“You both know her too well. And neither of you have been soldiers.”

Rhea nodded once, and Ariadne bit the inside of her cheek. Eris offered something resembling a reassuring smile and went after Nyx.

Ariadne sidled up next to Rhea and put her arms around her. It was still such a recent thing to have friends. Rhea’s grip tightened, pressing her close.

Ariadne just wanted to feel safe for a few more minutes before she went back to the place worse than the darkest depths of Avern.

19.

NYX

Present day

Nyx was still breathing hard when Eris found her. She had sprinted across the whole of the ship to the training room, run the circuit in the gym several times. She was in a mood to punish her body.

“If you’re here to get me to change my mind, don’t bother,” Nyx said.

Practice blades hung from the walls—long and short ones, some curved and some straight. Each different weapon was from a planet conquered by the Tholosian Empire; the military prided themselves on learning different battle techniques to improve their training and their brutality on the battlefield. Each instrument was heavier and blunter than what they’d use in real life, but still deadly.

In comparison, the rack of false Mors on the far wall were for newer recruits; they only left a faint red mark instead of a hole in skin. Easy for guiding soldiers so green that they hadn’t seen an enemy corpse yet. This room had taken every aspect of training into consideration. There were shields, ropes, and punching bags. So many ways to play at the art of killing. The air smelled faintly of sweat, disinfectant, and chalk.

Nyx had already started wrapping her hands, wanting to punch that bag in the corner until she couldn’t think any longer.

Eris leaned against the door frame. “I was hoping we could talk.”

Nyx didn’t look up. She tested the wraps, gave the bag a few light punches. They were good. “Not interested in talking.”

“You want to fight, then?” Eris said calmly, picking up strips to wrap her own hands.

Nyx studied the other woman. She was so small that her head didn’t even reach Nyx’s shoulders. But it wasn’t even just her height; it was her frame. Muscled and compact, yes, but so little that Nyx felt like a mountain next to a boulder.

“I’d break you,” Nyx said dismissively. She was engineered to break people. Big men, small women.

“You sure about that?”

Nyx wasn’t. She figured Eris was trained to move quick, strike hard, again and again. Tire out a larger opponent. Smaller soldiers were taught like that. Nyx had learned to expect it.

“Tell you what: if you win, we can do all the talking you want,” Nyx said.

Eris raised an eyebrow. “And if you win?”

“You leave me the fuck alone.”