Bodyguards by Kallysten Page A

closest thing on the
wall to a modern épée, but the weight of it when she lifted it off the holder
surprised her a little. She slashed the sword in front of her; it was heavier
than what she was used to, but not outrageously so. She was actually more
concerned about how sharp it was. She didn’t need to touch the edge of the
blade to see it was razor-sharp, the length as dangerous as the point.
    She had to set the sword down
again to put on some armor. It took her a while to figure out how to arrange
and secure the metal plates. As she tightened the leather straps, she suddenly
missed her old fencing jacket. The thick cloth had been more comfortable than
this metal contraption—although it would have been of no use against a
broadsword such as the one she wanted to try wielding. The plates felt odd
against her chest and back, but at least they were less heavy than she had
expected.
    With her sword in one hand and a
helmet under the other arm, she returned to the door and stepped out. She was
about to ask if she could join in when Aedan suddenly stilled in the middle of
an attack, his head whipping toward Vivien. How had he even noticed her when
she’d been behind him?
    He sheathed his knives at once and
took that now familiar little bow. Across from him, Brad lowered his real
sword, while the one he had conjured from magic simply vanished when he opened
his hand.
    “Good morning,” Brad said, while
Aedan intoned on a more formal tone, “Blessings, Dame Vivien.”
    Vivien felt a jolt at hearing him
greet her with the word she had so often heard from Anabel’s lips, and she
could only stare at him. She had always thought Anabel was a little eccentric
in her choice of words; maybe not, after all. Vivien hoped she was okay...
    Aedan approached her, gripped the
hilt of her sword above her hand, and tugged lightly. “These weapons are not
toys, Dame Vivien. You do not want to hurt yourself.”
    She resisted his tugging, and
rather than letting him have the sword, she pulled away from him.
    “I can tell the difference between
a weapon and a toy,” she said, throwing Aedan an annoyed look. “And I’m not the
one practicing without armor.”
    Turning toward Brad, she offered
him a tentative smile. “It’s been a long time and it looks nothing like
fencing, but maybe you could show me? If we’re going to fight to get Anabel
back, I should probably learn to use one of these.”
    And with any luck, some of her
fencing skills would transfer and she wouldn’t make a complete fool out of
herself. She wouldn’t mind it too much in front of Brad, but Aedan would
probably never let her hear the end of it.
    For a second or two, she was sure
Brad would say yes. He shifted his hold on the sword and nodded ever so
slightly. His eyes flicked behind her to his brother, however, and his
expression changed at once, becoming contrite.
    “I’m afraid that’s not possible,”
he said slowly. “And I have to go down to the village anyway and get some
food.”
    “All right. I’ll come with you.
See what this place is like.”
    “That is not possible either,”
Aedan said behind her. “We can’t let anyone know you’re here.”
    Annoyed, Vivien turned on her heel
and stabbed the ground beside her feet. Aedan was still standing by the door,
his expression unreadable. She strode past him and back inside.
    She had come to this place to help
free Anabel, but it wouldn’t take much more for her to start feeling like a
prisoner herself.

 
     
    CHAPTER NINE
    Histories
     
     
     
    Before Brad left, he made Vivien
promise not to go out on her own.
    “We’ll go outside together later
if you want,” he told her. “I’ll show you the lake or we’ll go running. But I
don’t want you to go alone and wander beyond the shields by accident.”
    She agreed because he insisted,
but after he had left, she looked out through the kitchen window and had to
roll her eyes. Last night she had seen nothing but darkness outside; now all
she could