She didn't waste a second acknowledging him. Her next pivot was clean and exact, placing her in just the right spot to set his line for a feint that drew the third projection straight into her range.
The sound of her spear cutting the air landed almost in sync with the hit itself, sharp and final.
It wasn't perfect, but it was tighter than their first try, the rhythm between them beginning to click into place.
Ardis's eyes lingered on them, her nod small and quiet, the kind of approval that didn't need words to be understood.
Outside, the light had changed—longer shadows now stretched across the floor, slipping in through the tall windows and slowly along the walls.
Inside, neither Ethan nor Nyssara moved toward stopping. The work had its hold on them, the loop of adjusting, reacting, and pushing just a little further proving harder to break away from than any call for a rest.
