Eternal Night

(II) Chapter 25: A Lesson in Control

The rhythmic clash of steel echoed throughout the gallery, the combatants armed with both rapier and parrying dagger, their movements swift and precise. Their deadly dance of blade and footwork to the untrained eye appeared as exact as a razor's edge, but Frankie was lost in the mire of her own thoughts and Eduardo had no qualms in taking full advantage. With a flick of his wrist, the tip of his sword sliced across her cheek and she huffed her irritation, the drawing of blood marking the present round of their duel as ended and the Spaniard smiled triumphantly. He motioned with the end of his dagger to Vesper who was seated comfortably at the far end of the room near the door, legs tucked beneath her as she kept track of the score on an old slate.

"Another point for me!" the man proclaimed before sending a sidelong glance at his weary opponent. "Honestly, cariño, are you even trying? I know I taught you better than this," he added teasingly, making his way back to the center of the room where they would start their duel again.

Frankie took her time returning to her mark, the nick on her cheek quick to heal of its own volition. She pushed back the stray hairs that had fallen loose from her braid and tucked them behind her ear, her expression stormy.

"Don't mock me, Satanas," she warned, pointing her blade in his direction as she approached. "I'm not in the mood for your usual facetiousness."

"Yes, I've noticed," and that amusement of his spread up to his eyes. He had always enjoyed her anger. "Look, I understand that you're agitated, darling, and that nothing would give you greater pleasure than to tear Marcus Augustine into tiny little pieces with your bare hands, but seeing as how that isn't exactly an option at present..."

"I know, I know," Frankie interrupted, swinging her blade violently through the air so it would create that whipping sound. She then twirled the weapon once in her hand at the hilt before tilting her head to one side and then the other to stretch the muscles in her neck and shoulders. "I appreciate the distraction. Truly, I do," she sighed, emphasizing that last point with genuine sincerity. "I just... I can't shake this irritation. I still feel on edge... alarmingly so."

"The exercise should be helping..."

"Exactly, and normally doing something active is sufficient, but right now it's not..."

"Do you wish to stop?"

"No... I'll be fine. I just need to push through this. Though you constantly winning is not exactly making me feel any better."

Eduardo sent his favorite protégé a wry grin.

"Would you prefer I go easy on you?"

"Of course not," she exclaimed, offended by the suggestion. He chuckled.

"Then focus. Get out of your head. Or at the very least, make a better attempt to actually best me," he taunted. "I know you have it in you. You may be out of practice, but I know you're not this incompetent."

When she reached her mark, blades were raised to signal the start of the next match and then Eduardo lunged forward with his blade in a feint attack. She parried on instinct, leaving him to riposte, but her lack of focus left her wide open and in a series of moves, the tip of his rapier ran across her cheek again, ending the round and leaving the woman effectively defeated once more.

She actually growled that time as her maker feebly attempted to stifle the laughter in his throat.

"I stand corrected," he said, smiling. "Clearly you are that incompetent."

Usually, Frankie would have let his teasing go. She knew he was only trying to get a rise out of her, there was nothing inherently malicious about his mockery. But the last ten hours had been long and emotionally taxing.