Flair

By J. L. Platt

There is a lot of magic at work in that necklace, Ashia said, "and I'm not sure all of it is good." Hidden away for years in the remote forest of the southern country of Xamalie, the Deluvias tried to keep their daughters free. Thrown into the war after they are discovered, Kelly and Leandra Deluvia are assigned the task of rescuing their dads from the western country, Temoragu. With help from some unlikely sources, the teens start an epic journey as Kelly unlocks the power within her as she discovers what it means to be a Flair.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Oct 2, 2018
• ISBN: 9781977204219

J. L. Platt

J. L. Platt has been writing since 2003. She has participated in National Novel Writing Month every year since 2006. When she is not busy pleasing her muse, Platt likes to test her limits running 5ks or crushing the latest obstacle course.

Book preview

KELLY

As Kelly ran, she fought with herself to keep her expectations low. Lower than low. Nonexistent, low. Unfortunately for her, she was losing that battle, just like she lost that battle every day for the past three years. Sweat was pouring down Kelly’s back. Her hair was clinging to the back of her neck. Her legs strained against the speed she was asking them to carry, but she didn’t care. Well into her second hour of running, she was thankful that it was a chilly morning. Heart pounding, she sucked in wind as fast as she could. Would today be it? The day that she finally found someone?

The trees and flowers around her were in full summer bloom, but it was not the pleasing distraction that it sometimes was. She did occasionally enjoy seeing the flowers in the bushes as she ran by, but those days were growing farther and farther apart. Neither she nor her cousin had ever met someone other than their parents, and they were growing nervous as a sense of foreboding grew. Determined to find someone, Kelly concentrated all of her effort on pushing past this last climb. She could see the summit, now. Slightly light-headed from the pace she demanded of herself threatened to slow her down but she still refused to relent. She had to know.

With one final push, Kelly broke through the last bit of trees and stopped. Clasping her hands together over her head, she breathed deep and tried to refill her lungs with the air they so needed. Once she got her breathing under control, she stared out over the valley. Rather than be covered by trees, as the path was, the valley was home to several flowering bushes and tall grass. There was a small pond that looked to be the home of many fish, judging by the cloud of insects above the water and the ripples on the surface. The one thing that she did not see, was a human being.

What? she screamed, her voice causing a few birds in a nearby tree to take flight. NOBODY!

Kelly tried to make sense of this. How was it possible for her family to live in the woods with nobody else around them? More importantly, how could her dad and uncle be serving in a war in this land if there was no one to fight? Kelly knew they must exist; Leandra and her saw their dads come back countless times bloodied and bruised, sometimes worse, before Leandra’s mom healed them. It happened regularly. But how?

Where are they? she asked, her hazel eyes searching the scene in front of her.

She knew about the war in theory. Her aunt told her and her cousin about it every morning in the daily lesson. Kelly knew all about the war—when it started, who was fighting whom, how long it had been going on. Everything really, except where it was fought.

Her relatives tried to satiate Kelly’s questions any time she felt bold enough to ask that question. We have a safe house was the current reason being given to her, but she heard several over the years—We don’t live by anyone else, We are in hiding, and on days that she really annoyed them, We’re keeping you safe.

Safe. With no one around their home, her family certainly had that response right. They kept her and Leandra so safe that they hadn’t met anybody else in either of their seventeen years of living.

Her dad and uncle left a week ago. They walked out the door and then they were gone. Kelly took off for her morning run not even five minutes after they departed, but she didn’t find them. She raced off in the direction they left in, but she never caught them. How did they do it? Kelly tried to catch them each time they departed for a mission and each time, she failed. She never got close. How could that be? Kelly was the fastest runner in the family. She should have been able to catch them at least once in all of her tries over the past two years.

I will find somebody next time, Kelly promised, giving one final fleeting glance across the land below. She may not have found someone today, but she refused to admit defeat. With unwavering determination, she turned around and started the run back to her home.

LEANDRA

Leandra! Time to get up!

