(Chapter Eighteen: A New Quest, cont.)

  Leo spent all night in the chapel, and when Ean got up the next morning, he still wasn’t back. Ean ate a light breakfast with the Scholars and then went to find Phong for his promised battle.

  Ean used to hate sparring. He hated it until he learned how to meld one dance into another and how combine different attacks for maximum effect. He started surprising his opponents, who weren’t able to defend against the unexpected assaults, and began winning matches against his peers. Then he moved on to sparring with the teachers. He didn’t win as much against them, but there was still a sense of satisfaction when he was able to get the upper hand, even if it was for only a second.

  Seconds were all Ean got on Phong. Most of the time, he was just trying to stay on his feet. But there were instances when Ean threw him off balance, or when he had to back-step from Ean’s attack, or when one of Ean’s blows landed. Ean took advantage of those moments. He followed up with his fastest spin kicks and his hardest palm strikes. He tried arm locks and elbow jabs. He tried flipping over Phong’s head to strike from the opposite side. He even tried a couple of dirty moves. Phong recovered too quickly for Ean to gain any traction, but he laughed every time, like he was pleased that he had to learn something new.

  Ean and Phong fought for half an hour like that, non-stop and brutal, until Ean was soaked in sweat and his arms were beginning to shake. Phong was sweating too, and although his blows were as strong as when he started, his speed was starting to lag. Ean saw it and made one last effort to force him out of bounds. Phong blocked each strike, smashed a fist into his gut, and swept his legs out from under him. Ean landed hard on the grass, and that was the end of the match.

  Ean groaned and blinked up at the sky as the students cheered for their master. Phong appeared above him, breathing heavy but smiling widely. He held out a hand and Ean let him haul him back to his feet.

  “Well fought, shadow-walker,” he said.

  “Not a full shadow-walker yet,” Ean said, and mimed shooting an arrow.

  Phong swatted the side of the head. “No foolishness like that.” Then he pushed Ean towards the edge of the courtyard where the others had gathered to watch, Leo among them. So, he’d come out of the chapel in time to witness Ean’s defeat.

  “Good fight,” Chadwick said, slapping his shoulder a little too roughly.

  Ean swore; he laughed.

  “It looked dangerous,” Flora said.

  “It’s only sparring.”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  Ean knew he was. He swiped at his bloody lip with the back of his hand—a lucky hit from Phong. He also had a gouge on his elbow from when he hit the ground and didn’t time the roll right and his knees were skinned. Other than that, it was going to be bruises. Bruises on top of bruises. He’d never felt so good.

  “You free to talk?” Leo asked.

  Ean’s muscles twitched from overexertion. Sweat dripped down his face and neck. His heart was pounding, his lungs heaving. He couldn’t fathom holding a serious conversation, but he also couldn’t bring himself to tell Leo no.

  “Not here,” Ean said and jerked his head towards the bathhouse.

  Leo followed him to one of the smaller, private springs. Ean peeled off his borrowed robes and eased himself into the steaming water, grunting and wincing all the while. He ignored the stone bench in favor of stepping to the center of the pool where he was submerged up to his neck and spent a few moments coaxing his muscles to relax.

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  Only then, did he look up at Leo. “Well?”

  “I’m going to Fire Mountain,” Leo said.

  “I figured.”

  “I spoke with the others last night. They’re coming with me.”

  Ean frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you aren’t on this mission voluntarily,” Leo said. “We had a hard-enough time retrieving the sword. Traveling to Fire Mountain is even more dangerous.”

  Ean understood what he was trying to say. “You think it’s unfair to me because my contract was to get you to the sword and then back to Eastmere.”

  Leo nodded. “You didn’t agree to travel to Westenvale. If you don’t want to come with us, I’ll release you from your oath.”

  Ean shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. First of all, only your father can release me from the oath. Secondly, I pledged to protect you with my life until you were home again. That includes whatever side trips you want to make along the way.”

  Leo didn’t look surprised. “Then we’ll go back to Balucia to fulfill your oath. I’ll travel to Fire Mountain from there.”

  “You’d be going weeks out of your way,” Ean pointed out.

  “I know.”

  “You’d be giving Westenvale more time to find you and the sword.”

  “I know.”

  “And who’s to say your father would even agree to destroy the sword. He might decide to keep it.”

  “I know.”

  “And even if you did—”

  “Damn it, Ean,” Leo swore, startling him into silence. “I know all of that, but I’m trying to give you back your freedom. I won’t force you to come with me.”

  Ean shrugged. “So, ask me if I’m willing.”

  “You’re bound by a contract.”

  “Just because I have a contract doesn’t mean I’m not willing. Ask me.”

  Leo hesitated, like he wasn’t convinced, but then he shrugged as well. “Ean, Walker of Shadows, though you are bound by a blood-oath to my father, and pledged to my protection, are you willing to risk your life to accompany me in destroying the Eld sword?”

  Ean grinned at the formality. “Yes, I am willing to go with you.”

  Leo knelt by the pool. “Why?”

  Ean knew why, in a vague, abstract sort of way, but he didn’t know how to put it into words. He ducked under the water to think and stayed long enough to make his lungs burn. When he surfaced, Leo was still waiting.

  “You’re not wrong about the need to abolish shadow-walkers,” Ean said.

  Leo blinked. Ean could tell he’d taken him by surprise.

  “Maybe,” Ean amended, because he didn’t want him to get too full of himself. “It won’t happen soon, not for generations, but the principle is sound. If the law is fair and offers equal protection to everyone, there will be no need for us. And that may be for the best. I would like to claim that shadow-walkers only kill those who evade the law, but the fact remains that I took your case, which proves your point. It’s a moral gray area.”

  “You call that gray?”

  Ean ignored his indignation. “I’m okay with gray. But right now, I want to do something that is indisputably good. Play on the side of angels for a while.”

  “You could just say sorry,” Leo said. “You don’t have to punish yourself.”

  Ean swam over to the edge of the pool and hooked his arms over the side. He looked up at the Prince. “I am sorry. I was wrong to try to kill you. I apologize.” The words came out easier than he expected. Probably because he’d meant them for a while now.

  Leo sat back on his heels, his expression stunned. “I forgive you.” He said it quickly, like he’d been thinking it for a while too.

  Ean felt something loosen in his chest and he smiled. Leo frowned back.

  “You don’t have to come to Fire Mountain to earn my forgiveness.”

  “I know,” Ean reassured him. “You’re doing the right thing by destroying the sword. My right thing is to make sure you survive it.”

  Leo narrowed his eyes at him. “And then you’ll go back to killing people.”

  “Only the ones who deserve it this time, I swear.”

  Leo’s eyes narrowed further. He wasn’t happy with the glib response, but that was okay. He didn’t have to agree with him.

  “One condition,” Ean said.

  Leo raised his eyebrows.

  Ean pushed back into the hot, bubbling water. “I’m not leaving this pool any time soon.”

  Leo straightened. “We leave tomorrow. After breakfast.” He turned to leave and then paused. “I’m glad to have you with us, Ean.”

  He left, and Ean tipped his head back to float in the pool. He pulled in a breath, his chest feeling strangely light now that the guilt had abated, but then his mind went to the journey ahead of him. What had he agreed to?