Page 45 of Heart of Night and Fire

“Let us begin! Each group will receive instructions on their first test, so listen carefully for your name! Good luck to each one of you!”

The crowd of hopefuls broke up in a clamor of voices and congregated around the Khada, who were busy organizing everyone into groups.

A shrill whistle announced the start of the first test.

Zarya waited as the Khada called out names in turn. Standing with her hands clasped behind her back, she tried to hide her nervousness. A young warrior was called forward, tipping a crisp salute before being directed to the archery range.

A few minutes later, a decorated Khada soldier stopped in front of Zarya and eyed her up and down.

“Zarya?”

She exhaled a tight breath and stepped forward. “Yes.”

“I’m Lieutenant Batra. Lieutenant Varghese tells me I should go hard on you to discourage you from this endeavor.”

Zarya narrowed her eyes, glaring at Yasen, who was still leaning against the wall with his posture loose like he didn’t have a care in the world. When he found her staring, he gave her a smug grin. She looked back at Lieutenant Batra.

“Yasen should mind his own fucking business,” she said, and the soldier laughed.

“I admit, I was inclined to ignore him.” He winked, and Zarya smiled. “We’re up next. What’s your weapon of choice?”

She gestured to Row’s sword on her back. “The blades.”

Lieutenant Batra’s eyes crinkled at the corners. “Perfect. Then let’s go.”

She followed him to the middle of a sparring ring, where they both drew their weapons. A crowd had gathered around them, other recruits looking for a distraction in between their own tests, as well as members of the Khada. She caught sight of Aarav and Yasen watching, too, and felt exposed and self-conscious.

For all her bravado, she suddenly wasn’t as sure as she had been about holding up against one of Daragaab’s most accomplished soldiers. She rarely won against Yasen, and Aarav had walloped her enough over the years to make it clear that she was far from infallible.

They circled one another, backdropped by the sounds of the others training, fighting, and falling. But she pushed down her nerves, knowing that fear was only a state of mind. Row had taught her that well enough.

She made the first move, darting towards the lieutenant and swinging her blade. He easily blocked it and countered with a light jab of his own. She dodged it, raising her blade to deflect his next attack. He blocked that one as well.

As they parried, their flashing blades met with the satisfying clash of steel. Grunting, she swung around, going in for another attack, knowing her reflexes were fast. Fighting was as much about thought as it was about intuition—another thing Row had taught her—and he’d trained her to look for tells that signaled what her opponent might do next.

She drew on that, trying to anticipate his moves and mostly guessing right. They traded blows as she met him strike for strike. Her body was starting to tire, though, and the lieutenant looked like he’d barely broken a sweat.

Just as Zarya was wondering how much longer she could hold on, he stopped and lowered his blade with a smile that made his eyes sparkle.

“Well done, recruit,” he said, and she held her breath. Lieutenant Batra lifted his hand and signaled that she would be allowed to proceed to the next test. Several onlookers erupted into a supportive cheer, and she pressed a hand to her chest, her shoulders dropping in relief.

He held out his arm, and she grabbed his forearm in a show of solidarity. “Tell Yasen I tried.”

She laughed, and he let go, offering her a bow before moving on to the next recruit, leaving Zarya in shock over her accomplishment. She couldn’t quite believe that she had actually prevailed against an experienced Khada warrior. She hadn’t beaten him, but she’d held her own, and that was something to be proud of. Yasen could get bent. She had as much right to be here as anyone.

Over the next three days, Zarya faced challenge after challenge and managed to complete every task, usually dragging herself to the finish line. Each night she went to bed with aching muscles, only to wake up to them screaming even louder. She wasn’t sure if her body would ever recover.

Slowly, the numbers in the fighting yards dwindled as those cut from the trials took their place along the walls, nursing their battered bodies and egos. About a third of the original recruits were left, and Zarya still couldn’t believe she was one of them. Again, she silently acknowledged the fervor with which Row had taught her to protect herself. She didn’t think he’d had this in mind, but he also wasn’t here to complain about it.

Aarav stood across the circle where she waited with the others, about to embark on his final test. Zarya supposed it wasn’t surprising he’d also gotten so far, given he’d been Row’s student, too.

She tried to make eye contact, but he looked away just as General Amjal summoned him. He jogged over to the obstacle course, his joints clearly stiff from the rigors of the past few days.

Zarya rolled her neck, thinking of how strenuous the obstacle course had been. And she’d just barely finished it, at that. She’d been fresher then and wasn’t sure she’d manage it now after the punishing regimen they’d all been put through during the last few days.

Aarav pressed his hands in front of his heart and bowed to General Amjal before he turned and shimmied up the side of the contraption.

Zarya watched with her breath held as he tumbled over logs, scaled walls, ran through rings of fire, and swung from one platform to another. He was quick and determined, and despite herself, Zarya found that she wanted him to succeed, even if she was still angry with him. Besides, if he failed here, he’d probably find some way to make it her fault, and she didn’t need that.