Leandra Deluvia groaned and shoved her head deeper into the pillow. She hated mornings, but that never stopped any of her relatives from waking her at sunrise. Today it was her mom, but it could be her dad or uncle, too. Before her aunt was killed, it was sometimes her. That was how it was for the past decade. For the past ten years, Leandra was forced to rise with the sun to train. Ever since she and her cousin discovered the weapons arsenal in the back bedroom of their small home when they were seven.

I hate summer, Leandra grumbled into her pillow. Why can’t the sun sleep in?

"You hate mornings," she heard Kel chuckle as she stretched.

Kel was Leandra’s younger cousin. Both teens were seventeen. Their birthdays were only eight days apart. Though they were cousins, they lived in the same home, out in the woods. Nobody lived around them. Leandra knew that because she didn’t know anyone other than the family she lived with and because that was what Kel told her. She liked to run and even she said the same thing. They were isolated. Completely.

Shaking her head, Leandra scrunched her face up at her cousin. Don’t act so high and mighty; you don’t like mornings any more than I do.

What makes you say that? Kel asked, flicking an eyebrow up. I’ve been on a run already this morning. What have you done?

Leandra scowled. She was about to give that question the retort it deserved when her mom appeared in the doorway.

Leandra! Did I or did I not tell you to get up?

Yeah, Leandra? Kel teased, How come you’re still in bed? It’s time to seize the day! And with a grand gesture, Kel tore the warm blanket off of her.

That’s it! Leandra roared, springing to her feet. Her arms were outstretched to try and grab Kel, but the move was too slow. Leandra was rarely able to catch Kel off guard. A large part of the reason for that was because her cousin was an avid runner. Just like their dads, she was fast and could run for a really long time. Leandra could run for a long time, too, but she was slow. Painfully slow, when compared to everyone else in the family. Kel scampered off to the kitchen, uncaught, as always and Leandra slowly followed her. As she walked through her clean but modest home, she wished she was quick enough to catch Kel. If she were, then her cousin would have literally no chance of survival, because Leandra was a highly trained Warrior. Not that she was allowed to tell Kel that. For whatever reason, her parents forbade her from revealing that she knew how to fight. They also gave her explicit instructions to never engage in a fight with her cousin. Leandra didn’t understand what the big deal would be if she did beat up Kel. It wasn’t like she would cause permanent damage or anything; she just wanted to rough her up a little so that Kel would respect her more. What would be so bad about that?

When are our dads getting back, again? Leandra asked, completely ignoring the smug look coming from Kel’s hazel eyes.

Their mission should be completed by the end of the week.

Her mom, Regan, was a private individual. Leandra sometimes wondered how her parents met, because her dad was not a private individual. If it weren’t for the fact that Leandra was a carbon copy of her mom with her full blonde hair and bright blue eyes, she might have thought she were adopted. Unlike Leandra and her mom, Kel was a brunette, like everyone else in the family.

It will be good to have Dad and Uncle Nolan home, Kel said, taking a drink of water. Our home feels empty when they are gone.

That it does, Leandra agreed. Finally turning to face her cousin, she asked Kel, So how was your run?

Uneventful, Kel frowned. Again.

Kel liked to run. That was one of the biggest differences between her and Leandra. To Leandra, running was tiring and boring. There was nothing to focus on. To Kel, running was mindless. She told Leandra once that running allowed her to think about other things while working out. Maybe that’s why Leandra didn’t like to run; she didn’t like to think about things that were too far in front of her. Kel did.

The rest of breakfast passed quickly and when they were finished, her mom nodded and said, Okay you two, go get your notebooks. Time for your daily lesson.

Both of the Deluvia teens rolled their eyes. They did not agree on what the best part of their training was, but they did agree on the worst: the daily lesson. That was the hour long talk after breakfast when her mom would teach them about the war that their dads fought in and who they needed to know about. For the past six months, they talked about the Xamalian Captains. There were three of them: Captain Evans, Captain Wranges, and Captain Reynolds. Captain Evans was the officer that Uncle Patrick reported to. Since her dad was in the same troop, that was who he reported to, too. According to her mom, Captain Evans was a formidable Warrior. She swore he was nearly as tall as her dad, which Leandra found hard to believe. Her dad stood a towering 6’6" and was covered in muscle. It just wasn’t possible for another man to be that immense, was it? Uncle Patrick was only two inches shorter than his younger brother, but he was not nearly as muscular. He probably weighed fifty pounds less than her dad. That was how massive her dad was.

