3.16 – The Competition

3.16 – The Competition

For a brief moment, Natalie considered turning the conversation back to Camille’s offer. But she wasn’t sure it had been genuine, and when it came to Camille’s endless teasing, it was better to not give her more fuel. So instead, she dropped it.

“I really don’t,” Natalie said. “I know who House Parda-Halt is, though.”

“I would hope so,” Camille said, giving her another odd look. “Anyway, there’s not a Parda-Halt out there who isn’t a prodigy. Won’t be surprised if she’s at the top of the class. As in, top-top. Number one.”

“Which one is she?”

“Red hair. Over there.”

A few sparring pads away, Natalie saw who Camille pointed at. With long red hair, the same vibrant color as Natalie’s, and piercing green eyes, Natalie placed the woman in an instant. “Oh,” she said. “She’s in my barracks.”

“Poor you.”

“Poor me?”

“She hasn’t been awful?”

“Haven’t exchanged two words with her.”

“Suggest you keep that up.”

“Why?” Natalie had formed an immediately poor impression of the woman, because her first experience had been Elida giving a mocking, disdainful look toward Liz, clearly finding her sociable chatter as ... Natalie didn’t know. Childish? Embarrassing? She supposed she was making assumptions. And that had been a while ago, and a rather minor incident, but now that Natalie liked Liz, the event bothered her more. Still, she wanted to hear Camille’s thoughts on the matter.

“Always a good policy to keep thirty feet away from any Parda-Halt. Bunch of snakes, them.” She grimaced. “Don’t tell her I said that, though. Or anyone. My house is technically on good footing with hers.”

Which made the point even stronger. “That bad, then?”

“Haven’t talked to her,” Camille admitted. “But really. Parda-Halt.”

The Valerias especially were combat-oriented in a way even many major houses weren’t. Most houses had prominent delvers, but all members of Valeria were military in one way or another—even the ones who didn’t delve and reach enormous personal power through their class still knew warfare. Generals, soldiers, or delvers. Johanna had undoubtedly lived and breathed combat since she could walk. Which was same for many Tenet students, but her especially.

Still, even if Johanna hadn’t done anything to Natalie, and even sounded like Liz’s friend, Natalie found herself frowning. She had a measuring stick to compare to, now. Someone she wanted to surpass. Though Sofia still came first. Johanna had dismantled even Sofia, and Natalie still couldn’t. Her friend thrashed her in fights.

Her ... friend?

Natalie shivered. She’d really just thought that. Rival. Sofia wasn’t anything but her rival. Reduced hostility in recent weeks or not.

She scanned the rest of the fights. She and Camille were recovering from their own bout, but they would rejoin the fray shortly.

One last person caught her eye. Half because of her distinctive appearance, half because of how she was, like Johanna and Elida, tearing her competition—Natalie’s classmates—apart. With wicked twin daggers in either hand, she flowed between her opponents like water, and even that metaphor didn’t do it justice. Like smoke, slipping between attacks as if she were formless.

Even more prominently, the heavy, criss-crossing scars running across her face. Natalie had seen this girl back in the barracks on the first day, but now that she thought about, hadn’t since. Had she even been sleeping there? She’d seemed especially uncomfortable with how many people were stuffed in the barracks; twitchy, to understate things. Had she snuck off to sleep somewhere else? Why would Tenet allow that, though?

“Who’s that?” Natalie asked.

“Not sure,” Camille said. She’d followed Natalie’s gaze even before her prompting. “But she fights like a demon, doesn’t she?”

“Another top ten?”

“Probably. She wasn’t put in class twelve without a reason, I’d figure.”

“Assuming it works like that.”

Camille shrugged. “Even their worst members are a nightmare, if you haven’t noticed. No way that’s a coincidence.”

Natalie definitely had. Her first few bouts hadn’t been easy. Hadn’t even pulled out a victory today. That they were matched up against, apparently, the best class of the year only relieved her irritation at her failure slightly. She didn’t like other people being better than her. Wouldn’t have made it to Tenet if she did.

“Anyway,” Camille said. “Should get back to it. Wanna have a go against them?” She stuck her thumb toward two bystanders of class twelve.

“Might as well,” Natalie said.