I chuckled under my breath. I mean, why would she have? The only inherent violence I’d ever seen out of Arken was when I annoyed the shit out of her and she started throwing those bony little elbows around. It was far too early for her to have enrolled in any Physical Arcana courses, if she ever even chose to. And in an era of relative peace, Physical Arcana had grown increasingly uncommon for students who weren’t planning on military service.
In any circumstance, the rarity of our arcana was sort of a blessing in disguise—at least when it came to battle. Entering combat blind was a nightmare.
Finally, it was Jeremiah’s turn to put his skill on display. He also managed to impress me, running through some experimental Physical Arcana tactics that would allow Conduits to disable their fellow magick-equipped enemies as well. It was all reliant on speed, so he had worked with Hans to develop a few drills that really seemed to push the limits on how fast one could cast certain spells that would bind hands or mouths, or otherwise incapacitate. That was more of a long shot, highlydependent on the arcane prowess of the individual, but we’d take every advantage we could get.
“So are you gonna keep sitting on your ass, boss? Or are you gonna come try this shit out yourself?” Hans asked with a smirk.
Arken snorted, and I rolled my eyes as I rose to my feet.
“Far be it from me to deny you an opportunity to get fucked up,” I replied, cracking my knuckles.
It was my turn to show off.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Arken
A flicker of excitement shot through me as Kieran made his way onto the field.
Despite how often Kieran and I spent time together, it was rare for me to see his arcana on display. And from what I knew about Kieran’s area of expertise, Shadow work was inherently stealthy and hard to track, anyway. I supposed that was what made him such a perfect candidate for his position in the Elder Guard.
That, and the undeniable evidence of his skill, which was already on display.
Every time Hans struck, lunging forward with incredible speed, Kieran managed to sidestep him even faster. Impossibly fast. It took several minutes of watching this to even parse whatwas happening—Kieran was strafing into Shadow, somehow—his entire body becoming briefly incorporeal, allowing him to practicallyblinkinto a slightly different location.
Holy Hel.
Eventually, Jeremiah joined Hans, and it was two against one. Though it was difficult for me to tear my eyes away from Kieran and his Shadows, I was also enthralled by the way his two lieutenants moved in tandem, so flawlessly fluid as they circled their captain like falcons on the hunt. These supposedly new training drills looked more like a well-rehearsed performance. A perfectly choreographed dance between some of the most dangerous men in Sophrosyne.
It was violence and grit teeth and grunting and sweat—but there was also something captivating about it. Something beautiful.
My respect for the Elder Guard deepened as I continued to watch from a distance. With every strike and parry, these three were putting their dedication on clear display. These were men of honor, men who put the protection of our city above all else. You didn’tmovelike that, you didn’t train that hard without something to fight for.
A strange, gnawing sensation began to grow in my belly. It was envy, I realized. I envied these men for their fierce loyalty, their drive, and their strength of will. I envied their ability to protect what they loved so deeply. I envied theirpower.I was already developing both skill and prowess in wielding my own arcana, but I couldn’t doanythinglike this. I hadn’t ever considered the possibility of evenneedingto—a privilege of growing up in an era of peace.
How much had these men sacrificed in order to keep that peace?
I heard Hans bark out a laugh, boastful and raucous. After what must have been nearly twenty minutes, he managedto catch Kieran’s left hand with his bolas. I watched with fascination as the Shadow aether that had coated that hand like a glove faded out, disarming his dominant hand.
“Nice work Deering,” Kieran said to his second, though I could already see a wicked smirk forming. “But I’ll bet you all the Lyra in my coat pockets that you can’t do it again.”
“Challenge accepted,” Hans replied, eyes glittering.
Jeremiah took several paces back, pulling out his water skin and wiping sweat from his brow. “That’s all you,” he said with a grin, clearly wanting to make Hans work for his prize.
Despite my surge of irrational jealousy, I also found a small kernel of relief watching the boys fight. Kieran said that if Laurel became a target—if she was in any danger like Amir—that one of his men would be assigned to her as a personal guard. His cadre extended beyond just Hans and Jeremiah, but I was certain that anyone who trained under these three could keep my friend safe.
It was then that I realized I wanted that capability, too. What if one day, Kieran wasn’t around? What if Laurel was at risk, and all I could do was flash a few shiny orbs of Light in an attacker’s face? I could hardly stomach such a weakness.
I wanted to be stronger.
Once the three of them wrapped up for the afternoon, Kieran and I had the rest of the day to ourselves. As we meandered through the Market District, looking for lunch, I decided to ask him about what continued to tug at the back of my mind.
“Hey Kier?”
“Yeah?”
“How do people even learn all of that?” I asked, pausing for a moment by a baker’s stall to peer over their selection of bread.