And her mom honestly thought that Captain Evans was just as intimidating?

According to her mom, Captain Wranges was much more tolerable. He apparently was the Captain of the new troops and the troops with members close to retirement. Her mom was not so kind in her description of Captain Reynolds, however. She said that he was a child and did not know the first thing about leading a battalion. Her mom even mocked him in her drawing of him—drawing him small and skinny, like Leandra was when she was little.

Ladies, now that you know how the army is organized, from the smallest troop to the three main battalions, I am going to start talking about King Avery Samra.

Leandra’s mom showed them a picture that was drawn in her sketch pad. Neither of them could draw the way that her mom did, so they just stared at the drawing and let the image sink in. Flowing white hair fell to his shoulders, but the tattoo on his cheek was what immediately caught Leandra’s eyes. It was his family mark, an insignia on his right cheek. It looked like a capital Z that was bisected by a long, thin sideways S. Two florishes, one at the top and one at the bottom finished off the design. Her mom told them many things about insignias, but all of that information was given so long ago. It couldn’t have been more than a couple of months after they first stumbled across the weapons arsenal in their home.

King Samra has reigned for more than thirty years, her mom began, but was immediately cut off, as their front door was busted in and eight men rushed into their home, with her dad and uncle chained up in the middle of them.

Dad! What’s happening? Leandra shouted, jumping to her feet to try and rush forward to help her dad, but her mom stopped her. Grabbing her shirt and yanking her behind her, her mom took a protective stance in front of her and Kel. Angered by this, Leandra shouted, Mom! What’s going on?

Before her question was answered, a heatless blue flame erupted in the center of the room. Leandra and Kel jumped back at the sight of it, though no one else looked surprised by its appearance. A shadowy figure took place and as soon as the flame was gone, Leandra found herself staring at a short woman. But this woman was not normal; her eyes were pitch black with white-glass pupils. Her irises were the same stunning blue as the fire she appeared in.

Leandra stared fearfully at the creature. She didn’t care if she promised her dad to never show Kel that she knew how to fight; her first instinct upon seeing this creature was to draw a blade and kill it.

Captain Evans, she breathed in a low voice. In the low monotonous tone, she continued, Kill them.

Leandra couldn’t speak for her cousin, but she had no intention of being killed. Before she could arm herself with something that was within range, Leandra’s uncle cried out, Ella, spare them! Kelly is a Flair!

The creature, Ella, raised a hand to still Captain Evans and then nodded once at Patrick.

Her uncle spoke quickly, racing to get the words out before Ella changed her mind. I have seen her with a blade only once, but it was enough. Leandra, though she is not a Flair, has inherited Nolan’s tenacity. They have been following training schedules and diets for five years. Formal training with blades will not take long.

For about five seconds, no one said anything. When Ella broke the silence, she asked tightly, How were you able to do this? To have children in secret?

A potion, Ella, Leandra’s mom said quietly.

Leandra saw the growing anger in Ella’s face and thought, this is not going to end well.

Regan, you are marked until Avery passes judgment on you, Ella said tightly.

Marked? Leandra spat, unable to curb her outrage. For what?

Tenacity indeed, was all Ella said. Turning once more to Captain Evans, the creature continued, Remain with Commander Deluvia and his brother. I need to ask Avery what our next move is. I will take the teens with me to the castle. They belong to Xamalie now.

Before Leandra realized what was happening, she was consumed by blue fire. The flames danced across her skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. As the last flame died away, Leandra saw that she and her cousin were no longer in their home. Instead, they were standing in a large room that was lined with rows of dining tables and chairs, though there were no people seated at the tables to eat.

