She nodded. He was right. She had. Just because the stakes felt high, her entire future resting on the outcome, that was no reason to stress.
"Finn," she said, stopping him. She waited until he looked at her. "In case I didn't say it before—thank you. It was nice to have someone watching my back again."
Even if she hadn't always let him do his job to the fullest extent of his abilities. That didn't mean she didn't appreciate his efforts.
"And I will again," he promised.
Her smile was crooked. "No talking you out of it?"
He shook his head, not bothering to answer as he walked away.
Yeah, she hadn't thought so either.
Kira stepped into the Hall of Ancestors, the statues lining either side of the walkway watching as she marched toward the wall Graydon had shown her the last time she stood here.
She stopped in front of it, her gaze tracing the lines and circles that still reminded her of a stylized version of a solar system's orbit.
"Looks like you're the only thing standing in my way," she told the wall.
Kira settled into wait.
Last night, Rheya had explained how the test worked. Each initiate stepped past the wall on their own. Only once they had passed or failed would the doorway appear again.
The soft fall of footsteps alerted Kira to the fact she wasn't alone. Wren joined her at the wall, studying it in the same way she had.
"I thought Loudon would be the one to see me off," Kira said.
"Normally, yes, but I asked him if I could be the one to prepare you for your trial."
Kira waited, knowing he'd likely reveal his reason soon enough.
"You should reconsider this path," Wren finally said.
Kira sighed. There it was.
She’d been half-expecting this.
She cast a glance at Wren, wondering how he had ended up being the one to broach this topic with her. She could see Graydon—even Harlow—undertaking this task. But Wren?
It wasn't like they were close. He had been clear in his interactions with the initiates. He wasn't their friend and probably didn't care one way or another about their success.
His teachings were amazing—astoundingly so given his cold manner—but he wasn't the type to sit you down and offer advice. No, orders were more his speed.
Kira had to wonder why he wasn't resorting to that tactic now.
"This won't lead where you think," he said, not taking his eyes off the carvings.
Kira shook her head. "It continuously astounds me how arrogant some Tuann are. What do you know about anything concerning me?"
"More than you think," he said.
She seriously doubted that.
He flicked the inhibiter around her wrist. "It takes more than a few weeks to recover fromkipoisoning. You're risking your life on something that you could conquer easily if you wait."
Frustration was an unexpected sight on his face. He was normally so controlled—almost scarily so.
"Quillon," Kira growled. The healer had broken his promise. "He wasn't supposed to reveal my progress."
