With those sage words, he bowed his head and then turned and walked from the tent.
“You know,” Alex said pensively to Kyia and Zain once they were alone, “I only came here because I found your note and figured I should prove I was still alive. I was not expecting any of that.”
“Consider it an unanticipated boon, little human,” Zain said, dropping a hand onto her shoulder and giving her a friendly shake—one that was so forceful that it rattled Alex’s bones. “We scored a great victory today: the assurance that Meya—those of us who remain free—will side with you in the coming war.”
“Not to sound ungrateful, but ignoring the whole sacrificial-me offering, unless you all planned on staying up here forever, your options were limited,” Alex pointed out. “Fight Aven, or join him.”
“Alternatively, we could have attempted to dislodge Aven on our own,” Kyia said. “In which case, had we prevailed and banished him again, he would still then be free to exact vengeance on mortals, just without his throne.” She paused. “Though, the likelihood of our success would have been minimal without you.” She paused again. “And he still would have had an entire city of our people bound to him.”
“We all know the outcome of us officially aligning ourselves with the mortals was inevitable,” Zain said, crossing his bulging arms, “but just appeal to our egos and accept the victory.”
Alex grinned. “That I can do.”
“Good,” Kyia said. “Now, do you want to tell us why we haven’t heard from you for a week?”
“I’m sorry,” Alex said, meaning it. “I should have come sooner. It’s just… things have been somewhat… hectic… since I last saw you.”
Zain raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to be more vague, little human? Because really, we’re not at all curious.”
Alex offered a shrug of contrition and looked down at her feet. In doing so, she saw the satchel she’d dropped and bent to collect it.
“Peace offering,” she said, handing it to Kyia. “Consider it my apology for neglecting you.”
Kyia opened the bag with interest, but her features hardened when she saw what was inside. “Alex, I told you—”
“I swear, I didn’t go into Silverwood,” Alex said, holding up her hands.
“Then how—”
“Please don’t ask me that,” Alex interrupted again, quietly. “Because I can’t answer. But I kept the promise I made you, you have my word.”
Kyia looked deep into Alex’s eyes as if testing the truth of her claim before she sighed and relaxed. “Then, thank you,” the female Meyarin said. “However you have come to be in possession of this, we greatly appreciate it.”
“Let me know if you start to run out again and I’ll see if I can get my hands on more,” Alex told her.
Kyia nodded and placed the satchel on a table at the side of the tent.
“I meant what I said before—I can’t stay long,” Alex said. “I have to head off to Maroo this afternoon.”
“Maroo? You’re going to see the Jarnocks?” Zain asked. He barked out a laugh. “Have fun with that.”
Alex felt a prickle of trepidation. “Care to explain?”
Zain just looked at his boots and chuckled some more.
“Ignore him, you’ll be fine,” Kyia said brusquely. “We need to discuss your training.”
Alex swallowed back a sigh. “Go for it.”
“Firstly, how are you going with developing your gift?”
Careful to maintain Athora’s secrecy rule, Alex said, “That’s part of why everything has been so hectic lately. I’ve been spending a lot of time focusing on that.”
“Any progress?” Zain asked.
“I’ve been told so,” Alex said, and even if she hadn’t been expressly ordered not to say anything about her sessions, she still wouldn’t have mentioned the strange tasks. She had a feeling she would never hear the end of it if her Meyarin friends found out about the banana balancing or the yarn rolling or the jigsaw puzzle from hell.
“Excellent,” Kyia said, approval lighting her eyes. “Make sure you keep it up.”
Alex didn’t respond, aware that her friend was only being supportive and likely wouldn’t appreciate an irritated retort.
“Now we just have to make sure you’re physically capable of surviving long enough to use your gift against Aven,” Zain said. “We know it’s a lot, but we think you should work with us for a few hours every day so we can prepare you as much as possible.”
Alex willed her expression not to reveal her alarm.
Niyx! she cried. Kyia and Zain want me to train with them daily, but I don’t have time for that! What do I do?
His response was instant, Tell them you’re already training twice a day—just let them presume that means for your gift, and nothing else. Be honest about your time concerns. See what they say.
Alex did as he suggested, but neither Kyia nor Zain were pleased.
“This is important, little human,” Zain said.
“But it’s more important that she spend the time strengthening her gift,” Kyia argued, albeit grudgingly. “We can fight for her physically, but she’s the only one who can free those who are Claimed. We just have to make sure that when the time comes, we stay close enough to protect her.”
“Let’s not forget that I’ve already had some combat training,” Alex said, not appreciating them thinking of her as such a damsel in distress. “More than I’m sure you could imagine, really.”
“Roka would have been extremely thorough, even in the past,” Kyia said, jumping to the wrong conclusion.
“I’d feel more comfortable seeing the evidence of that for myself,” Zain said, eyeing Alex as if just looking at her would give away whether she was exaggerating or not.
She consulted Niyx again, asking what he thought she should do next.
Show them, he said. You knew you would have to at some stage, and this might make them back off about the extra training—training that you don’t need, since there’s nothing they can teach you that I haven’t already.
Ignoring his arrogance, Alex pulled out her ComTCD and glanced at the screen.
“I have fifteen minutes before I have to go,” she told them. “If I can prove to you in that time that I can at least defend myself well enough to get by, can we bench this training discussion for a later date?”
Zain eyed her. “Fifteen minutes isn’t long,” he said. “How would you prove yourself?”
“That’s easy,” Alex said with more bravado than she felt. “I’ll fight both of you.”
Raised eyebrows met her statement.
“Both of us?” Kyia said. “At once?”
Alex blanched. She had only meant one after the other, but perhaps…
Niyx, what are my chances of being able to take them both on at the same time?
I wouldn’t recommend it, he answered.
You told me to fight them, she reminded him. If I can’t win, will I be able to put up a good enough defence that they’ll be content with what I can already do?
His reply surprised her. Oh, you’ll win, he said, his tone sure. That’s why I wouldn’t recommend it.