Crest (Ondine Quartet Book 3) (25 page)

One effortless leap at a time, he ascended to the beam closest to the ceiling, roughly three stories above ground.

No way.

He jumped.

At the last second, Dax sensed the attack from above and shifted to the right. The selkie landed on the floor like a jungle cat, bent knees and arms absorbing the impact.

He didn't make a single sound.

It was a demonstration of supreme power and extraordinary finesse. This wasn't the kind of messy brawl you'd see in a bar or street fight. This was technique of the highest level.

Body lines emphasized the stark beauty of their movements. Power crackled off rolling muscles and supernatural reflexes.

Ewan once said Haverleau gardinels found our elite sessions boring. Now I knew why.

"What is he doing?" Blaise muttered.

A black haired selkie suddenly dropped to the ground. The movement went against basic logic. You lost all advantage from the lower vantage point.

He whipped up, leg turning in one perfect rotation. Foot snapped against jaws, shoulders, and necks.

Holy shit. He took out four selkies with one kick.

"Enough."

Tall and thin, with a narrow face and coal black eyes, the older selkie emerged from the shadows near the north wall.

All activity ceased.

He didn't have Garreth's massive bulk or Tristan's lean musculature.

But danger rolled off him in waves. He looked like the kind of fighter who remained still in battle because he could kill you with one move.

The selkie trainees lined up.

"We have guests in our kingdom." His tone was cold enough to freeze hell. "And we will be sharing the Áimoni with them."

Garreth stepped forward. "
Kahliev
, Myrddin."

"
Kahliev
. Congratulations on becoming Haverleau Chief Gardinel, Garreth. I see you've become actively involved with their education." Black eyes slid to us, lingering a moment longer on me. "Why waste your time?"

Asshole.

"Perhaps because I don't consider it a waste of time," Garreth said quietly.

Myrddin sighed. "I suppose it shall at least make for some form of entertainment."

He nodded at the trainees and they followed him back to the benches.

Adrian gestured. "Come on, all of you. Let's go."

Dax and his friends watched us with that absolute selkie stillness.

Nerves tingled and beads of sweat slid down my back.

Feet pressed against hard, cold floor. Unlike the mats we practiced on, the wood had no give.

If you fell, it'd hurt. A lot.

A flush colored Ethan's pale cheeks and Blaise walked faster than usual. Cam's scowl darkened and Alex looked even more serene than usual.

We were all crapping in our pants.

"Martin," Garreth barked. "On your way to the Áimoni, there were three markers. Name them."

"First one was approximately two hundred yards from the palace entrance. A notch carved into the bark of a spruce tree and marked with red paint. Second marker was a grey and white hawk feather placed among the branches of a crabapple bush."

He paused. The selkies stared.

Come on.
 

"And the third was a turquoise medallion lodged between two large boulders at the forest's edge."

Garreth nodded. "Excellent. Aucoin, explain the tactical advantage of our current location."

Blaise considered. "We're at a slight slope providing clear line of sight for two hundred fifty yards. No shrubs, no trees to conceal the enemy. Same thing applies to the openness of this structure."

"Any weaknesses?"

"There." He pointed at the north wall. "We can't see behind it. But someone on the roof of the school would have direct line of sight."

Good point. I hadn't noticed that.

"Gardinel Vellucar, you walked over here with the
sondaleur
," Garreth said.

Ewan gave a short nod. "Correct."

"Were you in conversation the entire way over?"

"Yes."

"Irisavie." Granite eyes landed on me. "Number of selkies tracking us here."

"Four."

Expression grew stonier. "Four?"

"If you don't count the baby."

A pause. "Describe them."

Dax smirked.

Watch and learn, kid.

I took a deep breath. "First was twenty yards in from the entrance of the woods. In a tree, eleven feet above ground. Straight brown hair down to the shoulder, tall, long nose, darker skin, ruby
pedaillon
. Second was another fifty yards in, tracking us on the ground. Five-ten, honey blonde hair clipped short. Compact build with a dark green
pedaillon
. Third was located between the two pillars there." I gestured to the east side of the pavilion. "Older. Black hair braided down his back. Two
kouperets
, strapped across his chest and on his ankle. Ash-blonde
pedaillon
.

