She would have gladly left him to it if she hadn't been afraid the Tuann would search the bag when Raider reached the top.
"How are there so many damn stairs?" she grumbled.
There hadn't looked to be this many from the bottom. Nowhere close to this many.
It was like the air itself resisted, dragging on the bag and her body. A weight clasped her tight, pressing harder with every step forward until it felt like she was moving against a constant current that only grew in strength the farther up she went.
The other initiates had long since abandoned the vertical paths they'd started with, each making their way to the stairs. More than a handful had already quit, forcing Roake's oshota to recover them and escort them to safety via a dunking in the ocean below.
Kira's progress slowed as a thought occurred to her. It was possible this was not what it appeared. The Tuann had already proven they were masters of technology far beyond what humans could even grasp. To a level that shared a close resemblance to magic.
Perhaps this staircase that marched up a never-ending cliff didn't really exist. It could be an illusion meant to test her fortitude and willpower.
Kira made a face. Of course. That made sense. If she was training a group of warriors, she'd likely do something similar. Hell, she had done something similar to anyone looking to join the Curs.
You couldn't be part of an elite force unless you were the master of your own self. A person who could rise above their physical limits when the time came.
This was a gut check. Pure and simple. A way of seeing who would allow something as measly as a staircase to get in the way of their goal.
It made perfect sense.
The pain from the headache surged until it felt like a vise had ahold of her head. She made a small sound of pain as she staggered into the side of the cliff. She used the stone as a crutch. Mustn't sit down.
The marshal's warning had been clear. Sit down, and you're out. Set anything down and lose it.
She'd come too far to do either now. It might be a silly test, but she hated failing.
Call it stubbornness. Call it pride. She had no intention of losing here. Not to stairs. Not to her own body.
The pain increased.
"Son of a banter bot. I really should have made different life choices," Kira said through gritted teeth, her vision nearly gone.
Below, a bright mind snapped into shape. Rushing, rushing. Closer and closer.
A large form speared up from the deeps. Water sprayed off it, drenching Kira, so close she felt she could reach out and touch the serpentine body.
Blue scales shimmered in the light as it continued a path toward the sky. Its powerful body coiled as it reached the apex of its jump, already shifting to plunge into the ocean's depths.
Kira caught sight of horns curling from its head, its crest of feathers sleek and smooth to make the lu-ong as aerodynamic as possible. Long whiskers streamed from its snout, catching the wind.
Something akin to fear and awe trembled through Kira. She now saw how Graydon could call the last lu-ong she'd encountered a baby. This one was mammoth when compared to the one she'd met. Many, many times the size of Earth's whales.
Emotion threatened to overwhelm Kira. The wonder of the sight made her breath catch.
It plunged into the sea, its long, serpentine body following, only for its head to rise out of the water again in preparation for another jump. With its body stretched behind it, the lu-ong’s length reminded Kira of a half-submerged mountain range, shifting and disappearing.
Its spirit brushed hers. Massive like the void of space—and just as wondrous.
Only when the lu-ong had moved into the distance and was a small dot against the horizon, did Kira start forward again. Her headache had faded while watching the lu-ong, but even without it, every step dragged on her.
It was a short time later when she stepped up one last time and nearly stumbled. She paused, startled to find flat ground. Kira lifted her head, weariness dragging at her.
No further steps waited for her. She'd reached the top.
She stilled as she took in the city before her. Its size and breadth dwarfed the Citadel of Light, even from this distance.
Five large fortresses rimmed the city, walkways extending from their walls like spokes on a wheel to a palace in the center. Each one as different from the last as night and day. Crests flew above them announcing the different Houses.
The city outside the fortresses’ walls was made up of smaller, no less awe-inspiring buildings that filled the spaces between as it spilled toward the ocean below.
"I've seen a lot of places. Admittedly most of them were destroyed by the time I reached them, but this is definitely one for the history books," Raider said from a spot where he sat, leaning against his duffel. Sweat dotted his skin, making Kira glad she hadn't been the only one to find the test difficult.
"It's like a dream," Blue whispered.
Kira shook her head as feelings welled up, almost too big to contain.
We're home, something inside her seemed to say. She shook her head again, refusing its lure. No, she wasn't.
Her home was a ship currently docked at O’Riley Station. It was small and cramped, but it was hers.
"I'm sure we'll find a dirty underbelly if we look close enough," Raider said. "Places that seem too good to be true always have them."
Blue scowled. "Don't ruin it. Can't you see we're having a moment."
In this, Kira agreed with Raider. As beautiful as the city was, there was no doubt in her mind shadows existed within. It was best to remember that. Any instant connection she might have felt was an illusion, and she had no intention of letting it twist her goals.
The stairs had led them to a spot well outside the city limits. They stood on a ridge overlooking the vista below. The closest fortress wasn't far, standing stalwart and tall on the edge of the cliff on which it impossibly perched, its exterior walls creating a smooth drop to the ocean below. It was difficult to see the exact spot where the cliff and fortress met, so seamless was the integration between the two.
Kira's gaze was drawn inexorably to it. The stone that made up its structure seemed to absorb the light. Tall spires stabbed the sky's underbelly at its center, the strong walls of its defenses seemingly impenetrable.
In almost all ways, it was the Citadel's opposite. Imposing. Austere. This place seemed to care nothing of beauty, devoted only to one purpose—protecting those who resided within.
Kira turned her attention from the fortress, gazing at those around her.
It seemed only a handful of the initiates had made it to the top. Of those were the two boys Kira had seen at the bottom, a handful she didn't recognize and Joule.
"She was last," the friendly-looking boy observed to his peers.
The arrogant boy didn’t bother to keep his voice down. "What do you expect from someone who keeps company with humans."
Kira grinned as Blue and Raider fell silent. She tilted her head, not able to keep herself from chuckling. Aw, they wanted to play mind games. How cute. And utterly pointless.
"This is familiar," Blue muttered.
Raider agreed, rising from his reclining position. "I'm too old to be playing an underdog."
When he finally straightened to his full height, it was like a mask had slammed down. His expression was cold and unforgiving. Cocky, one might say. A silent fuck you to all the naysayers.