Page 44 of The City of Zirdai
“To each other.”
They bowed, but not as deeply. Shyla kept her gaze on Durva, making eye contact while removing her mental shield. The woman was nervous and excited and confident. Durva was five centimeters taller than Shyla, with longer limbs that she planned to use to her benefit.
Hanif held his hand between them and they shifted into fighting stances.
“Go!” Hanif jerked his arm up and backed away.
Shyla executed a front shuffle kick followed by a roundhouse kick. Durva sidestepped and snapped a side kick at Shyla’s leg—the one that held all her weight. A good strategy for any other opponent, except Shyla hopped out of the way before Durva’s foot touched her. Shyla attacked with two quick punches to Durva’s ribs. Durva blocked both with her forearms and stepped close to launch an upper cut to Shyla’s jaw. Shyla leaned back just in time for Durva’s fist to sail pass. They disengaged and the two women circled each other.
Durva was quick and skilled. Shyla was out of practice and still fatigued from using her magic. However, being able to read Durva’s intentions gave Shyla a big advantage. It was fun and Shyla almost forgot why they were sparring. With a renewed effort, she concentrated on Durva’s deeper thoughts—ones not connected to the fight. That wasn’t fun. Shyla’s unease grew as she learned things about Durva that she was sure the woman would never have shared. Was she crossing a line? Abusing her power just so Hanif could uncover a spy?
Shyla won the match three points to two. They bowed again and Durva left. Hanif brought in the next acolyte—an over-muscled bruiser named Tobbar. He didn’t waste energy blocking. Instead he absorbed the hits without slowing down. Tobbar only let her attack once, and then he went on the offensive for the rest of the match, winning it three points to two.
Chago was the third and last acolyte. He was a lanky young man who was freakishly fast even with his thoughts. Shyla just managed to stay ahead of him. And she had to sacrifice a couple points to probe his mind. By the end of the match, her energy lagged and Chago won four points to one. At least she’d held him off longer than he’d expected when he’d sized her up in the beginning.
Hanif consulted with the two other monks before they left. She ripped off the veil as soon as they were out of sight. The material had clung to her damp face while she fought. Then she pulled off the sweat-soaked turban. Ugh. She reeked.
“You need practice,” Hanif said.
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
“You did better than I thought you would.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Did you…?” He tapped his forehead.
“Is that code for ‘read their souls’?”
“Shyla.”
She enjoyed annoying Hanif much more now that she was an adult. “Yes. Durva and Tobbar are legit. Chago isn’t. He’s the Water Prince’s cousin.”
“Seven hells.”
“He’s very good. And you’re going to have to decide what to do with him.”
Hanif’s gaze sharpened. “What do you mean?”
“If you kick him out, then he’s going to suspect I was somehow involved. Which will no doubt bring Captain Yates back.”
Another string of curses burst from Hanif.
“How long can you delay them from taking the oath?” she asked.
“Not long—five or six sun jumps. They’ve met all the requirements.”
Too soon. “How about allowing him to become a monk and just keeping him from sensitive information?”
“That would be difficult.”
“If you prevent him from passing along information, I can erase his memories later.”
Hanif considered her offer. “How much later?”
“When we unseat the Water Prince.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
