Kael
Liora checked whether I had eaten before she checked my weapon.
"Yes," I said.
"What?"
"Bread. Eggs. A humiliating number of questions about breakfast."
"Good."
She turned to the equipment rack.
I had arrived early enough to see Veylan finish marking the court. A narrow square occupied part of the larger training space. Two benches stood outside it, with water and a sand timer between them.
Nobody had been invited to watch.
A few students in the next court were interested anyway. One pretended to stretch while looking directly at us.
Veylan moved the screen between the courts.
The student found another exercise.
On the eleventh morning of the month, I was going to fight someone who knew exactly which parts of me still hurt. We had agreed that she wouldn't hit those parts.
It was a generous arrangement, considering our history.
