Of Love and Valor

37: Reinforcements

Feint left, jab right. I sneak in a left uppercut that connects soundly with my opponent's jaw, sending him reeling backwards. Around us, my squadron and his are fighting, but I can do no more than glance at their progress. This opponent—I cannot remember his name—can actually match me for speed and has used some maneuvers I haven't seen before, which is a welcome challenge. He recovers quickly and comes after me with a series of quick punches and kicks, which I evade and block before darting low under his arms to get behind him and land a powerful kick on the small of his back. He stumbles forward but is turning to face me again, just as I'd planned; his face meets my right hook with minimal effort on my part. He seems relatively unfazed and swings at me again, this time catching my shoulder with his fist as I dive low again in an attempt to trip him. He tries to grab my hair to stop me but I anticipate the move and twist out of his reach while elbowing him in the side.

"At ease, Orenzhanim," Kazmiohn Ruokharismet's voice calls irritably across the training grounds. "Much as I would like to continue this sparring match, I've been informed that other business must take precedence for the time being."

My sparring partner and I cease our contest and bow to one another.

"Thank you for a great match," I tell him sincerely.

"You fight better than I expected," he responds, which isn't exactly one of the traditional pleasantries for this occasion. "You look young enough to still be in the Academy."

"I have found little relation between a person's looks and their fighting abilities, personally, though my years of experience may be fewer than yours. Still, it has been a long time since I sparred with someone who surprised me, and I thank you for the most welcome challenge."

"Squadron 317, to me, please," Kazmiohn Ruokharismet calls, effectively ending my conversation with whoever this warrior is. "Squadron 204, you are dismissed for your dinner break."

"Nice moves today, Azerai," Cezarya compliments me as we both walk towards Kazmiohn Ruokharismet, who is standing at the edge of the training grounds with two unfamiliar young men. "You look like you're about back to full strength."

"Thank you. I feel like I've lost some finesse," I reply. "That warrior caught me off-guard a couple times."

"That's not a bad thing. We can't get too used to fighting with just our squadron."

"I agree. I'm glad they mixed things up like this today. Although I'm not sure what the purpose was in making it martial arts only."

"Some fighters rely too much on their weapons. Something like this forces them to hone their non-weapon skills."

"I suppose that makes sense. How was your shift with the Orenfior a few days ago?"

"Dead boring. Just endless meetings. I feel bad for Alderon and Zevaklin, stuck in there today."

"Thank you for accommodating this deviation from your routine," Kazmiohn Ruokharismet says now that we've all gathered around him and the two strangers. "These with me are Anzarij and Kokudon, and they will be serving as auxiliary members of Squadron 317, filling in the gaps left by our arrangement with the Orenfior. We recruited them from the Orenxiao Academy; they just passed their early graduation exam yesterday."

"Congratulations," a few of us murmur. I am not among them. Something about these two young men, the way their eyes scan us, the tension in their bodies, makes me uneasy.

"My expectation is that you will all show them the ropes. Some of you know what it is to graduate early, and I hope you will be kind to them as they transition into the Orenzhanim."

"Of course, Kazmiohn. We are yours to command," Santhrobar answers for all of us.

"Very good. All of you get something to eat, and then report to the West Gate for your next assignment. Dismissed." With that, the Kazmiohn leaves the two new recruits and Squadron 317, minus Alderon and Zevaklin, staring at one another skeptically.

"Welcome, Anzarij, Kokudon," Santhrobar addresses the new recruits after a brief but awkward silence. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions for us. Why don't we all introduce ourselves and then have dinner together in the southwest market?"

"Make her stop staring at me like I'm going to be dinner," one of them demands, pointing at me rudely.

"Oh, don't mind her. That's just her face," Thariyae laughs, inserting herself between the new recruit and me, which is probably just as well. "My name is Thariyae. Oh, and before you say anything about Zelphinon, his face just looks like that, too." She gestures to Zelphinon, who is standing next to Cezarya and me and looks just as suspicious of the new recruits as I feel, to the extent that he wears any of his emotions on his face in public.

"If you say so," the other recruit mutters.

"Really. He and Azerai are just a little slow to warm up to new people, that's all." This is the friendliest and most vivacious I've seen Thariyae since she ended her courtship with Alderon. Does she think one of these new recruits handsome enough to be worth pursuing? Alderon's not even here, so she can't be trying to make him jealous. What is she playing at? I wonder while trying to rearrange my face into a slightly friendlier expression.

"Never thought she'd be fighting in your corner," Cezarya says under her breath to Zelphinon and me. "What's gotten into her?"

"No idea," I whisper in reply. Zelphinon just shrugs, his expression unreadable.

"You've met Santhrobar," Thariyae is saying to the new recruits. "Then we have Mailadui, Jorabij, Krethzirae, and Cezarya. You'll meet Alderon and Zevaklin tomorrow; they've been assigned to other duties today. A different pair of us will be elsewhere each day, at the discretion of the Kazmiohni."

"And that's why we've been assigned to this squadron," one of the new recruits supplies. The way he's looking at Thariyae, I'd wager he's interested in her, and he seems to be the one she's more interested in flirting with, as well. "I'm Kokudon, and as you heard, this is Anzarij."

"We're very happy to be here," Anzarij adds, though his face and demeanor contradict his words.

"We're glad to hear it," Santhrobar responds, taking over the conversation. "Now that introductions are done, let's get something to eat, before our dinner break ends and we all have to work the afternoon on empty stomachs." He and Thariyae take the lead with the two new recruits between them, while the rest of us follow in clusters, with Cezarya, Zelphinon, and me at the rear.

"The two of you do seem less...friendly than usual," Cezarya remarks quietly.

"I don't think either one of us has ever been accused of being friendly," I point out.

"Maybe not, but you're usually not this unfriendly, either. What's wrong?"

"These new recruits seem off," Zelphinon replies.

"Honestly, I would probably seem off, too, if the two of you were looking at me the way you've been looking at them and I didn't know you."

"It's more than that, and more than first day at a real job nerves, too," I say, and Zelphinon nods his agreement.

"I'm not convinced they're trustworthy," he adds.

"Do you doubt the judgment of our Kazmiohni?"

I thin my lips and say nothing; indeed, what can I say? I do trust and admire our Kazmiohni, but I also trust my instincts and Zelphinon's, and I cannot shake the feeling that these two new recruits are not to be trusted.

"I guess we'll just have to keep a very close eye on them," Zelphinon decides after a few moments of silence. Cezarya rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

"If that will make you feel better, by all means. Just stop glaring at them like you're about to pounce," she advises. "If they are up to no good, it won't take them long to realize you're onto them, if you're looking at them like that."

"Valid point," I mutter. I've never been much for pretending to like anyone, but I suppose under the circumstances, I will make my best attempt.

"I believe we can manage that," Zelphinon agrees.

Anzarij --> AHN-zah-ree

Kokudon --> KŌ-koo-dahn