Selis strode back into the training grounds, her white cloak rippling behind her as Kazimir scurried close at her heels.
The metallic clang of her armored boots echoed through the chamber, a rhythmic counterpoint to his silent footsteps.
They arrived at a separate section of the training grounds, one different from the others.
The area was filled with small targets, each carved with intricate silver engravings, and lined with statues of stone bats, perched along the walls like silent spectators.
These statues bore a striking resemblance to the gargoyle ones from his previous training, only smaller and more compact. Their wings were tucked against their bodies, and their stone eyes were hollow, as if waiting for something to stir them to life.
Kazimir felt a faint unease settle over him.
"These will be your next targets," Selis said in her usual regal tone.
She turned to one of the nearby weapon racks and retrieved a set of wooden training knives, their hilts carved with faint silver markings, similar to the other weapons bound to the castle.
She handed them to him.
"Show me what you can do."
Kazimir rolled the knives between his fingers, testing their weight.
They felt strange in his grip, not in a bad way, but different. Lighter than his shadow daggers, heavier than his arrows.
Still, he adjusted quickly.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, lined up his shot,
And threw.
The knives whistled through the air, spinning end over end.
One by one, they struck their targets dead center, embedding themselves deep into the targets.
Selis nodded approvingly.
"Good," she said simply. "Now, let's make this a bit harder."
Without another word, she opened a hand, summoning a white flame into her palm.
Kazimir watched as she molded the fire, shaping it, not into an arrow, but into several knives, their edges gleaming with the unnatural glow of moonlight.
Then,
She threw them.
The fire-knives sizzled through the air, moving at frightening speed.
Each one struck a bat statue with precise, flawless accuracy.
The moment they hit,
The statues shuddered.
Their engravings began to glow, filling with white-hot flames, their hollow eyes blazing to life.
Then, one by one,
They moved.
The sound of stone grinding against stone filled the air as the bats unfurled their rigid wings, lifting off from their perches.
Kazimir watched in fascination and dread as they began to fly, their wings flapping with an eerie, mechanical precision.
Then, they dived.
Kazimir's eyes widened as the statues darted through the air, zigzagging unpredictably, twisting and turning in ways no living creature ever could.
He raised his arm and threw a knife,
But it missed entirely, sailing past the bat as it veered suddenly to the right.
"Too slow," Selis observed.
Kazimir scowled, gripping another knife.
"They're too fast to follow," he muttered.
"Then stop relying on your eyes," Selis replied, folding her arms. "Use your shadows."
Kazimir took a breath, refocusing.
He reached into the shadows around him, pulling it toward him, weaving it into a knife.
The shadows responded instantly, shifting and solidifying in his palm.
He closed his eyes.
Instead of watching the bats, he felt them, through their shadows stretching across the walls, through the way they moved, twisted, and turned.
Then,
He threw the shadow knife.
Noticing this, the bat statue attempted to change course,
Kazimir willed the knife to move with it.
The blade curved mid-air, twisting to follow its target,
And struck.
The moment it hit, the flames in the bat's engravings faded, and it froze in place before gliding back to its original position, once again an ordinary statue.
Kazimir exhaled.
Selis raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed.
"Well done," she said. "You truly are good with knives."
Kazimir allowed himself a small smile.
Normally he didn't care much for flattery, but since Selis was a stoic woman, and the woman that saved his life, it meant more to him than he expected.
He didn't stop.
He wove another shadow knife, then another, throwing them at the remaining statues, growing faster, more precise with each strike.
The more he wove, the better he became at shaping them.
The more he threw, the more his accuracy sharpened.
The training ground became a blur, stone bats circling the room, knives slicing through the air, shadows bending to his will.
And then,
It was over.
The last statue stilled, its white flames dimming, returning to lifeless stone once more.
Kazimir stood panting, his fingers still twitching from the excitement of battle.
Selis studied him for a long moment.
Then, at last, she spoke.
"You are excellent at long-range combat," she admitted. "But let's see how you fare at close range."
She turned on her heel and strode toward the center of the training hall, where the sparring circle awaited,
A vast ring of worn stone, surrounded by silent knight statues, each one standing at attention like spectral guardians.
She beckoned for him to follow.
"Come," she commanded.
Kazimir wiped the sweat from his brow.
And followed.