“Very calculating, Dellian. No, you’re not in detention. But you don’t get a reward, either. Not yet.”

“Yet?”

Hir smile grew wider. “We’ll leave that for when you get to the real battle games in your senior years. For now, you need to learn about strategy and teamwork, which is what the arena tournaments are all about. So let’s concentrate on getting that right first, shall we?”

“Okay!” He grinned, and his cohort began reflecting his relief, smiling and flapping their hands in contentment. “Good good,” they cooed.

“Now get yourself back to the dormitory. You need to eat something before afternoon class. And the longer you put off talking to your clanmates, the longer they will want to talk.”

—

The afternoon class for Dellian’s year was held in the Five Saints Hall, which sat at the western end of the estate, a good five-minute walk from the dormitory domes. He always enjoyed the stories they heard in the Five Saints Hall, because they were always about the Five Saints, who one day would defeat the enemy.

“How’s the nose?” Janc asked as they sauntered along the palm-lined path. The fronds were just stirring above their heads, a sign of the evening breeze starting its daily journey along the massive valley from the sea.

Dellian just managed not to touch it in reflex. “Okay, I guess.”

“Saints, I still can’t believe you didn’t get detention!”

“Yeah, me too.” He saw the three girls up ahead, keeping together like they always did. “Catch you later.”

The girls turned as one when he called out. Tilliana and Ellici gave Yirella knowing looks. For a moment Dellian thought she might not stop, or worse, the others would wait with her. Thankfully, they walked on.

“Sorry,” he said as he caught up.

“For what?”

He looked up into her heart-shaped face, troubled that she was treating him like this. They normally got on so well. Girls were all destined to be smart—a lot smarter than boys, Alexandre had explained; it was how their genes were sequenced. But he just knew Yirella was going to be the smartest of them all. Having her as a special friend was something he didn’t want to lose. “Are you angry with me?”

She sighed. “No. I know why you did it, and I am grateful. Really. It’s just…it was very violent. Saints, Dellian, you were both going so fast when you hit! Then there was fighting. Your nose was bleeding. I didn’t…It was awful.”

“Ellici said I should be more forceful next time.”

“Ellici is right. You can debilitate with a single strike, you know. Then it would all be settled quickly.”

An image of the boy’s expression inside his helmet at the moment of impact flashed through Dellian’s mind. “I know. Maybe I should learn how.”

“In three years, we’ll get combat tutorials for the battle games.”