Curious, she’d scanned the earlier footage more carefully until she found the reason. The camera wasn’t placed well, but she could see enough to know there had been an accident in the quarters under construction. One of the cutters had slipped, slicing through an area of the stone wall that had already been set and destabilizing another block. It had crashed into the man, the edge skinning down his arm and taking off the skin. That had sent her belly roiling and had taken her a bit to recover from.
Now on day five, she was going to finally start in on the language primer in earnest. She had eaten, bathed, and had at least two hours before Levi would come for her.
She pulled the tablet closer and pressed it on. The program started showing symbols and then sounding out a sound.
Crap. She hit the button that she hoped would pause it. The volume increased. She hit the button next to it, turning the volume back down, and then continued until she found a yellow one in the lower right corner that stopped it.
Why hadn’t it occurred to her that a language program would incorporate spoken words as well as written? Yes, it was mainly to help her learn the written portions, but of course there would be sound—sound that for the last four days had been nonexistent.
Her head dropped to the table. “I’m an idiot.”
An inquiring chirp came from the direction of the bed. Garfield had woken and twisted—still on his back—so his little head hung off the edge, and was staring at her.
“Yup, a definite idiot, Garfield. Your mom is a bona fide dunce.” She looked back at the tablet, then her comm. She did not want to watch any more videos this morning, but it looked like that was what she was going to do, at least until she could get some headphones or whatever the equivalent was.
Or she could do laundry. Levi had made good on his promise and showed her why there was no toilet paper. The metal box, the one with the cloths stacked on top? It was a mini–washing machine and sanitizer. You did your business, washed, and then wiped with the cloths. They went in the sanitizer and, presto, clean cloths ready to use again. There were settings for larger items, such as the towels or pants and shirts. Levi had walked her through which buttons to push.
She contemplated the closet door, behind which was her meager wardrobe, most of it dirty. She looked back at the comm, on which was hours of footage. She looked out the window, beyond which fields of grass waved, beckoning.
How much harm would it do, really, to sneak out?
Garfield twisted to his feet, chirping in eagerness. He voted for leaving the den. Too much time spent inside.
Woah. That was new. That was a clear thought, not an image or an impression.
Hello? It was tentative and she had no idea what she was doing, but she concentrated on Garfield.
Nothing. She tried again, and still the piquet didn’t respond.
She sighed. Laundry it was. She typed out a quick message to Mo’ata, thankful yet again that Trevon had managed to get an English alternative installed. It wasn’t perfect—many of the original symbols for the various tools remained, but she could send and receive messages now.
Can I get some headphones? Forrest will know what they are. Hesitating for only a moment, she sent a new message. Also, meeting? Being able to stay in touch on the comms was better than nothing, but she wanted to see them.
The response was immediate. Tonight. Will have headphones.
Eagerness filled her and put a new lightness in her step as she headed for the dressing room.
The last of her shirts were coming out of the sterilizer when a knock sounded at the door. She rushed over, excited to get out of the room and to see Levi.
Her usual watchdog was stationed beside her door, but instead of Levi, a new guard stood there. He was younger, his face still soft with youth, and he stared at her with big eyes.
“Levi?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Had extra train. Ask me take.” He frowned. “My Common not good but practice with Forrest. I guide. Spencer. Levi at yard. I take.” His frown lifted, and he nodded.
“Ah. We go.” Blue made sure all her various devices were turned off and put away, grabbed her sash, and then she and Garfield set off with Spencer. Forrest had messaged about his guide that he was nice for a Prizzoli.
Spencer snuck a look at Garfield. “Like Vivi?”
Blue smiled. “Yes, like Vivi. Pet?” She sent a quick admonishment to Garfield to behave. He grumbled, causing Spencer to pull back, but complied. A few scratches later, the piquet was purring and this time grumbled when Spencer straightened and moved away.
As they exited the guest quarters and made their way to the training field, Blue caught sight of Trevon yards back, following behind her. She had wondered who her shadow would be today.
It only took a few minutes to reach the training field. In all honesty, she didn’t need a guide anymore to get there. It was the one place she was allowed to go without extreme protest from the guards on duty.
She scanned the yard, looking for Levi. They were still working on balance and precision of movement, but she hoped to move on to the next thing soon. She was getting better, and her body hurt less and less each day when she woke up.
Okay, she admitted it. Part of what had kept her occupied the first couple days was not just worry. When she woke up, she had hurt. Everywhere. Especially her ass. The training was literally a pain in her ass.
The air was still, and the sun beat down on her. They had gone from the cold of Karran and Firik, to the warmth of Padilra, and summer months were coming soon. She had barely done anything, and already the sweat was popping out on her skin.
She rose up on her toes, but it didn’t help her search, she was just too short to properly scan the crowd. She made her way through the gatherings. There were groups of guards practicing the kiti, the “way of moving.” Others were holding blade matches, and still more were working with the staff. At the far side of the open area were a few of the female guards, their uniforms the same as the men’s.
