Chapter 220: Watch Your Back

By Monday afternoon, Arthur had spent more time thinking about his new Assassin class than whatever his lecturers had been trying to teach him.

He headed toward the academy practice grounds, flipping a padded leather training dagger in his right hand. Students filled the dirt rings in the afternoon sun, some sparring while others argued over missed hits or sat catching their breath on the low stone walls.

His left wrist still carried a dull ache from Saturday’s fight with the Keeper, but he was feeling good enough for a controlled spar. Especially against Emily.

He found her in the third ring, finishing a bout with a heavy-set second-year vanguard.

Arthur leaned against the wooden railing and watched. The vanguard drove his practice shield forward in a heavy bash. Emily slipped the strike entirely, pivoting on her heel to drive her padded gauntlet into the gap beneath his arm. The vanguard grunted, stumbling sideways, and raised a hand to concede the match.

Emily stepped back, pushing a damp strand of dark hair out of her face. She was quick, ruthless, and perfectly balanced.

Arthur tapped the padded dagger against the railing. He wanted to know exactly how much Assassin’s Instinct changed the math against someone like her.

Emily noticed him waiting and jogged over to the edge of the ring.

"My turn," Arthur said, spinning the dagger by the hilt.

"Give me thirty seconds," Emily said. She picked up a leather waterskin resting on the railing, pulled the stopper, and took a long drink.

"You’ve been resting for ten seconds already," Arthur pointed out.

Emily lowered the waterskin, wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist. She looked at the training dagger in his hand, then up at his grin. "You’ve been looking for an excuse to stab me since Saturday. Stop looking at me like I’m a practice dummy."

"I just want to try something."

"It’ll work better when I can breathe," Emily said, taking another drink.

Chloe walked up the path, carrying a canvas satchel over her shoulder. She stopped next to Arthur and dropped the bag onto the grass. "Are you bullying her into sparring before she gets a break?"

"I’m offering to help her train," Arthur corrected. "Are you going to cheer for me?"

"No," Chloe said, sitting down on the low stone wall and pulling an apple from her satchel.

"She threatened to put me on the ground," Arthur said. "You’re supposed to support me."

"I support Emily putting you on the ground," Chloe said, taking a bite of the apple. "My shift starts at four. I’d rather not begin it by stitching either of you up."

Emily set her waterskin down beside Chloe’s bag and raised her padded gauntlets. "Come on, then."

Arthur ducked under the railing and stepped onto the packed dirt.

He kept his left arm tucked close to his chest, holding the training dagger low in his right hand. He mirrored Emily’s slow circle, watching her shoulders and hips. He already knew her fighting style. She favored heavy, overwhelming pressure, closing the distance to neutralize a weapon’s reach.

Emily stepped in with a fast, probing jab.

Arthur gave ground, slipping the padded glove rather than trying to block it. He feinted a low strike with the dagger, forcing her to adjust her guard, and immediately stepped around her outside shoulder.

Arthur caught the opening before he quite understood why. Emily’s attention was locked on his weapon hand, her weight shifting into a defensive turn. For a heartbeat, her ribs were completely exposed.

Arthur stepped into the gap, whipping the padded blade forward.

Emily twisted violently at the last possible second. The leather dagger scraped across the canvas of her training tunic, missing a clean hit by a fraction of an inch.

She spun away, putting five feet between them, and stared at him.

Arthur grinned, shifting his grip on the dagger. He moved in and tried it again.

Emily lowered her stance and came at him harder.

She exploded forward, driving a rapid combination of strikes at his chest and head. Arthur used his superior Dexterity to slip the first two punches, backing up to absorb the pressure. He waited for her to commit her momentum, searching for the opening.

He triggered Shadow Step.

The familiar cold pressure squeezed his chest. He dropped through the shadow cast by the railing, intending to reform directly behind her.

He materialized just as Emily’s spinning backfist caught him squarely in the chest.

The heavy padded impact drove the breath out of Arthur’s lungs and sent him stumbling backward into the dirt.

"You’re too predictable!" Emily called out, lowering her fists.

"That was a lucky guess," Arthur wheezed, rubbing his sternum.

