Page 19 of Between Two Barbarians

“That’s cheating!” Jamal screeched.

“It is not,” I replied, helping him to his feet. “You weren’t paying attention to him. Don’t let your surroundings distract you.”

In an attempt to keep him entertained at least until we moved on from this place, Brenek and I decided to teach Jamal some lessons in self-defense. We tried to make it fun with flirting and teasing, and it worked for a time, but Jamal was getting tired of never coming out the victor. He was getting distracted by others sparring nearby, watching them with a hungry expression that irritated me, and when Brenek pulled one of his tricks, he’d been too distracted to see it coming, landing on his ass in the sand.

“Perhaps it's time for a break?” I suggested when Jamal looked close to pouting. Maybe sparring wasn’t the best plan to entertain him. I thought it’d be a good idea, though. After what happened in the tavern, I felt like he needed to learn to defend himself better.

Brenek grunted, turning for the village center, and I could see Jamal gearing up to use the distraction to his advantage. I caught his elbow before he could, shushing him before he could squawk out a protest and leaned to whisper in his ear. “He always goes low to knock down his opponent. Use his own move against him. He’s trained, he’ll hear you coming. Go low, not high to get the better of him.”

My response surprised him, and he blinked for a second before a wicked grin flashed across his face. He nodded sharply, taking off after Brenek with devious intent. As I knew he would, Brenek heard him coming quickly enough to brace himself and spin around, but he didn’t expect Jamal to go for his legs. For once, it was me who used a trick against him through Jamal, and I laughed out loud when Jamal knocked his knees from under him, and he dropped with a grunt.

Jamal didn’t get to his feet fast enough to escape Brenek’s reach. The little male was snatched off the ground and into Brenek’s hold, his gorgeous laugh spilling into the sparring area as Brenek got his payback by tickling his sides.

“No, no, you big brute!” Jamal laughed. “Torgrind! Help!”

Obligingly, I plucked Jamal up and set him on his feet, giving Brenek a smug grin when he shot a suspicious look up at me.

“You told him to do that.”

“You used a trick on him. It was only fair he got to do the same.”

Brenek rolled his eyes, but for once didn’t pick a fight with me. He pushed to his feet, snagging a still beaming Jamal’s hand and smacking a kiss to his lips. “Okay, varakai. You win that round. Want to learn a move that would allow you to take down someone as big as him?”

He jerked his thumb at me, and Jamal’s wide-eyed glee told me the suggested break was no longer an option. He looked eager for round two.

Once the practice switched from Brenek and I trying to teach Jamal into Jamal and one of us against the other clan brother, he began to truly enjoy himself. He was not large or muscular, but he was fast, and with those tricky little moves Brenek taught him, he managed to get the best of the both of us at least once.

“Yes! Got you!” Jamal let out a triumphant laugh as I tripped over my own feet, but it turned into a shriek as I snatched him against me and took him down with me. I was careful to turn so he landed on top of me to avoid injury, but he still looked shocked to find himself on the ground. When I grinned at him, his mouth fell open. “Cheater!”

Throwing my head back on a laugh, I shot back, “You cannot call every loss a cheat, tavi.”

When he stuck his tongue out at me, I chased him, pulling him into a heated kiss and grinning as he wriggled to free himself while tangling his legs with mine at the same time. For someone who was supposed to be trying to get away, he wasn’t trying that hard.

“You need to move faster.” Brenek’s voice broke through our amorous affections, and Jamal twisted to look up at him as he continued, “Torgrind has a long reach. If you are not quick, he will catch you.”

Jamal’s eyes lit up, and he finally scrambled free of my hold, taking Brenek’s hand to get to his feet. “We should see who is fastest! I was raised out here! I can outrun you!”

Pushing to my feet, I shot Brenek an amused look. “He has a competitive side. We should use this to our advantage.”

Stroking at his beard thoughtfully, Brenek nodded. “I agree. I–Ah!”

He squirmed and danced away when Jamal poked him in the side with a pout. “Stop that! You speaking another language makes me think the two of you are up to something,” Jamal complained.

A snort behind us made us all turn to find Dras watching us with an amused raise of his eyebrow. “As in together? That would be a shock. Brenek and Torgrind are rivals. It would take a miracle to get them to work together.”

Or a very gorgeous and very mischievous man.

I lifted my chin at my clan brother, ignoring the barb. “Is it time to pack up?”

Dras shook his head, waving behind him to where Yngvar was headed our way. “I’ve come to train. Idrull says we will stay one more night. One of the women is unwell. He wants to give her another night before traveling again.”

Which meant one more night before we had to take down the tent and move on from this place. Jamal looked pleased, Dras having spoken in the common tongue for everyone’s benefit. His Erabi was nearly as good as mine, he spent as much time studying the language as I did, but he wasn’t one to show off unless he truly needed to use the skill. And he didn’t even bat an eye at Jamal’s flirtatious offer to join us for training.

“I appreciate the offer, little one, but I will be training with this—” he pulled out his sword, showing the long blade to Jamal— “and I don’t believe my clan brothers have taught you to use such a thing yet.”

Jamal, who eyed the blade with apprehension, made a face. “I wouldn’t be able to hold it up. Why is it so large?” His expression turned sultry again. “Is it in reference to something?”

Brenek and I moved at the same time, pressing ourselves against Jamal, reminding him of where his attentions needed to be. Dras only rolled his eyes, taking a few steps back and holding the blade out to show the length. “It is large to reach enemies atop our stallions.”