Colin straightened after stacking the last sword and turned toward me, brushing a strand of damp hair from his forehead.
“You know,” he said, studying me with a faint smile, “if you’re going to hang around the training grounds this often, you might as well learn something useful.”
I raised a brow. “Like what?”
“Defense.” He rolled his shoulders, motioning toward the open field. “Maris says you haven’t trained much. Want me to show you a few basics?”
For a moment, I hesitated at the idea of standing in front of all those watching eyes sent a small wave of panic through me. But then I remembered the meeting I’d overheard, the way they’d spoken about me like I was some fragile thing, cursed and unfit to belong.
If I’m ever going to leave here, I need to at least learn how to survive on m
