Page 32 of A Bond So Deadly

“A task that you’re obviously not as equipped for, but we’ll do the best we can,” Germain adds, looking at the demon commanders like he thinks they’re beneath him.

Wow. That guy is a real piece of work.

Blake stiffens, her gaze narrowing on Germain. “Please tell me he did not just insult my demons.”

Before I can answer, she grabs a singular popcorn and lifts her hand, balancing it on her thumb and flicking her finger in Germain’s direction. The popcorn moves too fast for me to track it, but when Germain whips his accusing gaze in our direction and rubs the side of his head, I think I know where it landed. Sliding down in my seat, I have to cover my mouth to stop my laughter.

Germain’s face reddens when Blake simply gives him a saccharine smile and lifts more popcorn to her mouth, chewing exaggeratedly.

“Please tell me you didn’t arm the demon queen with snacks,” Galen’s shadow whisper brushes my ears.

“We’re here to train, mate,” Thane reprimands, staring at my box of popcorn.

I shrug. “I don’t see how this is my fault. If Germain’s head wasn’t so big, Blake wouldn’t have any reason to target him.”

Raith and Galen snort with laughter, but Thane doesn’t look impressed. Knox’s expression is unreadable. He’s been like that all morning, and I can’t help but worry.

“Relax,” I say a moment later. “If Blake wanted him dead, he would be.”

None of my mates argue with that.

Leaning down, Germain plucks the singular popcorn from the sand, and I watch in horror as he doesn’t even dust it off before tossing it into his mouth and chewing, staring in Blake’s direction the whole time. What is with this guy? I struggle not to make a face, but Blake doesn’t look bothered. Her mates on the other hand are back to looking like they want to tear Germain’s head off.

“Are you trying to start something?” Kenzie hisses to me.

“What? I’m not the one throwing food around,” I protest.

Blake ignores us and continues to give Germain her best bored look. It seems to be working, because Germain’s face keeps getting redder. I get the feeling that aside from the shadow queen, Germain’s not used to people standing up to him.

Thane clears his throat. “How about we start with a demonstration?” he says, his voice booming around the arena. “Raith and Galen, would you please?”

“It will be our pleasure,” Raith replies, moving a short distance from the others.

Galen creates an illusion which shows three Xalgrith warriors. They look so real, with their pale translucent skin and round milky eyes. They’re larger than I remember, almost the height of my guys, but unlike Raith, whose broad body ripples with power, the Xalgrith have lanky limbs with wiry muscle.

“Today, we’ll be going over the basics, including some of the strengths and weaknesses of the Xalgrith,” Thane goes on as Raith faces the Xalgrith illusions. “We’ll talk about the different fighting techniques that have proved to be the most effective against their warriors.”

“You speak as if we’re younglings,” one of the demon commanders sneers, his tail flicking in the air behind him. “How hard can it be? Grab a sword and drive it into the enemy. We don’t need a fuckin’ demonstration for that. Or this damn week of training. If your so-called shadow warriors aren’t up to the task of fighting your own battles, just say so. We’ll clean up your mess for you, shall we?” He laughs and the other demon commanders all join him.

Thane’s expression hardens. “If we were to send you out there now, you’d be nothing more than a distraction for the Xalgrith. One which would likely result in you all losing your minds and joining their army rather than ours.”

Blake’s lips twitch like she’s enjoying watching this play out, and the demons stop laughing.

The commander who spoke earlier glares at my mate. “You think so little of us, yet you recruit humans to fight your wars.”

Well, that was uncalled for.

Thankfully, Sebastian, one of the demon commanders I know well, speaks up before anyone else can make a fool of themselves. “We’re here to learn what we can. Let the man speak so we can get the fuck out of here.”

Blake relaxes again, stuffing more popcorn into her mouth. She shares a look with her mates, and I have no doubt they’ve been talking this whole time through the mental link they share.

Thane gives Sebastian a nod of approval and continues. “Like I said, their greatest weapon is their ability to infiltrate the minds of the weak. It’s why we have such rigorous training for our shadow warriors before they can graduate. A warrior with a weak mind is not only an ineffective soldier, but a liability to the others on the battlefield. Professor Lankin will be conducting your first mental blocking training session later today. For now, we focus on combat techniques. Raith, if you will.”

Raith has his sword out in an instant, and shadows crawl along the blade. The first Xalgrith illusion runs at him, and he reacts, dodging the illusion’s sword and spinning, aiming his blade at the warrior’s chest. His sword passes through the Xalgrith’s midsection, but it doesn’t stop the illusion. Raith and the Xalgrith end up in a dance of parries and lunges, and Raith’s blade passes through the illusion two more times before it finally looks as though it penetrates the Xalgrith. There’s a spray of pretend blood before the Xalgrith disappears.

“Despite this being an illusion,” Thane explains, “Raith demonstrated perfectly how the Xalgrith have an ability very similar to our own. Unlike shadow warriors who are able to cloak themselves, the Xalgrith can make their bodies temporarily incorporeal. As far as we can ascertain, they have the ability to become almost wraith-like. As shadow warriors, we’re more in-tune to sensing when this will happen, and we’re able to use that knowledge to determine when to attack.”

The demon commanders are paying more attention now, like this information has intrigued them. I’ve already heard this before in our classes, but it’s such a strange concept.