Every muscle in Xenia's body ached. She had muscle fatigue in places she didn't know she had muscle.
It was ironic that the same man who had put the knots there was now making them disappear with the work of his hands. "Mmm, your hands are like magic. Maybe you are a god."
"And it's lucky for you I grant you mercy for your impulsive taunts." His hands went deeper and firmer into the tissue, making her groan with pleasure. She really shouldn't tease him so, but she loved their warring of words.
He was rather charming at times, which was helped by his devilishly good looks, and in the heat of the moment with the interest of continuing the good-humored exchange, she said, "You have my undying gratitude. I will build you a temple when I have my first victory in battle as pagan an act as that might be."
His dark eyes glittered with anticipation. "I shall look forward to that."
It was an easy thing to promise when such a thing seemed like fantasy. It was moments like this when he took such a remark so seriously, she realized had to be careful what she said. She couldn't really build a temple to a god that didn't exist, could she?
It also wasn't fair to mock someone who really believed. Though if anyone did deserve to be Ares, it was him. If she searched the world over, she was certain she wouldn't find another more masterful fighter.
"Are you recovered sufficiently for another swordfight?"
He was being considerate today. Half the time, he didn't even ask. He just forced her to defend herself, but she preferred it that way. The Slavs or any other enemy wouldn't wait until she was ready. She would have to dig deep and be ready to fight whenever and wherever. "Bring it."
sss
As the clash of metal against metal rang out, Ares' thoughts were elsewhere. More on the wielder of the sword than the swordplay itself though he easily kept up as combat was as part of him as breathing.
She had improved so much over these last few months. Her footwork and therefore distancing had became a thing of beauty, she was stronger, and she was incorporating the gymnastics he'd taught her into her fighting. In fact, these things were becoming instinctive for her as well. He was finally able to give it his all when they fought.
Was she at the same level of fighting as her glory days? No, but that was going to take time. Teaching could only take a person so far before what was needed was experience.
She extended her sword too much, and he was able to throw her off balance, but she dove and rolled and came up with sword in hand. "Well done," he praised.
"I don't need your pats on the head," she said with a relative growl in her throat that reawakened the passion for her in his heart he'd had to bury and try to forget for so many years.
"Noted," he said as he defended himself against her energized cuts and thrusts.
She was a force to be reckoned with that was for certain. The realm called the Byzantine Empire but really just a redressed eastern half of the Roman Empire would never know what hit them once she was leading an army. She would restore the former days in every way from bringing back worship of the Greek gods, namely him, to her dark self.
In the end, it was her smile that was undoing. She had looked so grave and deadly all during the swordplay, but now she looked playful and deadly. It was a look that should have only graced the face of a goddess because then it wouldn't have tormented him so to have found his equal among mortals. The smile was engraved into his memory but here it was again in living color, and he couldn't help being distracted by it.
She used his momentary weakness to knock his arm offline and drive her blade toward the center of his body. She stopped short of driving it into his flesh, but he purposely walked right into it.
He felt now was the time for full revelation before she decided she didn't need him. He also knew he wouldn't intimidate her as much as he would have if he'd proven his identify in the temple, partly because they'd become acquainted and partly because the horror of her first killing had faded to be replaced with the overwhelming burning desire to seek revenge for the slaughter of her brother. She wanted to destroy the Slavs in battle with the physical valor she was now capable of. Yes, the insatiable fire that burned inside her was his fire, whether she knew it or not.
Her eyes rounded, thinking she had killed him, but he walked backward off the blade, taking his turn to smile.
She looked down in disbelief to see there wasn't a mark on him and said breathlessly, "You are a god."