She finally spotted Levi to the left. He was in a blade match with another guard. And his shirt was off.
He didn’t usually have his shirt off.
She should probably not stare, but he was right there. With no shirt. She hadn’t seen him yet without a shirt.
It’s not like I’ve never seen a guy’s chest. She continued to stare. But that is a very nice chest.
Checking to be sure her mouth was closed, she made her way to the small crowd gathered around the pair and claimed a spot on the edge of the circle, Garfield and Spencer trailing after her.
He was even more impressive up close. A light sheen of sweat coated his skin, and in some places dust clung to him. He moved with the graceful precision that she had always admired. Moving like that had made it onto her list. Swiping at his opponent with one of his blades, he aimed for the thigh. The other man shifted his leg back, but not enough. A thin line of blood appeared.
Neither man even paused.
The second man went in higher, and Levi leaned back, shifting his foot to maintain his balance, then went in with the blade in his left hand and spun away.
They continued, back and forth, limbs moving as though dancing. It was beautiful to watch, even if she couldn’t follow all of the movements.
Then it was over. She wasn’t sure who had won, but Levi and his opponent were bowing to each other. Levi turned to her, and her breath caught. His light hazel eyes almost glowed out of his face, and there was something about his expression that had her belly tightening. Her gaze dropped once more to his chest and caught there. Again.
He had nice man nipples.
“Blue?” he said, stepping toward her.
“Man nipples.” She clapped her hand over her mouth. Why did that have to pop out? She was going to blame it on the lack of actual human interaction and the isolation she had been forced to endure. It had nothing to do with the fact that she was apparently fascinated with man nipples. Levi’s man nipples to be precise. Although, Mo’at
a’s were very nice, and that night with Forrest, she had liked his man nipples as well. She hadn’t just liked them, she had licked them. It had been...
She counted up the days. It had been nearly two weeks since that night with Forrest. She’d had sex once. They’d had sex once. By the time the soreness had gone, life was in the way. Was it simply the stress getting to her and the shock of seeing Levi undressed? There were plenty of bare chests around her, but she wasn’t lusting after those. No, she was lusting after the one right before her.
Levi narrowed his eyes and then glanced down at his chest. Blue’s gaze drifted down again, and he crossed his arms, covering his... nipples.
She snapped her eyes up to find the color in his cheeks had deepened. “Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean... I—” Her throat tightened, whether in embarrassment or mirth, she didn’t know. Waving a hand in front of her, she stepped back. “No, it’s fine. I’m good. I’ll keep my eyes where they should be. I blame Forrest. He’s a good one to blame. In fact, this is all his fau—”
“Blue.” Levi’s deep voice cut into her rambling. “It is time to practice. You can do this, yes? Keep your mind on the exercise?”
She nodded. Was that a smile? “Your English really has improved. I mean, it’s been, what? Not quite two weeks?”
He tapped the side of his head. “I learn quickly. Once I decide to.”
Her eyes narrowed, and she crossed her own arms. They stood there, mirroring each other. “Since when have you been cryptic?”
“I do not know this word yet.”
She sighed. “Never mind. Time to practice, right?” She set aside the mystery of Levi’s statement.
“Come.” He gestured to the far corner where they had been holding their practices. He made a slight detour to one of the low benches that lined the edge of the training area and scooped up a shirt, pulling it on as he walked beside her.
Probably for the best.
And it was something to think about. Of all the bare chests scattered through the training yard, many of them very nice, Levi’s was the only one to send her into stammering incoherence.
Of course, if Forrest or Mo’ata—or maybe even Felix or Trevon—had been out here, she may have done the same. Hadn’t she equally made a fool of herself when she’d first seen Mo’ata? Maybe she should schedule a time with each of her entourage and have them show her their naked chests.
Then she could stop thinking of man nipples. Or seeing them for the first time. Or...
Something hit her middle, hard enough to knock the breath from her. On the ground in front of her was her dagger, the one Felix had bought her, wrapped in its sheath and the connected belt. Where…?
“You will practice the figures with this. You need to get used to holding it and not cutting yourself.” Levi’s voice was hard.
Right, time to get to it. She scooped the weapon off the ground and straightened, pulling her shoulders back. After checking that her sash was tied properly, she pulled the dagger and set the belt aside on one of the low benches. She took her spot in front of Levi and assumed the first position he had shown her, knees slightly bent, weight centered on her feet, shoulder blades pulled down, tummy tight. He looked her over, circling, and even went so far as to push into her shoulder, checking her weight distribution. She swayed but didn’t fall.
Finally he came back to her front and met her gaze. “Good. Felix began working with you, I know, but what we will do today with the knives is not what he did with you.” He pulled one of the curved blades he had been working with and spun it in his hand so the hilt was pointed at her. “Take.”
She grasped the hilt and gingerly pulled it from his grasp, not wanting to chance the blade cutting him.
“You will work with two blades.” He took one step back and assumed a stance to match hers. “Just hold the blades for now.” He pointed to his eyes. “You look here, and you move with me.”
