We decided to let Rhayne rest for a few hours.
She slept on the bed in our dorm room, but Veric pulled real bedding from the Academy noble wing—proper sheets, actual blankets.
She'd earned that twice over by now. She doesn't get to be alone after what happened.
That part isn't up for debate.
Veric and I stay in the same room at her request. Sit on my bed while Rhayne sleeps on hers.
"We need to train," I say, almost a whisper. "The four of us. Me. You. Rhayne. Oliver. Duels."
I'd been turning the idea over since the Nomine Gladiatus with Freya. A duel doesn't just measure a fighter—it teaches the squad how each of us breathes, where each of us hesitates. Veric was off-world for too long. He needs to slot back in.
Veric raises an eyebrow. "Duels?"
"Where we're going, Diver versus Diver is the rule, not the exception. If we don't know how to fight each other, we won't survive fighting them."
He processes it. Quick read.
"So you actually want to walk into Veridian's docks."
