— Elias Emory, “A Report on Vampiric Activity for King Vam-Kud Navram.”
The wind whistled around the pendulum as the massive log swung around.
Emily took a deep breath and tried to move with the balance beam, shifting her weight carefully as it wobbled beneath her feet. The uneven swaying made her muscles tense, but she forced herself to stay loose, to keep her knees bent like Mina had taught her.
Before she could react, the pendulum crashed into her forearm. The fore jarred the wooden sword from her grip, and as Emily yelped, she lost her footing and tumbled down after it.
“You’re hesitating,” Mina said.
“You think?” Emily groaned, pushing herself up with her throbbing arm.
“Why?”
“Why do you think?” Emily snapped.
“You tell me.”
Emily gestured at the pendulum. “Look at it! It’s as big as you! And it hits like a sack of bricks!”
Mina tilted her head. “And?”
Emily stared at her, incredulous. “And? It hurts!”
“So will the monsters’ attacks if you don’t avoid them.”
“I know that, but I’m not making any progress!” Emily threw up her hands. “I just keep getting hit!”
“Keep practicing, and you will.”
Emily exhaled sharply, running a hand through her sweat-damp hair. She glared at the beam, then at the pendulum. Then, with a frustrated groan, she climbed back up.
She lasted five seconds before the log sent her sprawling.
“Again.”
Emily clenched her teeth and forced herself up.
The pendulum slammed into her ribs.
“Again.”
Another strike to the shoulder.
“Again.”
Emily lay on her back, panting. Her body ached in places she didn’t even know could ache. Her arm was throbbing like something was beating inside it, and every breath she took sent a dull pain shooting through her ribs. She turned her head toward Mina and narrowed her eyes. “Is this really what you had to do?”
Mina nodded.
Emily scoffed, sitting up. “Who the hell was your teacher? A masochist?”
Mina was quiet for a moment, glaring back at Emily. The silver in her eyes burned brightly against the shade of her hat. “Someone who gave me a chance,” she said after a long pause. “His name was Stanfield. He took me in when I had nowhere else to go. He prepared me to endure the world. Not just the monsters, but everything else it would throw at me. I’d prefer you not speak ill of him. He deserves more respect than that.”
Emily’s throat tightened. She stood up, rubbing the back of her neck. “Sorry,” she muttered, suppressing another groan. “I’m just—”
“I know,” Mina said, her tone a little softer. “But the strongest warriors are riddled with scars. Endure it. History doesn’t remember the monster hunters who were soft.”
Emily stared for a moment before letting out a weak chuckle. “You think I’ll go down in history?”
“You already have. Now, it’s only a matter of making your story grander.”
Something about the certainty in Mina’s voice sent a shiver down Emily’s spine. Almost like her destiny truly was inescapable, that there was no way she could deviate from her path. No matter which route she took, the road would always end up in the same place. Face-to-face with Queen Lockhart.
Emily stepped onto the beam again, carefully balancing herself. “You think someone will write a story about me one day?” she asked.
Mina smirked. “Not if you can’t handle this simple obstacle.”
Before Emily could retort, the pendulum smashed into her again. She barely had time to scream before she was sent sprawling onto the ground once more.
Mina peered down at her, keeping a smirk on her face.
Emily groaned and rolled onto her stomach. “I don’t know, I feel like all this training would make for a great story.”
Mina arched an eyebrow. “Would it?”
Emily propped herself up on her elbows. “Yeah. If I had to name this chapter, though… I don’t know. I’d probably just leave it up to the one writing it.”
Mina huffed. “A dangerous thing, leaving your story in someone else’s hands.”
Emily shrugged, climbing back onto the beam. “What about you? Did anyone ever write about you?”
When Mina didn’t answer, Emily pestered her again about it.
“Once,” Mina admitted, glancing away. “It wasn’t entirely accurate.”
Emily wobbled on the beam. “What do you mean?”
