But she had turned up.
I decided that punishment by way of hard-core training was preferable to cold-shoulder treatment. Seeing Phoenix, although troubling, had served as a solid reminder of what lay on my horizon. I needed to be ready. Plus, as strange as it was, I knew the Grigori testing was important and a desire to be accepted by the Assembly had kind of crept up on me.
Then again, when Rainer carved another wound into my upper arm, it was hard to remember all of that.
‘Jesus!’ I exclaimed, twisting to see the damage.
‘You’re sloppy,’ she said, whipping her katana through the air in front of me then pointing it towards my arm. ‘You keep dropping your right arm.’
For a nano-second!
‘Might be because it has no blood left in it,’ I mumbled.
Rainer shook her head. ‘You can’t afford to make a mistake, ever. Not if you plan on living. Start again, from the top. Drills first and then we fight.’
I swallowed. My mouth was parched and my body hurt in ways it was not supposed to, but I nodded, pushed the pain back and carried on through the monotonous and repetitive exercises. I wasn’t sure if Rainer’s training techniques left me feeling more like the Karate Kid or Sarah Connor.
The next time we fought I kept my arms up and ready. Our katanas clashed as we went at each other like feral animals. Fast fights were always preferable, and the only way to ensure that was with a fierce offensive. I wanted to be my best, to be my strongest. I had all the motivation in the world.
A rare opening presented itself; Rainer had made a slight error in the angling of her body. It wouldn’t give me a kill shot but if I was lucky it should be enough to take her down.
I made my move, got a foot to her leg and followed with my blade, just nicking her thigh.
Rainer righted herself quickly, her eyes now alight with a fighter’s intent.
I planted my feet and braced for the attack, but instead… she smiled.
‘What?’ I asked, wiping my sweaty brow.
‘That’s more like it,’ she said, giving me a nod of respect.
It was the first time she’d done that and it had a surprisingly deep effect on me.
‘You fight well with swords. You’re best with a dagger, but then swords. You should remember that and always be armed. You can fight with bare hands when needed but you’re a technician and most lethal with tools.’
I nodded, agreeing. ‘I’ll remember.’
Stepping forward, Rainer put a hand on my shoulder. ‘We both know you hold back, Violet. The question is, how much?’
She didn’t wait for my answer and I was grateful, since I didn’t have one.
Rainer started to pack up for the day and when I started to help she put up a hand. ‘Go. You’ve got time before your classes start and I hear you have somewhere else to be.’ She gave me a knowing look.
She was right.
Not that I need the reminder.
Last night at Ascension I’d agreed it was time I visited Evelyn. I’d been putting it off, worried about what to say to her, and to Dad. But we needed her information and Griffin seemed convinced, despite his many visits, that Evelyn would tell me more than she’d revealed to him. I was surprised Griffin had obviously confided in Rainer. She might have been mentoring me, but she was still a member of the Assembly.
‘Okay,’ I said.
‘Violet …’ Rainer continued as I collected my things. Her voice was different now. No longer my teacher. ‘I know that you and Lincoln are… Like Nyla and Rudyard were.’
I looked at my feet.
‘I miss them both so much, but even now… I envy what they had.’
I blinked. ‘What do you mean?’
She shrugged. ‘All of it. They were much more powerful than they ever let others see – always worried it could endanger them if the strongest among us realised their potential. As bonded soulmates their union meant they could draw on one another’s powers when they needed to. They transformed from two good fighters to one incredible warrior.’ Her voice grew quiet. ‘If they’d wanted to, they would’ve been sitting in Wil’s and my seats at the Assembly, but they refused.’
It didn’t surprise me that Nyla and Rudyard had declined places on the Assembly. It wasn’t their kind of thing.
‘Incredible, but not incredible enough,’ I said. ‘Rudyard is gone and Nyla is… lost, and everyone who loved them is left with the awful reality.’
‘That’s true,’ Rainer agreed.
I hitched my training bag on my shoulder and made for the door.
‘One other thing is true as well, though,’ she continued.
‘What?’
‘Rudyard and Nyla were nowhere near as powerful individually as you and Lincoln. Not even close.’
I paused and turned back to her. ‘The risk is too great, Rainer. Power isn’t everything.’
She fixed a gaze on me that sent a shiver down my spine. ‘Until it is.’