by S. E. Weir
Phina, on the other hand, looked very different than normal. Gone were the t-shirt and jeans, the boots and the jacket. She wore a long dark-blue dress that sparkled in a pattern of some kind, but it wasn’t discernible. Beneath the sparkles lay occasional streaks and clouds in faint blues, reds, and purples. It looked like a view of the depths of space layered over a dress. He tilted his head and stared, thinking it was cleverly made.
She wore glittery earrings and a silver necklace with a pendant that didn’t go with the dress but did suit Phina. Her hair, usually left down and barely brushed, had been pulled up and piled on her head, making her look grown up for once. It suited her, and he realized that since she appeared a little older now, her outside appearance now matched her eyes, which had always seemed older than her age and a little eerie to him.
“You’re going to catch flies with that mouth, boy.”
Jace blinked at Greyson Wells as he clicked his mouth shut. With a nod to both of them, he gestured them inside the hall. As they passed, he saw her eyes flick to her mentor as she pursed her lips. Taking another moment for himself, he drew a breath and let it out. He heard Phina speak quietly as they moved farther into the room.
“You didn’t have to be rude to him.”
“He was staring. It was rude of the boy to do it.”
“Responding to rudeness with rudeness. Yeah, that always works out so well. Who’s the famous diplomat now? Maybe you can introduce me. Apparently, I haven’t met him yet.”
Greyson Wells’ response was lost in the noise of the room, but Jace turned to view them as they made their way to the beverage station. While Phina had placed her hand in the crook of Greyson’s arm, she stood stiffly with her body as far from his as she could manage. Craning his neck to see over the crowd, he saw that Greyson stood easily, looking around the room and glancing down at the young woman every so often. He watched Greyson pour a glass and hold it out to her. Phina glared at him and poured a glass for herself while the older man shrugged and drank the one he had poured.
Their dynamic was…odd. And unexpected. And somehow worked.
The part of him that was still angry about being passed over for Phina lightened and another part was relieved.
Perhaps the mentoring decision had not been a mistake.
Chapter Thirteen
QBBS Meredith Reynolds, Marines’ Workout Area
The past few weeks had been interesting—also irritating, confusing, and frustrating—and they had been long. She wondered what would happen today as she followed Link into the room she usually used when sparring with Maxim. Part of her just wanted to go home, and the rest couldn’t have been dragged away by an angry Wechselbalg.
Maxim waited on the mat, though he moved through a fighting sequence that made it look like he fought an invisible person. He threw his whole self into every movement, and Phina was dismayed to realize how much he had been holding back with her.
Link didn’t stop on the edge of the mat as she had. He continued to calmly and purposefully walk over to meet Maxim, who continued his strikes and blocks. The Guardian paused for a moment when Link drew closer.
“Don’t stop now, boy. You were just getting to the good part.”
Maxim stared at Link, causing Phina to wonder what he saw in the older man’s face. Link just stood there looking cool, calm, and unreasonably happy with himself, judging by the smirk on his face. After a moment, Maxim nodded, then continued on in his fighting movements, this time against Link.
Phina expected Maxim’s fists and feet to connect with the other man, throwing him down or backward as she often had been. That never happened. Every time Maxim’s fist or foot reached their extension, Link just wasn’t there, having moved out of the way or moving the limb to the side away from him. The human kept the Were from connecting.
Huh.
After a couple of minutes of watching in amazement, she began to focus on what Link did specifically. Phina realized that he actually moved very little, just enough to deflect or guide Maxim’s attacks to miss him. He never turned his movements into an attack, only defended. Most he deflected, though a few connected, judging by the grimace that appeared on his face. Once she began to understand Link’s style, it changed.
Now as Maxim punched, instead of letting the attack slide to the side, Link grabbed the limb as he deflected the hit and pulled as he pivoted, throwing Maxim to the mat. Rather than his movement being arrested and falling into the hold the Were had shown her weeks ago, Maxim rolled as he fell, pulling Link with him. Link let go of the arm to prevent himself from falling, allowing Maxim to turn the roll into a move to stand and face him again.
Phina could see the sweat dripping on Maxim’s body since he had barely stopped moving since before they had walked in, having been sparring for some time. Now Maxim moved to kick Link in the stomach. Link stepped to the side, grabbed his leg, and yanked as he pulled and turned, throwing Maxim to the floor. Maxim grabbed Link as he fell and took him down with him.
She assumed it would finish with one of them pinning the other, but Link must have broken Maxim’s hold and rolled away from him since they stood to face each other at the same time.
“Good.”
Maxim stared at the older man with curiosity and suspicion. “Who are you?”
Link smirked arrogantly, and Phina knew he had assumed his diplomatic persona. She shook her head. This name-changing thing could get confusing. Phina didn’t think she wanted to have as many names and covers as Greyson had. How could he keep it all straight as to who knew which one, and how did he keep some from realizing others called him a different name? Something to think about later.
“I’m Phina’s mentor Greyson Wells.”
Maxim stood with his feet shoulder-width apart as he always did. His stance radiated purpose and contained movement as if he could burst into motion at any time. “Maxim Nikolayevich.”
