Yipachai trudged along the muddy track behind Mamoru and tried to stick his hair back so it wasn’t plastered to his forehead by the rain. His clothes were already soaked and stained with the grayish brown mud of Lucong, and the afternoon downpour showed no signs of letting up soon.

  Master Rurou had informed Yipachai and the rest of the novices that the location for their dueling training had been moved. Apparently, it was better for them to practice in different places so that they could learn to fight in unfamiliar environments.

  Yipachai doubted that any one place in the forest around the School of the West Wind would be all that different from the clearing where they usually practiced, but of course there was nothing to be done except to follow Rurou’s directions to the new battleground.

  They’d set out immediately after the lunch time dishes were done, venturing deeper into the forest to the west of the school. Thankfully, the class that had trained with master Rurou that morning had already left a muddy track for them to follow.

  None of the novices spoke as they walked, with most of their focus on trying to find the thickest evergreen trees to dart in between—even the smaller ones would provide a few seconds of respite from cold water running down your spine, so long as you could duck underneath it.

  Yipachai had better luck at that than the others did. It was perhaps the first time since coming to Amigawa that he was thankful to be shorter than the Banqilun.

  They finally found master Rurou standing beneath a thick evergreen on the edge of a clearing that looked, as Yipachai had guessed, much like any other clearing in Lucong. Standing next to him, though, was an unfamiliar figure.

  A girl.

  Tall and willowy, with dark skin even for a Banqilun, her mossy green hair was tied in a tight bun atop her head. She had sharp-looking cheekbones, and her dark eyes seemed to turn up a bit at the corners, giving her face an almost catlike appearance.

  The girl wore the plain gray uniform of a novice, and hers was just as soaked through as Yipachai’s and the other boys’. A sour look was painted on her face, though whether it was from being made to stand in the rain in front of a bunch of boys or from something else, Yipachai couldn’t tell.

  “A girl?” Bunko asked, rain dripping off of his heavy brow. “What’s she doing at dueling practice?”

  “She’s liable to knock you on your flaming backside,” Rurou said without hesitation.

  The girl smirked, those feline eyes going to master Rurou as she crossed her arms tight across her chest.

  “This,” Rurou said, “is Naoko Aki. She has excelled in dueling trials with the other female novices and initiates, and I want to see if she has what it takes to fight against you boys. Do not take it easy on her, as I’ve instructed her not to take it easy on any of you.”

  Naoko’s mouth was a thin line as she regarded each of the boys in turn, as if daring them to say something. Her face softened ever so slightly when she looked to Yipachai, but hardened again as a snicker of laughter sounded from Mikio.

  “Really?” Mikio said. “You think she would need to take it easy on us? Maybe she could spar against the Hetanzou and it’d be a fair fight—almost.”

  Yipachai saw it, then. Naoko’s confidence wavered, her eyes going down, her lips pursing, her shoulders tensing as she momentarily squeezed herself a little tighter. But then it was gone.

  Master Rurou merely shook his head. “We’ll see about that then, Mikio. First up we’ll have you, Hachiro, and Akio versus Naoko, Atsushi, and the Hetanzou. Line it up.”

  Yipachai quickly stepped forward to gather around with Atsushi and Naoko. It felt somewhat odd to stand so close to a girl that towered over him, but he thought he could forget about it while they had a duel to worry about.

  “Do you fly, too or something?” Atsushi asked Naoko. Each time Yipachai had been on a team with Mamoru’s older brother, Atsushi had quickly taken the lead.

  Naoko cocked her head to one side. “Or something.” Her voice was higher than Yipachai had expected.

  “Care to explain, then?”

  “Just put me wherever. I’ll hold down my side if he does the same.” She jerked her chin towards Yipachai.

  “I can—” Yipachai started.

  “He’ll be covering us from the air,” Atsushi interrupted. “Just make sure you stay out of the way of his wings when he swoops by.”

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  Naoko nodded appreciatively. “Very well, then, captain. Do you want point?”

  “Do you not?”

  “I’m…not as skilled at blocks and parries yet,” Naoko said, and Yipachai thought he saw that assertive mask crack again.

  “Fine. I’ll take the front, you take the right side. Hetanzou, you cover our backs and harass them when you see an opening.”

  “Got it,” Naoko said, her eyes lighting up again.

  Yipachai simply gave an affirmative nod as he reached out with his mind for Pingou. Urging the heron to come closer, he initiated a bond and summoned his wings.

  This wouldn’t be his first duel in the rain, so he was prepared to deal with water in his face as he flew. And as he surveyed the sopping wet clearing around them, Yipachai was thankful he wouldn’t have to worry as much about keeping his footing.

  “Are you ladies ready?” Mikio called from the other side of the clearing.

  Akio, the captain of the other team, gave him a quick jab to the arm. The boy’s golden topknot had turned to nearly a dark brown in the rain. “Focus, you idiot.”

  “Combatants ready,” Rurou called. He was almost shouting to be heard over the sound of rain drops slapping into growing puddles.