“It was embellished. Didn’t sound anything like me.”
“Broody?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, unfortunately, that was the only thing he kept in.”
“Who was it?”
“None of your business. Now, get back to it.”
Amidst the midnight ballad of crickets and songbirds was the clashing of steel.
Emily’s breathing had become more profound, more exaggerated. She was sweating so much that her skin glistened in the moonlight like polished stone. The light blue of her shirt had darkened, soaked through with sweat. The blisters on her hands burned with each swing, but the worst part wasn’t the pain. It was the weight.
Steel was so much heavier than wood. She had trained for what felt like forever with wooden swords, but now that Mina had placed cold iron in her hands, every strike felt like lifting a lead brick. Her fingers ached from gripping the hilt, her shoulders screamed with each overhead swing, and her arms trembled under the strain.
“Break,” Mina said.
Emily barely had time to register the command before her legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed onto the stone, panting.
Mina stood over her, sword resting lightly against her shoulder. “You alright?”
Emily lifted a weak hand in a thumbs-up. “I just… need… a minute… I’m… fine…”
“You don’t look fine.”
“I… am…” she wheezed.
Mina waited for a moment, watching as Emily struggled to catch her breath. “Then run through the sequence again.”
Emily groaned. The exhaustion was so bad it made her want to cry, but she was too tired to even argue. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, her legs wobbling as she forced them to support her weight again.
With her sword in hand, she started running through a series of offensive strikes. Each movement felt heavier than the last. Her grip was shaky, and every time the hilt rubbed against her blistered palms, she bit back a wince. Her arms ached, her shoulders screamed, and she had to focus all her energy on keeping her legs from buckling beneath her.
But she finished the sequence.
“Now, against me.”
Emily barely held back another groan. The last few nights had been brutal. Mina had been training her from sunset to sunrise, and it was taking its toll. Her body felt sluggish, her mind clouded with exhaustion. The days were growing longer, and the nights were bleeding into them. She had hardly slept.
But she gritted her teeth and readied herself anyway.
Mina raised her sword. “Thrust!”
Emily lunged forward, but her movement was slow, sloppy. Mina easily knocked the attack aside.
“Side cut!”
Emily swung, but again, Mina parried with ease.
“Backhand side!”
The clang of steel rang in the night as their blades met again.
“Overhand! Overhead backhand! Block! Keep your arms steady! Eyes on my sword!”
Emily tried to keep up, but she was faltering. Every time Mina struck, she instinctively took a step back, trying to catch her breath.
“Strike! Block! Parry! Defend yourself!”
Emily could barely see straight.
“A new enemy approaches! Draw!”
Fuck…
Emily dropped back, shifting to a one-handed stance as she reached for the revolver hanging off her hip. She spun away from Mina and fired at the training dummy across the field.
The bullet hit the stone beside the target.
Mina lowered her sword. “Again.”
Another miss.
“Again.”
The shot went wide, barely grazing the dummy’s wooden arm.
Mina stepped up behind her, a hand on her waist. “Your stance is wrong.”
Emily’s frustration flared. She couldn’t take much more of this. “Of course, it’s fucking wrong!” she snapped, dropping the sword to the ground with a loud clash. “I can’t feel my fucking arms! I’ve been swinging this stupid fucking sword all day! I can’t fucking breathe! I can’t fucking—” She paused to catch her breath, but when she was ready to speak again, the only word she could utter was; “Fuck!” She collapsed to her knees as her legs finally gave out on her. “Fuck you! Fuck this! Fuck—” She had screamed so loud she heard her own voice echo across the mountain tops.
Mina loomed silently over her, and the longer she went without talking, the more it made Emily’s heart race. Even if she wasn’t looking at Mina, she could feel the daggers she was staring into her right at that moment.
“I’m…” She paused. “I’m sorry…”
“You’re rushing,” Mina said quietly.
“What?”
“You’re aim is shaky because your foundation is weak. Breathe."
