Chapter 6: Sparring

Training will test you but, pain means progress here. The goal is to know your limits and push just a bit further each time. If you fall, get back up–it's a rule of survival.

Excerpt of recovered correspondence of Lieutenant Xaden Riorson to Thana Valaren.

~

Thana leaned back against the rough stone wall, suppressing an eye roll as she watched the novices on the sparring mat. Each attempted jab, every sloppy block, only heightened her frustration. She muttered under her breath, cataloguing their mistakes. "You deserve to break your neck," she mumbled, her fingers drumming against her thigh.

"Now, now, Thana," came a voice beside her, "Not everyone has the great Garrick Tavis training them."

She turned, unsurprised to find Bodhi standing close, arms crossed and nodding at the sparring match in front of them. "I could teach him a thing or two," she said.

Bodhi smirked. "Oh, I know."

She rolled her eyes. Horny fuck. Garrick exchanged a look with Xaden. She saw Xaden's barely perceptible nod before Garrick turned and walked over.

"Alright, Bodhi, enough commentary," Garrick said, not unkindly, but with a gentle push that sent Bodhi a few steps away.

As Bodhi glanced at her over his shoulder, he gave her a knowing look. "Later?" he asked, voice low enough that only she could hear.

Thana exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Focus, Bodhi."

He smirked but didn't push. "You know where to find me."

Before she could say something snarky in response, Professor Emeterrio's voice sliced through the room, pulling her attention away.

"Violet Sorrengail!" he called.

Thana's heart raced with a singular thought—she wanted Violet dead. She leaned in, eager for her shot to spar, ready to show Violet just how serious she was. But just as she was about to move, she noticed Professor Emeterrio's gaze shift.

"Xaden Riorson, take the mat."

A rush of anticipation coursed through Thana as Xaden crossed the room, his confidence palpable. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. She could see Dain's concern flicker across his face, but Xaden's smirk only deepened. He turned to Violet with a look that made Thana's stomach twist. If Violet fell in training, there would be no consequences, no punishment—just her name on the death roll.

"Don't worry, Sorrengail," Xaden drawled, his voice a low taunt. "You'll be in one piece when I'm done with you."

"Kill her, Riorson!" Jack Barlow shouted from the edge, his face twisted with glee.

The fight was brutal—Xaden's calculated strikes against Violet's stubborn resilience. He taunted her, his insults biting and sharp, and for a moment, Thana almost felt sorry for Violet. But she hadn't come for pity. When Professor Emeterrio called the match, Thana's frustration boiled over. She was pissed.

After class, she jogged to catch up to Xaden. "What the hell was that?" she asked, voice barely more than a hiss.

He looked at her, unphased, his face closed off. "What do you mean?"

She scoffed. "Why did you hold back?"

"Violet needs training," he replied, his voice quiet but steely.

The response stunned her, and she felt a surge of anger. "And you're going to train her?"

He didn't reply. With fury smouldering in her chest, she stormed off, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.

~

Dinner was quiet. Thana barely noticed the food in front of her as her mind raced. Liam, sensing her mood, asked, "You alright?"

Thana nodded and forced a smile. "I was thinking about when we were younger," she said, trying to redirect the conversation.

Bodhi smiled. "Ah, the good old days."

"You know what I miss," Liam began, "The Festival of the Dragon."

Bodhi chimed in, "That was the first time that I saw Cuir. Of course, he was with his previous rider but, I remember him up on the  stone walls of Riorson House..."

Thana froze. "Cuir... was there?"

Bodhi nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Huh. I'm surprised you remember that," Thana said.

"I might not have remembered as much as he just told me..." Bodhi admitted.

Thana's thoughts wandered back to the dragons atop Riorson House, the memory hazy and distant. But her father's dragon, Xerath, stood out with crystal clarity—she could recall every detail of him, the strength in his gaze, the elegance of his wings, the deep green of his scales.

She often wondered what had become of him after her father's execution. Had he perished alongside him? Part of her clung to the hope that Xerath had returned to the valley, waiting for the day he might bond with her. But deep down, she knew the truth—dragons didn't often bond to the same family line twice, and if the rumours were true, Xerath had likely died shortly after her father.

Liam watched her closely but didn't press. "Memory's a tricky thing," he said softly, as though sensing her unease.

Thana didn't reply, lost in her own thoughts. Bodhi, tried to reroute the conversation and asked, "Dessert, anyone?"

Thana rolled her eyes.