How To Fight

"I will make you a deal." Barasa paused.

"You work only for me, I will—"

"Tari!"

"Tari!"

Tari's eyes snapped open almost immediately. She blinked repeatedly, adjusting to the brightness of the room.

After a moment she turned her head to the side, only to see Ebiere sitting beside her on the bed.

"Thank goodness," Ebiere exhaled.

"I thought the situation was serious when you were brought in last night," Ebiere spoke softly.

"What happened?" Tari questioned, wiping her eyes with the back of her palm.

Tari tried to sit up, but a wave of pain shot through her body, sending shivers through her veins, and she fell back onto the mat.

"The fuck?" Tari muttered.

"That is what you get for messing with a chief. And not just any chief — Chief Athena. Are you even in your right mind?" Ebiere scolded, making Tari frown.

Ebiere sighed.

"I am sorry for raising my voice at you," Ebiere apologized.

"But there are rules here. You do not disobey or fight with a chief here in Veinhill. They are like the gods of this place," Ebiere said.

"I am not in Veinhill. I will not follow your stupid rules," Tari stated, forcing herself to sit up through the pain.

"You were saved by a Veinhiller, you live in Veinhill, and you will follow the rules of Veinhill," Ebiere returned, staring back at Tari with a warmer gaze than the glare Tari threw at her.

"Your pride will get you in trouble," Ebiere added.

"I don't fucking care," Tari scoffed and turned away, staring at the pale wall outside the window.

"Oh, you will. I don't need to know what happened in there, but I know you provoked Frost — that caused the fingerprints on your neck," Ebiere pointed out.

Tari's palms moved to her neck almost immediately, rubbing gently on the prints without turning away from the window.

"And that kick on your stomach is definitely from Chief Athena. You don't even know any self-defense skills compared to her combat skills," Ebiere drawled.

"Enough," Tari snapped.

She turned to Ebiere with a frown, but raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw the smirk on Ebiere's face.

"Enough — I don't want to hear anymore of your scolding. You are not my mother," Tari bit out, glaring at Ebiere.

Ebiere nodded slowly.

"I am not your mother, but that doesn't stop me from being a mother figure to you," Ebiere agreed.

Tari just rolled her eyes.

The door opened and Freyana came in, already dressed in her maid's outfit.

"Get ready in five minutes, we have a quarter to clean," Freyana ordered, without sparing a glance. She settled on the chair before the desk and brought out her phone, totally ignoring their presence.

"I will leave you two to your work. I have other people to attend to," Ebiere announced and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

The room fell into silence. Tari forced herself to her feet, then slipped off the straps of her nightgown.

Freyana glanced over her shoulder. "You've got some nerve, huh? Fighting with Chief Athena," Freyana smiled.

Tari raised an eyebrow at her. "Stone face smiles?" Tari taunted, and the smile dropped from Freyana's face.

"Dickhead," Freyana scoffed.

Tari broke into laughter. She hadn't had a good laugh in months, and her stay at Veinhill had made her forget how to laugh.

"I need you to help me with something," Tari suddenly clipped.

"What?" Freyana turned to her.

"Teach me how to fight," Tari blurted out.

Freyana raised an eyebrow.

"You good?" Freyana questioned.

"Yes," Tari replied.

"Hmm. I will think about it then," Freyana responded, and turned back to her phone.