The blade retracted and Wren tossed it to Kira. “The akieri is powerful. It can cut through anything.”
Kira refused to be impressed. “So can an en-blade.”
And she wasn’t going to run out of energy halfway through a battle with an en-blade.
“You’re not an oshota. Until you obtain the scale of a lu-ong which serves as your synth armor’s genesis, you are not qualified to carry an en-blade,“ Wren said with a patience Kira knew was quickly fading.
Wren wasn’t used to being questioned so she was sure dealing with her was quite the adjustment.
He’d handled it beautifully until now, but Kira thought this might be the day she broke him.
“This was your father’s weapon and his mother’s before him. All the way back to the first Overlord,” Wren snapped, slapping the akieri into Kira’s hand. “You will learn to use it.”
Kira’s fingers closed around the hilt; her arguments locked inside her throat as she looked at the akieri with new eyes.
“My father’s?”
Some of the irritation faded from Wren’s expression as his face softened. “It’s a symbol of your House.”
As interesting as that was, Kira cared more about the fact the akieri had once belonged to the man who’d given her life.
She smoothed her thumb along the edge, lost in thought.
“Fine,” she said, giving in.
As much as she disliked doing something simply for tradition’s sake, it was a different story if this was truly her father’s former weapon.
Maybe using it would make her feel closer to him.
“But I’m not learning this today.” Kira lifted her head to focus on Wren. “Quillon instructed me to stop when it hurts. That time is now.”
Kira hated admitting that.
Weakness was always something she’d gone out of her way to conceal. She would push and push, break herself to pretend she wasn’t hurt.
For some of it, she hadn’t had a choice. The Tsavitee would have taken advantage of any opening they could.
Humans couldn’t always be trusted either.
But this was training. There was no reason to destroy her body because she was too proud to call uncle.
That way lay idiocy.
Wren’s lips curved. “You pass.”
Kira furrowed her brow. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Wren’s enigmatic expression was hard to read as he reached forward to remove the akieri from Kira’s grip.
She let him as she waited for an answer.
“Although you are skilled, I needed you to demonstrate a few things before I agreed to let you undertake the adva ka.”
Kira’s frown grew more pronounced. “I thought my name was already added to the list.”
“Your Overlord and others judged your abilities as being of sufficient enough quality to advance to the adva ka, but as your seon’yer I have the final say.”
Kira stared at Wren. “And you didn’t decide I was qualified enough until right this second.”
