“Certainly not if I’m sparring with you.” I lift my sword. “Again. This time, try to get inside my guard.”She shakes her head. “All right, but—”I hold up my hand. Footsteps rustle through the grass. When I turn, Lord Denidor and his constant undersecretary stand a few feet away from the ring we la
Finn“Duck!” I snarl at Ingrid through the mind-link as my blunted practice sword, courtesy of Lightning Cape, slams into her shoulder again.“That’s a little high for ducking.” She flips a thick braid over her shoulder and huffs out a breath. “Shouldn’t I parry?”“Someone as strong as me would smas
How strange.She releases me. “I am here to help with the war effort. Once I heard Finn was here—”“You heard that?” My eyebrows shoot up.“King Alden sent a letter.” She waves her hand dismissively, like this is not world-shaping news. “Anyway, once I heard that, I figured there was more to this ci
XandraMorning arrives far too quickly for how late I tumbled into bed. Sunlight pries at my eyelids, and the waking-up noises of the people around our small room hammer on my eardrums. Slowly, I sit up.My first thought is, I have to relieve myself.My second is, Where is Finn?The covers next to m
Once I’m sure Xandra is fully asleep, I slip out of bed. The cot creaks softly. She stirs, grabs my pillow, but doesn’t wake. A little fresh air and movement will help.I creep out into the night and just start walking. Distantly, in the back of my mind, a piece of me wonders if the others reach for
There it is. I’m sure Xandra is right—a full search would turn up enough to prove what Denidor is doing. The bark is an old method, but it wasn’t that difficult to figure out. And Luna Maris doesn’t have the guts to take that risk.“But—”I step forward and put a hand on Xandra’s shoulder. “We all n