Reyr the Gold (Dragonwall Series # 2)

Chapter 7 - Conflicting Emotions

"What's the point of knocking if you're just going to storm in?" she cried. The pout on her face was feigned; he had seen it before. "What if I had been dressing?" she added.

"My lady," he bowed deeply to greet her. "Had you been dressing, I would have been graced with a glorious sight, even the gods could not deny it." A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he did his best to hide it.

She sighed and crossed her arms. He saw beyond the fake scowl. "You are lucky I don't lock the door on you," she said.

"Oh yes, because a locked door would be an impassable barrier for me."

She rolled her eyes and threw herself into a nearby chair. "Whatever. Enough of that. You won't believe who I had to deal with today. We have a lot to discuss, you and I."

"Hm..." He paused to think before asking, "Who did you have to deal with today? Wait, let me guess." He tapped his chin. "Does this nuisance have raven black hair, perfect features, gaudy attire, an evil nature, and a disgusting attitude? It couldn't have been Lady Caterina, could it have been?" He sat down opposite her.

"Ugh. Yes. She's an evil witch, if you ask me." Claire scowled. The mere thought of Caterina seemed to worsen her mood. "You want to know something funny? I've decided to nickname her Miss Witch."

Claire's words struck Reyr for a moment, then he laughed without reserve. "A fitting nickname. I take it this evil witch interfered with your day?"

"She was horrid! Although, my day was not entirely bad. My morning was quite nice. I absolutely love Marcel." She sighed after saying this. "I wish I could say the same for Mage Targa. He is unpleasant to look at, and his attitude is as bad as Caterina's."

"Is that so?" For a moment, Reyr was thoughtful. He had spoken to Mage Targa on occasion, but he never found anything distasteful about him; sure, the man wasn't handsome, but neither was he hideous.

"The worst part of it all came after our lesson with Mage Targa. Caterina had the audacity to corner me outside the library. Not only did she deliver a death threat—"

"Wait—what?"

"She also told me to stay away from King Talon. As if I'm interested in King Talon! Tch!" Claire rolled her eyes.

"Just a moment," he said. "Caterina threatened you? You're sure?" His brow furrowed.

"She told me to stay away from her, or she would kill me. She even said that she had killed someone before."

A feeling of unease crept over him. Surely it was impossible; yes, it had to be. He sighed. "Caterina may be reckless, but I highly doubt she has the means to kill anyone, including you. I imagine she said it to frighten you."

Claire studied him before shrugging. "Maybe you're right. At least I was the better person. I'm trying not to let it get under my skin. I just don't know how I'm supposed to attend lessons every day with that horrid man breathing down my neck while Caterina secretly envisions ways to kill me."

Claire's news disappointed Reyr. He did not want her to feel uncomfortable whilst she trained; learning was of the utmost importance. "Perhaps I will speak with Marcel," he said at last.

"No!"

He arched an eyebrow at her.

"I—I'll try to handle it myself. I don't want to look like a complainer. If circumstances change, Caterina might think she's won. I don't want her to think she has any power over me."

"But it seems that she does," he said. "If she makes you uneasy—"

"I can deal with it," Claire assured him. "I'm stronger than you think. But...why did she tell me to back off King Talon?"