83
" Where is your fire?” Trenton asked, every word punctuated with another blow.
Shea kept silent and concentrated on getting out of the encounter with no internal bleeding. With the way he was hammering at her guard, he’d cause an injury if a blow landed.
“Is this the woman who convinced her men to follow her on a fool’s errand?”
Shea didn’t respond.
“Where is the spirit that drove you off a cliff onto a shadow beetle?”
He was very talkative as he drove her across the small practice ring. She envied him the ability.
“You’re weak.”
Now he was onto insults.
“You don’t belong here.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She’d heard that one before.
He closed with her, bearing down with his blade until her arms were shaking with the strain. His face was close to hers as their match became a test of strength. “Your stupidity is going to get everyone killed.”
Abruptly, Shea released the blade with one hand, sidestepped and launched a punch straight into his ear. His head rocked to the side and Shea, taking advantage of his distraction, grabbed his arm and hooked her leg around his before pushing with all her might.
He toppled backwards, landing hard on the ground for the first time that day. Shea didn’t wait for him to recover and kicked him in the ribs. He rolled into her legs as she prepared to do it again, bringing her to the ground with him.
She kicked, punched and wiggled her way back to standing and quickly backed up as he rose to his feet.
He didn’t look happy. Shea backed up even further.
The dark expression on his face was a bit scary. Guess she shouldn’t have kicked him when he was down. The biting probably didn’t help either. Trying to dig her fingers into his eyes had been a low blow. Even she could admit that. This was practice. Some things were just off limits.
He started for her, not even bothering to pick up his practice sword. Shea prepared to run. New energy coursed through her as she felt genuine danger rolling off Trenton.
“Test complete,” the old man crowed.
“What?” Shea asked in disbelief.
“You passed.”
“That’s it?”
The test had been difficult but not impossible. She’d been expecting impossible given the hesitation the old man showed in testing her.
“Mostly.”
That’s what she thought. "
― T.A. White , Pathfinder's Way (The Broken Lands, #1)
86
" Both were careful not to look at Phillip, but it was clear they wanted to change the subject when Buck said, “What kind of expression was that, Shane?”
“Hey! What the hell?” Shea raised a hand to her head. “I was trying to look delicate and frail.”
Buck hooted and cackled. “Delicate? You looked like you were about to take a dump.”
“I did not.”
Eamon roared in laughter. “Yes. Yes, you did. I thought I was going to fall off my horse trying not to laugh.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shea muttered, spurring her horse to move faster. “That was my delicate look.”
The two just roared louder as Shea cantered away. Rounding the bend, Shea shook her head. Something she had learned over the years, men could be immature regardless of age. "
― T.A. White , Pathfinder's Way (The Broken Lands, #1)
90
" How are they doing this?” Shea asked, leaning against the side of a building. She was out of breath and beginning to think there might not be a way out of this.
Braden shook his head. “They must have more men out here.”
“How many people missed head count?” Shea asked.
“Ten.”
She dropped her head back and looked up at the inky darkness. Only small patches of a starry night sky could be seen. Ten. He might as well have said a hundred.
“We’re making a lot of noise. Eventually Caden and the rest of the men will hear and come investigating,” Braden said.
Shea preferred not to rely on ifs and shoulds. There was no guarantee they’d hear all this racket, and even if they did, chances were Shea and Braden would be dead long before then.
“You shouldn’t have run off and called attention to yourself.” Disapproval colored Braden’s tone.
Shea shot him dark look. “I’m sorry. When someone threatens to kill me, I tend to try to remove myself from the situation.”
“I never intended to kill you.”
Shea scoffed, letting the sound speak for her.
“I didn’t. I just said at one time I had planned to kill you. You know, before. It’s been a while since I’ve actively plotted your death.”
Shea opened her mouth with a sharp retort but was prevented from speaking as a horse and rider clattered around the corner, torch held aloft. Seeing them, he called over his should, “Here, I’ve found them.”
“Time to go. "
― T.A. White , Mist's Edge (The Broken Lands, #2)
