Two weeks passed after I was saved by the rogue camp. I spent most of my time learning to fight and trying to gain control of my healing powers. My contribution to the camp was healing.
I'd been with the healer, a wise old man by the name of Harold. I absorbed all the information I could, learning about each herb and tincture that could be used on our kind. He also happened to be the person who had an idea of what I was.
He told me stories of dragons throughout time that had a very minute lineage to the royals. They were able to do incredible things under extreme duress. He seemed to think that may be the case with me. "Abigail, you said your powers haven't activated when you needed them, so I can only conclude that you may never control them," he told me the very first day he revealed I may be part of some hidden lineage.
That still didn’t stop me from trying, though. I pushed myself each day in training with Alyse to hopefully activate them in pain rather than healing, but to no avail.
I meditated and concentrated on that place inside me, and on the tenth day of training, I found it. A ball of electric energy, sitting inside me untouched. But, no matter how much I coaxed, it wouldn't budge. I still kept trying, but the most I’d achieved was a slight static electricity running over my skin. When I told Harold, his eyes lit up in pride.
"Very good, Abigail. You may yet be able to access your powers."
After that day I was ecstatic, I might finally be able to do something to help my fellow dragons. Healing might be undervalued, but I just thought of how much good I could do. Plus, my natural healing seemed to get faster the more I meditated.
Alyse had been training me to fight. The first day, she brought out a sword convinced I wouldn't learn unless I was under duress. Her sword took me by surprise. It was a beautiful steel, with a jewel-encrusted hilt. I tried to pick it up once after Alyse offered it to me, but I couldn't. It was like something was forcing me to back away from it before I even got close. I tried to push past the compulsion, and I got close enough to touch it before an unseen force threw me through the air and had me landing on my back with a groan.
When I questioned what it was, Alyse grinned. "Family heirloom."
That’s it. No explanation, just a quick one liner before she threw me into training. I had to learn to dodge, weave, and retaliate after she came at me either with her sword or remove a wooden one, when it became clear I wasn't so good at ducking.
She was pretty impressed by how fast I learned, though. After ten days of training, I had sufficiently learned how to block her and throw her on her ass. The more I worked with my healing energy, the more my skills showed on the training field. Today, a fair few of the warriors in the camp had gathered to watch Alyse and I face off. She thought I was finally ready to fight her. And, I was. My energy thrummed inside me as one of the others prepped my armor.
The nervous energy inside me spiked, knowing I was about to fight one of the fiercest warriors their camp had. Harold explained that Alyse and her family went as far back as the original protectors of the royal families. Since the royals were wiped out, her family left the new King, refusing to serve such a cruel man. Now, I was about to face down with the last living heir of the guardians.
The sound of steel rang through the arena as Alyse ran her sword across a sharpening stone. We weren't meant to actually hurt each other, but those around us were spurred on by the promise of violence. Then again, what did I expect from a group of dragons? Even the thought of battle had my heart racing in anticipation.
We met in the middle, and the crowd around us quieted as Joel came out to stand between us. "You know the rules. First to forfeit or be unconscious loses. No dirty fighting." He glared at me as if I would be the one to fight dirty. Then again, if it was against him, I probably would. Hell, I already had. I fought him first when Alyse was satisfied I was excelling in training. Safe to say, I wasn't what he expected. I tripped him with my wooden sword before knocking him out in thirty seconds flat.
I should have lost to him because since then, he'd been a right pain in the ass. He kept appearing from nowhere, a permanent glare in place. It was starting to make me uneasy. Why couldn't he just get over it and move on? Men. I swear if a woman outsmarted them, they sulked for years.
Once Joel was back on the side, Alyse made her move, lunging at me. I lifted my sword up, and my hand was jarred by the force of her sword striking mine. It slid down mine, and she spun behind me, kicking my leg out from under me and sending me rolling. I used my momentum and jumped to my feet, just in time to block her thrust toward my chest. I kept the thought that we weren’t supposed to kill each other at the forefront of my mind as I rose up on the offensive. She blocked each swing and strike I made before flinging my sword out over the ground a good meter away from me. She swiped her sword across my uncovered arm, drawing blood with a smirk. "I thought you were ready for this, Abby. Maybe I overestimated your potential."
I frowned, feeling defeated when a new energy swept across the field. It had my own energy reacting in kind, and I climbed to my feet, determined. "It's not over yet."
