Allologue 4

*First Rest of Sazsenth, After Calamity 911*

Nine-year-old
Kiono tried to focus on the books in front of her, Enooto’s
required reading for her instruction, but Kitano’s rhythmic
thunk-thunking as he practiced kicks against a target dummy was
distracting her. Every other second his foot whipped out and landed
solidly at the dummy’s neck.

“Why
do you keep doing the same thing? You’ve done that kick a million
times!” she said, flinging the book from her hands.

Kitano
was older than her- almost seventeen- and already one of the most
accomplished warriors in the village. His teacher, Tsanii, called him a
natural hunter. He stopped and looked at her, not responding.

“What
happens if you have to fight someone who’s shorter than that? Like
a halfling?” She shouted, then said smugly, “I bet I could kick
your butt and all you could do is hit the air above my head.”

His eye twitched a bit and he beckoned her over, “by all means
then, I invite you to try.”

Kiono’s
smile vanished, and she swallowed. “All right then, I will.” She
scooted down the stairs she’d been sitting on and stood at the
bottom, at the edge of the training grounds. Kitano watched her, but
didn’t move. He was giving her the first move. He would regret
that, she was certain.

She
charged him, screaming. He still did not move until just before she
reached him- he lashed out and scooped her up, twisting her in the
air and setting her down behind him. She continued her charge a few
steps before she’d realized what had happened- she spun to face
him. “Hey!” she shouted.

He
said nothing, and beckoned her again. She yelled in frustration and
charged again, this time diving for his legs feet first, as if to
somehow kick them out from under him. He bent down and grabbed her
foot, pulled her through the motion and launched her up into the air.

Thusly
airborne, Kiono promptly forgot the battle and started laughing.
Kitano caught her lightly and spun her around once more before
setting her on the ground.

“So you see.” He said.

“Does
she?” a voice cut in. Enooto stood at the top of the stairs,
looking down on them with a severe expression, one of the three
severe expressions she’d cultivated in a long life of taking
personal affront to everything. “The chosen one asked you to
demonstrate your combat prowess, not your playtime aptitude.”

Kitano
stared at Enooto, Kiono could sense his body growing rigid next to
her.

“He
did fine!” Kiono said, “I mean I went nyoom and then woosh and it
was crazy!”

“You
have already distracted the chosen one from her studies,” Enooto
continued without looking away from Kitano, “And fruitlessly so.
Perhaps this is another role to which you are ill suited.”

“She’s
nine.” He said flatly.

“And
if we do not demonstrate to her the dispassionate cruelty of the
world, who will?” Enooto said coolly. “Now. The chosen one has
made a request. Fulfill it.”

Kitano
looked away from Enooto, away from Kiono, remaining motionless under
the Keeper’s gaze. “Do not brace yourself. Exhale,” He said
softly, such that Kiono wasn’t sure she’d heard him at all. He
walked several yards away and turned to face Kiono. He took up a
stance she’d seen him use when sparring with Instructor Tsanii. She
tried her best to mimic it. It would have been comical, but no one
present was inclined to laugh.

Kiono
blinked, and Kitano was already half the distance to her, another
blink, and he was pushing off his back foot. A third, and the world
went white with pain- an intense burning pain in her ribs along with
a wet crack. She sprawled in the dirt several feet away, curled into
a ball and hurting too much to cry.

Kitano
stood looking down at her, and then up to Enooto, saying nothing.

“I’ll fetch a healer.” Enooto said simply.