“That’s not all of it, though, is it?” Greyson cocked an eyebrow at the other man. Phina thought it would take a lot of self-control not to try to smack that look off his face. Not that it had done her any good that day in the secret bar when she had tried to hit the man. She watched Maxim with new eyes. She didn’t know how he could stand there and not punch the man in the face, though he hadn’t had much luck just a few minutes ago. Still, it showed a lot of control and careful consideration.
Maxim’s eyebrows drew in as if he were perplexed by the question. “I’m not sure what you are getting at.”
“Sure. We’ll go with that.”
Greyson turned to look at Phina for a moment, likely noticing her arms were crossed and her feet were set slightly apart. She crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at him, eliciting nothing more than a glint of amusement. She sighed and wondered what his angle with Maxim was. The dratted man liked to poke buttons and see what popped out.
Maxim glanced at them, looking a little unsure. “I’ve wondered if I could meet you, but I’m not sure what is going on here.”
“Ask, and you shall receive. If it works into my plans anyway!” Link grinned briefly before growing serious. “I told you to meet us here for a few reasons. The first was to demonstrate to Phina part of the style I want you to make sure she knows. It’s easier to see it in action against someone else first. You might want to bring someone else in occasionally to demonstrate.”
Maxim and Phina both nodded. It had been helpful to see the movements in action.
“The second was to meet you and make sure we are all on the same page as to what needs to happen with her training. You are teaching her Sambo, correct? She is doing well, but I want you to accelerate her training. Right now, she’s a little too easy to put on the ground.”
He turned to her with a wink that elicited a scowl from her. Oddly, it seemed to delight him. Or not so oddly, considering she knew he liked to poke buttons. Maxim watched the exchange with a slight frown before Greyson turned back.
“Do you know Krav Maga? After Phina gets a little more acclimated
to Sambo, begin adding some of those moves for defense and takedowns.”
Maxim nodded and looked thoughtful, his eyes speculative as he glanced at Phina. She fought the urge to shift position, wondering what he was thinking.
“The third reason was to check in with you and find out if you both have what you need. I’ll be gone for a week or so and want to make sure her training is taken care of while I’m gone.”
Phina felt oddly deflated. He had been gone for a day at a time occasionally, but this would be the first extended trip since he had become her mentor. But since he was a diplomat and a spy, he would probably need to travel a lot. Maybe at some point, she could travel with him.
“She needs to practice her acrobatics, which requires specialized equipment we don’t have. It’s a skill she should hone since not many fighters have them and they are useful, given her size.”
“Gymnastics.” Phina and Grey corrected Maxim simultaneously, then she made a face at her mentor. He smiled. “Yes, I do pay attention to what you say. This is something you’ve mentioned wanting before, right?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “I need to practice and stretch more.”
“Switch out two trainings per week for gymnastics and agility. You can decide together when those are. What equipment do you need for that?”
Greyson looked at her expectantly. She eyed the room and shrugged.
“For the absolute basics, the mat needs to expand to almost twice the size. The tumbling passes can get long. After that, I would need bars of some kind and perhaps a balance beam.”
Phina held her breath and tried not to radiate her excitement. She had been wishing for a set of bars for years, and a balance beam as well as the larger mat would make it gymnastics heaven for her.
Grey looked up in thought a moment before glancing at Phina and Maxim. “The mat we can do, the beam we probably can do. I’m not sure about the bars. Maxim, could you get with ADAM and Meredith to see what materials and supplies we need to build them?”
Phina grew more excited. She tried to contain it but still did a little shimmy. Yes! Greyson turned back to her and she froze, though judging by his raised eyebrow, he had caught it. She gave him a smirk, and he responded by pulling his mouth to the side as if to say, “Nice try.”
Maxim watched this exchange with confusion, but he nodded. “I’ll check with him and see if we can get them made.”
“Excellent.” Link turned back to the younger man and looked at him intently. And it was Link this time, no personas or anything to dilute the man staring out of those brown eyes. Phina wondered what was going through his head.
Finally, he nodded his head. “Thank you for taking care of teaching Phina how to fight.”
Maxim bobbed his head as well. “Of course.” He hesitated, apparently considering.
“Spit it out, man. No need to stand on ceremony.”
“May I ask why you are satisfied with my training her when you seem capable yourself?”
Link rested his hand on his hip as he leaned on one foot. “That’s simple to answer. Aside from Bethany Anne and her inner circle, including Peter Silvers and Todd Jenkins, who is the best at training someone in combat?”
Maxim scratched his neck as he answered. “It’s arguable, but probably me.”
“There’s your answer. I don’t have time to do it myself.” Link turned to the door.
“But why does Phina need combat training, and why at such an accelerated pace? Isn’t she in the Diplomatic Institute?”
Link turned back and scowled at the younger man, his eyes narrowing as he took in the shift in Maxim’s stance as he readied himself in case Link attacked. Maxim stared steadily back at him, his eyes unwavering. Finally, Link turned to Phina.
“Do you trust him?”
