I’m not the only one watching. Dozens of others have stopped their work to gape at the spectacle, and now they cheer for her.
“I’d say I missed sparring with you,” the boy says, more amused than annoyed at his loss. “But I’d be half lying. I’ll be sore tomorrow, you know.”
Liana clicks her tongue. “You let yourself slip while I’ve been gone,” she volleys back, sheathing her swords at her hips and extending a hand to help him up.
He’s prideful enough to ignore it, pushing himself back up to his feet with a groan. He retrieves his swords and sheaths them. “I didn’t expect you to come back this good,” he says. “When did you have time to practice in the mines?”
She shrugs her shoulders, though a dark cloud passes over her face. “I didn’t, but I managed to stow a lot of anger, and that make
