As Cosondere focus and attention moved up north toward the heights of Sononcoly, regular traffic and activity lightened near the port city of Comi. Usually by the mid-day all sorts of people would teem the roads.

  By the time Quin listlessly strolled such a road, it was cleared out as if the sun had long departed. All the better for him to continue on his dispirited travel.

  Eyes straight ahead, they never registered the trees as they stirred lightly in a breeze. Nor did they recognize the colony of towers in the distance. Nor did they realized the off-tread dirt Quin occasionally stepped on.

  Quin saw none of that, instead he could only see his future. The one based on what just happened in his present.

  He had been more or less kicked off the team. He was no fool and knew he made a fair number of mistakes.

  His brain also told him those mistakes added up, but he thought the progress made would offset some of those mistakes.

  Perhaps that line of thinking was the faultiest mistake of all. He didn’t know what to think.

  For sure, he didn’t want to go home but now entirely on his own and so far from home, he wasn’t sure where to go at all.

  Maybe he could find Ythan again and really plead his case, he thought, but he didn’t want to be chewed out again, he decided.

  Perhaps he could get Conon and Onyl to vouch for him, he pondered, but how much more help could he expect from them, he wondered.

  “Well ain’t this a sight for sore eyes,” he heard ahead of him.

  Quin finally paid attention to his vision and saw another Tyroviv approach from down the empty road.

  Small book in hand, Tris traveled alone as he sped toward Quin. Never had the latter’s heart felt so refreshed and relieved at a familiar face.

  “I take it you’re out on line duty too?” Tris asked as he put his book away.

  “Huh? Line duty?”

  “Y’know, having to cover the supply and message lines to and from the action. I guess not. Well anyway, my team’s been left out of the fun while all the others are up north.

  “If they left you here, I guess it’s because they don’t want any new teams ruining anything.”

  “Oh,” Quin responded before he looked away. He didn’t have the heart to admit he’d been left out completely.

  “Well if you got nothing else to do, maybe you could rove around with me,” Tris suggested. “It’d give me something better to do besides looking to my left and right.”

  “Yeah, sure. Where are you going exactly?”

  Tris’ expression sank. “To the middle of nowhere is where, that’s the problem.

  “After spending six months doing damned nothing in Sirqu, I’m now doing it all the way out over here. What’s the difference I ask you?”

  “Uh, is that a rhetorical question?”

  “Yeesss. Nooo. I don’t know. I guess I just need someone to hear my gripes. I’ll change the subject if you want.”

  Quin spent a few seconds in his head as he conjured any such subjects. One immediately came to mind.

  “You’ve been on a team as long as I have right?” Quin started.

  “Don’t remind me. I know you’re some kind of lucky charm but I spent many times that without one.”

  “Sorry, it’s just...well...has anyone on your team made things really hard for you by now?”

  “All of them have. If it’s not Mia giving me some lecture, then it’s the new girl giving me some headache.

  “Our captain’s been alright, but all they do is boss us around, which, that would have been fine if the orders were something exciting, but nooo. Instead, we’ve...sorry, I’m ranting again.”

  “What I mean is...what would you do if your teammate kept getting themselves hurt? Their heart’s in the right place, but are they at the point where you’d rather see them off your team?”

  Quin’s own words stung his heart. He didn’t want to think he became that much of a nuisance to his squad. Did Conon think that? Onyl? He knew they could work just fine without him.

  The idea that they would want to though, never occurred in his head until that moment. His chin met his chest as his head sunk.

  “Honestly, that sounds a lot like the new girl on our team,” Tris replied.

  “She’s a spill of a handful. She has so much energy and she uses it on all the wrong things. I like her initiative and all that, but she can create more problems than solutions.

  “My guess is since she’s new, she’s trying especially hard to fit in.”

  “Is there anything wrong with that?!” Quin blurted with vigor.

  Tris was taken aback by the strong reply. His eyes looked for a place to hide.

  “Wh-what? No. No, I don’t think there’s an issue with people trying to be team players.

  “I think it goes back to what you said: ‘Their heart’s in the right place’. A level of patience should always be employed when you’re working with new teammates.

  “As much as the new girl can wear on my nerves, I’m not at a point where I want her off my team...that is unless she gets us in a really bad spot. Like a matter of life or death or something. Then I might have a problem.”

  As far as Quin knew, the only person on his team put into bad spots was him.

  No one had to put themselves in harm’s way to protect him and for the most part, they weren’t even around him when trouble arrived. Perhaps that was the bad spot, he thought.

  Tris watched as Quin delved into his thoughts and started to connect some dots.

