Dimic proudly crossed his arms across his chest. “Focus and practice.”

“You barely looked at the board.”

He shrugged.

I hated to admit he really was good, and I wasn’t looking forward to losing. “What does this have to do with training?”

Dimic uncrossed his arms. “It’s about realizing our actions also have consequences. Look.” He pointed to where his dark pebble had landed on the board in front of two white ones. “This rock is effectively sheltering the ones behind it, meaning it’ll be harder to get them in later, especially without knocking mine in. It’s all about thinking ahead and not blindly making moves.”

He leaned in closer so the other boys couldn’t hear. “Cion mostly uses it to teach the younger boys how you shouldn’t go into a fight without a plan.” Dimic nodded as though he’d told me a great secret then leaned away.

“Ahh,” I said.

I weighed a white pebble in my hand and then took my time aiming at Dimic’s darker ones.

Just as I flicked my finger forward, Dimic cried out, “Miss, miss, miss.”

I was so startled I jerked to the side. My white pebble skidded off the board and onto the carpet.

“Dimic,” I scolded.

He shrugged. “Cion always does that to the new kids. It teaches them to be aware of their surroundings and not just what they’re focusing on.”

Of course Cion did that.

“Besides,” Dimic added, “I’ve always wanted to try it.”

I rolled my eyes.

Dimic beat me three games straight. Either my pebbles ended up knocking in one or two or I shot wide.

When I’d finally had enough, I said, “All right, you win. I give up.”

Dimic smiled. Somehow his hair had gotten even wilder while we were playing. He looked more like a kid now. Much more than he had the first time I’d seen him.

“Dimic,” I said as he collected the pebbles in little pouches, “about the arena . . .” But before I could continue, Dimic cut in.

“Don’t worry about it,” he replied. “At least now I have the distinction of being one of the few Desert Boys ever to make it out of the arena alive.” His eyes lit up as he said it and a wide grin spread across his face.

His resilience shocked me. Nothing seemed to break his spirit. I didn’t know how he lived that way in such a harsh environment. Then again, maybe it was the only way to live in this environment—to count the blessings you have. Otherwise, the sadness and despair would crush you.

Dimic finished scooping the pebbles into their two bags. One he tied to his waist. The other he held out to me. “Can you carry this while I get the board?”

I reached for the bag, but Dimic tossed it to his other hand before I could grab it. “Too slow,” he intoned.

Sighing, I reached for his other hand.

This time, he tossed it over my head. One of the boys caught it, and then all the boys were on their feet shouting for him to throw it their way.