“Again,” Wren barked.
He stood off to the side with his arms folded across his chest as he put Kira through her paces.
With a monumental exertion of will, Kira lifted leaden arms that felt like they had a thousand pounds attached to them.
She held the akieri up in front of her and concentrated. Ki coalesced inside of her before she attempted to push it into the hilt of the akieri.
Careful. More careful than weavers handling the silk of the butterfly worm on New Lexington.
A spiderweb of violet lines started to show through the metal of the hilt as a metal slowly extended upwards.
For a brief moment, Kira felt hope that this time she’d succeed.
The shape collapsed, a pulse of pain numbing her hands and making her head pound harder.
“Damn it.” Kira’s arms dropped as she got frustrated with herself.
She’d been at this for several hours and was no closer to forming the akieri.
“You are rushing the formation and using far too much ki,” Wren observed.
So, he’d said. Several times now.
“I don’t even understand why it’s so important that I’m able to do this.”
The akieri exacted a heavy toll on a person’s ki. Materializing it and using it created a serious drain and hastened exhaustion.
It made Wren a sadist for forcing her to practice this after the physical training he’d put her through.
A sadist of the highest order.
“No one else in the adva ka is going to be able to use this either,“ Kira said, barely able to keep the whine out of her voice.
Wren paced in a circle around Kira. “You are not everyone else.”
“I can change that,” Kira muttered.
Wren ignored her. “You are the daughter of Roake. The heir of our House.”
Kira knew she’d regret not objecting to that title. It hadn’t even been a day before karma came knocking.
“More importantly, you will be a target for those who have vendettas with our House. You need to be ready.”
Kira gave him a flat stare. “I don’t need a fancy ki blade to defend myself. I’m always ready.”
There was a choking sound from the edge the hall.
Most of those present when she’d arrived had long since drifted away. Some returning to their duties. Others to train.
Even Harlow and Graydon had left at some point, leaving Kira alone with Wren.
Finn was blowing off some steam with several oshota as they dueled on the opposite side of the room.
Apparently being back in Roake had made him loosen some of his vigilance. A fact Kira was regretting right about now. It sure would be nice for someone to intervene and save her from this purgatory.
Wren made a “give me” motion with his fingers. Kira tossed him the akieri.
It took only an instant for him to form the blade. He slashed it in front of him, seeming to almost split the air as glowing lines infused the metal of the blade.
