Gorgoroth (Haladras #2)

SEVEN

Rizain Du Kava stood in the portal to the sanatorium.

Even from across the room, she could feel his eyes piercing daggers. The princess lay in a bed, her head propped up with a pillow. For how long she had slept there, she did not know. She still felt exhausted. Rizain, she knew, would not take that as an excuse. Weakly, she forced herself to sit up.

The gash in thigh shot jolts of pain all through her body as she moved. She ground her teeth, choking down the pain. A fresh bout of dizziness momentarily seized her. When she had control of herself, she met his gaze.

Rizain stepped into the room and moved toward her bed.

"You deserve that gash on your leg," he said, in a barely audible voice. "You deserve to be dead."

The princess did not respond.

"That was far too close," he said.

"He was a good fighter."

"I trained you better," he replied, his voice biting. "You allowed his blade to control the fight. His eyes, Shahra, you did not watch his eyes. You watched his blade."

"It was difficult not to watch when it was coming at my throat."

"Don't get insolent with me!" he stepped nearer, his eyes threatening.

The princess involuntarily gulped and straightened her back.

"Yes, master," she replied, humbly.

Rizain drew in a long slow breath through his nostrils, then exhaled with equal control. The harsh lines in his forehead faded slightly as he did so. And the fire in his eyes cooled to mere embers. When he spoke again, the edge in his voice had dulled.

"My sworn duty is to train you to defeat any opponent. How can I do so, if you ignore my training? If you had been fighting me, you would be dead."

He drew closer still, so that he loomed over her like a brooding thundercloud. She raised her head to keep looking into his dark eyes.

"If you fight like that again," he said, "you will lose. This is real, Shahra. Your opponents mean to kill you—they long to kill you. Do not let an opponent control you like that ever again."

"Yes, master."

She did not seek to defend her performance. Though she felt angry for being so chided, she knew Rizain spoke the truth. And she scolded herself for such sloppy execution.

"I concur with Du Kava," came her mother's voice from behind.

Rizain turned and stepped to the side, revealing the empress standing just inside the portal. A scowl of discontent, which the princess knew well, shadowed her face. Unlike Rizain, she did not come closer, but remained there with her arms at her sides and her tall figure drawn up to its full height. From the iron crown atop her head to the hem of her scarlet robe, she was the Empress, in full regal majesty and menace. Not an ounce of mother.

"You were careless," the empress went on. "It made me sick to watch you struggle out there like one who's never fought before. Need I remind you—again—how important these Trials are?"

The princess shook her head slowly.

"Good. I'll expect better from you next time. Now, tomorrow you shall attend Commander Roarde's burial ceremony. This shall endear you more in the peoples' hearts. The healers shall visit you at the castle to see to your hurts. Then, back to training. Rizain, I expect has some instructions for you."

"A thousand left-handed feints—your form was sloppy. Then, two hours of meditation. After that, report back to me."

The princess responded with a bow of her head.