Elena was silent, then leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed as he put his arms around her again.
'No. I requested his presence, so I will break the news. Can you let the girls and Griffon Guard know?'
Ignatius smiled encouragingly as the Princess came at him with a two-headed axe.
'Excellent, Your Highness, now flick your wrist as I showed you.'
The look of intense concentration Catherine wore, a deep frown and the tip of tongue poking between her front teeth, again caused the urge to laugh and Ignatius breathed out slowly. The weapons clashed, and in a quick motion he whipped the handle of the axe from her grasp.
'Damn it!'
He did laugh then.
'You can't give your opponent a moment to react, Your Highness. You must twist the instant the blades touch. Here.'
Ignatius handed the axe back then stood behind her.
'Take your stance.'
Catherine stared at him over her shoulder, then stood as he'd taught. Covering one of those small white hands with his gave him a rush of pleasure and he fought the urge to hold her longer than necessary while demonstrating the move.
'That's it, flick forward and twist.'
The doors to the training room opened and they both turned. Yakov and the Griffon Guard entered, all their faces were grim.
Ignatius stood back and resolutely ignored that bastard Prince as he walked straight toward the Princess.
The last time I'd seen Alek look so serious was when he spoke of the attack on that village. I gulped.
A nervous hum of energy rang between the four of us girls as the men stood behind Alek, with Yakov at his side.
'Jenviet has killed Deas and Moright. We have good reason to believe she was responsible for the attack on the village.'
Alek said it so matter-of-factly that part of me didn't believe him. I stared, shocked, as he continued.
'Elena is requesting the assistance of some Northerners to create shields to protect the villages. When they arrive we will be transporting them to each village, so tomorrow morning Elena will begin training you girls and me, with our gifts.'
The room was silent and I couldn't help twisting to stare out the window, half expecting to see Moright land in the courtyard.
'Deas is dead?' Loi whispered the words in a tight voice, and Sabyn hurried to her. Kassie looked bewildered.
'Why? Why would she kill them, what threat were they to her?'
'Because he was the closest of the relay. It's to prove a point. To emphasize ruthlessness. She wants us to know we aren't safe,' Yakov explained.
Lieutenant Patel cleared his throat and everyone turned.
'Practice is done for the day. It'll give you time to compose yourselves for dinner. This is part of war, you need to get used to it.' The Lieutenant's expression was grave and his voice flat. Alek took my hand and led me away.
Cat had been silent during the walk to their chambers. He had her sit at the table while Maeri went to brew some tea.
'Cat, love?'
Those green eyes were haunted when she turned to him.
'Deas?'
She gulped and her eyes went glassy.
'Moright?'
Tears tumbled down her cheeks.
Alek set both elbows on the table, with fingers interlocked and pressed both hands to his mouth. He wanted to comfort her, but Yakov had warned them all against it.
'They need to understand such things can happen,' he'd explained regretfully.
She didn't meet his eyes as tears continued to fall. Instead she appeared to dwell on it internally, pressing a hand to her mouth while sorrowfully shaking her head and murmuring their names.
There was just two hours before dinner. Due to certain nobles attending, it was to be served in the formal dining room. Cat had to be able to face the meal with poise. It was hard to resist being blunt about the subject. Alek forced himself to allow a good half hour to pass before he spoke again.
'Cat.'
She lifted her eyes to his.
'You need to get ready for dinner.'
She nodded and went to stand, then stopped.
'Alek, did they suffer?'
Pain and regret at what Elena had told them made him pause, not wanting to say more.
Cat persisted.
'Al, I need to know.'
He grimaced.
'Jenviet held Deas's head for Elena to see. Behind her, Moright's body and his were visible.'
There was a long moment of silence as Cat squeezed both eyes shut and breathed heavily through the nose. The tense, angry energy she gave off induced a headache.
After several minutes of pounding tension, she released it, opening her eyes. Alek breathed a sigh of relief. Cat's