Three days passed in a rhythm of sweat and steel.
Morning light found us in the training yard before the servants had even lit the kitchen fires. Evelina pushed herself through forms that grew sharper with each passing day. I watched, corrected, and occasionally stepped into the circle to remind her why she was still learning.
By the second day, she could hold her own against three of my shadows at once.
By the third, she could defeat them.
Hand-to-hand combat wouldn't be all that useful against an entire church congregation. But when it came to dodging spells from every direction, it would help. A lot.
It was the only thing we could really train for in that short amount of time at our level.
"Is my body really that interesting?" Evelina said, not looking up from where she was wrapping her knuckles. The white linen wound around her fingers, tight and precise, the same way she did everything.
"I like the change."
"It's barely anything."
