Lyra stood awkwardly at the entrance to the training grounds, trying to ignore the obvious stares from passing warriors as she scanned the area for Russ. She had spent the morning with Megan and Donovan, leaving them shortly after lunchtime. Now she shifted her weight from foot to foot, dreading what was to come.
"Hey, Lyr!"
She turned to see Russ walking toward her, wearing a pair of shorts and no shirt. He swept her into a hug before motioning for her to follow.
"I’ve got you set up with a group of entry-level warriors," he explained as they walked. "These are kids who didn’t make it into the academy but still want to train. Not all of them will make it, but we don’t like to turn people away right at the beginning. Sometimes people surprise you."
"I won’t," she muttered.
"Hey." Russ