"It wasn’t a guess. You always jump behind me when I crowd you." Emily beckoned him forward. "Come on. Again."

Arthur straightened up, rolling his shoulders. Shadow Step was incredibly fast, but Emily had sparred with him enough times to know his favorite escape routes. If she knew where he was going to appear, the speed of the teleport didn’t matter.

They clashed again. The dirt of the ring kicked up in small clouds around their boots as they traded feints and strikes. Arthur used his footwork to keep out of her immediate reach, waiting for Assassin’s Instinct to signal another clean opening.

Emily drove him toward the edge of the ring, launching a heavy cross aimed at his jaw.

Arthur slipped inside her guard, stepping past the punch. For a split second, they were chest to chest, entirely tangled in each other’s space.

Arthur’s right hand dropped, the dagger hovering near her ribs, but Emily didn’t pull back. Instead, she leaned half an inch closer.

"You smell great when you’re sweating," Arthur murmured right by her ear.

"So do you," Emily said smoothly.

She stepped on his boot, pinning his foot to the dirt, and drove her knee squarely into his stomach.

Arthur doubled over with a loud grunt, the padded dagger slipping from his fingers as he dropped to the ground.

"Keep your mind on the spar, Vance," Emily said, standing over him with a smug expression.

Chloe laughed from the wall.

"Worth it," Arthur gasped. He grabbed the training dagger, pushed himself up, and dusted off his trousers.

He settled back into his stance, dropping the jokes.

Emily threw two quick punches. Arthur ducked the first and gave ground on the second, watching her shoulders as she drove him toward the edge of the ring.

Emily came down with a heavy overhand blow. Arthur caught the opening, but something about the way she was standing made him suspicious. She was already preparing to turn.

Arthur triggered Shadow Step.

This time, Arthur chose one of the long shadows stretching across the dirt beside her.

Emily spun toward his usual landing point directly behind her back, her gauntlets raised to block.

Arthur appeared off to her side, already moving. By the time she realized where he’d gone, his padded dagger was touching her upper back.

Arthur laughed, stepping back with the dagger still raised.

Holy shit. He’d actually caught her.

Emily stared at him. Then her eyes narrowed.

Arthur was still laughing when Emily hooked her boot behind his ankle and swept his legs out from under him.

He twisted as he fell, landing on his shoulder instead of catching himself with his bad wrist.

Emily stood over him, her hands on her hips. "You were celebrating before the round was even over."

"I was enjoying my victory," Arthur laughed from the ground.

"You touched my back. I put you on your ass."

"So you admit I got your back."

"You both look like idiots," Chloe called out, dropping the core of her apple into a nearby waste bin and picking up her satchel.

Arthur pushed himself up onto his elbows, still grinning. Backstab was still waiting for a proper target.

He was going to enjoy finding one.

He tucked the padded dagger into his belt. Emily grabbed his right hand and hauled him to his feet, then swatted the dust off his shoulder with her gauntlet. "You changed the angle."

"You were waiting for the straight jump," Arthur said, brushing the dirt off his trousers. "You committed to the turn before I even materialized."

"It worked once," Emily warned him, walking toward the railing. "Don’t think it’ll work tomorrow."

"It’ll work tomorrow," Arthur promised, following her.

Chloe walked over to the edge of the ring. She leaned over the railing, gave Arthur a quick kiss on the mouth, and kissed Emily’s cheek. "I have to get to the infirmary before the third-year vanguards start bringing in their concussions. Wash the dirt off before you go to the dining hall."

"Have a good shift," Arthur said.

Chloe waved, heading off down the gravel path toward the medical wing.

Emily pulled off her padded gauntlets and tossed them into her training bag. She grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from her neck while Arthur pulled the padded dagger from his belt and returned it to the communal weapon rack.

Arthur caught up with her as she headed toward the main quadrangle.

"Give that wrist a rest," Emily said.

"I barely used it."

"You still landed on your ass."

"You helped put me there."

"And I’ll do it again," Emily said, bumping her shoulder against his. "Especially if you start flirting while I’m punching you."

Arthur slipped an arm around her shoulders. "I wasn’t joking."

"I know," Emily said.