The next morning arrived quietly over Babylon, though the Egyptian recruits had barely slept. Magnolia was still unconscious in the hospital, and the healers kept watching the strange golden energy that occasionally moved beneath his skin. Saijew had ordered everyone to stay nearby, but the Babylonian royal guard had already decided on something more useful than another day of waiting.
Samira Nadin stood in the hospital courtyard with her twin crescent daggers secured at her waist, watching Squad One gather in front of her. She looked at each recruit in turn, then rested her hands on her hips. "You're all terrible."
Kibo blinked. "That's a little harsh."
"It's also true," Samira said with a smile.
Valentina crossed her arms and studied her. "You volunteered to train us, and your opening statement is that we're terrible?"
"It seemed honest."
Naram-Sin stood a few steps behind her with Mashkan resting against his shoulder. His expression stayed completely serious despite the conversation. Samira pointed toward the training yard. "Come on."
Squad One followed her outside, and Magnolia's absence was impossible to ignore. Emma kept glancing back at the hospital doors as she walked, clearly thinking about the boy they had left behind. Samira noticed but said nothing. She moved between the recruits instead, watching their posture, their footing, and the way each of them reacted when she stepped closer.
Valentina caught on quickly. "You're studying us."
"That's what trainers do." Samira vanished from in front of Kibo and reappeared at his side, one crescent dagger stopping a few inches from his shoulder. Kibo jumped backward, and she laughed. "Good reaction."
"You could have warned me," Kibo said with a frown.
"That defeats the purpose."
"Enough," Naram-Sin said, stepping forward. His voice silenced the whole group at once. He looked over Squad One with the same calm expression he had worn since meeting them and shifted Mashkan from one shoulder to the other. "You have power, but power is not the same as skill."
Valentina narrowed her eyes. "We know."
Naram-Sin turned his gaze directly on her. "Then prove it."
The training began. Samira focused on movement. She forced Emma to keep moving while maintaining control over her contract, made Kibo react to attacks from directions he couldn't predict, and made Matthew keep repositioning his barriers instead of placing them directly in front of himself.
Amelia struggled more than the others. She kept up with the exercises, but her movements lacked their usual confidence, and her attention kept drifting back to the hospital. Samira stopped beside her. "You're distracted."
"I'm fine," Amelia said.
"No, you're not." Samira lowered her voice. "You've been looking at the hospital every few minutes."
Amelia stayed silent, and Samira waited. Eventually Amelia looked down. "It's because of her."
"The woman?"
Amelia nodded. "She protected Magnolia. She almost died."
Samira's expression grew more serious. "And you think it was your fault."
Amelia's eyes widened a little. "I couldn't heal her properly."
"You kept her alive."
"I should have done more."
Samira shook her head. "You were already injured, treating someone you didn't know, while your team was fighting a Greek soldier."
Amelia looked toward the hospital doors again. "She still almost died."
Samira was quiet for a moment. "I'll go talk to her." She gestured toward the building and smiled faintly. "Not as a fighter. Just as someone who wants to know she's okay."
Amelia nodded slowly and watched her walk away before turning back to the others.
•••
Inside the hospital, Samira moved quickly through the corridors until she reached the room where the injured woman had been staying. The bed was empty, the blankets were pushed aside, and the window stood open. Samira's expression changed at once. She turned and ran for the nearest exit, and the hospital doors swung open as she burst outside.
A woman was already moving through the street a few dozen feet away. Samira recognized her immediately. She kept one arm pressed against her chest as she pushed through the crowd, clearly trying to disappear before anyone noticed she was gone.
Samira followed and caught up near a narrow alley, stopping a few feet behind her. "Wait."
The woman stopped and turned slowly. Samira looked her over carefully. "You shouldn't be walking around."
The woman glanced down at her injured chest. "I know."
"Then why are you leaving?"
The woman didn't answer for several seconds. "I have somewhere to be."
Samira watched her face. There was no aggression in it and no hostility, and her hands never moved toward a weapon. There was only determination. "You're not trying to hurt anyone."
"No."