Wasting no time, Leandra headed for the first window she saw. She wanted to know where they were. With a glance out the window, she saw that she was no longer anywhere near where she and Kel lived. They lived in complete isolation in a forest somewhere. But here, there were no trees that she could see. Instead, she saw rows of buildings, something that her mom taught them about during one of their lessons. Beside the buildings were another thing that her mom told them about: paved sidewalks and roads. Those things were jam-packed with people. Leandra had never in her life seen so many people at once. She had never seen any more people than were in her family. At least, not in person. Her mom drew people all the time. Things were starting to make sense to Leandra, all of the lessons her mom made her and Kel suffer through was for this; for the day they might be taken to war.

When Leandra realized that she was looking down, that she was above everyone else, she realized that she must be standing in a building that had more than one floor. Stunned, Leandra realized that what she was seeing looked like pictures her mom drew during the daily lesson a couple of months ago. Could this be the castle? she wondered, letting her eyes skim the crowds.

Turning around, she glanced over to Ella and the man she was talking to. Seeing his long, white hair and navy blue eyes, Leandra realized that she saw his face drawn for her this morning. He was King Avery Samra.

Ella and King Samra began approaching the teens as they finished up what they were discussing. The king placed his index finger to the insignia on his cheek and said, Jax. Seconds later, Leandra saw a new man enter the room. He walked straight over to King Samra and placed his fisted left hand over his right shoulder, the official Xamalian salute Leandra’s dad taught her all those years ago, and waited for a command.

In a grave voice, the king said, Get my sword.

Leandra didn’t like the sound of that. Lips tight, she asked, What’s the sword for?

King Samra didn’t respond to her. Instead, he asked Ella, Which is the Flair?

Patrick’s daughter, Ella responded shortly.

Leandra assumed that the statement was enough to convey to the king that Patrick’s daughter meant Kel.

Did they say anything about her abilities? King Samra asked the creature, gesturing towards her.

Give me your sword when Jax brings it back, Leandra said in a tone much lighter than the words that followed, I’d be happy to show you what I am able to do with it.

King Samra’s blue eyes widened in amazement. Ella was not as amused. Giving the king a tired look, she said, They said she inherited Nolan’s tenacity.

Astonishment melted into amusement, and the king let out a booming laugh. As it echoed around the large hall, two things happened: Jax returned with the king’s sword and two more flames erupted to reveal two creatures like Ella and the three Xamalian Captains. Immediately, each of the captains formed a crisp salute.

Gentlemen, King Samra began, "it appears that the Deluvia brothers were able to pull off an extraordinary feat. Standing before you are Leandra and Kelly—their daughters. If it weren’t for the fact that they were able to shield the fairies from knowing about their daughters’ existence, I would demand how the three of you could let this happen. Since Ella confirmed that even she did not know of the teens’ existence until about twenty minutes ago, you are off the hook for that mistake. So here is the next question: what should we do about this? The law is very clear that any attempt to keep a child out of the army’s grasp is punishable by death, but given the fact that one of the perpetrators is Nolan Deluvia, I am extremely uncomfortable with that solution."

Wouldn’t the deaths of the daughters be an appropriate punishment? Captain Reynolds asked.

Leandra scowled at the captain, suddenly understanding her mom’s distaste for him.

Yes, normally, but there is a complication with that punishment, Captain, King Samra said. Patrick’s daughter is a Flair.

Are you certain? Captain Evans asked. Commander Deluvia might be bluffing.

A flash of light about ten feet behind her cousin caught Leandra’s eye. Seeing her uncle step out of a colored flame, she watched, stunned, as he threw a dagger at his daughter. It all happened so quickly that Leandra was unable to do anything to warn Kel to watch out, but she didn’t have to. In the blink of an eye, Kel was standing, and the next thing Leandra could see was her cousin crouched on the ground and the blade sailing past where she had been. Once Kel realized that a dagger missed her by mere inches, she whipped around, almost as if she were going to take on her attacker. When she saw that the attacker was her dad, her face wrought with confusion. Leandra gaped at the two of them, unsure which one surprised her more: her uncle attacking his daughter or her cousin avoiding the attack without seeing it.

Dead certain, Captain, Patrick confirmed, turning his attention to Captain Evans, never bothering to look at his daughter or niece.

