by Shana Vernon
I felt Cade sprinting beside me and knew he had the same thought running through his mind. Our mission of traditional reconnaissance had just morphed into an assassination.
We rushed forward in synchronicity just as the other group handed a briefcase to Pak’s bodyguard, presumably loaded with cash. Adrenaline pumped through my veins as my legs pounded on the pavement and I urged my limbs to move faster.
I lifted my gun as we neared and knocked off three bullets, each hitting their marks with deadly accuracy. The three closest men dropped to the floor. The rest of the crowd took notice of our arrival and I ducked as bullets whizzed over my head.
I only had one magazine with me, so I didn’t waste my ammunition, preferring to pull out the dagger I had strapped to my legs. I dodged another bullet, hearing as it whizzed past my head and hurtled right up to the man, slashing his throat with my blade. The gun fell to the ground as his hand grabbed at his throat, fighting a losing battle. Knowing what these people were doing made me unrepentant about killing them.
I didn't bother to wait and pushed around him to throw my knife into the back of another assailant who had been fighting Cade. He slipped, allowing Cade to finish the job, just as one of Pak’s men reached me.
With my weapon gone, I was done pretending not to have my gifts. Then men weren’t going to be permitted to live after seeing the frightened eyes of those children. I pulled forth all of my anger and imagined my katana in the back of my mind, allowing it to materialize in a burst of light, settling into the palm of my hand.
Cade felled another two attackers and was battling a third, hand-to-hand. It seemed like he had a handle on it, so I looked around, trying to locate Pak.
From the corner of my eye I spotted someone creeping up toward me, and I whirled around, spinning my blade in expert movements. Three of them circled me, all with guns. I whipped my light blade up and sawed the first gun in half, while dodging another round of bullets. One of them pierced my skin, embedding itself into my stomach and I let out a whoosh of breath at the pain.
Oh wow. That isn’t pleasant at all.
I heard Cade yell my name in the distance and I sent warm rose currents of healing through to my stomach. These thugs weren’t going to wait for me to heal.
They continued their advance.
I could feel my power working to push the bullet out of my abdomen while I lifted my katana into a defensive position, my energy levels slowly depleting.
Cade had finally given up on his human pretense and was lobbing fireballs left and right, bodies alighting from his flame. He finally reached my side and we fought off the rest of the attackers, me slicing, and Cade burning.
Once the assault finally subsided, I looked around and a slight wave of nausea hit my stomach as I examined the gruesome display in front of me. Bodies littered the ground, covered in slashes and burns.
We looked around for Pak, who had disappeared in all the chaos, my breathing slowly returning to normal. I felt as my body ejected the bullet and stitched itself closed.
I sprinted for the container, yanking the door back open to see the group of children huddled on the floor, their eyes wide in terror.
How much have they seen?
“Hi there, I’m Lenna. We’re here to help you. You don’t need to worry anymore. We’re going to bring you back to your parents.
“I’m calling the Guild to come take care of them,” Cade said as he arrived at my side.
His arrival seemed to scare the children even more. “Ask for only women to come, I think men are going to make them uneasy after what just happened to them.”
He retreated to make the phone call and I returned my attention to the kids.
I took another step inside the container and sat on the floor, to be eye level with them and to show I wasn’t a threat.
I took off my bag and pulled out a water bottle from within. “Are you guys thirsty?”
I could see that they were. I had no idea when they had last been given anything to eat or drink.
One of the older children took a tentative step toward my outstretched hand, reaching for the bottle. She hesitated.
I placed the bottle on the floor and shuffled backward, giving her more space to come collect it.
“Thank you,” she said in a tiny voice.
I smiled and sat there with them until the members arrived to return them to their parents.
After they had left, Cade wiped his brow and hurried back to me, yanking at the hem of my shirt to see my wound.
“I’m fine. Already healed it.” I checked him out and saw blood seeping out of a wound on his arm. “You aren’t though,” I said as I pointed to the gash.
He glanced down at it. “Damn, I didn't even feel that. I was too concerned about you.”
