Kalliope was laying on the ground gasping for air that seemed to refuse to enter her lungs. Every breath brought pain, but that pain told her she was alive. She had been at Fort Sella for a week or two now, and she had still not seen any combat. Kalivas refused to let her join any of the scouting missions until he thought that she was ready.
To prepare her, he offered to train her personally until he was satisfied. At first, she was ecstatic to receive tutelage directly from him, but if she knew that it would have meant the hell she has endured the last several days, she might have felt differently at the time.
