His faint smile proved answer enough.
“Lovely,” Kira spat, running her fingers through her shoulder length hair in a nervous gesture. “Would you care to tell me why?”
It was alarming to think she could have been taken out of the running and not known until it was too late.
“You know why,” Wren informed her.
Some of the anger went out of Kira. If she was honest, she did. “My ki poisoning.”
He nodded. “Ki poisoning is a symptom of a larger issue. It is unique to people like you and me. Those who find their limits and then break them.“ He held up a hand when Kira would have said something. “That’s not a bad thing on occasion. It’s when it becomes repetitive that you place yourself and others in danger. You’ve never seen a full ki implosion. I have. It is horrifying and often kills not only the patient but those around him. If you couldn’t recognize when you were approaching your threshold in training, there’s no chance of you doing so on the battlefield.”
Much as it grated, Kira couldn’t argue with that logic.
The mindset of a soldier regarding injuries and limits transcended species and race. It was so easy to fall into the trap of thinking that taking time to heal was a sign of weakness. That raising your hand or taking a knee was letting down the people you served with when in fact it was the opposite.
If your body or mind failed while on the battlefield, you risked dragging everybody down with you.
It was a balancing act—weighing the need for giving yourself time to heal with the necessity of being there for your people.
It was something Kira had never quite managed to conquer. The mission always came first.
But that hampered your ability to do your job long term.
“Another test you didn’t bother telling your disciple about.” Kira joined Wren as he strolled through the Warrior’s Hall. “Suddenly, I have a lot more sympathy for what Maksym has gone through.”
Her seon’yer was maddening. No wonder Maksym was so happy to no longer be the youngest.
A group of children flooded into the room, nearly bumping into Kira and Wren as they chatted happily with each other.
“Elena,” Kira called, pleasantly surprised to spot her niece.
Elena’s face lit up as she jogged over to Kira, stopping abruptly as if she had to hold herself back from giving Kira the hug she wanted.
Kira watched in confusion as Elena’s gaze darted to Wren and then away. Her niece bowed slightly.
“Heir, it’s good to see you again.”
Kira was quick to catch on.
This was a game they’d played often over the years. Mostly when they were unsure of their surroundings and wanted to conceal their relationship.
Elena straightened as Auralyn strolled toward them, looking just as bored as she’d been when she escorted Raider away.
Ziva scurried next to the oshota, her legs moving quickly so she could keep up.
Surprise showed on Kira’s face. “Ziva, what are you doing here?”
Now that they were back on Ta Sa’Riel, House Luatha should be caring for the girl.
Seeing Kira, Ziva rushed to give her a bow, nearly toppling onto her face. “Seon’yer.”
“I requested her presence,” Elena said before Kira could correct the girl.
Kira sent her niece a bewildered look.
Elena’s smile turned sweet as she took Auralyn’s hand. “My sister was good enough to allow me a companion while I adjust to my new home.”
Sister? Kira mouthed to herself as she stared at Auralyn.