She looked at the two of them. Her eyes lingered on Maxim for a moment, then she nodded. “I think so. I’ve only known him for a couple weeks longer than I have you, but he’s been straight with me and has treated me respectfully the whole time.”
Link considered that, then turned back to Maxim. The Were had been watching the two of them, never moving from his ready stance. Link waved his hand.
“Keep your shirt on, boy. I’m not going to attack you. Phina is in school at the Diplomatic Institute, yes, but that is not all that is in store for her future. She could be in a position in which she is by herself and surrounded by enemies, with no one else to rely on. There could be times in which words will not suffice and a stick is needed to bring sense to the situation, metaphorically speaking. Her avenues in such situations will be greater than those of her fellow diplomats, so she will need far more combat experience than they do. Thus, she deserves a teacher who is arguably the best.
“As for why an accelerated pace is needed, I fully expect Phina to exceed expectations and be ready for a hands-on experience before long. Better to have her as prepared as possible than to let her be caught off-guard, don’t you agree?”
With that, Link turned again, gesturing for Phina to follow him and stand in front of the door. She glanced to Maxim in confusion, then shrugged and put her hands in her pockets as she walked behind her mentor. Link waited for her to step close, then spoke in a low voice.
“Is there something going on between the two of you?”
“Going on?” She frowned, then her face cleared. “You mean, like a relationship or attraction?” She shook her head. “Not at all.”
His eyes steadily gazed at her while mulling that over. “You’re sure there’s nothing going on? Even just one-sided from his side?”
She snorted and smiled. “I think I would know. Trust me, I can tell the difference when a guy is interested in me and when he’s interested in my best friend Alina, who is definitely interested in him. He hasn’t decided to do anything about it yet, though. He thinks she’s young and infatuated.”
“I see.”
Out of nowhere, Link grabbed her arm and pulled her off-balance before using his foot to sweep her legs. Her hands tried to extend out for balance but got stuck in her pockets, which let him take her to the floor easily. She scowled, not happy about what had just happened.
“What was that about?” Phina spoke from the floor, glaring at her mentor. He grinned back.
“Lesson number four, always stand ready to defend yourself. This may mean you don’t put your hands in your pockets, or you don’t fold your arms in front of you, or anything else that hinders your movements and ability to react.
“And I will leave you with lesson number five, which is to always be wary of distractions. You were thinking more about the topic of conversation than what my body language told you.”
Phina made a face at the man. Her head was barely able to turn since his hand was holding it in place. “Noted. Can I get up now?”
Her mentor looked at her blandly. “Can you?”
Eying the position Link was in as he leaned over to view her better, Phina decided to roll away from him a few turns before quickly pushing herself up.
“Excellent. Now you’re thinking.”
He nodded at the two of them and left the room. Phina stood staring after him, not sure what she thought about that whole exchange. Link was a very confusing man, full of intrigue and surprises as well as being arrogant and intense.
“You ready to train?”
Maxim stood a few feet away from her, gazing at her uncomfortably. Didn’t Wechselbalg have strong senses? She wondered if he had heard their conversation. If so, she couldn’t blame him for feeling weird and uncomfortable.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone else.”
He seemed surprised and glanced out the door before focusing on her again. “About what?”
“About you and Alina.”
The uncomfortable expression left his face. “There is no ‘me and Alina.’”
“Right.” She gave him a pitying look. “Keep telling yourself that.”
He shrugged and turned back to the mat. “Coming?”
Phina began to put her hands in her pockets but stopped with a scowl. She made to cross her arms, then sighed. She was grateful to Link for taking the time to teach her, even if he irritated her sometimes. Strike that; he irritated her most of the time.
“Yeah, coming.”
Phina thought about the lessons Link had taught her today and everything she had learned in her classes over the last few weeks. For the first time, she began to wonder if she would recognize herself when her training was complete. Somehow she didn’t think so. She just didn’t know if the change would be good or bad.
Chapter Fourteen
Star System Near the Edge of the Empire, Tluedor, Planet of the Gleeks
Braeden felt like he had stepped into an alternate dimension, one where everything he thought to be true had crumbled to pieces.
We can’t allow anyone to disrespect us as the Baldere have! We are the Gleeks, the knowledge collectors of the universe. We should be treated as neutral because we only care about that knowledge, not selling it to the highest bidder like the Ixtalis! No, we should demand respect for what we do! If we let this stand, next time we visit a planet to gather information, they may kill us all instead of letting us go our own way!
Murmurs and cheers punctuated Brother Traekor’s words. Where had he acquired this level of zeal and insistence? What had happened to the young Gleek who acquired knowledge for the sake of his love for it? And why would his fellow Gleeks go along with his rhetoric?
It made no sense to Braeden.
“He’s quite the speechmaker, it seems.”
Braeden turned, shocked that Brother Graeden had spoken out loud. The two of them stood at the back of the room in a rare meeting where all the Gleeks in the commune had gathered together. Traekor had had growing support since he came back from their ill-fated trip, and now it seemed they all would follow him or at least professed interest in his words.
“Apparently.”