“I am.”
Her brows popped up. “Here? You want to teach me to fight and shoot a blaster in here?”
I paused, listening for sounds outside our hiding place. I heard none. “Not here. Out there.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Skye
Ijerked a thumb behind me. “Out there? But we aren’t supposed to leave this room.”
The Vandar put a hand to his ear. “Do you hear anything? It must be too early for anyone to arrive at the theatre.”
I paused, straining to detect any sounds beyond the door. Finally, I went to it and slid it open a crack. Nothing. No footsteps. No voices. Not even the scuttling of bugs or vermin. Maybe he was right. Maybe we had the place to ourselves for a while. It would be nice to get out of the cramped space. If we were lucky, we could find some food.
I breathed a sigh. “Okay, but if we hear anything, we come right back here.”
He bowed his head slightly. “On my honor.”
It was odd to see flashes of the old, serious Kolt, but it was a good reminder that he was still there. Losing his memories and forgetting who he was might have softened him, but once everything came rushing back, the Kolt I knew—the Kolt I was starting to really like—would be gone.
This isn’t the real Kolt, I reminded myself. The guy who’s becoming your friend isn’t real.
He stood and gallantly swept an arm toward the door. “Lead the way.”
I managed a smile as I repeated the crucial words in my head like a mantra. Not real. Not real. Not real.
Tugging the door open all the way, I stepped gingerly into the dressing room. All the while, my ears were pricked for the sounds of movement, but it remained quiet. Kolt followed me, and when we were both behind the rack of dresses, I shoved it aside. I might be able to squeeze around it, but he couldn’t.
The only light spilled from our hiding space, so I went to the doorway and flicked on the light before opening the door and sticking my head into the hall. “Where do you want to go?”
I turned my head to see Kolt crossing the room behind me with only a slight limp, holding a blaster in one hand. He barely favored his injured leg, which was impressive considering the size of the gash. Maybe this was the Vandar healing I’d heard about, or maybe he had a high tolerance for pain.
“We passed some prop weapons yesterday,” he said. “It would be helpful to find themagain.”
“We did?” I didn’t remember fake weapons, but I wasn’t as interested in weapons and battle as he was. I thought back to winding through the theatre. I pointed to one side of the corridor where ambient yellow light flickered from the ceiling. “I think we came from this direction.”
He nodded, walking beside me slowly and keeping his blaster loose at his side.
“Should I have brought my blaster?” I asked. “If we’re going to practice shooting.”
He made a face. “I would rather teach you basic technique than engage in a shootout. Also, blaster fire from inside the theatre might draw attention.”
We walked through the dimly lit space, stacks of boxes and racks of costumes jogging my memory enough to tell me we were heading in the right direction. When we were almost to the stage, Kolt made a triumphant sound in the back of his throat.
Sure enough, there was a half-wall with various weapons strapped to it. They looked genuine enough, but putting my finger to a shiny dagger’s blade told me it wasn’t actually metal.
Kolt took a battle axe from the wall, testing the heft in his hands. “This is nothing close to a Vandar axe, but it will do.”
“You remember Vandar battle axes?”
He hesitated, meeting my gaze with his brow pinched. “I know how they feel, even if I do not know how I know.” He swung the handle down and then back up, swishing it in an expert arc. “I know how to use it, even if I cannot recall the training that taught me.”
At least he hadn’t forgotten all his battle chief skills. I suspected we’d need them soon.
“Do you remember enough to teach me?”
