“Your focus wavers too easily,” Gavriel said softly. “You can’t let your opponent see that.”

Althea looked up at him, her cheeks warm. “I wasn’t… wavering.”

His eyes glinted. “No?”

The tension between them deepened. Then Gavriel slowly stepped back, exhaling through his nose as if trying to steady himself.

“You still remember more than I thought,” he said.

She smiled faintly, catching her breath. “Maybe Amon taught me well.”

For a moment, he just looked at ...