THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

physical battlefield.”
    “I have no intention of fighting fairly either. Not against someone who got away with killing three future MystiK leaders without sanction.” Jornn had been one of those. “Our treaty isn’t worth the spell that was cast on it.”
    Mathias paused from a contorted stretch and straightened. “Yes it is. The sanction worked just as the spell on the treaty was intended. At the moment each of those underaged MystiKs were murdered, SEOH and two other TeK dignitaries lost their seventeen-year-old sons. An eye for an eye. A future leader for a future leader.”
    “But no one knows that’s why those TeKs died. You want to know what really chafes my hide? The whole thing got covered up.” 
    “I’ll admit that SEOH is a genius when it comes to battle strategy.”
    Callan scowled at Mathias. “How can you praise him?”
    “Do not misunderstand me. I do not praise him, but you were the one who taught me to thoroughly evaluate an enemy. I am only doing that.”
    “I said to look for an enemy’s weak spot, because they always have one. Never underestimate an opponent.”
    Mathias nodded as he began moving through exercises while Callan gave hand signals of different attack and defense positions. Shove straight out, pull back to his chest, then a half spin to the right, another shove, a half spin left. Mathias said, “SEOH is a sociopath, and a clever one. My point was that he ran a brilliant damage control campaign to camouflage the deaths of the three TeK children who appeared to have collapsed from asphyxiation. Easy to accomplish with the technology at his fingertips.” 
    “ Only because idiots believed his lies,” Callan ground out, disgusted. “I couldn’t believe that even MystiKs bought into SEOH’s claim.” Callan dropped his voice to emulate SEOH’s from the black-ban vid and struck a politician’s pose with a hand over his chest. “Our planet has experienced a rare phenomenon.”
    Mathias snorted at the imitation. “Maybe we need a vid player as a ruler.”
    “That’s the problem. Our citizens are lazy sheep. They accept anything spoken through a microphone or seen on a vid screen as truth.”
    “I concur, but no average person will dispute SEOH’s statements when his claims are backed up by scientists.”
    Callan never understood how people could be so easy to trick. Couldn’t they use their brains? “How stupid can anyone be to believe that fine particles from a meteor had passed through the atmosphere to cause the sudden deaths of three TeK boys?”
    “Naïve, not stupid,” Mathias corrected.
    With one quick move, Callan struck unexpectedly and had Mathias on his back, the spear at Mathias’s throat. “Never allow anything to distract you.”
    When Callan stepped away, Mathias climbed to his feet and snatched back the weapon, grumbling something about payback.
    “You were saying?”  Callan smiled.
    “Just wait until I test you on MystiK law.”  Mathias nodded for Callan to resume, then stabbed and moved with the intense conviction that Callan had been looking for. Mathias continued, “All I’m saying is you must study the way SEOH handled that situation. Instead of allowing rumors of three mysterious TeK deaths to surface, he offered major credits to families who, quote, ‘also had children die of unexplained deaths’ during that same time frame.”
    “I understand. With so many families coming forward whether they had an unexplained death or not, the three TeKs killed by our treaty were buried in the flood of reports.”
    Mathias nodded, lifting his arm to swipe sweat from his brow. “ That is a TeK strength you must plan to confront when you return.”
    “I can’t fight press conferences.” If he could, Callan would have destroyed SEOH a long time ago.
    “To be a strong leader, you must also learn how to fight political battles, Callan.”
    Callan ignored the comment about being a leader, determined not to argue with Mathias today of all days. He turned to find a water gourd near the chairs that he handed Mathias who upended it for a long drink then set it aside.
    Mathias pressed on with his lesson. “When SEOH uses charm to sway the masses while he kills MystiKs, you must be just as creative when it comes to striking back.”
    “I’m the sword arm of Warrior House, not the mouth.”
    “And that’s only one reason SEOH is successful.”
    Callan’s entire body tightened at the insinuation that he was at fault for SEOH’s