"What is the Chosen One?" I asked.

"That is a can of worms you are not ready for, dear. Off you go."

"Father told me I would one day unite the Guardians and the Hermonites. Is that what Solange meant by the Chosen One?"

She frowned. "I didn't know your father had spoken to you about it."

"Is it bad to be this Chosen One?"

"No, dear. It is good. Your powers are coming back faster than we expected. Very soon, you will link with the Kris Dagger." She patted my hand. "Just remember, no more using your energy powers indoors."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know. Now go to sleep," Lady Nemea added, and left.

I crawled into bed, wishing I understood what was happening to me. Something about my energy powers had spooked my father, Lady Nemea, and even the Guards. I knew energy was a very destructive power when unchecked. Was it the reason people were scared of me? Or was there a connection between the Kris Dagger and my energy powers?

According to the journal Green Eyes have given me, the light from the dagger could destroy a city, level a mountain, or create a world in another dimension, depending on the wielder. It was also lethal to demons. The book didn't explain what demons were.

I knew about demons in a general sense of the word. Most human religions believed they existed to hurt, torment, and test them. Why was it the job of the wielder of the Kris Dagger to hunt them down and stop them?

My eyes started to close. I was almost asleep when I felt a familiar ping. I debated whether to ignore him.

Don't even think about it, Green Eyes warned.

How do you do that?

Do what? he asked.

Read my thoughts.

You and I are linked in ways you still don't understand yet, Sunshine.

Everything about him was off. The way he walked, talked, and acted. He took chances to see me at the weirdest hours and he seemed to come and go without being seen.

You're not a minion, are you?

How are you feeling? You usually become weak after using your powers.

That explained my exhaustion. I'm super exhausted, but we're talking about you, not me.

He laughed. I told you, I am your servant. Wherever you go, I go. Don't try to a.n.a.lyze me too much, Sunshine. It won't do either of us any good. So, I asked you to practice using your powers and you blow a hole through the ceiling? How typical of you.

I frowned. It wasn't deliberate. What were you doing with my father's guards? Why are you always around and no one seems to notice or care? Are you stalking me or are you a spy?

He laughed.

Well?

Stalking is such an ugly word. Good luck training with the knights and the guards. Go easy on them.

Will you be there?

Nope. I don't hang around once my job is done.

I frowned. You're not making sense. What job?

You'll understand one day.

I sighed. Does the journal about the dagger really belong to your ancestor?

My grandfather. He left it on Coronis Isle for the next wielder. That's you. You retrieved the dagger and bonded with it.

That was exactly what Master Kenta had said. It's refusing to bond with me now.

That is because it already has.

You are not making sense again.

I know. Did you finish the journal?

Twice. How come your grandfather's power didn't trickle down to you?I mean, he must have been powerful to wield the Kris Dagger and, well,you're a minion.

You just go for the jugular, don't you? Coronis's diabolical interbreeding program was a hit-and-miss thing. I have to go before Malax overhears us. See you around, Lil.

I frowned. One last question.

Make it a quick one. I can't hide our link for long.

What are demons?

No response.

Are you still there?

Don't mention that word to anyone. Not even your father.

Why?

I'll explain later. Goodnight. Dream about me.

You wish. Why can't I ask about demons? Silence greeted me. He was gone, the link between us broken. He was so annoyingly stingy with information.

Once again, I dreamed about him flying.

I was still in bed the next morning when Father appeared. In his arms was the ancient box with my dagger. He placed it on the dresser.

"With your powers being restored, you should be able to link with it soon. Let me know when that happens." Like the last night, he pressed a kiss on my forehead and left. It was as though he couldn't wait to get out of my room.

Lady Nemea's eyes widened when she brought my breakfast and saw the box. Awe gave her eyes a weird glow. She slowly reached out as though to touch it, her hand trembling.

"He gave you the dagger," she whispered.

"Yes. Have you ever seen it?"

"No," she whispered, her eyes still on the box.

I unlocked it and reached inside the smaller bag for the dagger, careful with the blade so I didn't get nicked. I pulled it out. When I looked up, Lady Nemea was hallway across the room, fear in her eyes.

"It's okay," I rea.s.sured her. "It's harmless."

She gave me a weird smile. "The Kris Dagger can never be called harmless, not even when dormant. Put it back in its case."

I put the dagger away and watched her scurry out of the room instead of teleporting. Weird. I pulled out the journal Green Eyes had given me and reread it as I ate. I was still tired, even after a good night's sleep. I figured creating lightning bolts must use up a lot of my psi energy.

Next, I grabbed the first history book on my nightstand and searched. There was nothing on demons. I picked up the second book. Nothing. A dagger that didn't exist in our history books but killed demons, which also didn't exist in our history books. It didn't make sense.

I dragged my tired body to the showers, got dressed, and went to the library to do more research.

For the next several days, I tried linking with the dagger with little success. I also still couldn't find CCs or books on it or on demons. Master Kenta and I started training away from the castle, where there were no people. I guess he didn't want me hurting someone.