That does complicate things, Captain Evans responded lightly, talking more to the king than Leandra’s uncle.

For a few moments, nothing was said as everyone thought about what to do. Captain Wranges broke the silence. Turning to face Leandra’s uncle, he asked carefully, Does anyone else know about the existence of your daughters, Commander?

Uncle Patrick’s face tightened and Leandra realized that the answer was yes. That caught her off guard. Her mom told her about every human that meant anything to her family in the war, but she never told the teens about someone that knew they existed.

Another complication, the king sighed, putting his hand to his head.

Not necessarily, Sire, Captain Wranges said quietly, carefully avoiding the heated glare that her uncle was giving him.

King Samra asked, What are you getting at, Captain?

Xamalie currently only has two Warriors capable of training a Flair, he said, turning to face the king with full attention. We used to have three.

Something about that statement rattled Patrick, because he grunted after it was said. Leandra turned to look at him and was startled to see how tense the muscles in his face were. He was trying hard to keep from bursting out of his silence and Leandra had no idea why.

Why not train their daughters in Baz? Captain Wranges asked the king. Surely this solution would serve as proper punishment for the Deluvia brothers while still benefitting Xamalie.

The other captains nodded in support of this solution.

Very well, King Samra said, his voice sounding satisfied. Ella, take the teens to Baz. Jax, he said, returning his gaze to the Messenger who was still holding the broadsword, you may return my sword to its sheath; there will be no executions today.

With no warning, Leandra found herself swallowed up by the flames of the heatless blue fire.

KELLY

As the mysteriously cool flames died away, Kelly found herself standing, yet again, in a new room. This room was very bare, containing three things: a fireplace with a fire crackling in it, a chair facing that fire, and a man sitting in that chair. His hair was cut very short and he didn’t turn around when they appeared in his home.

Despite the fact that he did not turn to face them, he asked evenly, To what do I owe this pleasure, Ella?

Kelly felt his voice was even and tired, as though he were tired with life in general.

I have new recruits for you to train, Ella responded, lifting her voice a little, as if she were excited to see his reaction to them.

Why not take them to the training grounds? he asked, not turning around. Why would you bring them to me?

I want to keep their identities secret.

This response must have interested the man, because he turned around when it was spoken. When Kelly could see his face, she saw the wry smirk on his lips. There was no change in his gray eyes when he saw the teens.

These are Kelly and Leandra Deluvia, Ella continued, nodding at the teens. They are now under your command.

His only response was to arch his eyebrow.

I want them battle ready in one month, Ella added.

As you wish, he replied. Though she couldn’t say why, Kelly got the idea that his response held a bit of irony in its delivery.

Ella nodded and disappeared in a swirl of flames. Once the fire was gone, the man turned his gaze to Kelly. She would assume that he was about to ask her something, but he didn’t. Instead, he stood up, grabbed the gray overcoat that was slung over the back of his chair and said, I’m going out, for a bit.

Then, to Kelly’s astonishment, he started for the door.

Wait, what about us? Kelly asked, her voice threaded with panic. She felt that she had managed to hold herself together pretty well through all of the chaos that happened earlier that morning, but she was going to lose it soon if she did not start getting some answers. Ella had obviously brought them to him for training. Why did he need to leave all of a sudden? Where was he going?

Stay here. I’ll be back soon.

You’re in charge of us! Leandra shouted as he brushed past them. You can’t just leave!

He ignored her and walked through the door without another word.

What is going on? Leandra demanded, turning to her cousin. Both of her hands were perched on her hips, which were much wider than Kelly’s, and her warm blonde hair was framing her face. None of that natural beauty, however, softened the harsh gaze she gave Kelly.

Leandra was Kelly’s senior by eight days. Sometimes, their closeness of age blurred the line of who was acting like the oldest. Leandra’s fierce, aggressive demeanor certainly aided her in becoming the dominant one in their relationship, but at times when they were both completely in the dark about what was going on, she usually turned to Kelly for her answers.

Kelly tried to convey her ignorance.

Who is he?

