Chapter 2
AT TODAY’S LONG-DISTANCE training, we were taught different kinds of movement. As usual, the snakeborn instructor took the session. Though he looked younger than the manborn or the Sister, he was perceptive, and it paid to be more vigilant around him than the other two, especially with how he’d had me in a cold sweat the other day when he’d tried to get me to admit I didn’t believe in Him.
When I say he was teaching us about movement, I meant that he was teaching us how to run. The technique was called the split step and consisted of reaching maximum running speed in an instant by simply changing the stance you kicked off from.
It wasn’t the only named technique of its kind either. Since most of the kids were learning to release their essence already, I probably would have an easier time studying these physical skills with those who were struggling like I was. Either way, I was grateful that these abilities existed to help me overcome my physical inferiorities too.
✦ ✦ ✦
After dinner, I knocked on the door of the room next door. The dragonborn had done something to the tigerborn boy while I was away, and it had triggered something in my mind that I found quite concerning. I was worried that the children in this room didn’t fully understand how dangerous she was. It wasn’t that I minded them picking fights with her; they were free to do that to their hearts’ content. The problem was that I knew I would end up getting dragged into any quarrel they might have. I was the one sharing a room with her, after all.
It wasn’t the tigerborn but a gnome boy who answered my knock. Gnomes were a small-statured, dark-skinned race who apparently kept their youthful appearance even as they grew.
“You again?” He clicked his tongue. “We’ve already taken our bucket back.”
“I got one from another room.”
I wanted to avoid driving people to complain again if I could help it, so I tried not to ask the same rooms over and over. I had permission from Sister to draw extra water for cleaning. If the kids went to her claiming I used that water for bathing, she would probably beat me.
The gnome was frowning at me suspiciously, so I quickly got to the point. “I want to ask you to stop picking fights with her.”
“I’m not—”
“You must’ve that one time. The tigerborn, at least... Wait, has he moved rooms?”
“No, he’s still here.” The gnome sighed, apparently having given up on getting me to leave, and looked over his shoulder. “Tiger! He wants to talk to you.”
“I’m sleepy. Get him outta here, Pipsqueak.”
It made sense that they had nicknames for each other, given they shared a room. That also made the room’s power dynamics painfully obvious. Not that I could talk, since I was “snake boy.”
I quietly pushed past “Pipsqueak,” ignoring his protests, and marched into the room.
“You’re Tiger, right? I want to ask you to leave my roommate alone.”
“Huh? Who even are you? Leave.”
Right, I hadn’t been in the room when he’d picked on the dragon girl, so he didn’t recognize me.
“I’m head of the room with the dragonborn in it,” I said.
“Huh. And?”
“I want you to stop picking on—”
“I can pick on whoever I want,” he said sharply, cutting me off. “Leave.”
Apparently, being beaten up by her once had taught him nothing.
“It’s a pain having to pick up the pieces,” I argued.
“And I have to listen to you why exactly?” Tiger let out a scornful laugh. It sounded less like he was set on beating the dragonborn and more like he just didn’t want me to boss him around. That meant all of this was entirely unnecessary.
“Okay, I get it,” I said.
“Then get outta here already,” he responded, his tone mocking.
I had come prepared for an argument, but it was obvious that I wasn’t going to achieve anything. I decided to leave quietly.
“Look at the li’l wimp, leaving with his tail between his legs,” Tiger scoffed.
“Stop it, Tiger,” Pipsqueak urged.
I ignored their exchange, already on my way out. Tiger probably wouldn’t try anything with the dragon girl again. As long as he remembered the pain she inflicted on him, that was. After all, he had already succumbed to the adults’ brainwashing.