  He nodded his head. “Everyone makes mistakes, Quin. As much as we try our best to be our best, nobody’s perfect.

  “Just because someone slips up or messes something up doesn’t mean they’re a bad teammate. You want to know what makes a bad teammate? They don’t try.

  “They don’t want to work together. They’re not interested in helping out or even doing their part. To me, that’s what should get a person kicked off the team. Have you done anything like that?”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Now Quin’s eyes shifted wildly. “Wh-what? Why do you think I would do something like that?”

  “I’m just saying, from where I’m standing, you don’t come across as someone with that problem.

  “For that matter, neither does the new girl. As long as they show that they’re trying, then despite whatever slights you have with them, you should give them a chance.”

  Quin slightly cringed at that last word. He thought back to Ythan’s outburst about the many chances he’s had.

  How many chances can a person afford before they’re all exhausted? Simply put, Quin may have ran out of time to prove himself.

  “Hey,” Tris alerted with a tap on Quin’s shoulder. “You hear something over there in the woods?”

  A faint conversation muttered in the distance off the road. At least three different voices were perceived through the trees and bushes.

  Quin and Tris inched their way toward the voices when the words, “You can’t tell us what to do!” traveled to their ears.

  Tris turned to Quin and spoke nothing. Instead, he pointed a finger at himself then Quin before it drew a half-circle in the air.

  The newer Tyroviv nodded and the two kept their cloaks close as they dove through the bushes. With slow movements, they sought out the source of the noise.

  According to Tris, the two would circle behind the commotion and decide on an appropriate action from there. Quin understood the message despite the lack of any words.

  The Cosondera employed a variety of different gesture commands to communicate without any noise to give themselves away.

  One of the many lessons Quin would have learned in the Pit, his abrupt exit precluded such instructions.

  In the days since Odlassi however, Quin developed a basic understanding of the commands under Onyl’s tutelage and thanks to her, he wasn’t so lost when he saw the gestures.

  The two Tyrovivs continued with slow duck walks until they came upon five people on a small field.

  Four of them were in plain clothing while they stood around the lone Cosondere among them, it was Mia.

  The four folks were pairs of two men and two women, all as young as the Tyrovivs.

  They all sported irritated looks while Mia, with arms crossed, expressed inconvenience more than any sort of concern.

  “Look, I know exciting things are up the road. I know the action is up by Sononcoly. I’d be up there too if I could and I’m a Cosondere. But nobody is allowed to be over there if they have no reason to. Full stop.

  “I already told you that before. So to see you all trying to sneak your way up there then give me lip when I catch you, now you’re asking for trouble.”

  “Well we already asked nicely,” responded the male transgressor. “For crying out loud, we might even help you cloaks out if it looks too bad out there. Why do you guys try so hard to keep people out when they might help?”

  “Because as long as you’re not in a cloak yourself, you won’t be of any help,” she answered as she tugged her cloak.

  “This. Is. Cosondera business. Even if you get past me, you’ll hardly go any further. So simply turn back and go home.”

  As exasperation became more apparent with the group, the hidden Tyrovivs planned their next move.

  Tris pointed at himself then his arm motioned around on his right toward two of the perps. Next he pointed to Quin before his arm shot up to the leaves then curved down to the remaining two.

  Quin rapidly shook his head. If he understood it correctly, Tris wanted to sneak up around on the group to their right while he descended on them from branches on their left.

  Obviously, he had a problem with his role in the plan. So he repeated the motions but switched the roles so that Tris swooped in from above.

  Tris shrugged as he nodded his head then the two Tyrovis created distance between them as their plan commenced.

  As Quin positioned himself on the group’s flank, he pepped himself up for the opportunity.

  If he could work cohesively with a different squad, then it would show that he could work with any team and won’t hold people back.

  If nothing else, it would give him the confidence needed when he eventually finds himself on another team. He’ll show them the lessons he’s learned.

  “I don’t think you get it, we’re Sentar’i too,” said one of the four, a woman. “Action is how we move forward. Action is what gets us all going. If we stand around doing nothing, then that’s all we’ll become.

  “So telling us to go back and do nothing while you lot hog all the action isn’t really the type of response a Sentar’i wants to hear.”

  “Tough shit,” Mia replied sternly. “At least if you did nothing, nothing will happen to you. But if you want to try something...” She undid her bottom clasp. “Then something is going to happen.”

  Quin readied himself to jump in when he saw rustling leaves above them. Tris had yet to climb up a tree, was there someone else here Quin asked himself. He didn’t have to wait for an answer.

  Another Tyroviv dove onto the scene with an aim to kick one of the perps. Even though the Cosondere missed, she forced the four Sentar’i to step back from Mia.