Surprised that her cousin was expecting her to answer that question, Kelly stammered, I don’t know.

Where did he go? Leandra tried again.

Out? Kelly tried, seeing that pleading ignorance was not working in this case.

Out where? Leandra’s voice was getting louder, as it often did when she got upset. She really did not like being left in the dark about things for very long. Half of a morning, Kelly thought . . . yeah, that is way too long by her standards. Leandra threw up her hands in frustration and yelled, Where are we?

In hiding? Kelly guessed, still searching for a way to give her cousin an answer that would please her.

Why?

Apparently, Leandra hadn’t been paying attention when Ella appeared in their home that morning.

I don’t think anyone knows we exist, Kelly said carefully, realizing that this statement was going to do nothing but encourage more questions from her cousin.

To her surprise, she did not get an onslaught of questions. She only got one: So?

That doesn’t strike you as odd? It struck Kelly as being odd. Nothing that had happened that morning fell into the normal routine that they had been following since her mom’s death five years ago. Now suddenly, their routine had been interrupted. That bothered her.

Leandra shrugged and began walking around the small fire-room, inspecting the living quarters of the man who was now in charge of them. The room wasn’t very dirty. Truly, it wasn’t very lived-in at all. It seemed more like a temporary residence than a permanent home.

Why does Ella care? Leandra asked, moving on through an open doorway to an adjacent room.

Following her, Kelly tried to remember everything that was said in the exchange between Ella, King Samra, and her dad. Remembering that her dad had acknowledged that someone did know about Leandra and herself, she wondered briefly if this man and that man were the same. After all, when Ella told him who they were, he didn’t seem surprised. Granted, he didn’t acknowledge that he knew about them, but he didn’t seem taken aback when they showed up. Kelly thought that perhaps this man knew her dad. But if that were the case, why was her dad so angry about them being brought to him? Keeping her questions to herself, Kelly followed Leandra into a bedroom. The bed was small and the sheets were still rumpled from last night. Only one window provided light for the room.

Who do you think she is? Leandra asked. Exiting the room, she continued her inspection of the home.

Someone powerful, I think, Kelly said slowly, remembering Ella’s presence and command of the ten uniformed men earlier that morning.

Friend or foe?

She wanted to kill us, Leandra.

But she didn’t, she responded.

I’m not sure her change of heart was because of any friendly impulses, Kelly said.

Leandra considered the statement carefully for a few moments, but eventually nodded her approval. Foe it is, then.

Kelly was amazed at how decisive Leandra was. After knowing Ella for less than half a day, she was willing to not only think of her as an enemy, but to actually act on that impulse. In her cousin’s mind, Ella was not their friend, so she must be their foe. And for Leandra, Kelly thought, the decision really was that simple. But for her, it was much harder to make decisions like that at the drop of a hat. Could Ella’s alliance be determined that readily? As much as she wanted to agree with Leandra, Kelly was inclined to think that it could not.

Leandra kept snooping around the home with Kelly following her. The first thing painfully obvious to Kelly was that this man lived the simple life to the extreme. He had one chair in the kitchen and one in his welcoming room. There was a bed, but that was it. The sheets on the bed were old and thin. How can a man live in so somber a residence, Kelly wondered.

Wow!

Startled from her thoughts, Kelly turned around and saw that her cousin was nowhere to be seen. Leandra?

Kel, check it out! A room full of weapons!

Like what our parents have? Kelly called out, following the trail of Leandra’s voice.

Exactly like our parents have, her cousin answered.

Kelly finally reached the room that Leandra had wandered into and she was instantly taken back to the morning ten years ago when she and Leandra first learned about the war. Swords, knives, daggers, bows, and every kind of weapon imaginable were hanging on the walls, sitting on the shelves and tables. Where did all of the weapons come from? Why did the man have them? Did he know how to use each of these weapons? Did he intend on teaching them how to use these weapons?

Geez, this one is heavy! Leandra grunted, struggling to pick up a broadsword that was easily half her size. Then, spotting a smaller sword, Leandra dropped the broadsword and picked up the more manageable piece. Giving her cousin an impish grin, she said, Oh, I like this one.

