Lucian's Pov
I had fought Kael before—once, when he was trying to sneak out of the fortress with one of his rogues. It hadn't been much of a fight then. He'd used magic to blind us with high wind and disappeared like a damn ghost. But it taught me a few things.
One: Kael was far better with weapons than with his bare hands. That much had been obvious since one of the first times I saw him spar—back when he gave a trainee a deep injury with a blunt blade, then apologized like it was the blade's fault. Or that competition where he'd sliced into another wolf like he was skinning fruit, simply because they had hit in the face.Calm. Precise. Like he didn't feel the weight of blood on his hands. Or maybe he just liked the feeling.
Two: In his human form, Kael was nearly untouchable. He fought like a wolf, utilizing strength, speed, reflexes. And unlike any wolf, he could still cast spells. Sure I was protected from dark magic, but Kael had proven over and over to be creative.