I shook my head. “I can heal myself almost instantly and you can’t, so don’t worry about me next time.”
“I don’t think that’s possible for me anymore, Lenna.”
I met his silver gaze and heat crept up my neck.
Get it together, girl.
I propelled my warm healing currents over his skin, mending it immediately, which was a relief since I had been a bit worried at how long it had taken my wound to heal.
It had been my first bullet wound, so I had no idea why it took longer to heal than other injuries. I put the thought in the back of my mind to ask Master Locke when we returned to the compound.
“Pak got away,” I said.
“I already told the other members; they’ve begun a city wide search for him.”
We walked back over to his motorcycle and Cade handed me my helmet. “Let’s get out of here before the police arrive and report back to the compound.”
I nodded. “Right after I get some coffee; I'm drained.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“I think we should call it a night,” Ryder whispered from my right.
It had been more than two months since I had arrived at the Guild, and I was no closer to finding Papa.
Ryder and I had scouting missions together whenever we could get out of our room without anyone noticing. It had been harder than I’d anticipated.
Sofia and Ekon slept on either side of me, so we needed to wait until they were both asleep before I used my invisibility to shield us from view and slip away.
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said as my shoulders sagged.
If we didn’t find anything useful soon, I was strongly considering abducting Master Abbott and beating the information out of him. I had no doubt that was wrong, but who knew what state Papa would be in after being tortured for so long. I was getting desperate.
I’m sorry, Lenna. I’m sure we’ll find something soon,” Ryder said, squeezing my hand.
I stopped by a window on our way back, made sure no one was in our vicinity, and leaned out, whistling for Joe. I had done this every night since I had sent Maximus the note, and each night, Joe showed up empty clawed.
I watched as Joe swooped down and my spirits instantly lifted the moment I saw a folded piece of paper in his talons. I pulled Ryder in his direction.
Please be good news.
I dropped my invisibility and Joe landed on my shoulder, sticking out a leg.
Untying the note, I held it open so Ryder could see.
My sincerest apologies for not responding sooner. I had hoped to send positive news. My people have scoured the city in search of a bunker, but have been met with failure. I will continue my efforts and have Joe deliver any updates. I hope you are doing well. - M
My hands balled into fists as a wave of fury swept over me.
That’s it!
I turned around and began stomping down the hallway, my teeth clenched and my face hot.
Ryder caught up to me and grabbed my arm, whipping me around to face him. “Where are you going?”
I glared at him. “I’m going to get that son of a bitch and make him talk!”
Ryder put a finger to his lips. “Keep it down! Also, that is a
terrible idea, Lenna. You won’t be able to come back from that.”
“What if that doesn’t matter to me? The only thing I care about is my father, Ryder. If I need to go through Master Abbott to get him back, that’s fine with me.”
“I don’t believe that for one second. Are you telling me that you are perfectly fine killing innocent people if that meant getting your father back?”
“There is nothing innocent about Master Abbott!” I cried, white tendrils of light beginning to swirl around my body.
Ryder lifted his hands, palms up. “I’m not talking about Master Abbott, but I have no doubt he lied to other Guild members who are helping him. Like you said before, he can’t be there all the time. That means there are other people watching your father. People who might be innocent.”
I didn’t know what to say. Ugh. Why did he have to be so logical?
“Maybe I don’t care if it gets me to Papa sooner,” I said, even though my voice was losing its ferocity.
“Listen to yourself. Would your father really want you going all dark just to find him?”
I exhaled and leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. “I need to get him out of there, Ryder,” I said quietly, the wisps of light dissipating along with my anger.
“We will get him out of there together. In a way that doesn’t kill a ton of innocents. I promise you that, Lenna.”
I looked him dead in his emerald eyes. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to make promises you can’t keep?”
“Yes, but I will keep this one. We just need to be smart about it and not lose our heads. Okay?”
I straightened up and took his hand, making us invisible again. “Yeah, let’s go get some sleep.”
We headed back in the direction of the initiates’ quarters.
