Solar Reign

I V

ANDORRA PUNCHED the man in front of her. She gritted her teeth against the pain, ducking to avoid being hit herself. She widened her legs, regaining her stance, only to be knocked back by a kick to her ribs.

"You're thinking too hard," Vulara sighed, reaching his hand out to her. "You need to be here, not just physically, but mentally too my Queen."

Andorra shook off the pain in her ribs, jumping to her feet. She rolled her shoulders, then tenderly prodded at where Vulara had kicked her. She winced as her fingers passed over the soon-to-be bruised area.

"Sorry. It's just that everything is happening so fast. And war is upon us."

Vulara fell back into his fighting stance. "We're always at war. We're fae."

"But we don't have to be. At war, that is." Andorra tried again, swinging at Vulara and missing him completely. The two of them circled each other for a moment, neither landing a hit, both ducking and jumping out of the way.

Andorra had come a long way since she had first arrived on his doorstep, unsure and lacking any training. Now, Vulara felt proud to call her his pupil, despite the fact that she was Queen. And becoming chummy with royalty had always been against Vulara's moral code.

A creature such as he didn't need to follow any law of the land set by a fae King or Queen, yet he found himself enjoying the young Queen's presence. Young enough to understand empathy and kindness without restraint or hesitancy. Human enough not to know the dangers that had preceded Vulara.

When Andorra clipped his shoulder, Vulara stepped back, hands up in a stop motion. "I think that's enough for tonight."

Andorra was still bouncing on her feet. "I'm not ready to be done." She practiced a few swings against the air, trying to perfect her form. She was still a long way away from becoming a fighting machine, but she felt proud of herself.

"Then you can fight your guard dog." Vulara sent a look to Callum, who had been lounging against the wall for the better part of two hours. His face twisted at the creature's comment, and he bared his teeth.

"Watch it," Callum snarled.

Andorra rolled her eyes. Despite the two of them acting like mortal enemies, Andorra knew the truth: Vulara cared about Callum.

"Callum is no fun. He cheats." Andorra heaved out a sigh, shaking out her limbs. "Fine. I guess we can call it a night."

"I don't cheat!" Callum crossed his arms, darkness crowding his space. "I reject that accusation."

Andorra turned back to Vulara. "Can we fit in time tomorrow to continue practicing? I still have a lot of ground to cover. Plus, you said we could practice fire today, and we ran out of time. You still owe me that."

Vulara waved her off. "Sure. Fire tomorrow. But tonight, I need to finish my duties."

Andorra and Callum followed Vulara upstairs into his shop, the sky outside of the windows beginning to darken with night. Callum didn't bother saying goodbye as he left the shop, but Andorra lingered, stepping towards the counter.

"You're being suspicious, my Queen." Vulara turned his back, reaching for inventory. "What more do you need from me?"

Andorra picked at her fingernails, biting her lip. "Have you heard anything more about the daemonium?"

Vulara shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "You need to go see the Rumplewren yourself. I tried, but he is a fickle creature, and he hates being disturbed. Even by me."