Free Earth Bound by Avril Sabine Page B

silent, Talon answered for her. “I’m working with her.”
    “You’re training again?” Barrett demanded.
    “No.”
    “Then what’s going on?”
    “I asked him to partner me while I train, sir.”
    Talon looked towards Lacey, surprised by her defence of him, before his gaze returned to his father. “Did you have a reason to be here at this time of day? Aren’t you usually holed up in your office or tearing strips off soldiers on the training grounds by now?” He met his father’s hard look, keeping his expression neutral when a stab of pain shot across his back.
    Barrett eventually turned his attention to Lacey. “We’ve narrowed your identity down to three people. Tomorrow morning the mother of one of those soldiers will be here to see you. I’ll bring her to your room.”
    Talon watched Lacey carefully, like he was certain his father would be, but he couldn’t be sure if the slight hesitation was panic or amazement. Then she grinned, her entire face lighting up as she clasped her hands at chest height.
    “She can’t get here any sooner? I don’t know how I’m going to be able to wait that long. And what about the families of the other two soldiers? When do I see them? Tomorrow?”
    Barrett nodded. “One in the afternoon, but I don’t know when the third family will arrive. We haven’t been able to get in touch with them yet.”
    “I hope it is my mother. I don’t think I can wait days to find out. You can’t imagine how difficult it is not knowing who you are.” She turned to Talon, her grin still in place. “I don’t know how I’m going to be able to concentrate to train.”
    “Are you getting your excuses ready for when you lose?”
    Lacey laughed. “Just trying to match you excuse for excuse.”
    “What excuse have you got,” Barrett demanded of Talon.
    He answered before Lacey could mention his supposed injury. “Lack of practice.”
    “You only have yourself to blame for that. Wasting a god given talent is a sin.”
    Talon met his father’s stare, refusing to back down. “It is, which is why I’ve chosen to focus on my painting.”
    Lacey took a step into the corridor, drawing both their attentions. “I’m sorry if having you train with me has been such a chore. I’ll let you return to your painting if you prefer.”
    Talon shook his head. “It’s fine.” He turned to his father. “Was that all?” It better be. He wasn’t having him chase away Lacey before he had a chance to train.
    Barrett nodded, not bothering to speak before he turned on his heel and strode away. Talon stared after him until his attention was caught by Lacey moving back into the room.
    A hint of a smile curved her lips. “Ready to be humiliated?”
    Talon grinned, stepping into the room to lock the door behind him. “I think you’re talking about the wrong person.” He drew his sword. “You have an hour to try and disarm me, but if yesterday is any indication, you’re going to fail.” Surely he could manage an hour without his wings interfering.
    “Fail?” Lacey laughed. “And who was the one bleeding yesterday?” She leapt forward, swinging her sword as she spun away.
    Talon continued to grin, feeling alive as he fought her. She seemed half bird as she flew around the room. If he knew how to use his infernal wings he’d show her what it meant to fly. His back tightened and he forced himself to focus on keeping them retracted. But they wanted to break free, wanted to help him soar around the room like Lacey seemed to be able to do without any wings. “This is a fight, not a dance. I don’t think Garnet needed to show you any dance moves, you have more than enough of your own.”
    “You poor thing. Do you need your opponent to stay still before you can defeat them? It’s not my fault if you’re too slow to keep up.”
    “Slow?” He attacked rapidly, as she kept up her impression of a bird, darting in and out. “You better look out because I’m about to clip your wings and you