Bright Flame, Deep Shadow (lesbian story)

Flick

I thought we'd be on time, but after we'd crossed the courtyard of Lour Castle to the stairwell, descended all five floors of the fortress set into the mountainside, reached the gym at the bottom and changed into our combat robes, we're the last ones to enter. Great. The lesson hasn't even started yet, and Tanvik's already got an excuse to harass Arabella.

"Get in line!" he bellows as we scurry into the cavernous gym, and we obediently fall into place at the end of the row of students, as far from Professor Tanvik as is physically possible. The last echoes of his command still buzz around my ears as I stand with my back against the wall and wait for it to begin.

In theory, Tanvik should not be intimidating. He's a short man in his late fifties, and the gas lamps fixed around the walls are blinding against his bald head. If he wasn't wearing his black, gold-trimmed robes, he'd look like anyone's dad. At his age, it's even possible that his powers have faded to almost nothing. It's his past that scares people; everyone knows he was an assassin and one of the King's personal favourites, but nobody knows how many targets he's eliminated, why the King liked him so much, or even his first name. He just signs letters as "Prof. Tanvik", without an initial or anything. 'Tanvik' probably isn't even his real last name.

At the moment, he's standing with his hands behind his back in the centre of the hall, surveying us like a general inspecting his soldiers. His beady eyes linger on me a little too long, and I try not to flush. I really hope I don't have a leaf stuck in my hair or something. His gaze moves on to Bella, and I can feel her squirm. Luckily, he makes no disparaging comment. For now.

"We are practising hand-to-hand combat today," he barks. "You will spar with the partner I assign you," he adds when people immediately look to their friends—or, in some cases, the weaker students. "Use your mock daggers. You may use the Shadows, but for only three seconds at a time and all hits must be landed in the open. Each match will last for two minutes. The winner will land the most hits in that time. First..." his eyes scan the line of students, looking for his first victims, and they land on me. "Freya Domneva. You will fight..." Another pause, but I'm certain this is just for effect. I'm fully expecting him to make me fight Bella.

"Hestia Ashgate."

Oh. So he's not testing our skills at all, then. There's no reason for him to pit me against Hestia other than to humiliate her. She'll never win a fight against me.

We both step up, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see that Hestia's shoulders are already slumped in defeat. She knows she can't win this, and I know I can without even trying. The only thing that will benefit from this match is Tanvik's ego as he watches his star student pummel someone who can't fight back.

Hestia and I face each other, ten feet apart. I pull my dagger from my belt; Hestia's already holding hers wrong. I could knock it out of her hand easily, if I wanted to.

These are only training daggers, so they won't cause more than a few bruises. They've been been enchanted by Healers so that they can slice easily through the thin curtain separating our world and the Shadows, but are as blunt as a stick against human flesh. We'll get the real things when we graduate.

Even so, it's clear that Hestia is scared, so I decide to go as easy as I can on her without looking lazy.

"Take your stances!" Tanvik booms. Hestia raises her dagger, her position taut and defensive.

I, on the other hand, am in attack mode, poised on the balls of my feet. I close my eyes and open my mind, letting my magic tingle at my fingertips.

"Fight!"

Something brushes my hand, like a feather gliding over my skin. I grab it—the Shadows are being kind to me today. I barely had to look for a way in. I jerk the strand of Shadow up and over my head, and then the whole world is veiled.