we’ve got to go below and maybe go to that city where the Rokador leaders are. What’s it called?”
“Kidik,” Loor answered. “That would be dangerous,” she said.
“Yup,” I shot back. “That’s why we’re here right now, to make sure we’ve all got a chance of getting in and out alive.”
Loor nodded, thinking this over. She got up and stood in front of me.
“Stand up,” she ordered.
I got to my feet slowly. In the short time since we had been lying down, my muscles had already gone stiff. I think I was getting a taste of what it’s like to be eighty. I stood in front of Loor, looking into her eyes. She was an inch or two taller than me. I resisted the temptation to go up on my toes. She grabbed my arm, feeling my bicep. With a quick, dismissive “humph,” she checked my other arm. She turned me around and felt my lats, then down to my legs, where she clasped my quads, and then my calves. I felt like a horse being examined before being sent to auction. To be honest, I didn’t mind it…until Loor said, “You are weak.”
“Hey, I’ve been hurt, remember?” I said defensively. “My muscle tone is shot.”
“That is true,” Loor said dismissively. “But there was not much there to begin with.”
I bit my lip. She was the expert, but being told that I was a puny, pathetic specimen didn’t do much for my ego. Or confidence.
“Does that mean it’s hopeless?” I asked.
“No,” she answered with a sigh. “It means you must learn to be clever, because you will never win a fight with force.”
Oh.
Not that I really expected it, but once I made the decision, I have to admit that there were a few times I envisioned myself becoming a warrior who was all cut up and fierce looking. I guess that would be a little much to ask for, seeing as we didn’t have much time and I had been hurt and-Oh, who am I kidding? I had no chance of coming close to the kind of warrior Loor was. Never did. But I needed to know how to defend myself. So I put my ego aside and took the criticism as constructive.
“What do we do first?” I asked.
“We rest,” Loor answered. “Saangi will return soon with our provisions. We will eat, then sleep. Tomorrow morning we will begin.”
So far it sounded pretty cake. Saangi returned to Mooraj a few hours later, bringing with her more food than I could have imagined. She had a sack full of bread and fruit and some kind of nutty-tasting cheese that I couldn’t get enough of. She also brought a large, leather bag filled with water. Precious water. If we were going to be working out, we needed as much as possible. After we had eaten our fill, I said, “Thank you, Saangi. You’re amazing.”
“It is my job,” she said with a shrug. “I will leave now and bring more.”
“No,” Loor ordered. “We have plenty for now. I will need you here tomorrow, when the training begins.”
Saangi’s eyes lit up.
“I will take part?” she asked hopefully.
“Of course,” Loor said. “Did I not promise that?”
Suddenly Saangi wasn’t so sour anymore. She opened up and told us all about how she collected the fruit and smuggled the water into the underground, all under the noses of the Ghee. I liked Saangi…most of the time. Other times she was kind of a loose cannon. As long as things were going her way, she was fine. But if things didn’t go the way she liked, she let you know it. I suppose it’s okay to be moody, as long as you know when to let it go. I guess what I’m saying is that I didn’t entirely trust Saangi. Not that I thought she was against me or anything, but I wasn’t convinced that if things got scary, I could count on her.
To be honest, the thought also crossed my mind that she might have been Saint Dane in disguise. I couldn’t totally dismiss that possibility, but I couldn’t dwell on it. If I started thinking that way, I’d have to look at everybody I met as possibly being Saint Dane, and I’d turn into a paranoid wreck. I had to be trusting, but wary.
“We must sleep now,” Loor announced. “We begin first thing in the morning.”
“First thing” felt as if it came about two minutes after I lay down to go to sleep. It was pitch dark. I was having a sweet dream about bouncing along on a skimmer on the beautiful, warm waters of Cloral. I hit some waves and got buffeted, but stayed upright, handling the rough motion. That is, until I realized it wasn’t a dream. Loor was shaking me awake.
“Get up,” she commanded.
I struggled to get up on my elbows, only to see…nothing. It was pitch black.
“Morning,” I said cheerily. “Isn’t it still last night?”
“We must work now, before the sun comes up,” Loor explained. “Unless you’d prefer to work during the heat of the day.”
I forced myself awake. “No, no, I’m with you. Cool is cool.”
“Get dressed,” Loor ordered. “Meet us outside.”
I heard the sound of Loor walking away. It was time to getmycreaky bones up and moving. I figured we’d start out with a little road work like boxers do. Then we’d move on to some tactics and learn about weapons.
We didn’t.
I put on my Rokador jacket and sandals, then followed her outside. It was still pitch dark. I couldn’t see two feet in front of me and had to stretch my hands out in front for fear of walking into a wall. I found the doorway and stepped outside to ask, “What do we do-“
Whack. I got smacked on the side of the head.
“Hey!” I shouted. “What was that-“
Smack. A shot came from the other side. It was so dark I had no idea who was hitting me, or from where. It didn’t hurt. Much. It was more about the surprise.
“A simple game,” Loor said.
“Game?” I shouted angrily. “I can’t see a thing.”
Whack. I got hit on the shoulder.
“Yes, you can,” Loor said calmly.
Smack. Whap. I got rocked twice; the second time I fell to the ground.
“No, I can’t! Give me a break, it’s dark!” I complained. “Do not get angry,” said Saangi’s voice. “Anger leads to mistakes.”
I jumped back to my feet. It was two-on-one. A minute before, I was happily dreaming about Cloral. Now my adrenaline was spiked as I vainly tried to defend myself against these aggressive ghosts.
“How do I win this game?” I asked.
“The spikes bring reward,” Loor said from nowhere.
“Spikes? What spikes?”
Whap. I got hit again. They were using open hands, so I wasn’t getting hurt, but it stung getting slapped around like this. I spun around, hands out, hoping to hit something. Anything. All I got was air.
“Control, Pendragon,” Alder said calmly…just before he hit me in the gut.
Great. Three-on-one. The whole gang was there, taking shots. I was breathing hard and sweating-and already tired.
“Conserve your energy,” Loor said, as if she could read my mind.
Smack. Smack. Hands came out of nowhere, hitting me quickly and then disappearing. I glanced up to the sky.
“The sun will not be up for a while,” Saangi said.
How did she know what I was thinking?
“You can hear us,” Loor said softly. “You can smell us. You can feel the heat of our bodies.”
Smack. Whack. Whap. No, I couldn’t. Anger gave way to frustration.
“This is stupid,” I shouted, and immediately got hit with a barrage of shots that spun me around. “Feel us,” Alder said.
I took a breath. I tried to sense where they might be. I couldn’t. Instead I got hit with so many shots that I was nearly rocked off my feet.
“Stop!” I shouted. “You want me back in the hospital?”
There was no answer. No instruction. No comment.
“Time-out, okay?” No answer.