"Fourth watched us from between two pine trees at the northwest edge of the forest. Light skin, reddish-brown hair, stocky build. He carried a baby swaddled in a yellow and blue blanket. Because the infant doesn't have the cognitive function to actively track us, I didn't include it in my initial number."

Silence stretched. Ewan's mouth twitched.

A fleeting look of satisfaction glinted in Garreth's eyes. "Good."

I smiled at Dax. His face turned to ice.

"We'll be starting class now," Garreth said.

The subtext was clear. Get the hell out.

Myrddin stood and the other selkies followed. Coal eyes flickered over us. "As you wish."

As soon as they left, the air lightened and all of us let out a collective breath. They really didn't want us here.

"Why were you slow in climbing the stairs yesterday?" Adrian asked.

Ethan raised his hand. "We don't have the same physical stamina as selkies."

Ewan shook his head. "There's a way you could be significantly faster."

A few seconds of silence as we mulled it over.

Alex spoke up. "Balance."

"That's right." Garreth walked forward. "Those narrow steps demand concentration. The balls of your feet must land in precisely the right way. Thinking and forcing your muscles to react slowed you down. If balance was more instinctive to your body, you wouldn't think twice about racing up those steps and you'd cut your time."

It was like a dancer shifting into a leap. The more centered you were, the less you thought about the technique behind the step. Your entire body could simply throw more speed and strength into completing movement.

Garreth pointed up. "That's our equipment for today."

I swallowed. Wooden beams eerily swung in the light breeze.

Alex went first.

Adrian lifted him. Alex's arms wrapped around the lowest beam, approximately ten feet above the ground. He swung up and over, wrapping his leg around the beam before standing up on it.

Arms straight out for balance, he carefully walked to the other end.

The next beam swayed, two feet away and four feet higher.

He leaped. Foot missed the beam by an inch.

Pulse accelerated.

Right hand grasped the wood. With a quick twist, he brought his left hand over. But no matter how much Alex swung, he couldn't get his body on top of it. Exhausted, he dropped down to the floor.

"Not bad, Girard." Garreth walked over. "Why did you miss the second beam?"

Alex grimaced. "I leaped too soon. My body wasn't centered and when I jumped, the angle was off."

Garreth nodded. "Just like the steps. It's as important to be centered on release as it is to be balanced on landing." He turned to me. "Let's go, Irisavie."

Adrian lifted me until my hands securely wrapped around the wood. I concentrated on breathing evenly, feeling the weight of my body as I slowly gained momentum.

With a final swing, I crunched my abs and hooked my legs around the beam. Biceps contracted and I pulled myself up.

Approximately ten centimeters of surface area, about the same width as a gymnastics balance beam.

Except it was ten feet off the ground.

Toes instinctively curled, wanting to dig into the wood.

"Irisavie."

Garreth's voice startled me and I wobbled slightly. Pulse continued to race even after I straightened.

"Don't grip the bar. Find the balance on the balls of your feet."

Keeping my chin up and head level, I took a deep breath and concentrated on the connection between my leg, foot, and wood.

I stepped forward.

A strange rushing sound cut through the air.

Ropes slackened and slipped from ceiling hooks.

The world tilted. Wood separated from my feet, falling away beneath me.

For a split second, there was nothing but air and death.

Instinct and training kicked in and I shoved my torso forward. Arms blindly reached out, hands grabbed the edge of the beam.

It swung down, gaining velocity like a pendulum with me hanging off it.

Feet slammed against the ground. Left ankle twisted awkwardly and sharp pain ricocheted up my leg. Shins shuddered as the beam dragged me across the floor.

It was on a straight trajectory toward the north wall. I had to time it right or my hands would be crushed.

I let go.

Tucked tight, body hit the floor. Back slammed against the ground with enough force to send jarring pain everywhere.