Emily scowled but inhaled deeply anyway.
“Stand up.”
She didn’t move.
“Now, Emily.”
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She sighed and forced herself to her feet.
“Feet apart,” Mina instructed, nudging Emily’s boot with her own. “Knees loose. Stop gripping the gun like you're trying to choke the life out of it.”
Emily relaxed her fingers.
“Good. Now, take your time. Aim.”
Emily’s eyes locked onto the training dummy. Her arms still felt like lead, and her legs still wobbled, but she steadied herself.
She pulled the trigger, and the bullet struck the dummy square in the chest.
Mina nodded. “There we go.”
Emily let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
Mina stepped back, sheathing her sword. “You see now?”
Emily wiped the sweat from her forehead, still catching her breath. “See what?”
“You’re exhausted. You’re beaten. Your body is at its limit. And yet, you still landed the shot.”
Emily frowned. “…Yeah?”
“That’s what survival is. Fighting when your body can’t. Pushing past the pain, past the exhaustion, past the fear. The moment you stop thinking about how tired you are and just do it, you’ll find the strength to win.”
Emily wasn’t sure how to respond. She gave up trying to find the right words and only gave a weak nod in response.
“I think that’s enough for the night though.”
“Thank god,” Emily said.
Mina studied her posture for a moment. “If you want, I can do something for your sore muscles.”
“Really?” Emily replied, almost excited. “What?”
Later that night, Emily was screaming into her pillow.
Mina had her pinned face-down on the bed, one hand firmly planted between her shoulder blades, the other digging her thumbs into the muscle between Emily’s neck and shoulder. It felt like she was trying to rip her apart with her bare hands.
“Stop! Stop, stop, stop!” Emily thrashed, trying to twist away, but Mina’s grip was ironclad.
“Breath,” Mina said flatly.
“This is not helping!” Emily’s voice cracked as she squirmed beneath her.
“It will. Stop complaining.” She pressed harder.
Emily yelped as she clawed at the sheets. She was breathing hard, sweat already dampening the pillow beneath her head. When Mina had offered to massage her sore muscles, she jumped at the opportunity. She figured she must have felt bad for her, but she was debating that now. This was nowhere near as pleasant as she had hoped.
Mina’s thumbs kneaded slow, excruciating circles into the knotted muscles at the base of Emily’s neck.
“Mina… please.”
For a split second, Mina stopped. “You should’ve thought about that before lashing out at me,” she said, infuriatingly calm.
Emily groaned as Min moved lower, her fingers tracing the lines of her back. A new, sharp pain tore through Emily’s spine. Her back arched against the pressure, her fists gripping the sheets so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
“Holy shit!” she gasped. “I get it! I’m sorry! Just stop!”
Mina ignored her.
Emily barely had time to recover from one wave of agony before another came crashing down. It was supposed to be a massage, but it felt more like torture. “You’re making it worse,” she groaned.
Mina shook her head. “It’s hurting because you’re weak.”
“I’m not weak!”
Mina pressed her elbow into Emily’s lower back.
“I’M WEAK! I’M WEAK!” Emily shrieked, kicking her legs uselessly as she tried to crawl away.
Mina dragged her back, and pressed a little harder into her, making it impossible to escape under her vampiric strength.
“Fuck! Mina, I swear—”
“Swearing at me isn’t going to make this go any faster.” She moved on to Emily’s arms. “If you do it again, it’s just going to make this worse.”
“Ow—OW! What the hell?”
“You’re still holding your sword too tight, so now your arms are paying for it.”
She moved down to Emily’s calloused hands, taking each one in her own and pressing her thumbs into the palm.
Emily yelped and tried to yank her hand away. “No! Please, I need those! I need those hands!”
Mina tightened her grip. “So do I.” She squeezed harder against the tension, ‘massaging’ the soreness away.
Emily kicked the mattress. “Mina, please!”
