Chapter Fifty-One

Chapter Fifty-One
Toshiro seems pleased to hear me admit that his power seems different from the High Fae, walking with a new sense of pride that makes me regret saying anything. I was simply stating an observation, not giving him a compliment. I have to acknowledge that I understand the reason behind his cockiness, though, and what Ascian chose Toshiro for this request. He matches my husband in terms of strength, which means that he’s more powerful than anyone in this entire palace. I do loath the power trip that it seems to give him, though.

I stop in front of the library doors, but Toshiro tosses a look over his shoulder and continues ahead. “We’re going to apply some of that knowledge you gained yesterday. Your friends are waiting for us, already.”

I frown in suspicion and continue to trail after him. “One day of reading is good enough for you?”

Toshiro shrugs noncommittally, continuing to stride ahead at his usual pace. He and I both know that in order to keep up with him, I’d have to jog, which I refuse to give him the satisfaction of doing. “You’ve displayed a promising understanding of magic, already. I simply think that hands-on experience will prove to be more useful for you than reading.”

I feel a bit flattered, but hold my chin high and keep my expression neutral. “You aren’t worried that Ascian will disapprove?” I challenge him, watching carefully to gauge his reaction.

His white ears swivel back to listen to me and he turns to glance over his shoulder, slowing his pace. “You’re miserably slow, aren’t you? No, I’m not worried. He advised me to use my discretion with your training, so that’s what I’m doing. If anything, I assume that he will be pleased to see your advancements when he returns.”

I can only hope that’s true, though something tells me that Toshiro has had his interest piqued by my prospect. I wouldn’t mind becoming stronger in any sense if it means getting the upper hand on these Faerie Nobles that reside here with me. Anything that I can do to surprise them, I’m going to lunge for. “If you say so,” I shrug, catching up to him. My eyes fall on his curious ears again, admiring how fluffy they look to the touch. “Why do you keep your fox ears?” I ask, changing the topic. I’ve been curious about them since we met, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking until now.

Toshiro frowns, twitching one of his ears. “I like them and they provide much better hearing than yours, Princess.” He casts the title sarcastically.

I narrow my eyes at him, deciding to graciously ignore his attempt to rile me. “What about your tail, then? You don’t like it?”

He seems offended by the assumption. “Tails, multiple,” He corrects, glancing at me. The sunlight that pours in from the windows illuminates the golden accents within his irises as we round a corner to a new corridor that I don’t recognize. “I’m a nine-tailed Kitsune, I’ll have you know. I’m a Noble of my people.”
I raise my hands in mock surrender. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you, oh Great One.”

Toshiro snorts in amusement at my sarcasm. “Some humans still worship me, you know.”

I roll my eyes at his overblown sense of superiority rising up again. “I’m sure they do. So can you turn into a fox whenever you want?”

“I could,” He says, gesturing to the massive corridor that we enter. “If you’d like me to break these walls and smash through the ceiling.”

I crane my neck to look up at the height, doubtful of his words. Five of Arcane standing side-by-side and a row of twelve humans could take up the width of the hallway. I’m sure that he’s exaggerating. He sees my suspicious glance and shrugs, apparently feeling no need to prove it to me. He is a Fox Spirit, I suppose, so it wouldn’t be completely unrealistic to expect him to be larger than the average animal. I still find it doubtful that he’s as ponderous as he claims, though. Toshiro comes to a stop outside of a set of double doors that reach nearly the height of the ceiling. “Here we are,” He says, casting me a sidelong look as he presses a single finger against the door, sending it swinging inward with surprising force.

I don’t let him see how impressed I am and enter the room ahead of him, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. If he really wants to evoke a reaction from me, I’m going to make him work harder than that for the gratification. The room that we enter is huge, the marble of the floor stained red in almost every area of an arena, marked with golden marble instead of white around the parameters. The far wall is lined with weapons of every shape and size to be used for practice, though the glinting blades are very much real.

Mirin spots our entrance from across the arena, where he was brandishing a wooden sword and practicing his stance. His grin is as wide as can be as he comes rushing over, holding the training weapon against his hip as if it’s resting inside of a sheath, like Toshiro’s Katana. “Good morning! I cannot wait to show you my skills, Lady Belamour. I will not let you down!”

I smile down at him, seeing how child-like he’s acting. It suits his face, so I’m glad to see his excitement, though I have to refrain from the urge to ruffle his hair. “I know you will, Mirin,” I say, glancing up to find Cosimo. The rest of the training room is empty, however.

Mirin catches my wandering gaze. “Oh, the human said that he had begun to feel ill and retired to his room. I could read it all by myself,” He adds, wishing to be praised for his progress.

“Oh,” I say, frowning slightly. “I hope he’s alright. I’m proud of you, Mirin, you’ve progressed quite a bit already,” I say, giving in to the wide-eyed look that he gives me. I reach to touch the sleeve of his tunic, a pleasant change from his raggedy uniform. “I’m glad you received your new clothes. How do they feel?”

Mirin tugs on the shirt, looking down at it. It’s a fine, breathable material that will be easy for him to move around in, and the pants are well-fitted. Even the boots on his feet shine with their newness, making me hope that they won’t give him blisters from the sudden wear. “They feel wonderful,” He says, beaming up at me. “I’ve never worn something so nice before.”

Toshiro seems to grow bored of the chatter and stalks forward into the arena, picking up another wooden sword from the racks along the side of the wall. “Enough talk, let’s go over the basics, kid,” He orders, his voice filling the room. “You stay on the sidelines, for now, Belamour. Just watch.”

Mirin gives me another excited smile before departing, darting into the arena to join Toshiro. I frown at being told what to do but decide that it’s probably for the best, for now, at least. Arcane trails me as I find a spot along the wall and slide to sit on the floor, feeling the coolness of the marble seep through my jeans. Bright late-morning sunlight filters in through the many windows on the opposite side of the hall, warming me with its rays. Arcane slides into a seated position beside me, following the movement of the guys in the arena with curiosity, no doubt hyperaware of the weapons that they hold.

I place a hand on her shoulder in reassurance, feeling her tense muscles relax beneath my touch. She groans and lays down to continue watching, her quick eyes darting back and forth as Toshiro shows Mirin how to properly hold the hilt of the wooden sword. I listen to their voices as Toshiro explains the different types of parries and blocks that can be done with a sword, and yells at Mirin when he gets it wrong. “Be patient with him,” I remind Toshiro, fully aware that he can hear me without raising my voice. He acknowledges me with an eye roll and turns his attention back to his student.

“Now, I’m going to come at you slowly, aiming for your chest. Try to block the blow.” Toshiro instructs, taking a step back. Though the style of his sword is much different than the katana at his hip, Toshiro seems to have no trouble adjusting to the weight of the clunky training sword in his grasp, gripping it lightly. He takes a few paces backward and waits for Mirin to ready himself before pouncing, closing the gap within the blink of an eye. To my surprise, Mirin reacts quickly enough to step out of the way, thanks to the Faerie blood that runs through his veins. Toshiro’s sword still hits its mark on Mirin’s chest, however, knocking him down. “That wasn’t too bad,” Toshiro says, stepping back again to allow Mirin to right himself. “We’ll keep it up until you manage to block me, and then we’ll move on. How long that takes is up to you.”