I rolled away, landing in front of my sword as I heard Alyse behind me. I spun, my sword raised and power flowing through me. Her eyes widened when she met mine, but she still tried her best to land her sword. I moved faster than I ever had before, dodging each of her blows with a smirk before I grew bored and attacked with renewed strength. My power pushed me, telling me to make her mine; show her just who she's dealing with.
Her sword went flying and landed beside me. She rushed at me, intending to grab her sword, but I swung my leg up and kicked her, throwing her back with unimaginable force into the stunned crowd. I don't know why, but the urge to reach out and hold her sword swelled within me, so I did just that, ignoring the gasps around me as the sword began to shine. I twirled the sword in a circular motion feeling its weight before meeting Alyse's eyes.
"I win."
Shock dominated her face before pride took over. Before she could say anything, a soft clapping began in the crowd. The tension rose around me, and I raised the swords in my hands feeling a need to protect myself. I laid eyes on a breathtaking, gorgeous man who parted the crowd from the opposite side of the field, his aura radiating power.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." The gorgeous man walked toward us.
I couldn't help but gaze over his appearance. From his 6'2” height to his slim build that was solid muscle. His broad shoulders carried a black fur coat with ease even though it looked quite heavy due to its thickness.
I didn't see why he required it in this time of the season, but from my times spent in the wilderness, it would come in handy during those chilly nights.
He wore a black shirt beneath his cloak, hiding some type of vest which was a dark silver, and black pants to match his hunter boots.
His handsome features included a pair of stunning purple eyes that sparkled in the sun's rays, his short black hair moved lightly in the gentle warm breeze that passed.
I noticed the large sword that stayed in place on his hip, the sheath had an intricate design in silver and purple. I could sense the power pulsing within the sword, adding to the aura of power that flowed off the man before he reached us in no time.
"What did the forest deliver to us, Alyse? I wasn't informed that we accepted strays."
I frowned at his remark, standing straighter as I faced his clear demonstration of power.
"For a stray, I at least have the common sense to introduce myself before flinging insults. Or, did you skip the lesson in manners?" I boasted, narrowing my eyes.
"You don't deserve my introduction."
"You don't deserve to state your opinion of what I'm entitled to. I'm a stray, remember?"
"Why you little–"
"Enough, Raphael. I've raised you properly to respect all living things. You will show respect to Abigail just as you respect everyone else in this village," Alyse interrupted.
Raphael, huh. Talk about a pain in the ass.
"What is she doing here, Alyse? We don't allow newcomers, and I wasn't informed about this," he huffed, stressing the idea that no one had possibly informed him of my unintentional arrival.
"How would we possibly get a hold of you? And, I don't believe her stay needed your dire attention." Alyse rolled her eyes.
"Is he always this rude?" I asked Alyse.
Raphael turned to glare at me. "Stop acting like you’re all that. Alyse clearly was being easy on you. There's no way someone as untrained, incompetent, and rude as you could possibly beat our chief."
"First off, I was trained. Second, I'm very intelligent, especially with the knowledge that first impressions are important and you're doing quite a shitty job, Ra-Pha-El. And third, I'm only rude because you are. My mother taught me that respect is earned, and you're doing a poor job at gaining mine," I exclaimed.
"Who trained you?"
"Al–" I began but Alyse cut me off.
"I trained her, Raphael. I was not going easy on her, and for your lack of knowledge, she's only been training for two weeks. She went from a girl who couldn't even dodge to what you just witnessed. I'm very impressed. She's a fast learner," Alyse praised, causing me to smile in awe. I wish Mother would have been able to see it.
"Well, she did a horrible job. There were so many times you could have stopped her, Alyse. Too many openings and from what I witnessed, you could have won when you knocked her sword," Raphael accused.
"If you think I did such a horrible job, why don't you stop talking the talk and walk the walk? Fight me," I declared.
I could hear gasps around me, the villagers were clearly shocked by my announcement. Raphael narrowed his eyes at me, giving me a good up and down look. He grinned, sighing dramatically before he took a step forward, his tall frame hovering over me.
I wasn't going to be intimidated by his height, glaring up at him in defiance as I stood my ground.
"You could get hurt, pretty girl," he whispered low enough, so only I could heed his warning.
"I don't care. Sometimes you need to prove your worth to be seen as an ally rather than a burden," I whispered back.
I tried to ignore the soft fragrance that hit my nose and ignore his handsome face.
