Alina.
Drills were a grind. The instructor rotated us through stations with no time to think. I landed two clean blocks I wouldn't have landed last week. My partner scowled the way people scowl when their assumptions don't hold. Elias hovered at the edge of the mat long enough to watch me not fall and then pretended to be interested in a loose strap on his glove. Kael appeared as if called by the noise of my heartbeat and took the station next to mine, which meant anyone thinking of testing a theory about human endurance reconsidered it. Rowan trained with a bored grin that never reached his eyes.
Between stations, I took water and leaned against the post. Kael planted his hand on the wood above my shoulder.
"You're with the wizard too much," he said. No preamble.
"Hello to you too."
"I'm serious."
"So am I," I said. "Hello."
His jaw worked. "He's making you soft."
"He's making me precise."
"Precise gets you hurt slower," he said. "It still gets you hurt."
