Page 16 of Savage Crown
Kaelric and I had never even gotten to finish our conversation last night because emotions were running high, but I didn’t care. He could come to me if he needed my help. Right now, Kaelric was dead to me. He had an unforgiving heart, and I was over him.
At least, that was the lie I was determined to believe.
When we reached the field, Godric pulled his sword and kept it loosely at his side.
“So, Brynn, how would you like a lesson from the greatest swordsman to ever walk Fenmyr?” He tapped his chest, indicating it was he, and bowed lightly to me.
I grinned, unable to help it.
‘Last time I checked, I was the greatest swordswoman in Fenmyr,’Valkaryn responded, smug and bright in my mind.
“Val saysshe’sthe greatest.” I unsheathed her, and Godric’s mouth twisted into a smile.
“Oh, it’s been a decade. I’m not sure she still holds that title.” His tone was playful, and I felt Val’s power surge through my arm.
‘Let’s show him,’she said, energy crackling under my skin.
I lunged forward.
Godric moved instantly, as if expecting it.
Our swords met with a sharp clack that rang across the training yard. Sparks jumped at the impact, scattering across the dirt like startled fireflies. Two wolfkin who had been sparring nearby paused, then shouted encouragement. Their calls drew more eyes until a loose ring of soldiers gathered around us, curious.
Godric spun his blade with practiced ease, testing me with fast, sweeping arcs meant to drive me back. But Valkaryn guided my body, swift and sure, as I countered each strike with light-footed pivots that refused to give him ground.
“You’ve improved,” he called over the clang of metal.
‘Or maybe he’s just gotten slow,’Val shot back, sly as smoke.
I echoed her comment, darting in close enough to make him grunt and pivot sharply to avoid losing ground. The crowd whooped at the exchange, their excitement rising.
Metal rang again and again, fast enough to melt into rhythm. Godric feigned high, then swept low toward my legs. I vaulted over the strike, landing lightly in the dirt and knocking his sword downward before he could reset. He recovered fast, bringing his blade up in a heavy arc. I lifted my sword, bracing against the force, my muscles trembling under the weight.
‘Press him now,’Valkaryn urged, her voice like a spark.
I obeyed.
Driving forward in a sharp flurry, I forced Godric back step by step. He parried, blocked, twisted his sword, his shoulders rolling with effort, but momentum was mine. A final sharp twist of my wrist hooked Valkaryn under his wrist guard and sent his sword spinning from his grip and into the grass.
The crowd erupted into cheers, wild and proud.
Before Godric could reach for his weapon, I stepped in and pressed Valkaryn’s cool edge lightly to his throat.
“Lesson over,” I said, my grin matching his earlier one.
Godric threw back his head and laughed, not offended at all. “Seems the title still belongs to you after all.”
More cheers thundered from the onlookers. For once, I didn’t fight the smile tugging at my lips. Heat rose in my cheeks, but not from embarrassment. It actually felt like pride.
When the soldiers drifted away, Godric retrieved his sword. There was a twinkle in his eye as he sheathed it.
“You planned that?” I asked quietly. It seemed like he’d enjoyed having a crowd.
He shrugged, expression innocent but too satisfied.
“I don’t want anyone questioning why you are here. Thinking you are weak.”
He really did take his job of protecting me seriously, and an invisible knot inside me loosened.