Beam smashed against the stone wall with a thunderous whack and bounced back.

Gritting my teeth, I rolled.

It whistled behind me, lifting the hairs on the back of my neck.

Breathing hard, I uncurled and stared at my hands and feet.

All there. Neck and spine were unbroken.

If I had nine lives, I'd just gone through all of them.

"Kendra!" A greenish tint colored Ewan's skin. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, a little shell-shocked. "What happened?"

"The ropes slipped out of the hook."

Adrian swore from behind the north wall. Garreth and Ewan hurried over.

Cam and Alex helped me up. I limped outside to the blind spot behind the north wall. The selkies spoke quietly in their language, but Ewan's agitated tone caught my attention.

Ropes came through narrow, high slots at the top of the wall. They were rigged to a complex pulley system that adjusted the beams' heights and positions for training.

The cord connected to my beam was severed, one end lying uselessly on the ground, the other dangling off the metal pulley.

But it hadn't snapped.

The edges of both pieces were clean.

Someone had cut the line.

GLARING DIDN'T WORK. NEITHER DID bribing, joking, threatening, or sweet talking.

I was beginning to understand how he'd managed my mother for so many months at Lyondale Hospital.

Dr. Daniel Clavet was a hardass.

"I come all the way here for a nice vacation and you're injured on the first day." He frowned. "Are you trying to set a record,
sondaleur
?"

"Yes, I asked someone to drop me from ten feet up because I wanted to see you. Can I please go now?" I stuck my foot out and wiggled it. "My ankle is fine."

It was fine when the Healer fixed it two hours ago, but Daniel refused to let me leave.

Because of selkies' healing abilities, the palace infirmary mainly served as a storage room for medical supplies and a brief resting stop for the wounded. Two selkies, trained in emergencies, volunteered their services whenever needed.

Tristan had brought Daniel and a group of Healers from Haverleau to provide medical support during the length of the conference.

Within a day, Daniel transformed the bare facility into an organized and working infirmary.

If I weren't so irritated with being stuck here, I might've been impressed.

He gave a reluctant nod. "You can leave as long as you promise not to come back for the rest of the conference."

I leaped out of bed. "You got it, Doc."

As soon as I stepped outside, another concerned party greeted me.

"I trust you're okay,
sondaleur
?"

A dismissive wave. "Just a scratch, Jeeves. Did you get my message?"

We headed for the entrance hall. "I've made arrangements for the Bessette ondines. Will Renee be ready in such a short amount of time?"

"Yes." Much as I hated admitting it, I knew she was a quick learner. "You're helping me out a lot. Especially with the younger one."

Jeeves smiled. "If only all things could be so easy. The Governor wished me to remind you of your task."

"Don't worry. I haven't forgotten." I gestured toward the palace entrance. "I'm on my way to see him."

We stopped beside the west courtyard, near the suite of rooms dedicated to the Governor and her staff.

"
Sondaleur
." He hesitated. Solemn periwinkle eyes met mine. "Many things are currently in motion. Stay safe."

Message received.

I hurried toward the entrance. Daniel had kept me longer than I expected and it was near noon.

Eyes swept the corridor. Although Helene was supposed to be attending the conference, she'd popped up at the infirmary, camera in hand.

Daniel managed to get her out but she'd proven to be almost as stubborn as him. The last thing I needed was another distraction.

Tense muscles absorbed the soothing silence and slowly relaxed. The palace's open walkways provided a measure of reassurance.

Less places for someone to hide.

Despite what I told Jeeves, the morning's incident had inched my paranoia up several notches.

Instincts told me this wasn't the traitor. At every step along the way, he'd left me a sign. An iris, a taunting indication of his superiority and cleverness.

But no flower had been left at the Áimoni.

Someone else wanted to join the list of people interested in harming me. And given how quickly and efficiently those ropes were cut, I suspected it wasn't an ondine or demillir.

My phone beeped. I stopped at the name on the screen.

Tristan.

My office at 6:30?

Concern flickered and I wondered if everything was okay.

A quick text back.

Of course.