I turned around to find him standing in the training hall’s wide doorway. He was clad in a short leather tunic, which was tightened around his waist with a silver belt. His thigh muscles twitched beneath his extremely well-fitted leather pants. Little silver rings jingled from the sides of his knee-length boots. He was definitely dressed for trouble. Also, he must’ve read my mind, because I had just been wondering what it would have been like if I’d been the one to take Demetrius’s head off.
“No, just practicing,” I replied. “It’s a shame for me not to use a training hall when there are five of them. Who comes here, usually?”
“The master commander, the occasional golden guard,” Kalon said. “Valaine and I spar here a lot, as do other tournament champions.”
“What about the silver guards?”
“There are training barracks about a mile from the palace.”
I nodded slowly. “Have you come to practice, as well, or were you just stalking me?”
“Why can’t it be both?” Kalon chuckled. He walked across the hall and stopped in front of the weapons panel. “You’re a fan of twin swords?”
“Yeah. I like to use both hands in combat.”
“No shield?”
I shook my head. “I usually have steel guards on my forearms to block any direct hits.”
He pulled a longsword out of its wall-mounted scabbard. The zing of metal against metal sent shivers through my body, making my skin tingle. It was one sound I would never get tired of, though I hoped I’d hear it less and less, since it invited violence.
“I prefer the big ones,” he said. “It takes a little bit of time to swing them effectively with just one hand, but when you get there…”
A smile stretched across his lips, while I gripped the swords a little tighter. What a strange reflex this was.
“Why don’t the guards carry any weapons?” I asked.
Kalon moved around me, slowly, sizing me up while he switched the longsword between his hands. “They don’t need them,” he said. “They’re Aeternae. I thought last night had clarified that for you.”
I blushed. “Fangs and claws are enough, then…”
He stopped, bringing his spare hand up next to his face. He parted his lips, and the fangs slipped out, long and sharp and glistening, almost begging to tear into one’s veins. This was the first time I was seeing them up close. Last night, he’d moved too fast for me to take it all in. His claws grew like small nail-shaped blades, and he wiggled his fingers before he hit the wooden dummy next to him.
The poor thing was broken in half, splintered beyond repair. The pieces fell on the floor as Kalon withdrew his claws and fangs. “More than enough,” he replied.
I had to admit that I was still quite impressed. It took considerable strength to do such damage with one’s bare hands. If his claws could destroy a dummy with one blow, I wondered what he could do with his fangs.
“So that’s why there are no weapons allowed in Aeternae duels, huh?” I asked.
“If it’s between Aeternae, yes, no weapons whatsoever, despite the stunt Demetrius tried to pull. Otherwise, if it’s a mixed confrontation—say, between an Aeternae and a Nalorean, or two Rimians or whatever—then no claws and fangs, only weapons, much like in the tournaments. It’s about evening the playing field.” He stilled, raising his eyebrows. “Would you like to spar, Esme? The blades are all blunt here, for training purposes.”
I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. “Sure. Let’s see what you’ve got, Lord Visentis.”
That wasn’t my self-confidence beaming. I had already seen what sort of fighter he was. There was a reason why he’d earned his reputation as one of the Blood Arena’s currently undefeated champions. That alone said enough. But I was still curious about his technique and agility with weapons, which I had yet to observe, especially given his preference for the longsword, which was not an easy weapon to master.
“I’ll go easy on you, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kalon said.
“Oh, snap, I forgot. You don’t know,” I replied.
“Know what?” he asked, taking an attack stance as he raised his longsword with both hands, the tip of its blade pointed at me.
“About my military training.”
Without giving him the opportunity to respond, I dashed forward. He moved into a defensive position, anticipating my attack, but I slid to the side and swerved around him. Suddenly, his back was wide open.
I brought one sword down, but he was quick, moving like a shadow, as he turned and blocked my hit with his blade. Steel kissed steel with a dull clang, and I jumped back and went in for another blow.
Kalon defended himself almost effortlessly at first, but my stamina soon prevailed. We waltzed across the training hall, swinging our swords at each other. He managed to smack me over the arm twice, the flesh burning from the brief but heavy blow. I was faster and lighter on my feet, but his technique was illustrious.
His use of the longsword gave me a good runaround, as well. I wound up with my blades crossed in front of me, holding his back. Kalon smirked. “Military training. And what else? They don’t teach you this in the army, do they?”
I chuckled and kicked him in the stomach. He fell backward, taken by surprise, but got up quickly and charged at me with a full swing. I dodged and slid to my right, swiftly turning around so I could always see him coming.
“I’ve picked up a few more things along the way, I suppose,” I said, panting and having the time of my life. “Different tribes that my brother and I have studied have different traditions and fighting styles. You learn a little bit from everyone, in the end.”
He came at me again, and I continued to escape his attacks. I wondered how long it would take to wear him out. Soon enough, our physical differences began to emerge. The Aeternae lasted longer in direct combat. I was the one getting tired, while Kalon kept at it, his breathing ragged but his energy still way above mine.
His ability to foresee some of my movements didn’t help. Then again, he’d fought plenty of people in the Blood Arena. He must’ve learned some patterns. His experience was superior to mine, in that aspect.
“You’re very good,” Kalon said, as we circled one another around the broken dummy. “Though there is always room for better. I could train you.”
Did I want him to train me? Why the hell not? I had a lot to learn from Kalon, clearly. And he was offering. I doubted Crimson, the one responsible for champions like Valaine and Kalon, among others, would’ve spared a moment of his time to teach me, and I’d made it my mission to never pass up an opportunity to learn something.
Sweat trickled down my temples. “You would train me out of the goodness of your heart?”
“Why is that so hard to believe?”
“Because you’re not an easy creature to read,” I said.
