Fighting Back

ANDRA

It was a hazy morning. The sun struggled to break through the clouds above Andra. They had set up camp in a clearing in the forest.

She sat on a large rock, staring at her wrist and twisting her leather bracelet.

Colmen came over and offered her a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, but she shook her head. She wasn’t hungry.

He returned to the others, and Andra barely listened as they argued about the last leg of the journey to Bellris.

Kael warned about some danger in the Burning Sands, and Alik replied that there was no reason to delay their journey.

Their argument droned on as Andra lost herself in her thoughts.

She thought of the day before. For the first time, she had let herself believe that she was truly special.

She’d imagined she could rise from her status as a servant…and be a Rider.

But as soon as the dream had become real, it had been torn from her once more.

In the wake of such disappointment, she returned to the fantasy she had always held onto.

~Talias.~

It had always brought her comfort to remember his words the night he’d come to visit her in the cell—when he’d told her he would come find her one day.

Their service would be complete— they would be free. They could be free together.

She touched the thin leather bands around her wrist.

Though it had been over a year ago, Talias’s fingers had touched the brown strands too.

She imagined his warm, brown eyes, tousled blond hair, and easy smile.

The last time she had seen him was the last time that she’d had light in her life.

Since then, it had been mostly darkness… never-ending darkness slowly consuming her.

But Talias would come find her someday.

He would take her away to live a humble, happy life.

Andra would have long forgotten about how foolish she had been when she’d thought that ~she~ could be a Rider.

They would have one another, and that would be enough.

Andra sighed. The bracelet had grown thin and soft since Talias had given it to her. It was stained dark brown by the oils of her skin.

It had changed, but after everything she had been through, it was still there.

Just then, a long stick landed on the ground before her with a thud. Andra flinched.

She looked up to see Kael striding toward her, his expression set with determination. In his hand, he held a training staff of his own.

“That bracelet must be special to keep you staring at it half the day,” he said.

“It’s from a friend,” she mumbled as she covered it with her other hand.

Somehow, telling Kael about Talias felt too personal.

“A secret, then,” he inferred with a scowl. “Stand up. It’s time you learned how to fight.”

The way he said it sounded like he was doing her a favor, but Andra was not interested.

He spun the stick around his hand and then held it at the ready, his legs shifting into a wider stance.

When Andra didn’t move, Kael picked up the stick on the ground and held it out to her.

“Come on, get up. I promise I’m a patient teacher.” Behind his stern expression, a hint of humor and self-awareness sparkled in his gray eyes.

“For some reason, I doubt that,” she replied, rising to her feet slowly. She held the stick at her side.

“First rule: never doubt your instructor,” Kael ordered. Andra rolled her eyes. She spun the staff over her hand like she used to do with the brooms at the manor.

The shadow of a smile tugged at the corner of Kael’s lips as he stepped back from her, moving lightly on the balls of his feet—light and certain as a wildcat.

He was entirely in his element.

“Bend your knees, and consider the staff an extension of your arm,” he instructed. “In this position, you’re ready for anything. You’re fully in control.”

Andra obeyed, mirroring his stance and his energy. She hopped from foot to foot, shifting her weight.

“Watch your enemy’s body, not just their weapon. Read their movements to determine where they will strike. Defend first, and return to a neutral stance so you can strike back.”

Andra had never seen him so talkative as he was at this moment. He seemed completely comfortable in his body now that he was active, ready to fight.

“I learned to fight with a staff before a sword,” he told her, “so you will too. The important thing is to balance defensive strokes…with offensive ones.”

With that, he stepped toward her. Andra knew the strike was coming and felt her muscles tense, instinct urging her to block or evade the blow.

But she restrained herself, just as she’d always done at the manor.

The staff struck her calf, leaving a line of stinging pain behind.

“Come on!” Kael snapped, his thundercloud eyes flashing furiously. “Defend yourself, Andra!”

“I can’t…,” she muttered softly.

Kael didn’t seem to hear her. He lunged forward once more, and his staff struck her again, just below her hip.

“Get your staff up, soldier!” he demanded.

“I’m not a soldier!” Andra shouted back. She backed warily away from him, eyes on his staff, waiting for the next blow to fall. She wasn’t a soldier at all—only a slave.

Kael struck again, and Andra flinched as the staff landed a glancing blow against her shoulder.

“No one’s going to protect you. You have to protect yourself!”

Kael’s words rang in her ears.

He was right. Nobody would protect her.

She saw his staff rise again, saw it cutting through the air toward her. She gritted her teeth and raised her own staff.

The two weapons collided with a loud crack as she blocked the blow.

“Yes! Now you’re getting it!” Kael said praisingly.

Andra felt herself smiling, despite herself.

That felt ~good~.

She felt powerful. She had defended herself and prevented the pain. For once, she was in control.

Kael, encouraged by her progress, circled his way around her. Andra moved with him, mirroring his steps.

Suddenly, he charged forward, raining down a volley of blows on her.

“Now hit me!” he ordered.

Andra blinked in shock at the words.

“No!” she replied sharply.

He struck at her again, and she continued to guard herself, but never struck back—never reached beyond her own space.

“Don’t be a coward,” he ordered. He moved forward, into her space, yelling and urging her to hit him.

“Strike!” he demanded. “Fight back! Find your opening and take it!” He continued to press forward, forcing her farther and farther back into the trees.

Andra felt overwhelmed, closed in by his demands, which she refused to meet.

