by Shana Vernon
Cade got up from his seat and approached us, leaving his notebook behind. “Now that we’ve seen your fitness levels, it’s time for me to determine your fighting skills.” He turned to Quinn. “Thanks for your help, we’ll meet you for Master Abbott’s lesson in an hour.”
Quinn clapped him on the back and said goodbye to me before walking out the door, leaving me alone with Cade.
Cade led me over to the mats and took up a defensive position.
This was the part where I needed to be very careful. I had no doubt that Cade would be paying very close attention to exactly what I could and could not do. He would be looking too closely and I needed to show him that I was as untrained as any homeschooled foster kid would be. I hoped to pass off the skills he had already witnessed as me just being scrappy.
I stood opposite him, put one leg backward and lifted my balled fists in front of me. I internally grimaced; any experienced fighter would know that keeping their fists tightened was a big no no. It really limited the response options of many offensive maneuvers. I took a moment to wipe the sweat from the earlier workout off my brow and repositioned my hands, looking at Cade’s reaction.
His face was a mask of calm and impossible to read. He showed no indication that he thought anything about my movements whatsoever. Not showing his thoughts or feelings made him more dangerous to me, and made me realize just how much I needed to keep my guard up around him.
I observed him, noticing the slight changes to his position as he bounced from one foot to the other. Hands up, palms open. He gave me no warning before he pounced forward, bringing a fist toward my shoulder too fast for someone untrained to deflect. I twisted just enough to avoid the brunt of his jab, letting the edge of his fist land on the side of my shoulder. I could not have anticipated the amount of power contained in his jab, and I stumbled backward. My eyes widened and I let out a gasp as I whipped my head in his direction.
I straightened up in time to duck as his hand sailed toward the side of my face, followed by a front kick, which I jumped back to avoid. He moved faster than any fighter I had ever seen, including Papa, who was one of the best. He continued to rain fists in every direction and it quickly became difficult to deflect them, even with my training. I took a jab to the ribs, an elbow to the back, and barely missed a kick to my knee when I landed my first punch to his sternum.
Cade staggered backward, recovered, and swept my feet out from under me. I put my arm around his neck, ready to use his weight to swing around on to his back when I remembered I shouldn’t be able to do that. I let myself fall to the floor, bringing Cade down with me since my arm was still wrapped around his neck, and he landed directly on top of me.
His eyes met mine and from our close proximity to each other, I could see azure and silver swirls wrapped around his irises.
I breathed in the aroma of sandalwood laced with the faint scent of sweat that emanated from him. It was utterly intoxicating, especially when he was nestled between my legs and I could feel him there. And with each passing moment, I felt him more and more.
His breathing became labored as his body rested against mine and I saw his gaze move from my eyes to his lips. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip and I heard him groan the second before his lips crashed into mine. It was better than I remembered from our secret night under the stars and I moaned in appreciation. I thrust my hands into his hair and pulled him closer to my body.
His tongue pushed against my lips and I parted them eagerly, granting him the access he so desperately sought.
As if he suddenly realized what he had done, Cade jerked away and clambered to his feet, his chest heaving.
“What’s wrong?” I asked as I brought my hand to my mouth.
He didn’t meet my eye. Instead he turned around, showing me his back.
“I’m sorry, this shouldn’t have happened, Lenna,” he said, his voice gruff.
“The kiss?” I stood up and walked around to face him.
“I’ve seen enough of your skills, you can go back to your room and get ready for your lesson with Master Abbott at eight o’clock,” he replied, not bothering to answer my question. He didn’t wait for my response and walked out of the training room. I stood there in silence for a few moments before I followed him out the door.
CHAPTER EIGHT
What was I thinking, letting him kiss me like that?
I had not entered the Guild to find a boyfriend – I had come for one purpose; to rescue Papa. I still had not been able to make any headway with my mission, though I was alone for the second time in as many days and I had every intention of taking advantage of it.
I allowed the coolness to sweep through my body and felt myself pop out of view.
I ran up and down the narrow halls in search of Master Abbott.
The other masters and second-year initiates were all enjoying breakfast in the cafeteria, sans Master Abbott. I checked through the windows of each classroom, accidentally discovering two members playing the horizontal tango in the room marked Poisons, but again, no Master Abbott.
I searched for another fifteen minutes, even running back up to the third floor, before admitting defeat.
Dismayed, I waited until I was alone in the hall and allowed my invisibility to dissipate before walking back into the initiates’ quarters. I opened the door to the wonderful aroma of bacon and I could barely stop my mouth from watering.
Everyone had already woken up and was gathered around the tables of food, dressed, and eating. I plopped into a seat between Ekon and Sofia, then rested my head on my arm.
Why couldn’t the initiation have taken away the tiredness from using my invisibility? Lame.
“Girl, where have you been all morning?” Sofia asked as she handed me a plate piled high with eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
“I had a training session with Cade and Quinn,” I said before shoveling a huge helping of pancakes into my mouth. I always needed to eat a lot to replenish the calories that using my abilities took from me. I swallowed and said, “They tested my fitness and fighting skills. And by tested, I mean that Quinn made me run and throw around weights and Cade beat the crap out of me.”
