THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

narrowed to angry slits. “Insulting me is dangerous.”
    “No, dangling you in front of a croggle is dangerous. Insulting you is rude.”
    “You can pretend the rules are different here, but nothing has changed at home.”
    Not having to deal with political issues at home was the only upside he’d found to being in this pit of death. “That’s there. This is here.”
    Her chin lifted and her eyes flared with warning. “When we return–”
    Mathias walked in. “Is there a problem?”
    “Of course not. I was just leaving.”  Zilya’s face glowed with a smile for the one person she believed would push Callan to do her bidding even here.
    She was wrong.
    If no one else had been able to force Callan to take Jornn’s place as leader, what made her think she had any more power?
    Once Zilya left, Mathias faced Callan. “You should try to get along with her.”
    Callan held up his hand. “Please, no lectures on Zilya today.”
    The weary sigh that escaped Mathias spoke of long days and nights trying to keep a band of children alive. At the moment, that meant providing for over sixty MystiK children stolen from the Ten Cities of the K’ryan Renaissance. Many of whom were barely past nine years old. Callan didn’t envy him.
    Mathias moved on. “In that case, tell me what you couldn’t share about our captives when everyone was here.”
    “The girl with the long black hair who leads the trio is dangerous.”  Pretty, too, but then Zilya proved that physical attractiveness meant very little when it came to character.
    “More dangerous than the TeK male?”
    “Yes. Have you decided she’s not TecKnati?”  Callan didn’t think she was, but he’d reserve final judgment until he had all the information. The fact that she’d been found in the company of his enemy and defended that same TeK counted against her.
    “She doesn’t appear to be TeK. However, that doesn’t clear up who or what she is.”  Mathias waved toward the far wall for them to sit in two ocean-blue chairs he’d carved from the base of chopped-down terrian trees. “I’ll have to ask V’ru, which reminds me. Would you spend some time with him?”
    “ Train V’ru?”  Callan didn’t even try to hide his shock.
    “No, just talk to him. He’s adjusting, but not as quickly as I’d hoped.”
    Words were not Callan’s strength. He didn’t know how to comfort anyone. “Can’t Zilya talk to him?”
    “V’ru likes Zilya, but he doesn’t look up to her. He idolizes you.”
    That made it even worse. Callan wanted no one idolizing him, but he owed a debt to V’ru who had given Callan valuable information that helped in investigating Jornn’s death. As a powerful G’ortian and a prodigy of the Records House, V’ru was better than any Cyberprocessor when it came to producing immediate information. And Callan wasn’t entirely sure that V’ru hadn’t been following him the night they were both captured. “I hate that he’s here.”
    “I understand, but we lost a lot of children before V’ru arrived. I was barely keeping this village alive on what little we’d figured out was edible through trial and error.”
    “I’m glad we have V’ru’s unlimited knowledge at hand, but he shouldn’t be here.”
    “No MystiK should. He’ll settle in.” 
    Seemed like a good time to change the subject back to why Callan had stopped by. “You need to train.”
    Mathias groaned. “I’m proficient with the spear. That’s enough.”
    Not if Mathias intended to spend tonight in the woods alone, but Callan didn’t want to add to his leader’s worries by reminding him. “You missed the last two training sessions.”
    “I’ll make you a deal.”
    Now Callan groaned, sure of what was coming. He pushed up from the chair and stepped over to where two shoulder-high spears were stabbed in the ground next to the feather wall. When Mathias stood, Callan lifted a spear and tossed it at him. “Fine. We both train.”
    Mathias grinned and caught the weapon with one hand then moved to the center of the room. He began stretching, using the staff for support. “If I must train to fight croggles, you must train to fight SEOH.”
    Here came one of Mathias’s “leader” lessons.
    Callan crossed his arms and spread his feet apart, ready to work Mathias to the point of distraction. “If you say so. I’m ready to meet him on the battlefield.”
    “That you are, but as leader of all the TecKnati, SEOH will never fight fairly, or on a