Mina ignored her and kept going. For as much as it was hurting, Emily couldn’t deny that Mina at least knew what she was doing. She was finding every sore knot and abused muscle and working it until the tension finally released with an ache so deep Emily could feel it in her bones.
“Stop squirming,” Mina said, utterly unfazed by her struggle. She moved down to Emily’s lower back and started working on it. “You’re making this worse for yourself. You need to relax.”
Emily tried to push herself up on her elbows “I can’t relax! Not when it feels like you're trying to break my—” Mina shoved her back down with one hand and kept going. Emily bit down on the pillow to muffle another scream.
Then, Mina’s hands moved down to her aching thighs, and Emily immediately tensed. Her fingers dug into the knotted muscles, and Emily cried. She couldn’t tell anymore if the pain was from her muscles screaming in protest, or just from Mina. Hell, it could be both at this point. Her thighs were torn up from training, stiff and aching, and covered in bruises. Now Mina was kneading them like dough.
“Mina, please, I’m sorry!”
“Are you?”
“YES!”
Mina dug her thumbs in deeper.
“I SAID YES!”
Mina’s smirk. “I know.” She didn’t stop.
“Mina!”
“I never said I’d stop, though.”
Emily let out a near-sob of frustration.
Mina kept going, working her way down to her shins, her knees, her calves—pressing, rolling, working out every single fiber of tension like she was sculpting stone. The second Mina’s thumbs pressed into the sole of her foot, Emily convulsed.
“NO—NO, NO, NO!” She flailed, trying to kick free, but Mina had already wrapped a firm hand around her ankle, locking her in place.
Mina smirked down at her. “Sensitive down here, are we?”
“MINA, I SWEAR! PLEASE—”
Mina pressed harder.
Emily nearly shrieked, clawing at the mattress. “FUCK! STOP—”
Mina only chuckled.
Finally, after what felt like hours, she released Emily’s feet and sat back.
Emily lay sprawled on the bed, panting, her body trembling from the sheer ordeal she had just survived. How was it possible she felt even more exhausted after all that?
Mina patted her shoulder. “Feel better?”
Emily let out a weak, incoherent noise.
“Good.” She rose slowly from the bed and walked toward the door. “Get some sleep. We’re starting again at sunrise.”
As the weeks went on, Emily had fallen into a routine; Wake up at six. Stretch. Eat. Post-breakfast exercises. Train, train, train. Study. Sleep. Repeat.
Some mornings her body was too sore and stiff to get up, like her blood was filled with lead. But it never mattered. Mina always made sure she got up, whether Emily was ready or not. One morning, Mina had literally dragged her out of bed, yanking her down the stairs by the ankle before dumping her onto the cold floor.
That definitely woke her up.
But today was different. Today was one of the days when Mina needed to sleep.
Emily lived for these days. They were the only time Mina gave her a break from the relentless cycle of combat training and abuse. No dodging steel-studded wooden posts. No bruises. No aching shoulders from swinging a sword until her arms went numb. Instead, she spent the time either practicing magic with Violet or studying. And, of course, if she was lucky, she got to spend some time with Lux.
Most of the time, she could only visit Lux in the evenings. Mina was strict about that. Lux was never allowed to go to her place, only the other way around, and even then, Mina always seemed vaguely irritated about it.
But today, Emily had chosen to spend her time with Violet.
They stood together in a quiet clearing just outside Cresthill Valley, surrounded by towering trees. The sun filtered through the branches, casting dappled golden light over the grass. In the center of the clearing sat a large, weathered boulder surrounded by scattered stones and pebbles.
Emily stood a few paces away, arms crossed, glaring at it. Magic pulsed through her veins as she tried lifting the boulder with her mind.
Violet stood just behind her, monitoring. After a moment of no progress though, she had her notebook float into Emily’s peripheral vision. ‘You almost had it that time,’ her pen scribbled onto the page.