Sofia winced, “Eww, that doesn’t sound fun at all.”
Ekon threw an arm around my shoulders and gave me a light squeeze. “I’m glad you’re back, we were worried you bailed out on us after what happened with Ryder,” he said before a devilish grin came over his face and he continued, “You must be my phone charger because without you, I’d die.”
Sofia gagged into her coffee and I facepalmed.
“I think you can do better than that,” I taunted.
He just smiled and resumed eating.
As I looked around the table at the other initiates who were all finishing up their meal my gaze landed on Brielle, who appeared to have figured out the basics of her ability.
Her brow was scrunched as she focused intently on her cup of water, her hand outstretched. She watched as the water left the cup and flowed up her arm, around her neck, and back down the opposite arm, landing back in the cup. She sat back in her chair, her face triumphant, as Hailey and Ryder clapped for her.
Pshh. Not bad, Brielle.
As I looked at Ryder, I noticed that his gaze was focused on me, even while he clapped for Brielle.
He gave me a small smile when our eyes met, but I turned back around, not ready to forgive him.
I had taken my last bite of bacon when the door banged open to reveal Master Abbott, followed by Quinn and Cade.
“Good morning, initiates. We will be starting the day with weapons training, followed by testing your newly manifested abilities with Master Locke,” Master Abbott said.
Quinn stood beside Master Abbott and threw me a small wave and a grin.
Cade refused to look in my direction, instead staring pointedly at the table.
I sighed inwardly. It’s for the best.
Ekon and Sofia fell into step on either side of me as we followed Master Abbott down the stairs
to the floor below ours. The lower level had not been built with comfort in mind.
The stone walls were crumbling, my fingertips coming back damp after grazing them. Our footsteps echoed through the narrow passageways, the air thick with the smell of mildew.
A few minutes later, we entered a large room, the walls littered with every weapon imaginable. I nearly salivated from the anticipation of getting to test them all out. It wasn’t that we didn't have a lot of weapons at home, but never this many. I eyed the numerous blades on the wall and I thought back to one of my many training sessions with Papa.
It was near dusk. Snowflakes were beginning to stick to the ground, making it more difficult to move about. I kept slipping and sliding as I attempted to master the chakram I gripped in each hand. I grasped the circular blades with my fingertips and eyed my targets.
Papa had set up wooden posts around the backyard and he stood in front of me, with arm braces and nothing more. He moved closer and I whipped around, throwing one of the chakram dead center into the wooden post that had been directly behind him and spun back toward Papa in time to block his arm.
“Good job, little hawk,” he said as he circled me, looking for a good opportunity to strike. “You should be using the Tajani throw that I showed you. The Chakram will go farther and your fingers will be at less risk that way.”
I twirled the Chakram around my index finger and flicked my wrist, sending the blade into one of the targets with enough power that it embedded itself halfway through. I whooped and jumped up and down, clapping my hands.
“Did you see that, Papa?” I asked, barely containing my excitement. “I did it!”
Papa smiled warmly at me and nodded, “I did, little hawk, great job.”
“Papa,” I said, popping out my tiny eight-year-old chest, “I want to try fighting with longswords. I have already mastered the Sai and I think I'm ready to try your weapon.”
Papa burst out laughing and clutched his heaving chest. “I love your ambition, but my weapons are too heavy for you, little hawk.” He tugged me into his side and ruffled my hair. “You will get there eventually, but it will take time. Let’s go inside and warm up.”
------
My thoughts snapped back to the present day with a jerk as I felt someone shaking my arm. I glanced over to see Ekon’s impatient expression.
“Come on gorgeous, we need to go pick out weapons,” he said as he pulled me across the room.
I examined the options in front of me as I considered which would require the least amount of skill.
Definitely not the chakram, that’s for sure.
I couldn’t pick up a heavy-handed sword either; they wouldn't expect me to know how to wield it. I skipped over the pikes and spears, disregarded the claymore and other broadswords. I let my hands graze over an exquisitely designed katana, which I was able to see without even testing, was perfectly balanced.
I itched to pick it up, but I would never offend such a beautiful weapon by wielding it improperly, even to pretend. I tore my eyes away from the katana and noticed a set of sharp, lightweight daggers. They could be used as throwing knives or for stabbing.
Perfect.
I snatched them off the table and turned back to the other initiates.
Hailey had gone for a bow and arrows, Sofia had chosen two deadly looking sai, Ekon had the claymore in his hands, Axel was wielding two kamas, and Ryder had a machete.
I swiveled about in search of Brielle, and saw her holding the katana. My breath hitched as I witnessed her sorry excuse for a proper hold on the sword.
At least hold it in both hands, girl.
“Alright everyone, gather around,” Master Abbott said, gesturing to himself, Cade, and Quinn. “We will be going around each of you individually and assisting you with your chosen weapon. You will be permitted to choose a set weapon to master, but by the end of your training you will need to be proficient in each of these weapons.