Kelly watched her cousin wave it around for a couple of minutes until she spotted another blade. It was a small knife, no longer than Kelly’s own hand. There was nothing extraordinary about the blade, but there was a marking on it. At first, Kelly thought that it was dirt, but as she got closer, she saw that was not the case. The marking was painted on the hilt; it was supposed to be there. The marking was simple: three dots in a vertical row on the left of two wavy lines, that seemed to make a river. Kelly had never seen the marking before, but she was drawn to it. She was about to pick the blade up when she glimpsed the man outside.

He was walking quickly and he was not alone. Thoughts about the small knife fled her mind and she called out to her cousin to get her attention. Both of them ran to the welcoming room. Within seconds, the man and his companion had arrived.

Girls, this is Nicholas, the man said. He will be training Leandra.

Kelly turned her attention to the man that was standing behind him. He looked as though he would disappear in any crowd. His frame was smaller than the man that Ella brought them to, although there was toughness to his build. His blond hair fell in shaggy curls, but his eyes made him look gentle. Though he was slight, Kelly got the impression that it would be very difficult to down him in a fight.

Training? Leandra asked, trying to get a feel for what he was talking about. What, like our running and weights routine?

The faintest hint of a grin flickered across the blond man’s face. Chuckling, he said, Something like that.

Something about the way he said the last part made Kelly think she would not be training with her cousin. Alarms started racing through her body. She and her cousin had never been separated. At all. They lived in the same home their entire lives. And besides that, their existence was supposedly secret. That’s what Ella said. So why was this man bringing in someone else to train her cousin? Weren’t they supposed to be trained by him?

Kelly saw that Leandra seemed oblivious to the breach of plans that Ella left with the man. Sparing her cousin a glance, she followed Nicholas out the door. As they exited, Kelly caught sight of the tattoo on the back of the man’s neck: a circle drawn with an angled pen, pierced by a large thorn.

Once they had left, Kelly turned to the man and said, "You are supposed to train us."

Kelly’s reaction took him by surprise. I am.

You pawned my cousin off on Nicholas!

He shrugged, his face never even coming close to veering away from its careful blankness.

Ella said our identity was supposed to remain secret, Kelly tried again, refusing to let the matter drop.

"And as far as Ella is concerned, your identity is remaining secret."

How can you say that? Kelly demanded. This Nicholas guy not only knows that we exist, but you let my cousin go off with him!

Nicholas does not exist to Ella, Kelly. He is a bastard.

His words went completely past her, and she continued, How can he not exist to her? He was standing right there!

The man sighed. Do you know what a bastard is, Kelly? Someone who is conceived out of wedlock? Family name is everything in Viger. It certainly weighs more than a person’s ability alone. Most children who are known to be bastards are killed because they have no family name and therefore, no place in our society. The few bastards that do grow up are viewed as less than dirt by most Vigerians.

Kelly took a few moments to let what he was saying sink in. Growing up, the only other child she had spent any time with was her cousin. While her parents and uncle were off fighting in the war, both she and her cousin remained with her aunt. Regan did her best to educate her daughter and niece about the lands and people that were kept secret from them, but neither had ever seen anyone outside their immediate family.

Kelly asked her mom once, not too long after the girls found the arsenal in their home, why she didn’t know anyone else. She was only seven, but she remembered wondering about the people her parents were fighting with and against. Why did her parents keep her hidden away?

We are keeping you safe, her mom told her as she tucked her into bed one night.

From what? she asked, confused by what her mom meant.

Her mom just smiled at her, and said nothing. Kelly shook her head and tried to clear the memories of her mom, turning to the man, again.

But he’s good, at least, right? Nicholas will be a good teacher? she asked.

The man’s face, so unexpressive, broke into a small, tight smile. He is one of the best Warriors I know.

All right, Kelly conceded hesitantly. As long as she is getting trained by a good Warrior, I guess that’s all right. Truly, she had little to no control over the situation. She knew that, but she did not like it. Leandra had always been the one of the two of them to accept a situation that she had little say in. Kelly was more difficult to reason with, because she almost always questioned things that were told to her.