Emily rubbed the back of her neck. “Yeah. Almost.”
‘You’re overthinking. Focus.’
Emily groaned. “Focus, she says. Great advice. Super helpful.”
Violet didn’t react to the sarcasm. Instead, she stepped forward and raised a hand. The boulder lifted effortlessly, hovering in the air for a moment before settling back onto the ground with a soft thud.
Then she looked back at Emily, tilting her head.
Emily scowled. “Yeah, yeah, I saw that. Show-off.”
Violet’s shoulders bounced slightly as she laughed silently. Her purple eyes gleamed through the holes of her mask.
Emily took a breath and rolled her shoulders before extending her hand toward the boulder. She focused and tried to feel the rock.
It didn’t budge.
Instead, the smaller stones around it jittered and scattered like startled mice. Emily cracked an eye open, her annoyance flaring in her chest. “Seriously?”
Violet giggled again. ‘Smaller steps. Perhaps the pebbles will be easier for one as small as you.’
Emily scoffed. “Who are you calling small?” she laughed.
Violet tilted her head again, then gestured back toward the boulder.
Emily reached out toward the rock again, drawing on the energy beneath her skin. Her eyes narrowed in concentration.
A few seconds passed and all Emily thought about was moving the boulder, and, to her surprise, it wobbled.
Her heart leaped. She was doing it.
Then one of the pebbles nearby shot into the air and smacked her directly in the forehead.
Emily stumbled back, clutching her face. “Ow!”
Violet’s shoulders shook again.
Emily glared at her. “You did that, didn’t you?”
Violet glanced away, shaking her head as she obviously feigned innocence.
Emily narrowed her eyes before snorting. “Guess I deserved that.”
‘You’re funny.’
Emily smirked. “I know.” She gestured to Violet. “So are you.”
Violet blinked, then pointed to herself, tilting her head in question.
“Yeah.”
The pen hesitated for a moment before moving again.
‘I didn’t think I was. I’m not good at telling jokes.’
Emily shrugged. “It’s not all about jokes. You’re just… funny.”
Violet stared at her for a long moment. Then, slowly, a small smile crept across her face, growing just a bit wider.
Emily grinned. Then she turned back to the boulder, cracking her knuckles. “Alright,” she said, shaking out her arms. “I got this this time.”
The pendulum slammed into Emily with full force, sending her flying off the balance beam.
She hit the ground hard, rolling across the stone before coming to a stop. “Ow!” She clutched her arm, grimacing.
Violet, who was sitting nearby on a broken wall of rubble, watched. She had a book in her lap, and a tea set beside her that she had carried up the mountain telekentically.
“I think my arm’s broken,” Emily said.
Mina sighed through her nose and approached. “Let me see.”
Emily hesitated before holding out her arm. There were plenty of fresh bruises, and dark splotches blooming beneath the surface of Emily’s already battered skin, but nothing out of the ordinary.
“You’re fine,” Mina said.
Emily sat up with a groan. “I don’t feel fine.”
“You are,” Mina said simply.
“There isn’t enough room to move around!”
“There’s plenty of room.” Mina gestured toward the wobbling beam above them. “I assure you.”
Emily scowled. “You make it look easy.”
“Because I’ve used this device for years. I don’t expect perfection from you. Not yet. But I expect you to strive to surpass it.”
Emily hated that Mina was right. She shook out her sore limbs, picked up her sword again, and climbed back up onto the balance beam.
Mina raised an eyebrow. “Ready?”
“I hope so,” she said after a pause.
“Sound confident.”
“Yes, I’m ready!”
Mina nodded. “Alright. Relax. Focus. Attack!”
Emily moved along the beam, arms out to balance as she kept her eyes locked on the pendulum. It swung toward her. She shifted her weight, trying to dodge, but the pendulum struck her side, knocking her off the beam again.
Mina offered a hand. Emily ignored it and rolled onto her side, panting.
