"Oh, that is clever," Kira said as Blue passed her. "But not clever enough. Jin."
"Already on it."
The cable whirred as Kira raced up the cliff as if she was running, chasing Blue. Raider appeared at her side, a maniacal grin on his face. "Not today, Phoenix."
"Now," Jin cried.
Kira stopped, grabbing the wall and finding a toe hold as she hit the release on her harness. It popped free. She grabbed the wire and slammed it into the rock face.
Startlement registered on Raider's face at the unexpected action. It quickly changed to understanding as camouflage leaked out of a drone seven feet above Blue's new position.
"Shit," he hissed.
Blue jerked back as the drone fired. A short squeal accompanied her plummet to the ground.
Kira leaped, landing on Raider's back, one arm wrapped around him below his armpit, the other over his shoulder. Her hands met in a fist at his chest.
"I expected the initiates to have trouble with his challenge. I'm more surprised you haven't figured out the secret of it yet," Kira said into Raider's ear.
"What?"
Kira didn't respond, planting a foot against the wall and shoving off, taking Raider with her.
His protest was drowned out by her laughter as they followed Blue down, Jin singing a song of victory the entire way.
*
Graydon stared in disbelief at the woman who was entirely too pleased with herself as she hit the grav net and bounced. She grabbed the edge, using it to flip herself up and over, hitting the ground in a crouch.
"Suck on that landing," she muttered.
"Kira!" Raider shouted as he fought his way over the edge of the net.
"Uh oh." She sounded slightly guilty as she stuck her hands in her pockets and started to amble away.
It wasn't going to be that easy, coli.
Graydon folded his arms over his chest and settled in to watch the scene unfold, anticipation curling through him.
Raider wasn't the only one of Kira's victims to lock onto her. Devon and Rheya not far behind.
"Abort, abort," she muttered, picking up her pace slightly.
The rest of the field watched with varying levels of interest. Graydon's oshota were amused, having come to expect the unexpected from their former charge. They had the luxury of feeling such since they weren’t humiliated so thoroughly.
Graydon expected the lesson she'd taught the initiates was liable to sting, especially since he knew they viewed her with varying levels of pity or disdain.
From here on out, they’d forget the challenges they’d been throwing at the humans and focus on the real threat in their midst. Kira.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone so thoroughly circumvent your test," Solal remarked to Wren.
The other man grunted; his gaze focused on the monolith as he tried to figure out how she'd managed her ambush.
"What was that?" Devon demanded, cutting Kira off.
She cocked her head, her expression one of innocence. "Were my actions unclear? I can always demonstrate the lesson again if you'd prefer."
Joule lifted a hand, his shoulders shaking suspiciously. Despite being one of those Kira had knocked off the cliff, he seemed to be taking his fall with good grace.
Rheya shoved closer. "You had no call to force us to fail."
Kira raised an eyebrow. "Is that what I did?"
Their glares were fulminating.
Kira speared each of the initiates with a penetrating look, her resemblance to her uncle clear enough in that instant that it was startling.
"Or did you do that to yourself?" Her voice was hard, her stare flat.
The humans traded a look, communicating with unspoken words. They weren't the only ones who caught her hint. Joule glanced up at the monolith with a puzzled look. His face cleared seconds later as his lips parted, and his attention swung back to the spectacle.
"Hmm. He's not bad at reading a situation," Maida murmured, her gaze locked on the young Tuann.
"Of those present, he and the humans are the ones who've acquitted themselves best this morning," Amila agreed.
The rest of them were silent as they watched the initiates deal with this latest development.
The test of the monolith wasn’t only meant to test the initiate’s manipulation of their soul’s breath. It was also meant to force them to recognize that there were some hurdles they weren’t yet ready to face alone. Its purpose was designed to get them to work together and figure out a way to best utilize each other’s talents.
What none of those present realized was that none of them would be deemed ready until all of them had reached the top.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Devon demanded.
An angry exhale escaped Kira, her patience visibly evaporating. "It means you need to learn to listen to what is not being said as closely as you do to what is being said."
Wren's gaze locked on Kira as she pointed at the monolith.
"When did he ever say this was a solo mission? Why haven't one of you tried working with the rest to conquer that piddly wall?" Each word came out forcefully as her voice raised so everyone could hear her. "You would have been done weeks ago if you'd bothered to capitalize on each other's strengths."
Devon looked ready to spit, unwilling to retreat. Rheya held herself stiffly, not any more inclined to listen than him.
Both looked seconds from challenging Kira, a fact the humans seemed to be aware of as they stepped up to stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
A pinched look settled on Rheya's face as the odds tilted out of her favor. She visibly swallowed her anger, her stance easing.
Devon didn't show the same inclination, aggression in his posture as he took a threatening step forward.
Kira stiffened, her eyes flattening as she stared him down. "If I were you, I would rethink whatever is in your mind right now."
The words barely made Devon pause, a formal challenge forming on his lips.
Graydon prowled closer, danger rolling off him. That was enough of that. The boy showed promise, but if he challenged anyone in full view of the seon’yers and oshota, he would find his tenure in Roake cut short.
While those past the adva ka rarely interfered in the challenges of their juniors, there was a time and place for such things. In full view of two pods of oshota while in the midst of training was not it.
That the boy didn't understand that fact said he still had a long way to go—no matter how developed his skills.
"Trouble, Kira?"
His words seemed to have the effect of an electrical whip on Kira as she stiffened, invisible hackles rising as her gaze swung toward his.
Ah, there was his little aksa. Her resemblance to a fist-sized animal of this world whose stubbornness and bloodthirsty viciousness were in direct disproportion to their smaller size was unmistakable.
Kira held in her instinctive remark. Pity. He would have been interested in her unfiltered response.
Instead, Kira arranged her face in what she no doubt thought was a pleasant expression but didn't manage to hide a speck of her irritation.
His oshota struggled to keep straight faces as Kira stared at him balefully. "Nothing that concerns you, commander. Just a friendly challenge among friends."
Lazy interest curled through Graydon as he moved his eyes over the others. "I confess I wouldn't mind seeing that."