A Court of Ink and Blood

ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔢𝔫

"Again" 

Rhys' voice was harsh as he walked around Thalia, her fists following through the sequence he had shown her thirty minutes before on the wooden figure in front of her.

Jab. Strike. Upper cut. Twist and kick. Repeat 

"Again" 

He was stood to the side analyzing her form while sweat dripped down her, her wrapped knuckles banging again and again into the wood. She continued through the moves turning on her heel to roundhouse kick when Rhys jutted his foot into the side of her knee, slamming her into the ground as her body gave way. 

"You're not putting enough weight into your back leg" 

Thalia grunted as she rose and began again. 

"What if someone came up behind you mid fight and decided to join in?" 

She corrected her weight and when he kicked again, she stayed planted to the floor ignoring him. 

"Good" He was smiling proudly at her "Now take a break"

Downing a jug of water in several heavy gulps she raised a single dark brow when Rhys returned with Nesta clad in fighting leathers and a far too excited Cassian bounding behind her. 

"What's this about?" She inquired, setting the jug down. 

"We want to see if your training has been beneficial" Rhys smiled ahead. She knew what this meant. 

"Both of you?" Thalia nodded at the two mates. 

"At the same time" Cassian smiled brightly. Thalia had heard about mates fighting well together as if their bond helped them become one of the battlefield but she'd never seen it herself. She supposed now was as good of a time as any. 

"He rope you into this?" Thalia pointed at Cass.

"Sorry" Nesta confessed as she took out a short blade from her belt, Cassian doing the same as the two surrounded her when they walked into the centre of the fighting ring. 

Thalia felt a small audience gather as she flipped her own blade in hand. Mor and Feyre had come to enjoy the show as Rhys lay out the rules. 

"Ready?" He didn't let Thalia respond before he told them to begin. 

Nesta attacked first swinging her blade out as Thalia dodged back, ducking down to slide across the floor coming up to kick out Cassian's knee as Rhys did to her before. 

The fight continued with a series of back and forth. Nesta attacking forward, Thalia avoiding with a dodge and responding to Cassian's follow up strike. It was a fury of movement of wings and leather as the three fought back and forth drawing blood from slices and nicks on each other's thighs and arms until Cassian and Nesta moved in closer. 

It came to an abrupt end when Nesta appeared in front of Thalia and kicked straight into her chest sending her back as Cassian came up from behind grabbing her arm to hold her forward as Nesta walked to strike. But before contact could be made a snap of power shook through Thalia. Her brain calculated the moves and the sensation of being held down while someone struck her caused a flood of memories to scrape against her mind. Far too many times had she been in the same position while the twins clawed at her chest with blades while Hybern told them how long he thought she might last until she'd start squawking her long kept secrets. 

As if she had no control over her body, her shadows screamed out suffocating everyone in darkness as Cassian and Nesta yelled, their bodies being sent back with a great wave of power. 

Mor called out and Rhys grabbed Feyre as gaps in the shadows opened like velvet curtains revealing Thalia screaming in pain as a dark power surged out of her.