Valkyrie Rising ✓

Chapter Twenty-Two

With our training stepped up in each session, the remaining week and a half go by in a blur of activity. I wake the Thursday morning before our second Performance Review to insistent yet hushed knocking at our door. Caither rolls over and stuffs her head under her pillows when I get up to answer it.

Wick, Eveia, and Kaz are there.

"Is it time to work out already?" I yawn. From what I can tell, it's still dark outside.

Kaz shakes his head, his eyes lit up with excitement. "The trainers are fighting for placement in choosing their recruits this morning. Shark told me we could watch. He's fighting Kiira right now."

I pull on a hooded sweatshirt and follow them down to Shark's gym, fumbling my hair into a hurried ponytail as we go.

Briar and Hejae are squared off when we arrive, each holding one of those fighting sticks they had the previous mornings during their work out. Kiira sits off to one side of the bleachers, her arms and legs crossed, looking pleased with herself.

Shark is scowling in his seat at the other side, slumped a little. Kaz leads the way and we sit behind Shark.

"Did Kiira hand your ass to you?" Kaz claps Shark's shoulder as he passes behind him.

"You try fighting your Potential and winning without hurting her." He grumbles a little more under his breath.

I'm surprised; I didn't know Shark and Kiira were together. Kaz doesn't seem too taken aback, though. Judging from the way he interacts with Shark, they seem pretty close, so this must not be news to him.

"I wouldn't have let her win," he says. "She would've had to work for it."

"Psh, I would!" Wick leans back and drapes an arm casually around Eveia, leaning it against the bleacher seats behind them. "Kiira's almost as scary as Eveia!"

Eveia punches him lightly. "You wouldn't have to let me win."

They seem a little more comfortable with being associated "together" now that everyone has stopped teasing Eveia. Their relationship is sweet, in a playful way.

I wonder if that isn't more important than the passion the Viry encourage. And, come to think of it, the light that enters Eveia's eyes when Wick sits a little closer than necessary, or the way Wick looks at Eveia when he thinks no one sees him—I don't think I've seen passion like that the few times I've been surrounded by Viry.

I wonder briefly if Milo had ever looked at me that way.

Then there's a wooden smack and one of the sticks drops to the floor. I refocus my attention to see Briar holding his right arm, Hejae grinning. Briar bends to pick up his stick in his left hand. It's obvious Hejae has a major advantage now: two hands securely on the stick, while Briar's grip is very loose with his right hand.

"You and I both know she belongs with me," Hejae says.

I wonder if he means me.

"Yeah, and yet when given the choice, she picked my floor." Briar swings his stick at Hejae, who jumps backwards out of the way.

"This is going on forever." Shark rubs his hands over his face. "Hurry up and beat him, Briar, so I can take third place."

Hejae's grin widens. "Yeah, come on, Briar. You're the weapons master. Beat me already." He glances our direction and raises his eyebrows.

It's like he's telling me I can be skilled in weapons and still not choose the path of Weapons Master. Like Hejae.

The slight lapse in attention costs him, though. Briar jabs the end of his stick into Hejae's abdomen. He swings the stick again while Hejae is doubled over, but Hejae manages to dodge it and brings his own up to catch Briar under the chin, hard enough to break skin.