Maybe it was the recent thought of man nipples, but those words had her lower belly tightening and her heart pounding. Her left hand jerked, the one that held Levi’s blade, and she lost her stance. It only took a moment to right it, but her cheeks colored in embarrassment.
Levi retrieved a new blade from his equipment at the edge of the yard and returned to stand before her. “Center yourself.”
Taking a breath, Blue took all of the thoughts of Levi, of chests and desire and her longing for touch, and tucked them away in a corner of her mind. She also put away her frustration with the surveillance recording, and her own anger at herself for messing up the cover of studying with the language program.
They moved through the beginning forms once without stopping. The second time, Levi paused to correct her stance and how she gripped the blades. The third time he let her run through the whole thing as he watched. The fourth, he again corrected her.
After ten repetitions, he stopped her. “Good. The kiti takes years to master, but you are making progress. You will do these every day. Practice in your room as well.”
Blue lowered her arms. “We’re not done are we? The shift change hasn’t sounded.”
“Not done. I want to try something new with you.” They gathered their belongings, and he led her to a new area, one where the other guards were working with throwing weapons. “Here.” He handed her a leather case. When she opened it, there was a set of throwing knives, the blades a dull gray, the hilts wrapped in very thin leather, and all of it streamlined.
Thus began a new lesson. He took her through the stance, the grip, and the idea of the physics behind it, explained the basic throw, and stepped away from her. “There is your target.” He pointed to a wooden circle about fifteen feet away. “Hit it.”
She beamed at him. This was what she was talking about. Assuming she ever got off this planet, she had a long road ahead of her to be able to join Mo’ata on assignments and patrols and be more than a hindrance and distraction. While she enjoyed helping in whatever way she could, staring at footage all day was not what she had had in mind.
Focusing on the target, she assumed the stance Levi had shown her, right foot forward, shoulders square. She gripped the knife and threw.
It landed on the ground somewhere to the left of the target.
“Again.” Levi didn’t change his expression or stance.
She picked up the next blade, checked her stance, and threw. This time it bounced off the target. She looked to Levi.
He nodded at the case of blades. “Again.”
Trusting that he would correct her when she needed it, Blue threw again. And again. When all the blades had been used, Levi checked the field, making sure no one else was throwing at the moment, and jogged out to retrieve them. He placed them back in the case and pointed to the target. “Again.” A smile, no more than a quirk of his lips, had Blue’s brows raising.
“Again,” she agreed.
By the time the shift change sounded, Blue had lost count of how many rounds of knives she’d thrown, her arm was jelly, and she had hit the target—and stuck—three times.
LEVI
As Blue placed the lama—the throwing blades—back in their case, he drew his thoughts in and steadied himself. He didn’t think he’d had more fun in any of his training than when Blue had stuck the target for the first time. She’d beamed, jumping up and down, and even started for him. She’d kept herself back, no doubt realizing other guards surrounded them. If they had been alone or only with Mo’ata or the others, he was sure she’d have completed the motion.
He’d have gotten a hug. Maybe even something more.
Her earlier embarrassment over her preoccupation with his chest, his “man nipples” as she called them, lightened his mood. It tightened other things as well, but he had enough control at the moment that it had not become a problem.
The cleansing was not going well. Different in some aspects from what Phillip was doing—Phillip’s was, in truth, a cleansing of evil from the spirit—Levi’s own consisted of meditation exercises designed to quiet the mi
nd. Some were the same exercises trainees went through as they learned to detect and harness the Crystals of Shardon and avoid the creation of a plinar. Most, though, were a simple meditation.
Those were the ones he was failing at. Oh, he was able to quiet his mind and body as was necessary, but the clarity he sought, the peace and surety of knowing his purpose, his direction, eluded him.
Part of today’s change in his schedule was due to this. Elder Shinzu had stopped him on the way to meditations, wanting to discuss his progress. Levi, frustrated, had expressed his difficulties with understanding the motivations behind the handling of Blue and Phillip. He had discussed his unease with the changes that were taking place—specifically asking why the guards had not rotated as usual. As he had told the others back on Karran, it was a strategy long employed to reduce the risk of a crystal bonding when it should not. Even the elders were supposed to rotate through the villages. Levi did not bring up this point, but it was understood. He had finished his outpouring of words with his concerns over his inability to focus once again on the simple duties of a guard and regain his certainty of purpose.
Elder Shinzu had looked up at him for a long moment, then smiled. “Maybe you need to reevaluate the purpose itself.” Then he had sent him to the training yard to “work out his frustrations” in a more productive manner.
Now, Blue finished with the blades and held the case out to him, her eyes a clear blue that seemed lit from within. “You keep,” he said, struggling for the proper English words. Yes, he had made very good progress in the new language. When his thoughts weren’t crowded with worry and images of a small girl with blue in her hair. “We will add them to your practice rotations, and continue the kiti with blades added as well.”
For a Pixie in Blue (The Adventures of Blue Faust Book 4) Page 10