“It stings,” she muttered under her breath.
“You’re getting better.”
Emily snorted, rubbing at her ribs. “It doesn’t feel like it.”
“You are,” Mina repeated in a firm tone. “Take a short rest. You’ve been at this all morning.”
Emily looked at the mechanism. She was tired. Her body hurt. But still, she couldn’t shake the need to get it right.
“One more time,” she said, pushing herself to her feet.
Mina tilted her head slightly, then stepped back.
Emily grabbed her sword and climbed back onto the beam. She could do this. She just needed to stop overthinking.
The pendulum swung, and Emily darted forward across the beam. She struck the log, not hard enough to stop it, but just enough to shift its momentum. She twirled, stepping lightly around its path, though she couldn’t manage a full spin like Mina had. The beam wobbled beneath her, throwing her off balance. She made it to the other side, but she lost her footing at the last second.
Emily gasped as she fell, barely managing to land on her side instead of her back. Her shoulder throbbed, but she pushed herself upright, breathing hard.
A soft clap, clap, clap echoed from where Violet was sitting.
Emily blinked, then grinned. “Was that better?”
Violet nodded.
Emily looked to Mina, who nodded as well.
The ache in her limbs was still there. Her skin was still marred with bruises. But something about the approval made it worth it. Emily staggered to her feet and turned back to the balance beam. “One more time.”
Emily’s whole body ached that night, but despite the pain, it was nothing compared to the swell of pride she was feeling.
She was getting stronger by the day, faster too. It was hard to believe the progress she was making. A few months ago, she wouldn’t have been able to picture herself here, swinging swords, shooting guns, hurling fireballs. It was liberating, in a small way, knowing she was taking control of her life back, that soon enough she’d be marching up to a vampire's door to seek justice for all he had taken from her. But still, despite all that, there was still no better feeling than lying down after a long day of hard training. She soaked in a warm bath, then changed and rolled around in her bed. Mina had gone out drinking again with Karaline, and so she had the house to herself. It would have been a good idea to get some sleep, but it was the perfect opportunity to continue reading the Ballad that Violet had lent her.
Emily would never turn down another volume in Chester Finch’s adventures, but, no more than a few chapters in, and she knew exactly why Violet had given it to her. A while back, when Mina had taken Emily to pick out a selection of novels for winning the shooting bet, she had been particularly watchful over her. Emily had picked out a few Ballads, but there was one Mina said she didn’t want her reading, and had her put it back. And now that Violet had given it to her, she could see why.
The úlfhéeinn nearly had me, swinging its massive, meaty and sharp claws, but I rolled aside just in time. Before I could even leap to my feet and strike the beast down, the battle was over, and it was not as simple as a beheading. In the blink of an eye, the Raven was upon the úlfhéeinn, leaving it a mangled, bloody mess. She ruthlessly tore into its muscles and tendons with her claws. She crushed its bones to dust in her fist and ripped the skin off its body with such cruelty the creature was begging for mercy. It whimpered like an injured dog, crawling away desperately, but its torment wouldn’t let up. I watched as the Raven sliced through the length of the úlfhéeinn’s back and ripped out its spine. She had not merely killed the monster, she had cut it up like she were preparing to serve it on a silver platter. There was so much blood that it left even me queasy. And the smell was beyond what words could describe. I feel sorry for the poor bastard who tries bedding with her.
Emily wasn’t sure what to think. It certainly didn’t sound like Mina. Nearly half the novel was spent with her, and yet in all that time, the Raven of Reghin sounded like someone else entirely. It couldn’t have actually been Mina, right? She had to imagine that Chester’s stories were exaggerated a little, but with the way he described Mina, Emily couldn’t help but wonder if she was really like that at one point. She knew Mina was a vampire and all, but she didn’t seem like the type to get so aggressive and violent. Then again, maybe she was deep down.
If any of it was true, Emily hoped she wouldn’t see this side of Mina any time soon.
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