Navigators of Dune

“Not enough for the standards I have set.” Valya had found that it was never wise to offer too much praise, which might encourage some trainees to be satisfied with less than their absolute best. She raised her hands to pause the session, calling out, “I’ve seen good improvement, but good is less than excellent. A Sister must attain the pinnacle of human abilities, physical and mental. That is why Mother Superior Raquella founded our order.

“I have selected the best among you to undergo more intensive mental training, to add balance to your fighting abilities. You will need those mental skills to advance the Sisterhood into the future, as you will be taught important psychological tools, emotional shaping, and even Truthsaying for those of you who have the ability.”

After she motioned for them to continue practicing, Valya focused on Ninke, while the former Orthodox Sister went through high-order defenses in which she countered complex attacks in sparring sessions with Gabi. Despite Ninke’s stocky, muscular build, her movements were lithe. Her broken arm had recovered sufficiently that she trained with the others, showing only a slight favoring of the other arm.

Valya raised her eyebrows and turned to Deborah. “What is your assessment of Ninke?”

A small twitch of a frown turned Deborah’s lips. “Since being released from the medical center, she is one of the standouts in both the physical and mental arenas. The injury may have made her reconsider her rebellious attitude.”

“But is she loyal?”

Deborah could only shrug. “She professes to adhere to our philosophy, yet even with my careful observation, I can’t ascertain her loyalty to you, Mother Superior. Without question, Ninke is loyal to the Sisterhood—but her degree of devotion to your new methods is not so clear. I doubt if she will ever be as faithful to you as she once was to Reverend Mother Dorotea.”

Valya’s brow furrowed in displeasure. “Just as there are degrees of love, so too are there degrees of devotion and loyalty. How much loyalty do you think is necessary for our purposes?” She watched Ninke continue to fight, wondering whether the woman was worth keeping, or if it was safer just to cut their potential losses and get rid of her after all.

As if sensing she was being singled out, Ninke stopped her routines and let Gabi catch her breath. She turned to face the two observers, her expression openly hostile. Valya stared back at her coolly, and spoke sidelong to the Sorceress. “Her blatant display of emotion shows a lack of mental toughness.”

Ninke wrapped herself in utter calmness and casually glided toward the observers through the frenetic, fast-moving trainees without brushing against them. She faced Valya. “Mother Superior, I survived the hazing you imposed on my faction, and I completed all the demeaning tasks you made me perform. Because of your grudge against us, my fellow Orthodox Sisters have been beaten and injured—some even killed. But I am still here.”

Valya instinctively tensed. “Those others were more valuable to the Sisterhood as examples of what happens to people who disobey me. I believe my methods have been effective.”

“And me?” Ninke sniffed. “Of what value am I to you?”

With a stiff smile, Valya said, “When your faction betrayed us and nearly destroyed the Sisterhood, you committed treasonous acts. But I see potential in you, Ninke, so I have given you a second chance. Will you take it, or spurn your opportunity?”

Ninke lifted her chin. “I have proved myself enough. Sometimes an injustice must be addressed with more than words or acquiescence.” She dropped into a fighting stance, her muscles loose and poised, her eyes hyperalert. “And this is one of those times. Accept me now as I am, or kill me.”

The rest of the Sisters halted their practice, some of them aghast. Deborah stepped out of the way as Valya and Ninke began to circle each other. Ninke glanced to her left, which Valya interpreted as a deception, so she prepared for a strike in the opposite direction, but the other Sister whirled around exactly where she had looked, a double feint, and sprang straight at Valya and struck out at her. Valya used her own reflexes and combined fighting techniques. She felt a ripple of air as Ninke missed her. Barely. Ninke did not favor her injured arm at all, so the hesitation she’d shown in using it earlier must have been faked.

But when Valya spun to launch her own attack, the other woman was unexpectedly there facing her. Ninke struck the Mother Superior in the center of her chest with a hard kick. Valya bent her knees and let herself fall backward to soften the impact, then sprang back out of the combat area to better prepare for her opponent’s next move.

In one blur of motion after another, the other Sister showed that she understood something of the advanced fighting methods, but Valya spotted patterns in Ninke’s interpretation of the Sorceress Way. Patterns that reflected her inexperience.