“Those of you who have chosen weapons which require targets, please go stand by the target practice area. The rest of you, take positions anywhere else, keeping in mind to give your peers enough space to safely wield their weapons.”
We all moved to our specified locations and I watched as Master Abbott walked up to Ryder to assess him. It was clear he had considered Cade’s information from the other day and wanted to check to see if Ryder was, in fact, the strongest initiate or not.
I placed all but one of the daggers on a small wooden bench next to me and checked the balance of the dagger. I palmed it and readied my hand to throw when I caught Quinn approach Axel out of the corner of my eye.
“Let’s see what you got, Lai,” Quinn said, standing directly in front of him.
Axel had both kamas in his right hand, then suddenly separated them, twirled the curved blades around his hands and pounced toward Quinn.
Oh. My. God.
Axel controlled the weapons as if they were extensions of his arms. It made me realize just how much I had underestimated the shy, quiet man and just how dangerous he truly was. He used the same advantage as I did. Nobody ever suspected a petite, blonde girl to be as deadly as me, just as nobody had probably dared assume the reserved, soft-spoken Axel would be so lethal.
The rest of the initiates had abandoned their posts to watch as Axel and Quinn spun around each other, both attempting to land a hit and neither getting the upper hand. Quinn had two short swords in his grip and he moved them so quickly they were basically a blur as they whirled around Axel. A moment later, Quinn had deflected a swipe from Axel and brought the tip of his blade to Axel’s neck, causing him to freeze.
I could tell by everyone’s expressions that I was not the only one who had underestimated Axel. There were more than a few appreciative glances thrown his way as we all went back to our stations.
Having finished testing Ryder’s annoyingly proficient skill with the machete, Master Abbott moved on to observe Hailey.
She straightened her back, threw a black lock of hair behind her shoulders, and loosed three arrows in quick succession. All three hit the target’s inner circle, but not dead center. She was a good shot, but not perfect. She listened as he gave her a few pointers while Cade instructed Brielle on the proper way to hold and maneuver the katana.
I turned toward my target and threw the dagger in my hand, watching as it spun blade over hilt until it landed in the second circle on the target. Exactly where I had intended it to land.
“Not bad, Lenna,” I heard Quinn’s voice from over my shoulder where I had already known he was standing.
“Beginner’s luck, I guess,” I said with a grin.
There are pros and cons to using throwing knives,” Quinn started, lifting one of the daggers off the wooden stool. “Once you throw all of your knives, you are left without a weapon. So if you have more than one assailant and not enough knives, you are shit out of luck.” He tested the weight of the knife and continued. “This knife is handle-heavy, which means you need to adjust the way you throw the knife. The same is true if the knife is balanced or if it is blade heavy.”
I gazed at him, listening intently.
“Because this dagger is handle-heavy, you want to throw the handle first. If the dagger was blade-heavy, you would want to hold the handle and throw it, blade first. You were throwing it by using the handle, so you need to change it up, like so.” Quinn took aim while holding the blade and threw the dagger. It whooshed through the air and wedged itself in the middle of the target.
I nodded as if I hadn't already possessed that information and took another dagger off the stool, taking aim at the next target.
“Find your throwing line and then take a step back on a forty-five degree angle to ready your toss,” Quinn said.
I copied his instructions and waited.
“Now, step forward into your throw line and chuck the knife with everything you’ve got,” Quinn finished.
I complied, throwing the dagger with all of my strength and watched as it embedded itself to
the hilt, dead center on the target. I whooped and accepted Quinn’s hug until I saw Cade’s expression over his shoulder. A look of suspicion.
Oh no. I went too far, didn't I?
I berated myself internally and made sure to not get as close the next few tries.
Sofia and Master Abbott faced each other, arms raised. The sai in Sofia’s hand glinted as she stabbed toward his shoulder. He easily parried her move and returned a jab of his own. She ducked and circled around him, thrusting at his back. Without turning, Master Abbott whipped his blade behind him and blocked her sai. Master Abbott kicked at her feet, knocking her to the ground and pressed his blade against her throat.
“Your skills are rudimentary at best, but you are resourceful when necessary. The sai will be good weapons for you if you can master them,” Master Abbott told her as she wiped her brow. He turned away as the door opened and a black clad man entered the room.
I struggled to listen in on their conversation.
“Sir, we found Sanders,” the man said, standing with his arms behind his back.
My knees buckled and I almost lost my footing.
“Well, why was he late today?” Master Abbott asked.
“He was found dead on the stairwell, Sir. He had a few broken bones, but died from a stab wound to the chest. The blade wasn't there.”
Master Abbott's eyes widened. “Do we know who killed him?”
My pulse throbbed while I waited for the response.
“No, Sir. There are no cameras in that area of the compound,” the man replied.
“Make sure the security team has a new camera installed as soon as possible and report back to me once it has been done.”
“Right away, Sir,” the man said, but didn’t move.
“Dismissed,” Master Abbott said, and the man turned around and walked back out the door.
I let out the breath I had been holding, and focused on my target. I quickly threw another dagger, making sure to keep my face expressionless. I had known they were going to find him eventually, but I couldn't help my heart from racing.