The sound of metal clashing against metal jolted Kaine awake. His eyes snapped open immediately, and he sat up in bed, leaving Ella still sleeping peacefully beside him.
His heart raced as he rushed to the window, the nightmare still fresh in his memory making every unexpected sound feel like a potential threat.
Looking down into the courtyard, he saw Catherine and Vincent engaged in what appeared to be intense combat training. They moved with incredible speed and precision, their practice weapons creating the rhythmic sounds that had woken him.
"They always do this twice a week."
Kaine nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around to find Ella standing right behind him.
"You scared me!" he said, his hand pressed to his chest.
"I'm sorry, Young Lord," Ella said with an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to startle you. You seemed so focused on watching them."
