Revenant Slaves Chapter 68: Chapter 64: Luna

Read chapter 68 of Revenant Slaves by Zee on NovelPedia.

“Enough, Yalena! This is neither constructive nor entertaining. If you cannot spare your thoughts to the opponent in front of you, then show them the respect of denying the fight altogether.” The way Zuri’s pitch rose and fell told Luna she was trying really hard to maintain control of her temper. She was standing over Luna, who lay sprawled on the ground. Zuri’s last hit had been heavy enough that Luna didn’t need the computer to simulate the sting; she knew she would find the bruise on her torso if she looked. They had fought, and Luna had lost to Zuri enough times that the apprentice had stopped enjoying the victories. Despite Luna’s weaving, Zuri’s engineered physique was insurmountable. Maybe her victory over her in their first meeting really was a fluke? “Or should we substitute these suits and weapons for the real deal. Maybe a little charred skin will help you focus?” Zuri asked, her left eyebrow twitching. “Maybe we should,” Luna said absentmindedly. Most of her mind was still preoccupied with Ibrahim and his control over her. Zuri was taken aback for a moment, staring at Luna. Then her features twisted into a toothy smile, a stark white contrast on her beautiful ebony face. “As you wish.” Zuri was already walking to the weapons locker to get real Halospine blades, not just simulated versions, with very real consequences for being hit. She held one out for Luna to grab, and Luna almost immediately did when the doors to the training center opened. Zuri turned sharply towards the door, and Luna raised her head to look at the entrance as well. There stood a woman, clearly ordinary and unaugmented, unsuited to the training room she had entered. A stark contrast to the people Luna had become accustomed to in recent days, and a type of ordinary Zuri had never deigned to interact with ever since joining Lady Azarea’s retinue. It was Niko. “Well, what do you need?” Zuri asked pointedly; it seemed this day was dead set on annoying her. “I apologize for intruding on your session, my ladies, but I have been tasked by Lord Avraham to fetch Lady Yelena for an urgent task,” Niko said, pausing and bowing. This was the most humbled Luna had seen Niko be in front of anyone. Once again, she was reminded of the Empire's established hierarchies and how different Avraham’s crew was from the rest. For all Luna knew, half the ship could have been filled with rebel sleepers, and the Empire would never have noticed. Luna looked at Niko, really looked at her. The woman had brown hair matted with grey; her face was unusually taut, probably from facial procedures or augmentations, which was weird because Niko didn’t seem like the type to do either. Her uniform, like everything else in the service of the empire visually perfect. Luna felt a little shame welling up inside her; she had maybe looked at Niko the first time like an actual human being today, and not some cod in the ship Avraham was running. And she had only done that out of suspicion, trying to discern whether she was in league with Ibrahim. Well, she was among his closest officers on the ship, so it wouldn't be a stretch for her to be suspicious. Just how much could she trust this woman? But then again, what did trust even mean? She really had no one in this universe she could trust or at least be certain wasn’t lying to her. She would never be certain about that with any human being ever again. Luna’s brows furrowed at the thought, and a frown appeared on her face; she made her expression neutral before anyone could see, though. She was learning to play the game of deceit from the masters of the craft, after all. Zuri sighed and clicked her tongue. She walked over to the weapons rack and returned the halospine. Then she looked over her shoulder at Luna. “Well? What are you waiting for?” she said, with just a hint of anger leaking into her voice. It seemed Zuri had really been looking forward to hurting Luna. Luna could understand the sentiment; she had been unfair to Zuri throughout