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The surgeon shook his head, knowing that was explanation enough. The School of Battle wouldn’t be easing its training regimen. It couldn’t, not when the Blades were the warriors who rushed headfirst into every battle. The first line of Drexian defense had to be the toughest one.
After the surgeon had given his last few warnings to me—unhelpful ones like recommending I avoid falling from climbing walls and I learn to dodge daggers better—he left, but Kann stayed.
“I have bad news for you.”
I rolled down my pantleg and sat on the end of my bed. What now?
“We have moved on from grappling on the climbing wall.” Kann’s lips twitched as he tried not to laugh. “You won’t have the chance to climb over your fellow cadets again.”
“I stand by that strategy.” It had worked beautifully, until I’d been knocked off.
“Of course, you do.” Kann did laugh now. “You’re a Blade. We’re stubborn and thick-headed.”
I’d been called stubborn many times by my father, but I’d always thought that was just because he hated when anyone defied him.
“If we’re not working on the wall, what are we doing?”
“Holo-chamber simulations to prepare you for the battle of the schools.”
The reminder of the upcoming contest that would pit Blades against Assassins and me against Jess made me frown. “What kind of simulations?”
“Since the battle takes place outside the academy and ranges from the Restless Sea to the Gilded Peaks, we must ensure you are exposed to all the various environments you might experience.”
I hadn’t heard as many tales about the battle of the schools as I had the maze trials, primarily because when my father had been a cadet, the Wings had never won one of the end-of-year competitions. He’d always grumbled about it and shared scant details about the event, although I did know it was different every year and it always took place beyond the walls of the academy.
“Will we have to figure out challenges like we did in the maze?” If there were going to be technical tasks then I feared the Blades might not stand a chance. On the other hand, if we needed to fight off more vicious beasts, we would certainly be victorious.
“No challenges.” Kann picked up my tablet from my desk, wrinkling his nose when the latest Kronock lesson flashed onto the screen. “You definitely will not have to translate Kronock, but I’m impressed you want to continue to hone skills outside of Battle.”
I didn’t comment. What could I say? I could not tell Kann that I was only studying the alien language as an excuse to see another cadet who was much better at it. I could not tell him that because then I would have to explain why Jess felt compelled to tutor me, and I doubted that would make me look great. It might even get me booted from Blades.
“If there are no challenges, then what—”
Kann held up his hands. “I cannot reveal anything else. Partially because it would not be fair for me to tell any cadets what they need to face, but mostly because I do not know.”
I huffed out a frustrated breath.
The Blade instructor placed my tablet back on my desk. “You should not worry. The battle is set up so that every school has an equal chance of winning. There should be no elements that give one group an advantage over the others. It is a test of general warrior abilities, which every cadet should possess, and it is a test of adaptability, another vital skill for a warrior.”
That was both comforting and aggravating. “Then I look forward to the simulations.”
“They will be less dangerous, if nothing else. Your goal with them will be to get through the environments as a team.” He turned to my door, pressing his palm to open it. “You might want to put in some extra time on the climbing wall just to make sure you are comfortable doing vertical assents. During the battle of the schools my first year, we had to scale the highest point of the Gilded Peaks.” He shivered at the memory. “I am not saying you will have to do that, but you should be prepared.”
“Thanks,” I said as he stepped into the corridor. “And thank you for checking on me.”
Kann inclined his head at me. “You are one of my Blade brothers now. Besides, Volten holds you in high regard, and he is slow to warm to others, so that tells me a lot about you.”
Then he was gone, and the door glided shut behind him. I stood motionless for a few moments, basking in the pleasure of his words. Volten held me in high regard. I was Kann’s Blade brother. Both of those made my chest swell with pride, but not the usual pride that was puffed up to mask my fears and insecurities. This was genuine pride. Pride at who I was and who I was becoming. And those were things that had nothing to do with my clan, a fact that made me happier than I could have imagined.
A knock on the door snatched my attention, and my gaze darted to the tablet on my desk. Jess.
My pulse spiked at the thought of sitting with her on the bed while she drilled me in Kronock verb tenses and unusual nouns, then I remembered that I was healed. I didn’t need to remain in bed. We could return to sitting at my desk in chairs side by side.
My excitement faded. That wasn’t the same as feeling her body press against mine and breathing in the scent of her hair. It wasn’t the same as her body heat pulsing into me and her hip flush with mine as we sat close on the narrow bed.
But she didn’t know I was fully healed or that I didn’t need to sit with my leg outstretched any more. She thought I was still wounded.
I jumped on the bed and slid up so that I was sitting propped against the headboard. What would it hurt to enjoy one more tutoring session next to her? What was the harm in savoring her touch and closeness one last time?
