"Let's see how fast you are," he said instead of answering, and went on the offensive.

Somehow, the hated Archangels hadn't erased memories of my training, because I knew what to do. Every strike and move he pulled, I countered and outmaneuvered him. When I teleported and appeared behind him to land a blow, surprise flickered in his eyes.

"I guess the Guardians did teach you a thing or two," he mumbled.

Enough with the Guardian references. "Or maybe I'm just a good learner."

"You were. Next time, we'll use the swords."

Again, his wording made no sense. "What do you mean by 'you were?'"

He shrugged. "You must have been good, since everyone knows Guardians are weak, manipulative, and incompetent," he snapped, and pointed at two wooden staffs. One moved toward me while he grabbed the other.

We were in the zone when Green Eyes returned. Once again, I knew the moment he appeared. He stood behind a shrubbery, shears in his hands. When he gave me a thumbs-up, I almost lost my footing.

He wasn't the only one watching us. Lady Nemea and Master Rahm were talking in low tones inside the gazebo, but their eyes were on us. The workers around the garden had stopped whatever they were doing too, and my father stood on the balcony with Sir Malax.

Master Kenta pushed me harder, probably to impress my father. The more he pushed, the more I pushed back. Soon, we were both breathing hard, sweat dripping down our faces. He threw down the staff on the ground and a.s.sumed the position, legs apart, hands raised.

"Hand-to-hand combat," he snapped.

I swept hair from my sweaty neck and imitated his stance. Then I made the mistake of smirking. Anger flashed in his eyes.

Okay, he definitely had serious anger issues.

He rushed me. Once again, each move was familiar and I countered it. Unfortunately, he was faster on his feet. Or maybe being in a coma for six months and not exercising meant I wasn't up to his level physically. My arms grew tired and heavy, my feet sluggish. I lost my footing a few times and he landed blows and kicks to my torso. Concern drifted from those watching us.

Master Kenta smirked. "I guess the Guardians fell short in preparing you in some areas."

Anger slammed into me. Maybe it was his mocking tone or the mention of the Guardians. It didn't matter. I wanted him to shut up. I went on the offensive, throwing punches and kicks, attacking from different angles.

"That's enough," he said, raising his hands in a placating way.

"Don't ever mention the Guardians to me. They kidnapped me and kept me away from my family. My mother would still be alive if it weren't for them."

Shock flashed in Master Kenta's eyes, but his hands stayed up. "Okay, I won't do it again. I promise."

"You deliberately goaded me by mentioning them. Why?"

"I wanted to see if you remembered anything from your time with them. Put the swords and the daggers down, Lil."

I frowned, confused. "What?"

He glanced to my right hand and I looked down. A sword floated near my arm. I checked the other side to find another sword. Both were pointed at Master Kenta, ready to strike.

"I'm controlling them?" I asked.

"Yes."

"The daggers?" I asked. He turned slowly and I saw the daggers pressed against his back.

"Just lower them," he said.

"How?"

He shook his head. "I don't know how the Guardians taught you to control so many at the same time. Order them the same way you order the Kris Dagger."

The what dagger? I closed my eyes and saw their energies. Down.

The swords and daggers dropped to the ground.

Wall.

They moved back and propped against the wall of the gazebo.

"The old man taught you well," Master Kenta mumbled, but I heard him.

"What old man?"

A frown creased Master Kenta's forehead. "We are done for now. See you tomorrow morning."

"We're not training this evening?"

He shook his head and couldn't meet my gaze. "No. It is your first day. We'll work in the mornings for a few days before we add evening lessons."

Nothing to worry about, sire, he said just before I teleported back to the castle. "Sire" meant he'd communicated with my father. Father must have been worried about me. How sweet.

Master Kenta's words stayed with me while I showered and changed. The old man trained you well. What old man? Order them the same way you order the Kris Dagger. What the heck was the Kris Dagger?

Lunch was already laid out on the table when I stepped into the living room off my bedroom. The surprise was my father. He was already waiting for me. We hadn't had lunch together since the week I woke up. Dinner, on the other hand, was a family affair. Even Solange made an appearance.

"Your swordsmanship is impressive," Lord Valafar said, pulling out a chair for me. "You can teach our people a thing or two."

I grinned. "Like almost killing my trainer? I had to apologize."

Lady Nemea nodded with approval. As usual, she was overseeing lunch without eating. I wondered about her relationship with my father. At times, she acted very friendly, and other times she was very subservient.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," Lord Valafar said. "If he's not a worthy trainer, he will be replaced."

"No, he's okay." He'd called me Lil instead of Lilith. Only Green Eyes ever did that. Could Master Kenta and I have met before? He'd mentioned "the old man" training me and that I'd been a good learner. And he had ignored my questions.

Part of me wanted to ask my father if I'd known Master Kenta before the Great Battle. Another wasn't sure I should. Heck, I wasn't even sure I could trust anything the trainer said. Green Eyes had told me not to trust anyone who hadn't fought in the Great Battle. On the other hand, why should I trust anything Green Eyes said?

This was all so confusing. If there was one person I could trust, it was my father. He'd never lied to me. I waited until I was done eating before asking, "Did Master Kenta fight in the Great Battle?"