Samira relaxed a little. "Then I'm not going to stop you."
The woman looked surprised. "You're letting me go?"
"You saved one of our people," Samira said, stepping aside. "I don't think you're our enemy."
The woman studied her for another moment, then gave a small nod and disappeared into the crowd. Samira watched her go. She didn't know the woman's name, who she worked for, or why she had been watching Magnolia. But she knew the woman had not been trying to hurt them, and for now that was enough. She turned back toward the hospital.
•••
By the time Squad Two returned from the Royal Archives, the sun had climbed high over Babylon. Poison led the group with Ren beside him, and Luna, Sous, Sofia, and Abraham followed behind. The scholars had stayed at the Archives with the Babylonian officials. Saijew was waiting outside the hospital. "You're back."
"The Archives are still refusing most visitors," Poison said.
"But the scholars are being allowed inside," Ren continued.
Saijew looked at the scholars who had stayed behind. "Then the rest of you should go there too."
Hekai looked at him at once. "Our tablets?"
"Take them."
Hekai adjusted his robes. "Twenty-seven tablets."
Saijew stared at him. "I heard you the first time."
Hekai looked satisfied. Nefru laughed quietly while Darius gathered the remaining records, and the scholars set off for the Archives under Babylonian escort. Once they disappeared into the streets, Saijew turned to the two squads. "You're training."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Now?"
"Yes. Magnolia isn't waking up anytime soon, and you're not going to spend the whole day standing around waiting for him."
Poison glanced toward the training yard. "Who's training us?"
"Me," Samira said, stepping out of the courtyard. Naram-Sin followed behind her. "And me."
Saijew nodded. "Squad One stays with Samira. Squad Two trains with Naram-Sin."
Ren frowned slightly. "You trust them?"
Saijew gave him a flat look. "I trust Babylon's best fighters more than I trust you to train yourselves."
Poison smiled. "That was deserved."
"Whose side are you on?" Ren asked.
"Whoever isn't annoying me."
Samira laughed, and Naram-Sin simply turned toward Squad Two. "Come."
•••
Squad Two quickly learned why Naram-Sin had earned his reputation. He didn't attack right away. He watched. Poison moved first, studying the training area, the spear, the distance between himself and Naram-Sin, and every possible way to approach. Naram- Sin waited, and Poison waited longer. Then he waited longer still. Finally Naram-Sin moved, and his spear stopped inches from Poison's chest.
Poison froze. "You decided too late," Naram-Sin said.
Poison stepped back. "I was thinking."
"You were calculating." Naram-Sin lowered Mashkan. "There is a difference."
"You knew exactly what I was doing."
"Yes."
Naram-Sin turned to Luna next. She raised her vines at once, but he changed direction, and Luna reacted by protecting the others before herself. The spear stopped beside her shoulder. "You worry too much about everyone else."
Luna lowered her vines. "They're my teammates."
"And you are one of them. If you cannot protect yourself, you eventually become another person they have to protect."
Luna looked down and said nothing.
Naram-Sin faced Abraham, who charged him. His first strike landed against Mashkan, and Naram-Sin barely moved. Abraham attacked again, and again. Every strike carried technique, but none carried enough force. Naram-Sin finally pushed him back with one movement of the spear. "Your attacks are controlled."
Abraham steadied himself. "That's good."
"No." Naram-Sin's eyes sharpened. "Control without power accomplishes nothing."
Abraham tightened his grip as Naram-Sin moved on to Sofia, who raised her ability immediately. He stopped in front of her. "You hide your emotions."
Sofia frowned. "I don't see the problem."
"You should." He turned to Sous. "You do the same."
"I remain calm," Sous said, staring back at him.
"Too calm." Naram-Sin looked between the two of them. "You both separate yourselves from what you feel. Emotion is not weakness. Refusing to acknowledge it is."
Sofia crossed her arms. "And?" Neither of them had an answer beyond that.
Finally Naram-Sin turned to Ren, who stepped forward confidently. "I assume you're going to tell me something similar."
"No." Naram-Sin stared at him. "You are cocky."
