Page 41 of The Dark Prince
Their loyalty to him told me more about him than the past few days had so far.
Before Tyr and I stood a large hulking replica of a massive beast, made out of wood, leather, and fabric. It seemed a bit dramatic to me; when would I ever meet a creature so large or fearsome? And if I certainly did, a knife wouldn’t be of much use.
“Up here, a wedding is done differently. We don’t need a monk, just each other. And swords.”
I laughed. “Swords?” I tried to imagine Roselle accepting a blade before the marriage altar and failed. She’d scream and faint.
Tyr scowled. “I’m not about to give you a sword, so it will have to be a dagger.” He handed me a beautiful knife from within his cloak, glinting with diamonds and sapphires in the handle. I thought of our wedding cords.
Safe travels. Devotion. Truth.
“I remember reading about this,” I said slowly, a bit too in awe to reach out and take the knife just yet. “The bride is supposed to bring a sword as well.” I frowned. “I don’t have a hairpin, let alone a dagger or a sword.”
Tyr grasped my hand and gently wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the knife. “You are the dagger,” he purred, uncharacteristically in a playful mood. “Hold it loosely in your fingers, like this.”
Tyr twisted my palm so it faced upwards, and readjusted my fingers and grip so I held the sharp blade just so.
“It doesn’t feel that stable,” I argued, wanting to fist it like I had before.
Tyr raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t a sword. A dagger is not a weapon of force. You hold it lightly and make quick, fast strikes. You only hold it tightly that way if you’re making a killing thrust, and a downward one. And you must be sure of the target. The force will need to go somewhere; if your target is harder material than the bone in your hand, which do you think will give first?”
I winced.
Tyr tapped a spot on the creature like this was the most important lesson he could give me.
“Here is where the heart is.”
With his fist, Tyr showed me a spot on the lower part of the creature just above where the left front leg met the body. “One clean stab will kill almost instantly. If from the front, you will want to stab here.”
Tyr moved us both to stand in front of the creature, and pointed out the best angle from which to strike. Eyeing the claws and teeth on this thing, I agreed that I would only get one shot to hit the heart.
“I didn’t realize such fearsome beasts roamed the woods in the north,” I commented lightly, still not quite believing it. I knew our manor had pledged fealty to Tyr in exchange for protection, but I hadn’t thought it would be from something so … wild. I expected Tyr to grin, or laugh or say that some overenthusiastic young person had gotten carried away when making this target. The beast was the stuff of nightmares, but certainly wasn’t a real animal. Actual monsters didn’t exist.
“They do,” was all he said, though the pain that shimmered in his eyes told me he spoke from experience.
“Was that how …” I gestured lamely at his face, feeling like an idiot for asking and yet hoping he’d honor me with an answer. To my surprise, he did.
“Yes. That was how.”
The short, clipped answer made it clear the topic was closed. I couldn’t help but push further. “Did you kill it then? Perhaps not, if it’s still lurking in the forest. Unless there’s more than one?”
I could tell my questions were burdensome to him, but this was important. I needed to know for my safety, and so I didn’t fancy a walk and wander off into the woods one day like a ninny.
“I haven’t killed him yet. If I don’t soon, there will be more.”
The look in his gaze was dark and haunted. I mulled his answer over, not able to make much sense of it.
“Now show me how you’d stab it.”
His playful banter was gone, replaced by the darkness that constantly cling to everything and everyone here. I licked my lips as I held the knife loose, the way he’d instructed me.
“Now, make quick slices and aim for the eye if you can’t get to the heart. You want to discourage it from getting any closer.”
I leaped forward as he commanded, slashing halfheartedly at the leather beast’s nose and his button eyes.
“If you slip or he gets under your guard, that’s when you go for the heart.” Tyr’s voice was tight and desperate, his throat clenched. “End it quickly.”
I rolled to the side and readjusted my grip so the knife was a firm in my hand. Lunging forward, I stabbed as hard as I could into the target’s side, right where he’d shown me.
