Page 58 of In Her Own Rite

“You shouldn’t be.” He keeps his eyes on the stove as he talks to me. “I made you a promise.”

“That was before. Things are different now.”

“Not for me.”

Oh.I feel something in my chest soften.

“Did you talk to the elders?” I ask, my voice gentler now. “Have they found anyone? Any sign of the Remnant?”

“Saga called this morning,” he says, stirring the pan. “Nothing. There’s a party searching the island, but there’s just too much ground to cover. They're focusing on the southwest part of the island first, since that’s where the attacks were. And they asked around—a few people said they saw what Quinn saw, that it was definitely targeted against Gabe. So it’s good we’re laying low here.”

“Okay,” I say, stepping closer to him. “You’re up earlier than I’m used to.”

“Yeah, well. You need a good breakfast, if you’re gonna get your ass handed to you today.”

I cross my arms. Kieran turns off the stove and grabs a plate, which he piles with eggs, vegetables, and sliced avocado, and hands to me.

“Eat.”

“You changed your mind?” I ask. “You’re helping me train?”

“No. I think you’re insane to do this, and I’m not gonna help you get yourself killed. But I’m not leaving, either.”

I purse my lips. I’ll give him that, at least.

An hour later,Quinn, Maren, and I walk down to the gym together to meet Seb.

Quinn is wearing traditional Fakari clothes. They’re a little more masculine than what I usually see women wear, even to train: a loose black shirt and flowy pants, with clasps to accommodate her shift and a leather jacket that I assume she won’t take into training. Maren, for her part, came dressed like she’s in a Viking-themed B-movie. A black mainland sports bra with more straps than can possibly be necessary, under a semi-sheer long-sleeve shirt, with high-waisted black leggings that hug her wide hips and end in yet another strappy configuration at the ankle. She’s braided her thick, curly hair into two chunky braids going down her head, adding little gold ring clasps here and there for decoration.

“I’m so excited for you!” she says, clapping. “She’s in her villain era now, ladies.”

“Who?” I ask.

“You, dummy. The big buff dude thought you couldn’t do it and now you’re gonna prove him wrong. This is the beginning of your hot-girl-kicks-ass montage. I can practically hear ‘Eye of the Tiger.’”

I say nothing. That’s not how it feels for me.

We make our way towards the cobblestone streets of the town center. It’s a cool winter morning, and Halluk’s streets are quiet. The north island is typically pretty empty outside of the summer, and as we pass a handful of closed shops, I think about Kieran and his childhood here. We walk by a school, where I can see kids in little Fakari-style school uniforms lining up to go inside. Would he have gone to school here? Or somewhere closer to his house, on the other side of the forest?

“So how much training have you done before this?” Quinn asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. I don’t think I’ve run on purpose since we did the yearly 3k in high school.”

Quinn looks me up and down. “Brave girl.”

“How about you, Quinn?” Maren asks. “What kind of training do you do? I feel like I never see you at Seb’s gym.”

“I have another gym I go to, closer to my apartment. I do a mix, mostly lifting and FMA.”

“What’s FMA?” Maren asks.

“Fakari Martial Arts,” I say. “Seb never taught you?”

“No. I have my own training routine, so we never really did that stuff together.”

“What kind of training do you do?” Quinn asks.

“I run, and I did spinning and kickboxing a few times a week when I was on the mainland,” Maren says. “On Saroe, mostly just boxing.”

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