Page 25 of Midnight Shadow

They were standing in a clearing just outside the castle, hidden from any castle occupant’s view by a thick growth of trees.

Garret held out his sword to her. Her fingers wrapped around the handle. Bria swung the sword from side to side, testing it, feeling its weight.

Garret moved away from her to the outer edges of the clearing and searched the ground until he found a large branch.

When Bria turned to him, he was approaching her with the branch, swinging it in circles first around one shoulder, then the other. He hefted it once and then held it before him like a sword.

Bria took a step forward and crossed her sword with the branch.

“By now your grandfather knows all your moves,” Garret said.

“He taught them to me,” Bria answered with a slight shrug.

“Then you have to come up with new ones. And don’t think about just using your sword. Use your body as well.”

“My body?”

“Sure,” Garret said. “For example...” He swung the branch at her several times, slowly. Bria easily blocked each move. Then he grabbed her wrist and moved toward her, stepping on her toes lightly with his.

“Garret!” Bria cried. “Isn’t that cheating?”

“Not when you’re not as strong as your opponent.” Garret shrugged slightly, still holding her wrist. “And don’t use your feet just to step on someone. Kick with them.” He brought his leg around to kick her softly behind her knees, making her buckle. He quickly helped her right herself, pulling her closer. “Or you can use your shoulder to ram them,” he added.

Bria nodded. “I see.”

Garret drew closer to her, looking at her over the crossed weapons. “You’re guaranteed to win,” he whispered.

Bria smiled. She could just picture her grandfather’s face when she beat him! His surprised look, his... suddenly she realized Garret was leaning closer, his eyes closed, his lips puckered. “Garret!” she protested, pushing away from him.

“What?” he demanded.

“Don’t do that!” Bria hollered.

“I just thought that since we might marry –”

“Stop it!” Bria said. “Don’t talk like that.”

Garret frowned. “You know that’s why I’m here.”

Bria backed away from him. Everything felt too strange. It would be like kissing a brother. Not like kissing... well, not like kissing the man she’d met earlier that day. “I said stop.”

“But Bria –”

“I have a sword, you know.” She waved it before her to keep him at bay.

“All right,” Garret assented, holding up his hands and taking a step away. “But when we’re wed –”

“I said stop it!” Bria cried, dropping the sword. She turned and raced back to the castle. She wasn’t ready to talk to Garret about marriage. She didn’t even want to think about it.

But there was something she wanted to think about. Another man taking her into his arms and kissing her, a man with midnight black hair.

As she moved toward the castle, she saw the cloth merchant she’d been speaking to in the inner ward packing up his cart. She stopped as she spotted the black velvet draped across the side of the cart wall. He smiled tiredly as she approached. She reached into the cart and ran her hand across the softness.

“It certainly seems to be calling to you, don’t you think?” the merchant said. “I’ve seen it happen often. Some women and some fabrics are just meant to be together.”

Bria studied the velvet for a long moment. Strange as it was, it did seem as if the cloth was something she had to have. She couldn’t take her gaze from its black sheen.

“Would you like me to have a horse’s width brought up to your room? It would make a fine dress.”