Page 92 of Beneath the Veil of Tides
Taking my breath away is supposed to be figurative,he said, caressing my mind.
He worked to draw in air as we circled each other, both crouched low, eyeing our opponent.
“Steady your left knee, but do not lock it,” he advised, pointing the tip of his longsword at the joint.
I did as he instructed and jumped to knock him off balance. My dagger hilt knocked into his shoulder, the other blocking his advancing blade. Noctis’s eyes trailed the curve of my lips, then slowly traced back to meet my gaze. Our noses met, heat seeping into my body. His head cocked slightly, eyes crinkling along their edges.
“You could easily best me. I’m distracted in your presence,” he breathed.
He shoved into me gently, enough to separate us. His absence turned the air cold, and something in me reached for what was gone.
His blade swung, and I speared to the right, narrowly missing it.
“Are you trying to kill me?” I spat.
“Quite opposite, actually.”
Memories of our training resurfaced in my mind—the sandy shore under our bare feet, the hours spent focusing on stance alone, the advantage I learned in the process. If I could—
He must have seen the memories replay in my mind, because he shot his arm out and gripped my wrist.
“It seems you are distracted as well, darling.”
I drove the hilt of my dagger into his stomach, my arms freeing before I tackled him into the deck around his waist.
My body rested atop his, both of us breathing heavily. The dagger scraped along the lump in his throat. He swallowed, the motion not unnoticed. My eyes trailed over his neck, pride in both of our faces.
“You leave your torso unguarded. Always have.”
Noctis’s eyes widened at the admittance.
“You remember…” his voice trailed off, eyebrows lifting.
I remembered only some parts of our past—the parts that weren’t lost to the Ocean Mother’s poison. I wanted to relive every one, though, not just remember them, but know them personally.
His hands raised, rubbing against the back of my neck, fisting gently into my hair. His gaze was frantic, searching mine for an answer to a question I wasn’t sure I could form into words. My face lowered, our noses nearly touching, and Noctis’s breathing quickened even more.
Water poured over us, thrown from the side of the moving ship, drenching us in a shock.
“Mmm…” a smooth voice cut through the air.
Noctis and I jumped up, Duscharne appearing before us, his Thirstling canines peeking out through his wry smile. Glimmering particles like dust glittered around him as he formed from thin air. Picking at his black lapel, he continued.
“The doe has fallen for the serpent. Except in this case, which is which?” He paced sideways dreadfully slow. “The one who left his realm to perish, or the one who shares blood with the goddess storming the Bounds?”
I growled, remembering the agony the Varaxis caused for Zahara—the pain she will have to live with forever due to the missing appendage. Our blood may not have come from the same source, but the crew was my family.
I lifted my daggers, my hands begging to propel it through the heart of Duscharne.
“Uh, uh, uh…” the Varaxis warned. His pacing halted. “I tried to do this the easy way, but you all refused.”
Footsteps approached, and I glanced over to see Zahara, Calvin, and Jun at my side, matching snarls upturning their lips.
“What do you want?” Noctis spat, his tone sharp and feral.
“I told you what I wanted, God of the Forsaken. A way in. Blood. However, you denied me and my kind that. So, I had to go by… other means to get what I needed.”
“Which is?” Calvin asked from my right.
