Pact by Viola Grace Page A

his back as he headed up the seventy-five-degree slope. She winced at the idea that this was the starter level.
    Her body tingled, and she followed him. They climbed upward for metres and metres. She slipped, caught herself, crushed some rock and finally caught on. The light touch, even when she was gasping for air, was the key. She had a tremendous amount of strength, but she only needed to use it to keep her grip rigid. It was a lesson that she found incredibly useful.
    Fatigue was riding her. She pulled herself up, foot by foot, metre by metre and step by step.
    She staggered and fell to one knee. She heard Hrakin curse, and he turned back to her, lifting her in his arms.
    “We are almost there, Mila.”
    She gasped and nodded. “Then, put me down, and I will walk there.”
    “You are falling.”
    “Then, walk at my side and keep an eye out for me. Help me, don’t do it for me.”
    He set her on her feet, and she stabilized before continuing the climb. It was only another fifty feet before she staggered onto the plateau.
    Looking around, she gasped. “Oh, wow. Definitely worth the climb.”
    He laughed. “I am glad you think so. We are going to walk this path every day until it is second nature to you. The walk will strengthen you, build your control and help your stamina.”
    As he spoke to her, he removed his pack, flicked out a cloth and laid it on the flat expanse of stone. He urged her to sit with him, and when she was settled, he pulled out bottles of water and boxes filled with snacks.
    She stripped off her gloves and flexed her hands.
    “How are you feeling?”
    Mila laughed. “I am going to be sore in the morning. Is this part of combat training?”
    “In a way. Many concentrate on combat skills, but my training focused on building up the stamina and strength before the fighting skills start. If you can run away from an attack, you have a far better chance at surviving than if you remain and reinforcements can be called.”
    “It makes sense to me. I am confident that I will be sore in the morning, though.”
    “I will give you a rubdown tonight. It will help with the pain in your limbs.”
    “Oh good.”
    He smiled, and the smile was evil. “You will need any relief you can get. You are doing this again in the morning.”
    She paused with the water bottle near her lips. “You are joking.”
    “Nope. It is a better use of your time than hacking into secure files.”
    “But, I like hacking into the files. It is a new skill for me.” She gave him a sincere look.
    “Don’t batt your eyes at me. There is no reason for you to be running around our history.”
    She waved that off. “Of course there is. I am curious as to what brought your progenitor to the attention of the scientists.”
    “Curiosity is not a reason to breech our protocols.”
    She shrugged. “It seemed like a good reason to me. I was promised that I could pursue information and learning.”
    He wrinkled his nose. “We did not know you meant our systems.”
    Mila stared at him. “You were the one who authorized it?”
    “The Elder council did.”
    She snorted. “Well, when I wanted to look into all information, I meant all information. The idea was that I could educate myself as much as I wished.”
    He groaned and massaged his neck. “Why do you want to rifle through our history?”
    Mila opened the container of nuts and seeds, and she took a few. “Because I love to read. I love moving through the data. It makes me happy.”
    He groaned again and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “When you access our historical documents, make sure I am in the room. Yes. You were authorized to do it, and if it makes you happy, you are welcome to it.”
    She munched and reached over to pat his shoulder. “Don’t look so upset. I am not a gossip. Once I read the data, I have no interest in it. I just want to know it.”
    He nodded, and they looked at the vista stretched out before them. She moved the food and scooted next to him.
    She