“Correct. A large assortment is available for your selection.”
She liked the sound of that. If she was going to be working even half as hard as Dorrin had made her yesterday, she’d need every bit of energy she could ingest. Fortunately, the food they were offered was tailored to meet their restorative needs. That it was really tasty on top of that was just icing on the cake.
Cake. Hell, if they were going to be going at it like this, she could afford a slice or two without batting an eye.I suppose at least there’s a silver lining, she decided.
As it turned out, there would be cake, and after the next several days of training she had burned so many calories that no matter what she ate Ziana could feel her body hardening as her muscles grew stronger while the jiggle from so many weeks of sedentary life aboard the transport container had already begun to melt away.
Dorrin was working her hard, pushing her to her limits every chance he could, forcing her to perform well beyond what she thought her limitations to be.
“Your runes give you more strength. You must trust in that new power and use it,” he kept reminding her as she struggled to climb a rope, scale a rock face, or keep up on a hard run.
“But I don’t feel different.”
“Yet you are,” he said, pointing to the runes visible on her arms. “Perhaps your kind does not react strongly to the pigments, but there should be at least some improvement. Surely you feelsomething.”
She hated to tell him, but the answer was a very resoundingno, she did not feel a thing. So, instead of making this into a bigger deal than it already was, she did what she’d sworn she would never do again, at least not in the bedroom.
She faked it.
“Uh, yeah. Yeah, you’re right. Idofeel something. I think it’s just taking longer for my body to really get used to it, is all. But I’ll get there.”
“Good. Without your runes’ help, we will not stand a chance in the later events. Now, follow close. We have a long day ahead of us, starting with your first try of the multi-discipline obstacle training area.”
“Why does that sound foreboding?” she asked with an uneasy laugh.
“Because it is not easy. A challenge of balance and strength, but also teamwork.” He pointed to her chafed wrist. “You fight the cuff. Our pairing. The more you do so, the harder it will be to work as a team. And make no mistake, the only way we progress is together. See the others?” he asked, gesturing toward Flagro and Obliosa as the brother and sister ran and jumped with perfect synergy.
“Not a fair comparison. They’ve been doing this together for years.”
“True, but that does not lessen what you can learn from them. Look how they move. How they anticipate one another’s body positions and work around their cuffs rather than fighting them.”
“I thought you said they had special cuffs that let them cheat.”
“They do, but even the elites must follow the rules, at least in the public eye. And there are many spectators watching us in the training grounds. On the course itself, however, there are blind spots, and the five families are very aware of where they are located.”
“Because they arranged them?”
“You’re catching on.”
“I’m a fast learner.”
“Oh? Then let’s see.”
He started running toward the course, Ziana lurching into motion slightly behind and to the side. If she was right behind him she couldn’t see where they were going, and they hadn’tbuilt nearly enough trust for her to run at full speed not seeing what was coming up next. One day, perhaps, but this was definitely not it.
They ran toward an elevated platform. Scaling it wasn’t a problem. Running along the log linking it to the next one, however, was. Dorrin stepped onto the log with confidence in his stride, slowing slightly, always aware of his partner’s shortcomings and forcing himself to hold back so that she might keep up. Ziana followed as close as she felt comfortable, but she started taking faster but shorter steps, second guessing his stride as he moved, his body blocking her view of what lay ahead.
“Stay in sync,” he growled over his shoulder. “Your rhythm is off.”
“I can’t see where I’m going.”
“You are following me. That is all you need to do.”
Ziana didn’t like it, but she did just that, at least as best she could, as the duo jogged the course, passing close to other training competitors as they did.
“You run slow, Dorrin,” Flagro called out with a laugh.
“Fast enough to beat you,” he shot back.
