“I’m waiting on you.” Caledonia grinned, knowing her words promised more than she could possibly deliver.

A small laugh. “You should never let optimism cloud your good reason.”

Increasingly desperate to return to fighting condition, Caledonia had pushed her body a little further each day. Before she could even attempt to find her sisters, she had to know she was strong enough to survive the sea. She’d found Sledge to be a patient and ready partner, appearing outside her tent every dawn to ask the same question: “Will you consent to spar with me, Caledonia?”

Days passed before she could do more than stretch her weak limbs and move through a few basic exercises. No matter how little she accomplished, Sledge continued to show up, continued to ask the question, and one day she’d surprised even herself by slowly mimicking his routine with the unfamiliar staff.

Others had joined them, gently goading her toward recovery, and she’d come to know the Blades as she rediscovered her range of motion. There was Harwell, who was tall and lean with a nose made brown by freckles and eyes that caught everything; Glimmer, who was as pale as anyone Caledonia had ever encountered and built like a boulder; Shale, who was just as pale and slender in all the ways Glimmer was broad; and Mint, who told Caledonia she’d picked the name because the plant was impossible to kill.

Now she felt her strength as she moved in careful steps to circle Sledge. “I still seem to be waiting.”

Laughter sounded around her. Not from Sledge, but from the many Blades who’d cut their own routines short to watch her spar with their leader.

“There is no waiting in a spar. There is action and there is reaction. If you’re waiting it’s because I have you exactly where I want you.”

Caledonia faltered. He was right. She’d let her minimal experience make her hesitant, moving only as his movements dictated. That alone didn’t bother her; what bothered her was that Sledge had seen it and she hadn’t.

Sledge used her moment of doubt against her. In a single, gliding step, he was upon her, stepping her through their practiced routine at full speed. She scrambled to block his first strike, and barely managed to meet his second. For someone who resembled a mountain, Sledge moved with enormous grace. In that way, he reminded her of Redtooth.

Caledonia settled into her rhythm, letting the rapid pace sing through her body. It was exhilarating, but she wanted more. She followed Sledge’s lead until she found an opening, then she drove forward with a strike to his torso. Sledge released a surprised laugh, stepping back to absorb the blow.

“A challenge!” he cried, gripping his staff with renewed energy. “Caledonia has issued a challenge!”