Page 70 of The Last Guardian

“Anyway!” I said it loudly, glaring at him as he smirked.

Zaidkiel smiled, standing up, a satisfied look on his smug face. As he turned his back to step to the exit, he said, “I will join you this afternoon, Princess⁠—”

But before he could finish his sentence, I called after him, “Wait.” Zaidkiel stopped, turning and glancing over his shoulder as I got up from my seat. I walked in his direction. “I need to ask you something.”

Zaidkiel hesitated for a moment, then turned towards me.

“I need to send a letter.” I bit my lip, playing with my necklace.

“To whom, if I may ask?” Zaidkiel arched a brow, putting his hand behind his back in a nonchalant manner.

“Arthur,” I said, raising my chin. “I need him to take care of someone while I’m away.” Zaidkiel seethed, jaw tight. When he didn’t answer, I babbled, “It’s my friend, Lyra. I want to make sure Arthur takes care of her, until—” I stopped. Touching the green charm of my necklace again, I added, “I want her to know I’m alive.” I looked him straight in the eye. “Please.”

Zaidkiel looked me up and down, hesitant, and a wicked smile played across his lips. “It’s rather amusing to watch you beg, Princess. And if I say no? Will you beg me on your knees?”

Just as I was about to stab him in the eye with a fork, he vanished outside. Hells! I should have slapped him when the opportunity arose earlier.

EACH TIP OF my arrows found its target. I aimed and shot again and again. The faces kept changing in my head. Haedeon. Father. Nevan. And Zaidkiel’s smug face! When it was his face, each blow was more brutal than the last, fueled by an unquenchable rage.

He pissed me off! With his unbearable smile, his incessant flirtatious remarks, and the way he ignored every single one of my questions.

“Whoa, calm down,” Dax commented, watching me from his spot on a big rock. “The tree will fall if you keep going like that.”

Although I had little experience with archery apart from the training I had received from Arthur, I found during our few training sessions aboard the ship that it was the weapon that suited me best at the moment. Swords were too heavy; even the lightest one threw me off balance. Dax told me I would eventually master it after a few weeks of training, once I gained some strength.

So, for now, I’d use a bow and daggers and strengthen my muscles. We spent the whole morning on core training and continued practicing hand-to-hand combat. And after lunch, we resumed weapons training.

“Sorry,” I panted.

“Need to talk?” Dax watched me, a gentle smile on his lips, and crossed his arms over his bare chest.

“No, I’m fine,” I replied, my voice tinged with bitterness.

“It’s best to talk before you accidentally shoot someone,” he advised with a raised brow.

“Perhaps I want to aim for someone’s head specifically,” I retorted, my hands ready to draw another arrow.

Dax let out a little laugh, amused by my thoughts. “I’d pay good money to watch that, believe me. But I suggest you relax, Alyana.”

I wondered why Zaidkiel wasn’t like that… Kind. Just kind.

Was it because of his trust issues, as Nefeli had once mentioned? Or because of their childhoods? I had no idea what had happened to them, but still. That wasn’t an excuse for him to act like an asshole.

If I had to excuse everyone’s bad temper because of a difficult childhood, the world wouldn’t work properly.

“Well, if you don’t want to talk, at least be less careless with your aim,” Dax judged.

I scoffed and shot him a glare. “Perhaps I should aim for your head instead?”

“It would be entertaining to watch you try,” Dax joked, with a cocky smirk on his face.

I cleared my throat before speaking. “No, you’re one of the people I enjoy spending time with around here. I would hate to be alone with that prick of a commander.”

Dax chuckled and exclaimed, “Wow!”

“How did you get involved with him, anyway?” I asked curiously.

“Being a powerful Evarim asshole wasn’t enough for him,” Dax replied, his smile conveying so much more than the insult he’d uttered. “He wanted to learn about the other side of his heritage. Even if he doesn’t have the same power as the rest of the Surani, he was determined to learn how to fight, how to harness our strength to amplify our power. The best way to learn is to surround yourself with the most skilled fighters in the world.”