

It smelled like Cyven
.

A large tree stretched upward to the watercolor sky, and tall Eastern grasses grew untamed at its base and across the ground to where she stood at the end of the stone alleyway. River rocks created a pathway to a building nestled against the others, which made up the courtyard his home was hidden within. It was construction she was familiar with; the roof was thatched instead of shingled with tile or wood like the West or South. She was frozen in time, unsure of how she’d stumbled across the alternate world in which she now stood.

“What do you think?” Daniel leaned against the corner of the building behind them, a bittersweet expression overcoming his face.

“It’s amazing, it’s like, like . . .”

“Home,” Daniel finished for her. He started for the house. “No one wanted this plot because it had no real street access. Nobles couldn’t get their carriages or horses to it easily. They also couldn’t put their wealth on display. So they built up on the perimeter, and somehow the middle was left untouched while they fought over who would get to enlarge their house. No family could agree on who had the best claim, so my wanting it offered the city a solution.”

Vhalla followed behind him as he spoke, the grasses tickling the fingertips of an outstretched hand.

“I had intended my future bride to make her home here, with me. I thought it would ease her transition from the East.”

“Do you ever intend on going back to Paca?”

He shook his head. “Baldair needs me here. My future is here, especially after what happened.”

Vhalla grabbed his elbow, stopping Daniel in his tracks. The motion made her shoulder hurt where a bruise had formed from the earlier training, but Vhalla kept the pain away from her face. She looked him in the eye and spoke slowly, hoping his heart would hear her every word.

“You don’t need her. You’ve so much to give.”

“I could say the same to you,” he whispered in reply.

Vhalla’s chest felt hollow. Somehow, the weird circumstances that had brought them together had given them insights into the uglier portions of the other’s heart. They’d never been that different. They’d both been wanting to fill the gaps in their life. Perhaps they’d went about it the wrong way, but with someone who could have been the right person.

“Show me your home.” Vhalla released his arm.

“Gladly.”

Daniel led her through the decently sized, two-storey home. There was more than enough room for a small family, which made it feel all the emptier. It was modestly furnished with the trimmings of a lord still building his name and his wealth.

He stoked a fire, and Vhalla found herself baking bread. Daniel sliced cured meat and honored her as a special guest by bringing out spiced cheese from his larder. It made her homesick, as Vhalla remembered going through the same motions growing up.