A NAGGING NEED TO USE the bathroom woke Sian and she slipped out of bed, wincing at the pain in her legs. Ouch, she thought as she paused to massage the backs of her calves, guess I haven't worn heels for a while. She snuck through the room. Climbing back into her nice warm bed and knowing that today was their free day felt fantastic. She stretched out, trying to relieve some of the tightness in her legs.Last night was so enjoyable.She ran through the evening in her mind. Daron had led her through nearly every dance and at the end of the evening they'd enjoyed a walk on the inner gate. It had been very romantic.Mmm and he's such a good kisser. She giggled to herself then rolled over.'Guys, wake up!'EHHH. 'WHAT?' I GROANED. WHY is Sian bugging us? It's our free day.'Where's Kassie?' Sian sounded panicked.'What'dya mean?' mumbled Loi, pushing herself up and looking about with bleary eyes.'Where's Kassie? Her bed hasn't been touched.'Struggling to sit up, I stopped and
ELENA HAD A SURPRISE FOR them when they arrived at the training circle the next day. 'Today we are going to practice attacking and defending. On each other.'The girls froze and stared at Elena with alarmed expressions.'Isn't that dangerous?' Loi asked dubiously.'Only if you do not defend yourselves,' Elena replied. Then she chuckled.'I don't think you will be able to do any damage to each other as you'll be hesitating. But you'll get over that and by then be prepared to attack and defend yourselves adequately. It's the best way to learn, probably not unlike your Jujitsu.'They kept up their dubious expressions.'Besides, I can heal any injuries you incur,' she smiled brightly at them. 'You will be fine.'WHAT SHE DIDN'T MENTION WAS that she could heal our injuries once back at the castle. With being the regent, Elena had her energy tied to protective crystals at the castle and it meant she needed to be closer to the castle to utilize her healing skills.Nothing makes the
I GRABBED LOI BY THE arm and pulled her behind me then Sian, Kassie and I moved toward it. The freakiest looking thing I'd seen yet. Its head looked similar to a crocodile, with a long snout and jagged teeth, but its body was human-like in form. Covered in scaly skin, its hands were strange curled claws. It hissed at us then opened its mouth and spat. We jerked our shields up and the nasty brackish scum that splattered over them dissolved away. I could feel the acidic properties in it and shuddered. Kassie gave me a hard look then began to concentrate an intense wind tunnel, directly onto the creature. I knew what she wanted and focused my energy.FEAR STREAKED THROUGH SABYN AS he sprinted for the girls' room with the other men. Nnelg had burst into their quarters, screaming that a koratil attacked Loi, and the girls couldn't stop it. They'd bolted from their quarters and met Elena and Yakov racing down the turret stairs. When they reached the suite, Elena extended a hand and the do
THE REST OF THE WEEK was hard. We fought against each other singly and in pairs, each of us determined to learn what else we could do with our gifts. Kassie could now capably lift herself and anyone else into the air. It had just taken a full explanation from Elena for it to click. The trick was to realize that because air is essentially everywhere it isn't about the weight that you lift, rather how much air you draw around it and how you space the molecules. Like with all new things there were a couple of practices that didn't go as intended, although they only resulted in bruises.'Better a bruised butt than a broken one, Cat,' Sian grinned impishly. I scowled at her while I eased down to the ground.Elena had Kassie and Loi practice shielding, using their energy rather than the physical manifestation. They'd picked it up quickly, while Sian and I struggled to keep ours in place.'Your gifts are better used offensively,' Elena explained reassuringly. 'You will be able to do it wit
ALEK HELPED ME INTO A heavy overcoat when Sabyn and Loi came out of the back room. We could see she'd been crying, but the smile she gave us seemed brighter. I caught Sabyn's eye, mouthing 'thanks' once Loi had walked past.'Hurry up people!'We turned and laughed at Citaan, all ready and waiting on Phroma's back, bouncing with excitement. The heavy overcoat she wore concealed her baby bump and at the moment she looked like an over-tall, impatient child. Alek still hadn't told me where we were going, but if I went by Citaan's reaction, it would be good.ALEK SNAPPED SHUT THE LAST clasp on Cat's overcoat and tossed her up on to Loushka's back.'Hey! Manners much.' Cat poked her tongue out at him. He glowered at her. You can't actually die from sexual frustration, the annoying voice in his mind pointed out. A certain part of his anatomy disagreed.It didn't seem fair that she could strut around in that and still have the go-slow rule in place. Really, those thigh high boots ought
THE FOREST WAS MUCH SPARSER here and I could smell salt in the air. I squirmed in the saddle, trying to see more. Alek laughed at me.'Pull Cat up to standing,' Loushka thought to us both. 'It's a good view.'Helping me out of the stiff overcoat, Alek pulled me to my feet. I leaned back against him, looking out. What a spectacular sight. We approached what must be a city. It looked miles bigger than Gartoll and I could just make out a harbour littered with boats. I felt a rush of excitement and twisted to look up at Alek. 'Are we going to the city?''No, we're going to somewhere even better.'We settled back down into the saddle and I stretched my arms out, relieved to be rid of that coat.'Would you stop that?''What?' I looked up in surprise as he stared down with a bemused smile.'I said we'd discuss your outfit later, arching your back like that isn't helpful.'Whoops. I'd actually forgotten how low the v-neck on my sweater was.I laughed at him. 'No-one's making you loo
THEY STOPPED AT A WEAPONS stall next and the men watched in amusement while the girls enthusiastically studied each piece. Cat appeared much taken with a sleeve that held throwing blades, while Sian examined an expanding sword with great interest.Daron laughed at her. 'Pixie, I don't think you need that. You've got a sword.'Both Kassie and Cat began to laugh as they exclaimed, 'Pixie?'Sian ignored the girls and gave him her best innocent eyes. 'But this one I can fit in my pocket. It's practically an accessory.'He gave her an exasperated look and leaned forward to bargain with the stall owner.I EXCHANGED AN AMUSED GLANCE with Kass when Daron paid for the sword Sian wanted. She always excelled at getting men to buy things for her, though usually it was drinks not weapons. I looked back at the throwing sleeve in my hands. The stall owner began to run through its attributes, again. 'Extremely durable, the sleeve is made of dragon skin and will last for eons. The edges of the
THEY FELT THE FLUSH OF pain radiate through Cat's energy and froze; the three girls stared at each other.'Where the hell is she?''What's she doing?!'A loud scream of pain rang out and a tall brunette staggered out from between a couple of tents, clutching her face while blood dripped down her arms.'Rayna!' Alek lunged toward the brunette but stopped short when Cat stepped out. The angry red mark on her forehead and the red stripe across her chest said it all.'What happened?''Your charming ex thought she'd try accosting me. I wasn't in the mood.' Cat's face looked dark, eyebrows low and lips flat.Alek stared in astonishment, appearing uncertain as to who to help. Sian felt annoyed, she glanced at the other two and jerked her head toward Cat. They moved to her side. 'You okay?' Sian reached to Cat's forehead and gently pressed the piece of ice she'd created to the developing bruise.'Ouch! Yeah I'm fine, I lost a couple of blades.''Not to worry, we'll'The brunette in