Ren's expression flattened. "I'm confident."
Naram-Sin lifted Mashkan. "Then prove the difference."
Ren charged, but the spear redirected his sword at once. He recovered quickly and attacked again, and Naram-Sin blocked. Ren changed direction, and Naram-Sin predicted it. Ren tried a third angle, and Naram-Sin struck him in the chest with the shaft of the spear and sent him sprawling. Ren landed hard, and Naram-Sin looked down at him. "You rely too much on believing you are already capable."
Ren slowly stood. "That sounds like confidence."
"That is arrogance."
Poison laughed from nearby, and Ren shot him a look. "Don't."
"I didn't say anything," Poison said with a smile.
Naram-Sin looked across the whole group. "You all have different weaknesses." His gaze moved from one recruit to the next. "Poison, you decide too late. Luna, you worry too much. Abraham, you lack power. Sofia and Sous, you hide too much of yourselves. And Ren, you think too highly of yourself."
The six recruits stood in silence. Naram-Sin rested Mashkan against his shoulder. "Good."
Poison frowned. "Good?"
"Now you know what to fix."
•••
Across the courtyard, Squad One was having a very different experience. Samira never stopped moving. She made them chase her, and every time they thought they had her cornered, she slipped away. Every time someone attacked, she redirected them. Valentina eventually stopped chasing, and Samira noticed. "You figured it out."
Valentina watched her carefully. "You want us to stop chasing you."
"Finally," Samira said with a grin.
Valentina turned to the others. "Spread out."
The squad changed formation immediately, and Samira's smile widened. "Much better." She rushed forward, and the training continued.
•••
Far from Babylon, the sun was sinking over Upper Egypt. The ceremony for the late Pharaoh had finally ended. The Pharaoh stood before the gathered officials and priests for several moments after the final prayer, his expression controlled, while the crowd slowly drifted apart. His father had been remembered, and the ceremony was finished. Now Egypt had to continue.
He walked back to his palace with the guards following a few steps behind him. In his office, he removed the ceremonial garments from his shoulders and laid them carefully across a chair. A knock came at the door. "Enter."
A young messenger stepped inside, and the Pharaoh recognized him. He remembered everyone who served in his palace, every guard, servant, messenger, and official, and this messenger had carried letters to him before. "Hans."
Hans bowed. "My Pharaoh."
"What is it?"
Hans stepped forward and held out a sealed letter. "From Babylon."
The Pharaoh took it at once. "From whom?"
"General Saijew."
The Pharaoh broke the seal and read, his expression calm while his eyes moved across the page. The letter described the mission, the scholars, and the two routes. It described the Greek soldiers and the battle, Ren's awakening, and Magnolia's transformation. It told of the unknown woman who had protected Magnolia, the unexpected arrival in Babylon, and the uncertainty surrounding the whole situation. When he reached the final line, he lowered the letter and said nothing for several moments. Hans had already left the room.
The Pharaoh walked to the far side of the office, where a large map of Egypt covered the wall beside his throne. His hand moved across Upper Egypt, and his eyes passed over Setkhem without stopping before traveling farther north. There were countless cities on that map, and countless recruits in them, any of whom could become useful if Egypt ever needed them. His eyes finally stopped on one city in Lower Egypt. Bubastis.
"Asam," he said quietly. He remembered the young woman and the way she handled her contracts. "She would be useful." His eyes shifted slightly. "Kahn as well." He thought about the King's strength and his dedication to protecting civilians. "He understands responsibility."
The Pharaoh folded his arms, his gaze still fixed on Bubastis. "Asam understands contracts. Kahn understands people." He glanced back at Saijew's letter. "Those two could become valuable."
He said nothing more. He didn't send a messenger or issue an order. He simply kept staring at the map, thinking about the people Egypt had already placed in its cities. The recruits in Babylon were facing something he didn't yet understand, but they were not Egypt's only resources.
He turned away from the map. "They should be vital to protecting my Egypt."
Outside his office, Egypt carried on beneath the setting sun. And far away in Babylon, twelve young recruits were beginning to discover just how much they still had to learn.