He’s good, the man said.

Moving the conversation along in a different direction, he reached into his overcoat and pulled out a bulky bundle of black cloth. This will be part of your training. You are to wear this outfit at all times—while you walk, fight, eat, and sleep. Under no circumstances are you to change out of this outfit, unless I explicitly tell you to do so. Understand?

Yeah, Kelly said, reaching for the outfit. Where do you want me to change?

It’s designed to go on over the clothes you are already wearing, the man explained, passing the bundle to her outstretched hand.

Kelly shrugged and immediately realized the clothes were weighted. The shirt and pants of the training outfit were heavy and bulky, not like what she was currently wearing. As she struggled into the shirt, she asked the man, How much do these things weigh?

He offered no response and instead, held out a hand. Shoes.

What about them? Kelly was confused.

Give me your shoes, he repeated, beckoning her to hand her shoes over to him.

Staring at him, she stammered, You’re giving me weighted shoes, too?

No, he sighed, keeping his hand outstretched. "I’m not giving you any shoes."

Is he insane? Did he honestly think that she was going to train barefoot? Then what am I supposed to wear?

Sighing deeply, the man’s response was slow and measured. You are going to work barefoot. Give me your shoes.

There was a calculated edge to the man’s tone. Kelly could tell he was losing his patience. But that didn’t mean that she would suddenly want to work barefoot. Kelly never liked being barefoot. She was tender-footed.

When she said that, the man gave her a grim look and said, You won’t be after training. Now, give me your shoes or I will take them off myself.

Not really desiring him to follow through with that threat, Kelly kicked her shoes off. Socks too?

He nodded.

As she pulled her socks off, she asked the man, Do you plan on telling me who you are?

No.

She was startled by his response. ‘No’ as in, ‘not right now,’ or ‘no’ as in, ‘never?’

You’re here to learn how to fight; you don’t need to know my name to do that.

But, if he didn’t plan on telling her his name, what was she going to call him? Teach?

I don’t waste time with formalities; let’s discuss your training. The objective of this game is very simple, Kelly: kill and kill efficiently. There is no mercy, although there are rules. Often, it is a delicate dance between civility and cruelty and it usually is a bizarre mixture of both. The only way to win is to kill them before they kill you. With me so far?

Kelly stared at him for a moment, completely blown away by his frankness. In no time at all, he went from where they were to a whole new world, and Kelly had no idea how to get there. Seeing that he was still waiting for her to affirm she was with him, she stammered, I think so.

My job, as I see it, is to train you in efficient killing. Ella can give you the details on the rules; I never much cared for them. I will teach you everything I know, provided you let me. After the difficulty over the shoes, I’m beginning to wonder if you are capable of pulling off the difficult task of learning so much in such a short time. But, you are a Deluvia, and others of that name have pulled off more impressive feats in the past—

Kelly interrupted. Are you insulting me?

The man looked amused. Yes.

Well, lay off, Kelly said hotly. I wasn’t expecting the shoe thing. Insulting me is going to do nothing but piss me off.

He leaned down so that his narrow, gray eyes were even with hers. Good.

Excuse me? she demanded, holding her ground despite how close he was.

I said ‘good,’ Kelly, because this is what you will have to deal with every day from here on out. Your enemies will spit out harsh words faster than they take in air. While others might advise you to ignore those words, I say that is bullshit. If you get pissed off, but you can harness that anger without letting it cloud your mind, then you will be that much greater a Warrior in the end. Get pissed off, Kelly—it’s what this game is about.

The word game caught Kelly’s attention. Why do you keep calling it a game?

Because it is a game, Kelly. There are winners and there are losers. There are rules and there are cheaters. There is always something to gain and something to lose, something to fight for and something worth dying for. This is the roughest game you will ever play, and if you manage to survive your first mission, whatever it is, you will only be on round one.

Taking in his weathered expression and the lack of emotion he possessed, Kelly couldn’t help but ask him, What round are you on?

My last, he said very calmly, taking off the overcoat and throwing it on