  Yipachai nodded, first to Atsushi and then to Naoko as they fanned out and drew their practice swords. He hoped the girl had something planned, because as of yet, she didn’t seem to have bonded with a beast.

  “Begin!”

  Yipachai ascended quickly, beyond the reach of the other team. One lesson he’d had to learn quickly was that he was most vulnerable when he was first taking off—he had no momentum to use to his advantage, and it was difficult to strike downward while attempting to fly upward. Rain pelted his face and stung his skin, as if it were displeased at having to share the sky with a Sentient.

  He rose and banked left, rain mhonglun chittering ecstatic songs all around him as he ascended in as tight a spiral as he could manage while keeping an eye on the duel below.

  Atsushi and Naoko were sticking close to one another while the other team advanced. There still wasn’t any sign that Naoko had bonded with a beast or done anything special. Did that mean she was simply skilled enough with the blade to warrant Master Rurou bringing her in to fight against the boys?

  On the other side, Akio, Mikio, and Hachiro stepped forward purposefully, their attention somewhat divided between Yipachai and his teammates on the ground. Then, before Yipachai could wheel around to interfere, the three boys rushed forward, Akio moving to engage Atsushi just as Mikio worked his way around to face Naoko.

  “What’s the matter,” Mikio said, “Afraid to be fighting in a men’s duel?”

  Just then, Akio sprung towards Atsushi, their wooden practice blades meeting with a clack.

  Naoko didn’t answer Mikio’s taunt, her eyes instead darting between him and Hachiro, who was now positioned between his two teammates, ready to support whichever of them needed it first.

  Mikio stepped forward, holding his sword out to one side and exposing his chest. “Here, I’ll let you have one swing. If you can land a blow, I’ll—”

  Naoko’s blade shattered against Mikio’s ribs. She’d moved and attacked faster than Yipachai’s eyes could track. Mikio went down, his entire body thrown sideways by the blow.

  The other boys froze, staring at the girl with mouths agape.

  Naoko, however, didn’t hesitate. She dashed forward to pick up Mikio’s practice sword, which he’d dropped, then turned back to face Hachiro and Akio as she dropped into a warding stance.

  “Thanks for the help,” she said, her voice cool and cutting.

  Yipachai nearly let out a hoot of laughter, but controlled himself. They still had a duel to win. And with Mikio weaponless and likely suffering from broken ribs, Yipachai and the others had the upper hand. It was time to use it.

  While the others were still reeling from seeing the way Naoko handled Mikio, Yipachai wheeled and dove, swooping in towards Hachiro, who’d let his guard down completely. Squinting against the rain, Yipachai sped forward, his blade out to one side, then tucked his wings back. He dropped quickly, but this way his wings wouldn’t be exposed to counter attacks. Then, just as he passed Hachiro, he used his shoulders and hips to twist into his strike.

  His blade thumped against the other boy’s arm with a thunk, sending a harsh jolt back up through Yipachai’s hands and wrists. Hachiro stumbled sideways as Yipachai opened his wings again and used his momentum to carry him up and out of reach once more.

  Thankfully, Naoko was paying attention. As Yipachai wheeled around for another pass, he saw her step forward to engage Hachiro, who was already moving stiffly from the hit he’d taken.

  Atsushi and Akio had resumed their clash, their blades cracking together every few heartbeats. It seemed like Atsushi had the upper hand, though, as he forced the other initiate back a few steps, away from his teammates.

  Naoko made the first move against Hachiro, an overhead strike that came down with far more power than Yipachai would’ve guessed her thin frame could have produced.

  Hachiro got his blade up, and this time both swords held, but the impact forced the novice boy to his knees.

  Naoko pulled back for another strike, but Hachiro stopped her.

  “I yield,” he said, his face a mixture of pain and shock.

  “Hachiro’s out,” Rurou called.

  Naoko huffed, clearly pleased with herself, before running to catch up with Atsushi.

  This time, Yipachai didn’t hold back his whoop of excitement as he glided back down to earth to land a few steps behind Akio. The initiate had already seemed to be tiring under the onslaught from Atsushi, but the will to fight visibly left him as he noticed he’d been surrounded by all three members of the opposing team.

  With a frustrated grunt, Akio leapt backwards, putting space between himself and Atsushi. “I yield.”

  “That’s it!” Rurou shouted. “Mikio was done from the moment he opened his mouth. Atsushi’s team wins!”

  Yipachai exchanged looks with Atsushi and Naoko, both of whom were smiling. They’d done it. It wasn’t Yipachai’s first time to be on the winning side, but it did feel like the first time he’d been able to work with his teammates and actually contribute to the win.

  And Naoko had been nothing short of spectacular. He still had no idea what she’d done, but the way she’d shut up Mikio had been flaming brilliant.

  Yipachai beamed back at his teammates, feeling invincible. If this was what winning was supposed to feel like, it was a feeling he wanted to grow accustomed to.

  And if seeing his enemies get what was coming to them always felt this satisfying…he couldn’t wait to be the one to do it himself.