  Her head was overlain with blonde hair as she rose up to meet her challengers.

  Masked, her eyes clued them in on her excitement and eagerness while she spread her feet and postured with a left hand and right fist. Very clearly, she was ready to fight.

  Once the shock wore off on the four Sentar’i, they closed in on the blonde Tyroviv.

  One of them said, “You think one extra-”

  But the Tyroviv charged ahead and put an end to any statement. She. Was ready. To fight. Thus it began.

  The widened eyes on Mia showed she was just as surprised, but she quickly composed herself and jumped into the fray.

  Their plans scrapped, Quin and Tris improvised, and they emerged from their hiding spot to insert themselves in the scrap.

  The group found themselves shocked once again and suddenly, a seemingly four on one affair became an even match.

  The surprise gave the Cosondera a first strike and a critical one at that. The blonde Tyroviv targeted one of the women in the group then jumped in with a knee to the face.

  An instant knockout it was, but not the only one.

  Tris honed in on his opponent who had his back turned to Mia. The ill-fated foe planned to block Tris’ strike, but Mia slid into his ankle and Tris pounced.

  As the Sentar’i succumbed to gravity, Tris followed him down and sandwiched his head between a fist and the ground. Another knockout.

  Sight of the back to back blows gave the second woman pause. The blonde Tyroviv had no time for that. She rushed toward her hesitant opponent when she saw the woman’s shadow move first.

  The Tyroviv letup her charge and halted to her toes. She then tilted over and twirled out of reach. The woman’s puppet flowed in pursuit, but the Tyroviv continued to spin out of the way.

  The Sentar’i focused on her puppet as it inched closer to the Tyroviv but she focused on the wrong thing and realized the Tyroviv too late as she barreled right toward them.

  The moment they brought their face up, it smashed with an outsole. Down went another one.

  The fourth foe charged at Quin who veered away from a strike at the last second.

  He weaved away from the man’s attacks, all while he stayed in place. His torso curled back and forth as he eluded contact again and again.

  Quin planned to tire his foe out, but his blonde colleague had no intent to remain idle.

  She lunged forward at Quin’s opponent and soon enough they became her opponent. Just like Quin, she twisted and turned with every dodge. But unlike Quin, she followed through with offense.

  For every miss the man committed, he was rewarded with strikes of different varieties.

  The Tyroviv dodged down and jutted an elbow to jam his gut. The Tyroviv dodged back and lifted a boot to swipe his face.

  After his final miss, the man turned to see his opponent twirled in the air. She brought her foot up and connected with his jaw.

  He staggered in a spin as he tried to keep his balance, but he lurched over to Quin who snapped a leg to his face and finished the fight. In quick order, the Cosondera had put trouble away.

  “I know moves like that,” said the blonde Tyroviv before she stormed up to Quin. “Were you also taught by Ner. Arelis?”

  Quin barely had two seconds to relax from the fight when his personal space was barged in.

  “Oh! Yes. Yes I was,” he answered without delay.

  “Great elations, I found another one! It’s so good to find other students of Ner. Arelis.” She stuck out a hand. “I’m Nonelly, a pleasure to meet you.”

  A brief hesitation befell Quin before he linked her hand with his. “Um, Quin. Nice to be in your acquaintance.”

  “New girl, what are you doing here?!” a peeved Tris asked as he approached. “You’re supposed to be manning the post!”

  “I didn’t see you or Mia come down the road so I decided to come find you.” Nonelly replied. “Everything’s fine now. We won our fight.”

  “For the record, I could have handled this,” Mia interjected while she rummaged her cloak. She then tossed out a Smoke Ocer. “Oh by the way, good to see you again Quin.”

  He lightly waved. “Hey Mia. Same.”

  “Everything’s not fine,” Tris pointed. “One of us is supposed to be out on the road.”

  “I just wanted to help like always,” Nonelly responded.

  Tris groaned in frustration. “Don’t you get it? If leadership finds us away from our spots, we’ll all be scorched.”

  “Oh, well why didn’t you say so?” Nonelly leaped up to a nearby branch. “With haste, everyone. Back to the road.” In a flash she zipped through the leaves.

  “Salt on the earth, new girl!” Tris shouted before he hopped up after her. “Salt. On. Earth!”

  Mia had just finished her binds when she saw her teammates dart away.

  Arms thrown up, she yelled, “Thanks for helping me tie them up! It’d be unfortunate if they got back up and leefft!” She turned to Quin. “I guess I’ll leave this to you.”

  Soon Mia followed after her teammates and Quin was left to himself. As he watched smoke rise in the air, he pondered on his goals and what to do to make sure they didn’t go up in smoke.