Andra could feel the panic edging its way up her throat as she took another stumbling step away from Kael’s fierce gaze.

She couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t strike him.

Fear twisted in her gut as Kael continued advancing toward her.

“Hit me!” he yelled. “Hit me, Andra! Why in the hell won’t you fight back?”

His words broke something inside her.

The building panic finally erupted, and she threw the staff to the ground as she shouted back at him:

“Because the last time I fought back, my mother was executed for it!”

KAEL

Kael froze.

Andra’s words hung in the air between them. Her expression was unreadable. The staff bounced on the dirt before coming to a rest.

As he played back his actions, he cursed himself for his stupidity.

~What was I thinking, pushing her, forcing her to fight?~

He wanted to teach her to defend herself, but there was so much he didn’t know about her life.

“What happened?” he asked in a whisper.

“I called Ledo a pig, and as a punishment, he executed my mother.” Andra’s voice was hollow. “He made me watch, and told me it was my fault.”

“Oh, Gods,” Kael gasped.

Andra turned her eyes to the ground. Kael felt like he was going to be sick.

He wanted to comfort her, but he had no idea how. Kael gave orders, not comfort. He discussed strategy, not emotion.

“I’m so sorry,” he tried. “I wish I could pull Ledo from his grave and kill him again.”

That earned him a sad smile.

Suddenly, Kael understood everything. That’s why she wouldn’t talk.

She was afraid of the horrors her words could cause.

Kael was about to throw his staff to the side, but something stopped him. Maybe learning to fight ~was~ what Andra needed.

“Listen, that isn’t your life anymore,” he told her. “You don’t have to stay silent or accept abuse. You have the power to defend yourself.”

Andra held his gaze as he went on.

“But you have to ~want~ to learn. Otherwise this is pointless.” Kael took a deep breath, and then he regained his composure. He stood up straight, like the soldier he was.

He offered the girl an ultimatum.

“Do you want to learn or not? I have to know now. I refuse to waste time forcing you.”

ANDRA

Andra considered Kael’s offer.

~Do I want to defend myself?~

In some way, it was no question at all.

~Of course I do.~

~The real question is: is it worth the risk?~

“Your life is different now,” Kael went on, his voice soft even as he challenged her. “Now it’s ~not~ fighting back that will have consequences.”

In Kael’s eyes, Andra saw a burning fire. He was certain he could take down anything that stood in his way.

Andra wanted that passion—that fire—too.

She wanted to put her past behind her. She didn’t want to be an obedient slave any longer.

“I want to learn,” she announced. “But, for the record, you are ~not~ a patient teacher.”

“Good,” he replied, as if he’d been hoping for—even expecting—that response. Then he added with a hint of amusement in his eyes, “And you’re right—I’m not.”

He didn’t skip a beat, resuming his fighting stance. “No resting, then.”

Andra held her staff at the ready.

He began to circle her once more, and she followed his movements. She easily blocked one, two, three strikes.

As Kael pulled back, Andra saw her opening—an opening she was certain he had left on purpose. And before she could stop herself, she reached out and struck him in the stomach.

Kael buckled over, and Andra dropped her staff to the ground.

“Are you…are you okay?” she asked. She was worried he was really hurt.

He twisted suddenly, striking Andra behind the knees. She fell solidly on her backside in the dirt.

Kael looked down at her, his hard features somewhat softer than usual as he held out his hand.

“Not bad,” he shrugged. “You’re pretty fast, you know?”

Kael’s praise brought warmth blooming in her chest.

Andra knew she was fast. She could beat any boy at a race…

But now it was her heart that was racing.

KAEL

Kael strode over to Eithne, surprised by how sore the lesson had left him. The dragon was resting her head on the ground.

The closer they got to the desert, the sparser the vegetation became.

~“Well done,”~ she said praisingly, snorting a puff of smoke into the air. ~“And here I thought you’d be a terrible teacher. Or maybe it’s just that you have an exceptional student?”~

Kael smirked. He knew she was right. He was proud of how much progress Andra had made so quickly. She was a natural.

~“For a moment, I was worried you were being too hard on her.”~

~“Me too,”~ Kael admitted.

Eithne’s sly voice chuckled in his mind.

~“You were so excited when she hit you back.”~

~“Oh, come on,”~ Kael replied. ~“It’s my responsibility to take care of Andra. I’m just glad she’s learning to fight for herself.”~

~“Mm hmm.”~ Eithne grinned.

Kael knew there was something running under her words.

~“I have my suspicions, heart song,”~ she went on, ~“that maybe Andra isn’t just a burden or responsibility to you.”~

Kael scoffed. ~“For a cold-blooded creature, you’re quite the romantic.”~

It often felt like Eithne knew him better than he knew himself, but could what she said be true?

He had dragged Andra into this situation, and he was going to make sure she was safe.

But perhaps he didn’t mind having her around either…

ANDRA

After the training session, Andra made her way to her cot and fell atop it with a groan.

She was exhausted, but she felt ~good~.

It was nice to feel tired for something she was proud of.

She had fought back, and it had felt right.

Her muscles relaxed into the cot, and she let her mind wander toward sleep…

But then she felt the all-too familiar warmth pressing against her mind.

~No…it couldn’t be.~

Andra rose from her mattress, scanning the sky above her.

And then she saw it. Even though her dreams had left her disappointed so many times, she couldn’t help but believe once more.

~Tiri!~

In the distance, Andra saw her heart flying toward her on purple wings.