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Most wore the same outfit Connell had given them.
“We’re just about to warm up,” the militia chief called out from the middle of the group. Lila spied several teen
s, including Cecily and Camille, in the mix. Even Mòr and Kenna had joined them, abandoning their robes in favor of workout clothes and sneakers. Blair sat next to them, mostly yawning rather than stretching.
“Do they do everything together here?” Lila asked under her breath.
Connell blew a whistle before Dixon could respond. The entire group jogged toward the running track that wound around the compound, starting their first lap. Pansies and other winter flowers had been planted along it, flashes of color amid skeletal shrubs and naked trees.
Lila joined them, glad that she felt no pressure to slow down for the group. It seemed that Connell started and ended the run, but everyone moved at their own pace. Since she had always trained hard, she was one of the few who could keep up with the chief and the rest of his purplecoats. She began with their warmup pace, then soon let the others fade away. Dixon hung back, sandwiching himself between Blair and her sisters. He jogged with a smile as they chatted to one another.
Lila hoped Blair would remember his name this time.
One of Connell’s purplecoats soon settled beside her. He had the muscular body of a sprinter and speed that he had not begun to use. Nudging her elbow, he winked. A cocky grin spread across his clean-shaven face. He sped up, looking back over his shoulder to see if she followed.
Lila hadn’t run in days, and she missed the trail she’d run at the cottage, just letting herself go as fast as she could between the trees. Like the lake, no manufacturing plants or factories coughed smoke nearby, filling her lungs with the stench of industry.
Lila sped up.
The purplecoat matched her, staying just a few paces ahead. “Is that the best you can do, mystery woman? Nice bruise, by the way. You didn’t have it this morning. Who’d you piss off?”
Lila cocked her head at the familiar voice.
In the mood for a chase, she sped past Nico. The purplecoat closed the gap between them, keeping pace. They ran as a pair, breathing hard and lapping everyone. On the tenth lap, Lila’s pace finally began to flag.
As they crossed in front of the gym for the eleventh lap, the purplecoat sprinted forward at the last minute, raising his arms like he’d placed first in a race.
He turned, running backward. His breath steamed in the chilly air.
“Hang back,” he said, panting. “Warmups are nearly done.”
Lila slowed her pace, and they jogged side by side.
“I never learned your name this morning, mystery woman,” he said.
“I know. I didn’t tell you, mountain man.”
Nico rubbed his hand across his chin. “I earned that one, I suppose. I had a spare moment this afternoon to de-fur. Un-fur? To shave. Things have been hectic lately. Would you rather I’d kept it?”
“Does it matter what I want?”
“Maybe. Did you like my hash browns?”
“They were okay.”
“Just okay? I’ll have to try harder next time. Clearly they weren’t my best.”
A bell clanged behind them. Connell had returned to the tree in front of the gym, mallet in hand, striking the sides of a metal triangle.
“We should turn around,” Nico said. “When you hear the bell, you’re supposed to finish your lap or cut off early and head to the gym.”
“Too bad. I have loads more in me.”
Lila sped up again.
Nico chuckled and chased her around the track.
Both panted and caught their breath as they reached the front of the gym once more. To Lila’s relief, much of the group had already descended on the machines and weights. Others had picked up jump ropes or started on punching bags. In the back corner of the gym, a defense class had started. Camille and Cecily stood in the first row, following along as their trainers lead them through a warmup.
