Taru twists their hip atop the mat and drives a shin into Kamala’s kidney. Though her protective padding largely absorbs the sting, the force of the blow is enough to knock her clear of Taru and send her rolling across the mat. Both retainer and Aegin recover quickly, leaping to their feet and rushing at each other. Kamala thrusts with her knife, aiming for the center of her opponent’s abdomen. Taru spins with a speed and grace that belies the retainer’s size, grasping Kamala’s extended wrist with their free hand as the Aegin charges past.

Taru yanks on Kamala’s arm with the authority of a metal vise, turning the Aegin’s body and throwing her off-balance even as Taru reels her back in toward their body. Taru hooks their knife hand under Kamala’s arm and lifts her off her feet, slamming her down to the welcoming embrace of the mat’s feather arms. Despite the softened landing, the impact is enough to force most of the air from the Aegin’s lungs and cause white lightning to strike her field of vision.

When the effects of the split-second stunning have worn off, Kamala finds Taru pressing the blunted blade of the training dagger into the flesh of her throat.

“This is the part where your blood would spray across my breastplate,” Taru informs the Aegin.

Behind Taru, a kneeling Grath claws at the hem of his training pants leg, drawing the material away from the top of his boot to reveal the hilt of a push dagger concealed there. He closes his fist around the weapon’s handle and draws a blade of sharpened steel, rising as he does.

Lexi, watching, widens her eyes and looks to her left for Daian, only to find he’s already stepped away. When she returns her gaze to the training mat she finds Grath advancing on Taru’s back.

Before Lexi can shout a warning, Daian appears at Grath’s side and clamps a hand around his fellow Aegin’s wrist. He twists it, Grath crying out more in pain than surprise as Daian’s other hand pries the push dagger from his fingers.

Taru rises and turns at the sound, allowing Kamala to roll away and get back to her feet.

“This lesson is over,” Daian says, no doubt he’s speaking directly to Grath and not the class.

Grath jerks his wrist away from Daian’s grip, something dark and malevolent moving across his face.

He quickly dismisses it with the practice of a man who has trained himself to hide the darkness inside him, replacing it with his easy, handsome smile.

“And an exhilarating lesson it was too,” Grath says. “Don’t you agree, class?”

The Aegin acolytes, in unison: “Hai!”

Grath turns to regard Kamala, who is still breathing shallowly and staring a promise of pain at Taru.