The Heart Forger (The Bone Witch #2)(56)

A shout from the field made us turn. Fox had made a slight mistake—a forward jab an inch more than he should have. Kalen altered the stroke of his swing, and the blade glanced off Fox’s shoulder.

I gasped, and Inessa’s hand gripped at her collar, nearly yanking it off. Her heartsglass burned a bright blue.

Fox moved back, grinning ruefully. “Point to you.”

The audience broke into applause, Ostry and the others leading the cheers. “Fine job, you two!” The burly Yadoshan called to them. “Never thought I’d see the day someone could give Kalen a run for his money!”

“A run for my money too,” Levi grumbled. “I bet Alsron the familiar would win.”

“Watch out, Kalen,” Mavren laughed. “Sir Fox shall outstrip you soon enough!”

Kalen wrinkled his nose, used to his friends’ jesting, but he was smiling.

Inessa grabbed one of the wooden swords propped against the wall and made a beeline for them.

My brother moved quickly in battle, but he seemed paralyzed as the princess approached. The crowd went quiet.

“You told me I was useless because I couldn’t protect myself or my fiancé.” Inessa planted herself before him, one hand on her hip. Her heartsglass wobbled between unsteady blue and deep maroon, but she lifted the sword and pointed it at him. “Teach me then. Teach me how to use a sword.”

“Kalen would make a better instructor.”

“Kalen is busy seeing to Tea.” I turned red at her remark. “You are the only fighter here who can match his skill.” Inessa lifted her face, defiant, and threw the sword at his feet. Her other hand came up and tugged at her collar again. “Or are you not good enough for a princess?”

There was a long silence. Finally, Fox spoke. “Pick up the sword.”

Inessa paused, her turn to be wary.

“Pick it up, Princess. When facing an opponent in battle, the last thing you should do is throw your only weapon at his feet. Bravado only gets you killed.” Fox sheathed his own blade and picked up the wooden sword. “Put your dominant foot forward, grip the sword like this, and don’t lock your elbows. I said do it!”

The words cut through the air like a whip, and though Inessa looked both alarmed and murderous by this sudden change in attitude, she hurriedly complied.

Being a bastard to her isn’t going to help, I told Fox.

That’s not my problem.

Sometimes I want to throttle you.

Get in line. It’s a long one. “Now stab me.”

“What?” the princess asked.

“First rule of swordsmanship. You take the pointy end of that weapon you’re holding and try to stab me with it.”

“Shouldn’t we put a stop to this?” Mavren whispered to Alsron.

“You try. I’m not going to put myself within sword range of either.”

“Do they know each other?” Ostry asked me. “I didn’t realize.”

“It’s a long story.”

The princess’s technique needed work, but her strength was surprising. Her blade rammed hard into his side. She stopped, panicked. “Why aren’t you defending yourself?”

“Because you don’t want to harm anyone, and that will kill you. Until we wean you of that fear, you’re useless in a fight. There is no room for hesitation in battle, Inessa.” He paused. “And if you want to vent any frustrations you might have at the moment, I’m the only person in Ankyo who can take it.”

I could see Inessa was tempted by the offer—for all of two seconds. She raised her sword and threw it. The sword whizzed past Fox and clattered against the wall behind him. To his credit, my brother didn’t blink.

“I wish I could,” Inessa informed him quietly, breathing hard. “I’d like to. But even if I wanted to hit you, the only trouble that would cause is to Tea. I won’t hesitate if it comes to a fight. But I don’t want to always be a victim. Teach me to be useful. Please.”

A reluctant smile found its way to Fox’s face. “You have a good throwing arm.”

“But very poor aim,” she informed him, and he started to laugh.

Kalen waited long enough to ensure neither Fox or Inessa were going to kill each other, then quietly withdrew. I caught up to him by the entrance to the palace.

“Are you going to ignore me from now on when we’re not sparring?”

He ignored me. I grabbed him by the elbow.

“Can’t you at least let me apologize?”

“Why? So you can do it again at the next opportunity?” His voice was cold.

“They’d torture you if you stayed behind! They’d execute you, duke’s son or not!”

“That’s my decision to make!”

“No, it’s not!” A few people stared, but I was too caught up in my own emotions to care. “You know you could do nothing for Prince Kance if you remained behind, and he would’ve never forgiven us if you got yourself killed for the most idiotic of reasons!”

“You do not speak for Kance!”

“Yes, I do! His last request was for you to protect me, and I am making damn sure you carry that out! Kance wants you alive, Kalen, and so do I! I want you to be with me for as long as we can be together. I don’t want you to die, you ass! I had a choice between letting you kill yourself and keeping you alive but having you hate me for the rest of your life, and I chose the latter!”