Page 13 of The Brothers Bane

Hunger gnaws at my belly, prompting me to ask, “What about breakfast?”

“After training. Eight o’clock.”

My stomach lurches in protest, a silent scream for food. “I’ll starve by then,” I mutter under my breath.

Other residents are in various states of rousing and dressing as we pass through between the bunks.

We step outside with the trickle of other women, into the cool morning air, stars still clinging to the sky as dawn prepares to break. Not all the women are dressed for training; some wear jeans and T-shirts, others are in comfortable shorts and tops as they stride purposefully toward various buildings. It’s a bustling hub of early morning activity, with more women than I expected, some originating from a second building down the hill from where I slept.

Ele leads me down a path toward a somewhat flat field dotted with contraptions obscured by morning mist, which resolve themselves as pieces of an obstacle course when we draw close. An oval dirt track circumscribes the area, giving me rude flashbacks of gym class in high school. They’re far from my least favorite memories, but definitely not my best, either.

“Mel should be here soon. You’ll do great today,” Ele says, squeezing my arm.

“Wait, you’re leaving?” I blurt, eyes widening. That’s when I take in her more business-like attire of crisp linen trousers and a white top that accents her tan skin.

“I run marketing for our winery and brewery. I have to go to work. I just wanted to make sure you made it to the training ground. You’ll be in good hands with Mel.”

A knot forms in my throat as I face the prospect of navigating today alone.

Seeing my unease, Ele sighs softly and calls over another Amazon—a tall woman with wide shoulders and eyes that could cut glass. “Tell Mother I’m going to miss the morning meeting. I’ll catch up with her at lunch.”

The woman nods once before disappearing up the misty path.

“You didn’t have to do that,” I say, though I’m secretly grateful that she decided to stay.

Ele shrugs. “It can’t hurt to sharpen my skills a bit. Just let me go change. I’ll be back in a blink.”

Other women gather, some sitting on nearby benches to wait. I chew on my lip, answering the occasional morning greeting with a nod and a forced smile. They don’t all look like Amazons at least. Some appear just as unathletic as me, so maybe I won’t be alone in my imminent failure to pass whatever test I’m about to undertake.

Ele returns at a jog, dressed in identical black tank and shorts, though her boots are more worn and scuffed. She holds something out to me, and it takes a beat for me to realize it’s a hair tie.

“You’ll want to put that up before we start,” she says.

“Thanks.”

I fumble with the small elastic, dropping it once before shoving it between my teeth to try gathering my sleep-tangled hair. This should not be as difficult as it is, but my hands are shaking. I’m just grateful that my power is solidly tamped down deep inside me for the time being. It’s probably hiding just the way I want to hide right now.

“Here, let me,” Ele says in a gentle tone, retrieving the hair tie from the ground where I’ve dropped it again. “Sit.”

I obey, plopping my butt onto the end of the nearest bench. She steps behind me and deftly gathers my hair between her fingers, weaving the strands into a French braid that trails down to the center of my back.

“Thanks,” I mumble when she’s done. Having another woman show me any kind of consideration is an alien feeling. Even my girlfriends back in school behaved more like casual buddies who would joke and share secrets, but reserved their affection for their partners more so than me.

Ele gives me another warm smile that makes me wonder if this is what it would have felt like to have a big sister, or even a mom who was halfway present in my life. My grandmother didn’t even show this much affection. I was foisted onto her by child protective services, and she did her best, but she’d only ever raised the one boy who’d abandoned her as quickly as he abandoned my mother. Girls were too much work for her, I guess.

I’m still absorbing the strange sensation of sisterhood when a hush comes over the group and the other women begin to stand. I peer over my shoulder and my heart jumps into my throat. A trio of intimidating Amazons march toward us, Mel taking the lead with two others flanking her to either side.

Mel reaches us, and the crowd parts for the trio to pass through. They pivot on their heels in an easy synchronicity, like they’ve been doing this for ages.

When Mel finally speaks, her voice carries easily through the mist, and her gaze tracks over the crowd, resting on me for only a second before moving on.

“All newcomers to the Boxing Club are required to undergo a physical assessment to determine where you fit within our community. This is not a pass/fail kind of test, so don’t worry if you can’t hold your own against your fellow residents. Not all of you will be cut out for combat, and that’s okay, but those of you who have any affinity for it at all will be expected to train to maximize your skills in order to protect the compound and its residents, or to protect yourself in the event that you choose to leave.

“I shouldn’t have to tell any of you why this is necessary. Many of you already know there are predators out there more powerful than the average human man. As such,runningis often the only option. So with that, let’s get started! Run as many laps around this track as you can until the whistle blows!”

The woman on Mel’s left pulls out a stopwatch, raises it, and then inserts a whistle between her lips, emitting a shrill, piercing bleat.

Ele nudges me once, then breaks into a jog. “No snoozing, Nemea! Let’s go!” she calls over her shoulder.

---