Ruined - Amy Tintera Page 0,12

eyebrows as Em stared at her. The king laughed.

She glanced back down the line to see Cas subtly shaking his head at her.

The point is to prove your worth and skill in battle—

“Jovita,” she said quickly.

The king laughed again. “A bold choice. You’ll be nursing your bruises all night, I suspect.”

“Yes, she will,” Jovita said with a grin. She walked across the wood floor, stopping in front of Em. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “I’ll keep the bruises to the lower half of your body, so you’ll still look pretty for your wedding day.”

“Good luck trying.”

Jovita smirked as a man brought them dull swords. Em took hers, relieved to have a sword again, even if it wasn’t a real one.

“And I’d like to remind you that this is supposed to be entertaining, so please, make it a bit theatrical,” the king said as he sat down in his chair.

Em gripped the sword, getting a feel for the weapon. It was heavier than the one she’d had to leave with Damian, but not by much. Jovita took a few steps around in a circle, swinging the blade back and forth.

Em glanced at the three people sitting at the front of the room. The king sat back in his chair, a wide smile plastered across his face. The queen was vaguely interested, her hands folded in her lap.

Cas leaned forward, his eyes bright as he nodded at her. Was he giving her encouragement? She wished he’d stop.

“On the count of three,” the king said.

Em focused her attention on Jovita. If she didn’t win this battle, she was going to have to look at that cocky expression for the rest of her stay in Lera. She needed to win. She needed to see Jovita down on her knees, a sword pressed to her throat.

“Three . . . two . . . one.”

Em stepped to her left as Jovita approached. It was a slow, careful approach, like the kind Em often saw the most skilled hunters use. The new ones charged her; the veterans took their time.

They circled for only a moment before Em made the first strike. The room was quiet, the sound of metal meeting metal echoing through the room.

Someone cheered as they began, and others joined in. Jovita took two quick steps forward, and Em barely blocked the sword before it swiped across her neck. She jumped backward, ducking Jovita’s second attack and rolling across the floor to move to the other side of her. She darted forward, tapping the blade to the center of the girl’s back.

“One for Mary,” the king said, a hint of surprise in his tone. The crowd cheered.

One. The first one. Em bounced on the balls of her feet. She’d needed to be first.

Jovita’s amused expression had faded when she whirled around. She had clearly decided to take Em seriously, and a thrill of excitement ran down Em’s spine.

She blocked Jovita’s next attack, the crowd roaring as the women circled around, barely blocking each other’s blades. When Jovita faked right, Em fell for it, and the girl jabbed her sword into Em’s chest.

“One for Jovita.”

Em barely had time to take a breath before Jovita was coming for her again. The faces and noise around her started to fade away, her focus entirely on the girl in front of her. Her mother had made her practice different types of combat every day when she was younger, and she found fighting almost comforting.

You were born useless, but you don’t have to be helpless, her mother used to say.

Em saw an opening and poked her sword straight at Jovita’s stomach, narrowly missing getting a jab in the neck.

“Two for Mary,” the king said.

She took a step back, darting away from Jovita. She skirted around the edge of the floor until Jovita growled in frustration. Em darted back into the fight. Sometimes a moment to clear her head was helpful.

Jovita came at her so quickly she barely saw the movement. The blade was pointed straight at her forehead.

“Two for Jovita.”

So much for clearing her head.

She spun around, getting a better place on the floor so Jovita wouldn’t be able to back her into a corner. She was breathing a bit heavily now, but she was more relaxed than she’d been since her arrival yesterday. She’d have to find someone to spar with every day, or she might lose her mind in this castle.

Em blocked Jovita’s sword once, twice, three times. Em ducked and dodged, suddenly feeling better than when she’d begun