information. Why haven’t you tried to run away again?”
The abrupt shift from questions about Jina to her own story caught Nisha completely off guard. She almost dropped her staff. “What?”
Josei stepped into the gap Nisha had opened up, planted her front foot in the ground behind Nisha’s left foot, and shoved.
Nisha fell, slamming into the dirt, and Josei flicked the tip of her staff to rest against Nisha’s throat.
“I asked you, why haven’t you tried to leave the city? You’re getting restless, there’s no place for you here in the eyes of the new Council Head, and you have no bond to pay off. Yet.”
All the energy drained out of Nisha, as if the hard ground she lay on had sucked it up. Her cheeks felt sticky and hot. “You know about that?”
Josei pulled the staff away and sat cross-legged on the red dirt across from Nisha. Not a hair was out of place on her head. She wasn’t even breathing hard.
“Matron told me,” she said. “She’s worried about you. She hinted to me that it might be better for you to leave now than to wait until after the Council meeting.”
“She didn’t tell me that,” Nisha said. “Is that why you’ve been following me? Does Matron think I’m in danger?”
Josei shrugged. “Matron doesn’t like to do things directly, especially when it’s something that could put her at odds with the Council. She prefers more … subtle ways of working. But I think she might be right this time.”
The thought of running away brought a panic back into Nisha’s throat. There were wolves in the woods, wolves and bandits and slave merchants. Even the Kildi man she’d seen in the trees would be a danger.
“I can’t,” Nisha said. “I know what’s out there. I saw it the first time I tried.” She closed her eyes against the memory: the sight of the man’s tattered flesh and torn tunic and the dark blood staining everything. “There’s nothing out there for me but death.”
Josei gave her a curious look. “You might be surprised. The woods are dangerous for children, but you’re not a child anymore.”
Nisha rubbed her shoulder, still stinging from where Josei had whacked her. Maybe I’m not a child . But that doesn’t mean I can survive out there on my own, either , she thought.
She stood up. “Thank you for the practice, House Mistress. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?”
Josei gave Nisha a piercing look, and Nisha shifted her feet. She wanted to trust this woman, wanted to tell her the fears and worries that swarmed in her chest, but she couldn’t. If Matron couldn’t protect her, then Josei couldn’t either. Nisha was on her own.
“I’ll do it,” Josei said, rising to her feet. “I’ll endorse you. You’re a good staff fighter, you pay attention to what is around you, and you have a nose for when something’s crooked or off. I think you’d make a very good guard.”
Nisha was struck dumb. She followed Josei as the woman returned the lati sticks to the armory. Through the open door of the building, she saw a young man repairing a bronze hand-shield. The youth’s hair was a few shades darker than the shield he was working on, and it fell over his forehead, almost to his eyes. He wasn’t anyone Nisha had seen before. Josei must have a new assistant.
Sometimes outsiders came to train with Josei; they helped her for a few months, learned from her, then moved on. Nisha didn’t usually pay much attention to them. She wasn’t interested in building a friendship with someone who was only going to leave.
As if he sensed her gaze, the young man lifted his head and looked through the doorway. When he saw Nisha staring at him, he winked.
Nisha felt her face grow warm. It was impolite for this stranger to make direct eye contact with a girl he didn’t know. And it was certainly impolite to wink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile, and her face got hotter. She was only too glad to follow Josei down the flat stone path leading to
The abrupt shift from questions about Jina to her own story caught Nisha completely off guard. She almost dropped her staff. “What?”
Josei stepped into the gap Nisha had opened up, planted her front foot in the ground behind Nisha’s left foot, and shoved.
Nisha fell, slamming into the dirt, and Josei flicked the tip of her staff to rest against Nisha’s throat.
“I asked you, why haven’t you tried to leave the city? You’re getting restless, there’s no place for you here in the eyes of the new Council Head, and you have no bond to pay off. Yet.”
All the energy drained out of Nisha, as if the hard ground she lay on had sucked it up. Her cheeks felt sticky and hot. “You know about that?”
Josei pulled the staff away and sat cross-legged on the red dirt across from Nisha. Not a hair was out of place on her head. She wasn’t even breathing hard.
“Matron told me,” she said. “She’s worried about you. She hinted to me that it might be better for you to leave now than to wait until after the Council meeting.”
“She didn’t tell me that,” Nisha said. “Is that why you’ve been following me? Does Matron think I’m in danger?”
Josei shrugged. “Matron doesn’t like to do things directly, especially when it’s something that could put her at odds with the Council. She prefers more … subtle ways of working. But I think she might be right this time.”
The thought of running away brought a panic back into Nisha’s throat. There were wolves in the woods, wolves and bandits and slave merchants. Even the Kildi man she’d seen in the trees would be a danger.
“I can’t,” Nisha said. “I know what’s out there. I saw it the first time I tried.” She closed her eyes against the memory: the sight of the man’s tattered flesh and torn tunic and the dark blood staining everything. “There’s nothing out there for me but death.”
Josei gave her a curious look. “You might be surprised. The woods are dangerous for children, but you’re not a child anymore.”
Nisha rubbed her shoulder, still stinging from where Josei had whacked her. Maybe I’m not a child . But that doesn’t mean I can survive out there on my own, either , she thought.
She stood up. “Thank you for the practice, House Mistress. Is there anything else you wanted to ask?”
Josei gave Nisha a piercing look, and Nisha shifted her feet. She wanted to trust this woman, wanted to tell her the fears and worries that swarmed in her chest, but she couldn’t. If Matron couldn’t protect her, then Josei couldn’t either. Nisha was on her own.
“I’ll do it,” Josei said, rising to her feet. “I’ll endorse you. You’re a good staff fighter, you pay attention to what is around you, and you have a nose for when something’s crooked or off. I think you’d make a very good guard.”
Nisha was struck dumb. She followed Josei as the woman returned the lati sticks to the armory. Through the open door of the building, she saw a young man repairing a bronze hand-shield. The youth’s hair was a few shades darker than the shield he was working on, and it fell over his forehead, almost to his eyes. He wasn’t anyone Nisha had seen before. Josei must have a new assistant.
Sometimes outsiders came to train with Josei; they helped her for a few months, learned from her, then moved on. Nisha didn’t usually pay much attention to them. She wasn’t interested in building a friendship with someone who was only going to leave.
As if he sensed her gaze, the young man lifted his head and looked through the doorway. When he saw Nisha staring at him, he winked.
Nisha felt her face grow warm. It was impolite for this stranger to make direct eye contact with a girl he didn’t know. And it was certainly impolite to wink. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him smile, and her face got hotter. She was only too glad to follow Josei down the flat stone path leading to
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