Lord Valafar carefully put his spoon down. Lady Nemea stood from where she'd been seated behind us.

"No," Lord Valafar answered, speaking slowly.

"Did I know him before? You know, before the battle?"

Lord Valafar's eyes narrowed. "Why do you ask? Did you remember something?"

I shook my head. "No, but Master Kenta mentioned my training with the Guardians as though he knew something. He also mentioned a dagger. Uh, the Kris Dagger."

"I see." Lord Valafar wiped his lips and carefully placed the napkin beside his plate. "When I learned about your existence, I placed Kenta among the Guardians to keep an eye on you."

My eyes rounded. "He was a spy?"

"Yes." There was no apology or hesitation in his voice. "Feel free to ask him anything you want to know."

I wrinkled my nose. "No. I don't really want to know about my life with the Guardians. I'm home now, and that's all that matters."

He studied me so intently that, for once, I tapped into his emotions. Usually, he was so guarded. Whatever I had just said had pleased him. "Come with me."

I followed him to his quarters. He dismissed his guards, so it was just him and me.

"Stay here," he said, and disappeared into his bedroom. Seconds later, he came back with a box covered in weird writings and closed with weird locks, then placed it on the table. "Open it."

My eyes volleyed between the box and his face. "What is it?"

"Don't be afraid." He stepped back and crossed his arms. "It's yours."

More jewelry? I sighed and unlocked the strange box. Inside it was a bag with more of the same writings. These ones looked familiar. I'd seen them...on my arms the night I healed the minion, and yesterday afternoon at the beach just before my hands glowed.

"What is inside? What's this written on it?"

"An ancient language," he said nervously. That was the second time in the last few minutes I'd read him.

I reached inside the bag and my hand closed around a blade. It nicked me. I pulled my hand out and sucked the blood from my finger. The wound closed, leaving behind flushed skin.

Careful the second time around, I reached for the handle and pulled out a dagger that looked awfully familiar. It had a transparent, wavy blade, with writing along the blade and a green stone in the middle of the guard.

"It's beautiful," I whispered.

"Do you recognize it?"

"No, but it looks familiar." An image flashed in my head and I grinned. "I remember now. Solange has one just like it, except hers has a red stone."

Lord Valafar frowned, disappointment pouring from him in waves.

"Why? Am I supposed to know it?" Then I recalled the reenactment of the Great Battle. "This is the blade I used to fight the Archangels?"

He nodded. "Yes. It is called the Kris Dagger. It only obeys one person. You."

"Really? How?"

"You bond with it and it does your will. For instance, you ask it to come and it does. You instruct it to protect you and it does. At times, you don't even have to tell it to protect you. It just does because it senses your fear or danger. The bond between you and the dagger is unique and cannot be broken."

Interesting. I studied it, then opened my palm and thought, Move. Nothing happened. "It's not working," I said.

"It will, one day. Put it back in the bag and close the box."

His disappointment bothered me. "I'm sorry, Father. I know you wanted me to bond with the dagger."

"You're still not fully recovered, Lilith. We'll keep trying until you can command it again."

Master Kenta had known I used to command it. "Does everyone know about the dagger?"

Lord Valafar nodded. "Yes. It is legendary. I told Kenta you shouldn't practice in the evenings yet. Give your body a week to adjust to the rigorous workout." Then he pressed a kiss to my temple. My insides softened. That was a first. It showed he cared more about me than the bond between me and the dagger. "I'll see you and your friends tonight," he added, and patted my hand.

Instead of teleporting back upstairs, I went to the library to search for a book on the Kris Dagger. There weren't any. I checked the clairvoyant crystal catalogue. Nothing under weapons, daggers, swords, or metaphysical weapons. It didn't make sense.

"Looking for something?"

I turned and found Green Eyes studying me from the other end of the aisle. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you. You were amazing out there."

My cheeks warmed. "Thanks."

"You're a bit rusty, but you'll get better with practice. Don't use anger to tap into your skills. That's not who you are. Always stay in control or you'll hurt a lot of people."

It took all my effort not to gawk. "A compliment and a pile of insults, wow. You are something else."

He smiled, dimples flashing. "Don't want you getting too comfy."

I thought I should ignore him, walk away. Instead, I studied him. He leaned against a shelf, completely at ease and uncaring that someone might catch him talking to me. His confidence and arrogance made him so irresistible.

"Are you sure you are supposed to be in here?" I asked.

He glanced around and smirked. "It's a public library. What are you doing here?"

I smirked right back at him. "It's a public-"

"Seriously. I can help you find anything. I've spent the last seven months reading every book in this place and watching every CC. Anything you want, I probably know where it is."

"Seven months?"

"I was trying to find a cure for a magical coma. Turned out they don't store those around here." He grinned. "So, what is it you're searching for, Princess?"

"A book about a special dagger. They don't seem to have anything on it."

His eyes narrowed as he moved closer, his voice dropping to a whisper, "Clear wavy blade, green gem at the guard?"

I blinked. "Yes."

"The Kris Dagger. Do you have it?"