The Courier’s Collection

Chapter 8

8

LADI LOVED THAT JAK didn’t take his eyes off of her when they fought. It was the best thing about sparring with him. His eyes stared a challenge into hers, daring her to flinch when Rasha arrived. Ladi didn’t flinch. That wasn’t her style. Flirting with someone who wasn’t interested in her wasn’t her style either, but her fascination and attraction for Jak grew anyway. When he held his sword at her throat, just inches from killing her, she dropped her own sword in defeat.

“No, don’t give up. You haven’t lost, you just don’t know how to get out of it yet.”

He pulled his sword back and put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a friendly slap. “Right, now, you come at me the same way and put the sword to my neck, and I’ll show you what I mean.” He dropped to one knee and let go of his sword.

If she were being honest, she’d have to admit she loved when he touched her to demonstrate something to her. She often pretended to be more exhausted than she really was, or that she didn’t get something in order to get him to do just that. Why couldn’t Rasha see how amazing he was? If Rasha were smart, she’d snatch him up and make it public. That’s what she would do if she had those stormy blue eyes of his looking at her every day the way he looked at Rasha. She didn’t even mind the beard he was trying to grow.

Ladi’s arm trembled as she held the sword to Jak’s neck. He turned his head to one side, as if she had him. The he swiftly leaned back, bending a bit, and picked up his sword. With a practiced twist, his sword knocked hers away. It gave him enough room to get up from the floor and face her again.

“See what I did there?” he asked.

Ladi nodded.

“Now you.” Jak put Ladi in the same weakened position he’d been in and waited for her to try the technique. He heard Rasha and glanced up. She was speaking loud enough for them all to catch her frustration with her parents. Ladi waited a beat for him to return his attention to his task. When he didn’t, she used his move against him, and he stumbled back with genuine surprise as she rose to her feet.

“Yes, good. Just like that,” he said.

Ladi needed the training. She knew it could save her life. And before Ebere came along, she’d come up with some excellent tactics for tracking the beasts of the north and their movement toward the first kingdom. The fighting part was necessary because Jak and Rasha weren’t always there to defend her when things got intense.

“Ebere, come here. I want you to take over for me,” Jak said over his shoulder.

Ladi groaned. For all of her love of training and learning technique with Jak, she hated being paired up with Ebere. He hardly ever said anything. When he did, he insulted her.

“She’s exhausted, and it’s not even a fair fight,” Ebere said.

Ladi raised her longsword and clenched her jaw. “I’m not too tired to take you on.”

“Your sword could slip through your hands and slice off your foot.”

Those were the kinds of things that irritated her.

“I’m not worried about my feet. You worry about your own,” she said and pointed her sword at them.

He looked down, and she lunged at him. Jak smiled at her distraction tactic. He nodded as if to say, ‘well done,’ before he turned to watch Rasha parry with her aunt.

Ladi, watching Jak, almost missed Ebere’s return and had to jump back, swinging her sword. Ebere pressed the attack until he had her backed against a wall. She ducked and, with a spin, had him on the defensive. His next thrust was wide, and she nicked his arm. He pushed her back with his forearm and swept her feet out from under her, and the fall knocked the sword from her hand. Ebere didn’t stop. He straddled her chest, trapping her arms, and held his sword to her neck.

“Get off,” Ladi yelled.

“Maybe next time, when you’re not so tired,” Ebere said calmly.

He stood up and went to hang up his sword. Ladi stayed on her back a few moments longer, catching her breath. He was such a fangledort.