I bet all the women swooned over him, and even though I wouldn't tell him to his face, he was attractive and doing his share of making my body tingle in want.
Maybe it was the weird connection I was trying to ignore—a force begging for us to be closer…to be one? Wait a minute. Did he just call me pretty?
He grinned, and for a second I saw pride flicker through his purple eyes that lingered on my lips before he stepped away.
"Alright. Let's see what you're made of, A-B-Gail."
"It's Abigail," I pointed out, but followed him to the oversized space.
My eyes looked around to notice the increased crowd; most of the villagers had gathered to witness our fight.
I ignored the nerves that wanted to take over. I wouldn't show weakness. This was my only safe haven, and I'd finally started to feel like I belonged and had a purpose. I wouldn't let this Raphael push me away.
He lunged before I even saw him move. My training had prepared me for a surprise attack, so I was easily able to dodge him.
We circled each other, our swords hung loosely, and I decided to go on the offensive. I doubted many girls he’d come across would have attacked first.
I was right. My sudden lunge and quick spin behind him, caught him off guard enough that I was able to slice through the leg of his pants leaving a small bit of blood shining on my sword. I smiled, then held it up for the gathered crowd to see and met his challenging eyes. “I told you I was not easy prey.”
“We shall see,” he said before throwing himself toward me with speed like I’d never before seen.
I did my best, dodging his attacks and striking back when I could. I don’t know how long the fight went on before Alyse stepped in.
“ENOUGH!” she boomed when we went to keep going around her.
We both stalled, not willing to risk Alyse’s wrath. I let my sword hang at my side as did Raphael, but his eyes burned with a fire that told me this was not over.
“You both did remarkable. Now, your punishment for acting like such children! You each have to clean up each other’s wounds.”
I opened my mouth to object at the same time Raphael did, but Alyse speared us with her gaze. “No arguments.”
The tone in her voice made it clear, her word was final. We both holstered our weapons and trudged out of the area. The villagers parted for Raphael as I followed him, and I took pride in the fact he had more than a few cuts on him.
He got me just as many times as I got him. I could only hope that I had earned his respect.
We ended up at his tent, and I followed him inside. His was marginally bigger than mine and contained three separate sleeping areas with wooden dividers to offer privacy.
He threw his sword down on a pile of furs at the back and turned to me. “How do you want to do this?”
“Well, I’ll do you first,” I responded before I carefully lowered my sword to the ground, followed quickly by the top layer of armor.
It wasn’t until the silence became thick that I realized what I had said.
“Crap, I didn’t mean I’ll ‘do you.’ I meant I’ll clean your wounds first,” I explained as my face became flushed.
He smirked at me, his eyes full of mirth. “Sure, that’s what you meant.”
I ignored his little jab, knowing I had to take the high road, or we’d end up in an argument again. He did the same, and stripped down to only his pants, and I could see the full effect from our fight.
“I am so sorry.”
He had a long angry cut from nipple to hip, a cut just under his ribs, and a small cut on the side of his face. His back had little nicks here and there, but nothing too bad.
I grabbed a bowl of water, and a piece of cloth from the little table beside his sleeping area and instructed him to sit. He did so begrudgingly, but lowered himself to ground level.
The cuts refused to stop bleeding after I had cleaned them off, so I had to grab the healing salve from my tent to apply to him. He hissed when I applied it to the gash on his chest, and I paused uncertain if I should continue.
His eyes lifted to meet mine, and something passed between us. Something, I hadn’t felt before. I went back to my task and applied bandages on the larger of the cuts. Once I was done with him, he turned a wicked grin my way. “Your turn.”
I frowned at the way his tone sounded more predatory than nurturing, but still revealed the worst of the cuts to him for cleaning.
He was surprisingly gentle with me, and when it came to a cut on my shoulder, we both froze. His touch sent tingles through me, and all I wanted was...more.
I held my breath while he bandaged it, and breathed a sigh of relief when he was done, finally able to let my shirt fall back into place.
The bowls of blood-stained water glared at me, so I grabbed them and washed them out before refilling and placing them back in the tent. I doubted Raphael would have.
I turned to leave and head to my own tent before I went about my other duties when Raphael’s voice caused me to turn back.
“What did you say?” I asked, sure I must have misheard him.
He grinned knowing he had won me. “I said, ‘tomorrow, be here at dawn. I will train you’.”