Page 66 of North Queen
“But I want to. I was having a bad day.” She reached the stairs and started down.
“I know. I heard.”
She frowned. “Do you hear everything?”
“Most everything.”
Of course. What did she expect? She reached the bottom stair, where Alexander was waiting, and he gave her a low bow. She tried to ignore the stir in her stomach.
“Regal High,” he greeted.
His tone and formality sat strangely with her, but she pushed the feeling down and gave him a small smile. “Lord Justice. You’ve captured my curiosity. Where are we headed?”
He turned and led her down the hall and outside into the courtyard. “It’s not so much where we’re headed as what we’re doing,” he said, piquing her curiosity further. He waved back to Titus, who fell farther behind. His voice dropped lower. “But first, I want to apologize. I shouldn’t have taken you to the cave yesterday. Please, forgive me. I’d… like to forget it even happened.”
While not intentional, his words stung. “I don’t want to forget,” she said, shaking her head. She’d forgotten enough.
“Norah,” he said softly. “Please.” His eyes were filled with an emotion she couldn’t read. Sadness? Regret? It unsettled her, but she couldn’t look away. He shifted his gaze, releasing her.
“Where are we going?” she asked, changing the subject.
He let out a sigh but seemed to accept her rejection of his completely foolish idea to forget the cave. She couldn’t have it again, but she wouldn’t forget.
“Where are we going?” she asked again.
The corner of his mouth curved up, but only for a moment. “You’ll see,” he said.
She followed him past the stables and around to the sparring field, where a boy was leaning weapons against the fence in preparation for the day’s use. Alexander made several gestures with his hands, and the boy gestured back before bowing to Norah.
“What are you doing?” she asked him, puzzled.
“This is Cade. He works with the smith and sees after the sparring field. He’s deaf and speaks with his hands.”
She looked at the boy, amazed. He could speak with his hands? Then she realized she was staring and shifted. “Oh, um… how do I say hi?” she asked curiously.
Alexander chuckled and simply held up his hand. The boy smiled.
“I suppose that one’s easy,” she said sheepishly.
Cade drew a sword from the weapons’ hold and held it out for her. She raised a brow at Alexander, and he nodded.
“Thank you,” she said as she took it awkwardly. “How do I say thank you?”
Alexander cupped his fist and then extended his fingers. Norah copied it, and the boy gave her a large grin and then bowed. Alexander nodded to the boy, who bowed again and left them to the quiet of the morning. She watched him go, still impressed by his ability to adapt.
Alexander pulled his own sword from its scabbard.
“So… a lesson?” she asked with an uncertain smile.
His face grew serious, but there was excitement in his eyes. “Not exactly. You remembered the poem. And the dance.” He paused, leaving out the cave. “And perhaps you’ve had glimpses of other things. I want to see if you remember the sword. If I’m right in my suspicion, you won’t need a lesson.”
Norah gave a skeptical smile as she took the sword, but once it was in her hand, she felt a comfort she hadn’t expected. She rolled her wrist, getting familiar with its weight. She looked back at Alexander in surprise, and he gave her another nod.
Not giving her much time, he stepped forward with a swing, but she brought her blade up, countering and stepping to the side. She gripped the hilt tighter. The sword brought her power, confidence. Excitement swelled within her. She launched her own attack, cutting forward and driving him to step back. He spun to give himself more space to escape her. Their blades sang through the air, ringing into the morning.
Her ferocity grew with each strike, and she found the fight growing within her. But on a defensive turn, her boot slipped, and she stumbled. She tried to regain herself for a counter, but the tip of Alexander’s blade met her chest.
She stilled, and he stepped back, letting her catch her breath. Norah let out a quiet laugh in surprise. “That was… unexpected,” she finally managed to get out. “It seems I’m not terrible.”
