Silas stepped to the side and gestured to two of the Tuann near him. “I'd like to introduce you to those who will be shepherding you through this phase of your training. You’re to refer to them as seon’yer, though you’re not technically anyone’s apprentice yet."
The woman regarded them steadily. Her eyebrow quirked as if she found the sight of them too amusing for words. She wore little in the way of clothes. On her upper body, she wore only a breastplate that left her lean stomach exposed. The gauzy skirt around her legs was held up by slim chains, slits on either leg to mid-thigh to allow ease of movement. A handful of clunky bracelets clung to either wrist, and her feet were bare.
"Maida," Finn said softly, appearing next to Kira like a phantom.
She restrained her jump, now used to how quietly the oshota could move when they wanted to.
"She’s deadly when she wants to be."
Maida flicked a half-undone braid that had slipped over her shoulder behind her as she regarded the students with a sultry gaze only marred by the disdain in her expression.
"Not sure I'd want to fight in that," Blue said. "Looks uncomfortable—and unsafe."
Blue had a point. The woman's outfit was stylistic, beautiful in its own way, but it wasn't ideal for combat.
"Synth armor would only slow her down and prove unnecessary. Her affinity allows her to change the composition of her skin, making it as strong and hard to cut as synth armor," Finn informed them. "She's not quite right in the head, but no one can argue with her abilities."
There were whispers as the second man stepped up, his expression cool and assessing.
"Wren," Devon breathed beside them. The Tuann's hero worship was unmistakable. "I thought he didn't take apprentices until they were fifty years past their adva ka."
"He's willing to make an exception if he finds an initiate worth his effort." Finn's face was neutral as he relayed that information. It was impossible to make any inferences from his tone.
That didn't stop Kira from trying. Whatever Wren’s purpose here, it had better not have anything to do with her.
Silas wrapped up the introductions. "Over the next few weeks, we will be assessing your skills and abilities to decide which of you are ready for the uhva na. We will use these assessments to pair you with the best mentor. Good luck."
Excited chatter broke out among the initiates.
Devon's gaze was determined as it swung toward Kira. "Your ancestry means nothing here. Don't get in my way. I plan to beat the Face's record for passing the adva ka. I will eliminate any obstacle in my way."
Kira blinked at him. He was one to talk. Practically the first words out of his mouth had been his House affiliation.
That was the definition of using your connections to impress others. She didn't bother pointing that out, though. She doubted he'd appreciate or even acknowledge his hypocrisy
Besides, she had no intention of getting in his way.
"Good luck?" Her tone made it sound more like a question than anything.
His gaze narrowed before he spun on his heel and stalked off, following Maida and the others she’d gathered.
"Friendly guy," Kira muttered. If that was the sort of behavior she had to look forward to over however long it took her to heal, it was going to be a long few weeks.
"People will judge you based on your background. It’s unavoidable," Finn informed her.
"Tell me something I don't know,” Kira said, pushing the craziness of her shoulder-length hair, twisted and tangled from the ocean breeze, away from her face.
That seemed to be the story of her life. Why should the Tuann be any different?
Before Finn could answer, Silas and the strange man who looked vaguely like a genius wizard approached.
"Kira, this is Loudon. He is the ki’s herald and an adviser to the Overlord. He's volunteered to show you around the Fortress of the Vigilant in my place. I'm afraid I have business to attend to." Apology colored Silas's words.
Loudon smiled at her, the skin at the corner of his eyes crinkling. "It'd be my pleasure."
"Thank you," she said as Loudon started toward the fortress of black stone that seemed to eat the light.
Raider and Blue shouldered their bags, catching up easily.
"Of course, your ancestral home would be the one that looks like it’s straight out of a gothic, sci-fi, holovid," Raider muttered as they started along the cliffside path. "I don't know why I ever thought it would be different."
Neither did Kira, to be honest.
SIX
Loudon's pace was sedate as he led them toward the hulking fortress in the distance, his hands clasped behind him like he was out for a Sunday stroll. Finn was several feet behind them, his gaze moving constantly as he assessed the area for threats.
"So," Raider started, breaking the silence that had descended. "Herald? Is that kind of like a priest?"
There was no hiding Raider's skepticism. Kira closed her eyes and shook her head. She'd forgotten how much he hated anything dealing with religion.
Most religions had survived humanity's spread through the stars. The distance between planets only serving to make it easier to practice an individual's faith.
In a few cases, particularly for those religions that had felt persecuted, they'd pooled their money to colonize their own planet, allowing only their beliefs to flourish on its surface.
Raider had grown up on one such planet. They'd been hardcore fundamentalists, his family the worst of the bunch. They believed you could only reach God if you were pure. Their faith came in the form of a stick and a rod, and they held no reservations about using them, especially on children.
Because of the planet's remoteness and his home's isolation—even from other fundamentalists—they'd gotten away with behavior that might have been considered criminal if it had happened anywhere else.
In the early days of space flight, Earth had come up with a codex of laws, one of which was that you couldn't interfere in another planet's recognized religion, no matter how abhorrent the spiritual practices were.
Then the war came—and not even his people's tightly held faith had saved them. Raider took advantage and used the opportunity for a new beginning.
He didn't often speak of his childhood, but from what little Kira had gathered, it had been harsh.
Loudon's expression was thoughtful as he considered Raider's question. "You could loosely interpret it that way."
Raider's lip curled slightly, but he held his opinions inside.
Nonetheless, Kira was careful to keep an eye on him. While she might have understood Raider's deep-seated suspicion of all things religious, she also knew he tended to sabotage himself.
The last thing he or Blue needed was to alienate their hosts. They had no idea how deeply ingrained religion was to the Tuann's daily life. On some planets, bad mouthing the faith could get you executed. On others, they'd take it in stride. Kira didn’t know which category Ta Sa’Riel fell under.
Loudon glanced at the three of them. "It would be more accurate to say I am a guide for the Tuann's sense of identity."
Blue's face scrunched up as her attention focused on him. "What do you mean?"