I was surprised when he pinged me earlier than usual toward the end of the week. "Sir Kellion contacted me this morning," he said when I joined him downstairs. "He's invited you to his training field."

I grinned. "Finally."

"He will try to humiliate you or teach you a lesson, but you can take any of his men without breaking a sweat. Just don't use your energy abilities."

That was the first time he'd warned me against using my energy abilities since the accident in my room. He'd encouraged me every day to blast things with better precision, but my energy power was flaky. Some mornings, lightning appeared with ease, but other times, I was too tired to lift a feather. Still, his confidence in my ability to spar with the guards was heartwarming and surprising. Praises from him were rare.

The sun was warming up the valley when we arrived at the training field. Sir Kellion and his men weren't training, though long staffs lay on the ground by the swords. I a.s.sumed they'd give me a staff and a sword, since I didn't bring any.

From the expressions of the guards and their knights, they hadn't really expected me to show up. The minions didn't look surprised.

"A staff for the princess," Sir Kellion yelled, and someone threw one of the sticks my way.

I caught it, twirled it, and gripped it with both hands, one hand closer to the end for controlling the stick's movements and the other one-quarter in for pivoting. I felt Green Eyes's presence, but he wasn't on the field.

"Who is my partner?" I asked.

The people created s.p.a.ce for us and Sir Kellion moved closer, crossed his arms, and pinned me with hard eyes. "You fight whoever I choose. If you knock him down twice, you stay. If he knocks you down, you join the women." His eyes went to Master Kenta, as though daring him to disagree.

I didn't bother to check my trainer's reaction. My eyes stayed on Sir Kellion. "Let's raise the stakes."

His eyes narrowed. "What did you have in mind, Princess?"

"If I win, you stop using the minions as punching bags and start training them."

He scowled. "For what purpose?"

"Guards. The lords and ladies of the High Council need some. And when we are attacked, the Guardians or the Archangels cannot tell us apart."

Sir Kellion smirked. "No one would hire them."

"I would, and so would my father."

The smile disappeared from his face. "And if you lose?"

"I'll train with the students at the Academy and I'll never bother you or visit this field again."

His grin came back. "Deal."

We shook hands, and then he beckoned a man forward. Not just any man. This guy was built like a giant. Ma.s.sive arms and legs. His brown hair was thick and coa.r.s.e, and the logo on his shirt said he was a knight. Probably Kellion's second-in-command, going by the way the others reacted. They hurriedly stepped out of his way and bowed.

Please, let him be stupid and slow. When he stopped before me, I had to tilt my head to look at him. He was huge.

"This is Sir Norath, my right hand," Sir Kellion said.

I bowed. "Nice to meet you, Sir Norath."

"The honor is mine, Princess," he said in a deep, rumbly voice, and bowed.

"Let's make it a clean fight," Sir Kellion said, eyes flashing with malice.

He fights dirty, a familiar voice said in my head.

I didn't search for Green Eyes. Knowing he was nearby was rea.s.suring. I couldn't explain why. Thanks for the heads-up.

I adjusted my stance, readied the stick, and waited. My opponent a.s.sumed the fighting stance too, our sticks touching. Sir Kellion gave the signal.

I slipped under Sir Norath's stick, pushed it aside, and thrust forward. He blocked and shuffled sideways. I came at him with a downward swing, but he bounced back. He was fast for such a big man. At first, I played it safe and studied his footwork and technique. He was good. No, he was better than good. He was a fighting machine. Fast. Relentless. Smart. But I was faster and smarter, and I was fighting for a cause.

I teleported behind him, but he was ready and blocked me. He pulled a similar move and managed to land a blow on my arm, the sting radiating up to my shoulder. The crowd gasped. Sir Norath smirked. I realized something. He was reading my thoughts and antic.i.p.ating my every move. The cheating b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Green Eyes was right.

Two could play this game.

I let random thoughts fill my head and attacked with a flurry of movements. Thrusting, parrying, always in motion. Sweat pooled on my forehead. Dripped on the side of my face. I got him on the shoulder with a dull thud and the crowd aaahed.

Surprise flashed in his eyes.

The sparring grew intense. Sir Norath might have looked like a gentle giant, but he wasn't gentle. He fought like a bear. He didn't cut me any slack, and I got a perverse thrill from besting him. The reaction of our audience egged me on. Every time his stick hit a part of my body, gasps followed. My hits drew the opposite reaction. He pushed hard and I pushed back harder, dodging and flipping.

From behind. He turned, expecting me to appear behind him. I delayed my reappearance and watched him frantically turn around. I saw the perfect opening and reappeared, planted the staff on the ground, swung on it, and caught him in the gut with a flying kick.

He stumbled and tried to break his fall, but I was in his head, telling him what to do. Misleading him. I came low with the staff from behind and finished him. He lost his balance and landed on the ground with a thump. I wasn't sure who was most surprised-him, or the crowd watching us.

The applause was sporadic at first, and then it spread.

I offered him my hand, but he ignored it, rolled on his heels, and jumped up. He a.s.sumed the stance, anger pouring out of him. Angry people made mistakes. I hoped he did.