Kira ignored him. She didn't consider ignoring nonverbal demands picking a fight. That was just good sense.
The boy's face tightened. "Affinities."
Her amusement deepened at the demand disguised as a question. "And who is asking such a rude question upon first acquaintance."
There was a long pause as the boy tried to stare her down, his will trying to overpower hers. She cocked her head. This boy had nothing on Baran or Graydon. Resisting him was child's play.
The pressure he was trying to bring to bear on her relented, the faintest sheen on his skin exposing the effort the attempt had cost him.
His words seemed forced from him. "Devon of House Danai."
Her gaze dropped to Joule. “Another House?”
He nodded. “One of the five major Houses.”
"How do you not know this?" the boy asked.
Joule straightened his shoulders. "Kira is the lost child of Roake and Luatha. She didn't grow up in a House."
The boy's eyes snapped to Kira, interest and something harder in his expression. Before he had been mildly combative, now an arctic front could roll off him, and Kira wouldn't have been surprised.
She couldn't quite name what she saw in him, but she suspected it was a close companion of envy. Or maybe suspicion. Sometimes it was hard to say.
This close, it was easier to see the details of his features. Surprisingly, they were familiar—especially the color of his eyes, a green the color of the land after a soft rainfall.
They tugged at a memory of another boy with the exact same eyes, a boy who had become her partner in all things and whose current absence was a thorn in her side.
Kira ignored the spark of familiarity, dismissing it as improbable, if not impossible. She was imagining links where they didn’t exist.
The smile she aimed at Devon was bright and cheery. "As for your question, I have no idea. When Luatha tested my affinities, they found the test inconclusive."
Joule looked on the brink of speaking before he shut his mouth again, his face disgruntled.
It seemed he had learned something from her after all. Secrets were best held close to the vest until you needed them. The upper echelons of Roake's leadership no doubt already knew she had a primus form, but she saw no reason for those before her to know too. They'd either react with fawning admiration or deep suspicion. Neither of which appealed to her and would make blending more difficult.
Commotion interrupted before he could respond. Silas stepped from a small group of Tuann clad in synth armor, raising his hands, warmth radiating from his expression. He looked like a mild-mannered professor, an appearance at odds with the fierce warrior Kira had seen in action.
Those behind him had the look of battle-hardened warriors with the exception of one. The man stood out, and not simply because of his height and beauty. Like the rest, he held himself with a warrior's poise, aware of his surroundings.
However, his armor differed from theirs, vaguely reminding Kira of one of the warrior wizards in the fantasy games Blue used to force her to play.
A deep sapphire cloak trimmed in silver fur was clasped around his neck. Beneath, he wore a robe, close-fitting on top, the sleeves cut so the fabric revealed the midnight blue of his armor. A wide belt wound around his waist, a long piece of cloth dropping from the front, edged in a silver pattern.
He should have looked ridiculous. Yet somehow, he managed to project serenity and a sense of purpose.
His eyes met Kira's, a pleasant curiosity in them before he tipped his head at Silas, silently signaling she needed to pay attention.
Silas spoke, drawing Kira's attention away from the strange man. "I congratulate those of you who've passed the Trek of the Weary. I know it wasn't an easy task, and many failed along the way. To those of you who remain, I once again welcome you. I would like to say your path to theadva kawill only get easier from here. Unfortunately, I would be lying."
There were small sounds of amusement.
"All of you have passed the first hurdle. From here, you can expect many more as we assess your readiness to enter the Trial of the Broken.You’ve come to us for a chance at apprenticeship and to hone your skills as warriors. I want to thank you for your willingness to entrust your future to this House. Know we will push you as you’ve never been pushed before, but that the rewards are worth it. This is an honored rite of passage only a few ever complete.”
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 asseon’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.
