On fire

"Breathe, Naomi. Just breathe. Remember your lessons. Just try... At least, it'll be said that you tried," Naomi muttered to herself as she walked to the middle of the training yard where Az stood with his back to her.

Daegal held her hand before she could draw her daggers and turned her to face him.

"I know, I know. It will be difficult to beat him. That's if I could even do it. You don't have to remind me," she said before Daegal could even utter a word.

He chuckled and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her lithe frame. "I was not going to say any of that, my love." He broke the hug and gripped her shoulders, staring deep into her eyes almost as if he were looking into her soul.

Daegal lowered his voice to a whisper. "Azriel always does a move where he spins to bring his sword around to cut. Whenever he does that, his wrist opens up and his grip becomes a bit loose. If you pay attention, time the moment right, and apply enough pressure, you can knock his sword out of his