“So, can we bring up the fact that you said son of a bitch?” Ryder said, chuckling softly. “It sounds weird coming from you.”
As I walked out of the bathroom, showered and dressed for a new day, I slammed into Ekon, sending us both tumbling to the floor.
He got back to his feet and smiled. “You must be a broom, because you just swept me off my feet.”
“I see what you did there,” I said once my laughter subsided
He helped me up at the same moment Sofia exited the bathroom.
She eyed our joined hands and a jealous look flashed over her features. “Are you hitting on unsuspecting women again, Ekon?”
He clasped a hand to his chest and let out a fake gasp. “Who, me? Never! All the women I hit on definitely suspect it, Sof.”
There is that nickname again. What is going on between them?
I had been so focused on Papa, I had started to neglect our friendship. Granted, I shouldn’t have ever come to the Guild, or met Sofia and Ekon, but they were the closest friends I’d ever had. Also, the only friends I’d ever had.
I grabbed her hand, no longer uncomfortable with the contact, and dragged her out of the quarters.
“Okay, spill.”
Sofia feigned nonchalance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Fine, I’ll spell it out for you. What’s been going on between you and Ekon since you slept together?”
She slid to the floor and put her head in her hands. “Fuck if I know. Obviously, nothing serious can happen between us since we are assassins, but I can’t help how I feel about him. We are always together. We eat together, we train together, and we sleep right next to each other, for fuck’s sake!”
“I don’t understand. Does he not want to be with you?” I asked.
“We never actually discussed it. Whenever we are in the mood we give each other the eye and go up to the roof for fuck fests every few nights.”
I dropped down to the floor beside Sofia. “Why don’t you bring it up? We’re allowed to have relationships in the Guild. We’re assassins, not monks.”
“He’ll probably just say he doesn’t want to be tied down. Shit, that’s what I’d normally say. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I’m not usually such a baby,” Sofia said.
I heard footsteps round the corner and glanced up to see Cade and Quinn approaching us.
We got back to our feet as they neared.
“Is everything alright, Sofia?” Quinn asked, concern lacing his tone.
“Men are stupid,” Sofia replied, making me laugh as we continued on our way to breakfast.
“All of us?” Cade joked.
Sofia stuck out her tongue. “Watch it, Abbott. You’re still on my shit list.”
His eyes widened. “What did I do?” He turned and put an arm around my shoulders. “At least Lenna likes me, right?”
I shrugged. “Eh. Debatable.”
Quinn guffawed and slapped Cade on the back. “They are really laying into you, man.”
“I guess I kind of deserve it,” he said more seriously. “Though, I don’t know what I did to you, Sofia.”
“Oh, you know,” Sofia said, leaving Cade looking confused as we entered the cafeteria.
After breakfast, we went to weapons class with Master Abbott. I hadn’t seen him since our previous encounter and my stomach felt queasy thinking about seeing him again.
He’d had Quinn fill in for our last few classes and I had wondered what he had been up to, praying that it wasn’t anything to do with Papa.
We entered the room and I immediately sought out Master Abbott. At the sight of his soulless, black eyes, my jaw clenched and I had to force myself not to run across the area and stab him with one of the throwing daggers on the wall to my left.
Don’t get stabby. Papa needs him alive. For now.
Ryder assessed me with a furrowed brow, probably assuming I was planning on killing Master Abbott, which I was.
I calmed myself before any light seeped from my body, and grabbed my usual daggers.
“You have all improved remarkably well since you arrived, which is impressive because some of you started from the basics of weapons training,” Master Abbott started, his powerful voice emanating throughout the room. “Now that you have passed the halfway mark of your training, you will each pair up and go on a mission together.”
At the shocked expressions that passed through the room, he laughed. “Not assassinations, don’t worry. We are saving that for your final test to pass training. Your mission will be different for each grouping. All of you will come forward to receive your partner or partners, and discover what your objective is.”
I arrived in front of Master Abbott and held out a hand to accept my assignment. I had to squeeze my free hand so tightly to stop myself from attacking him that my fingernails cut into my skin, making me bleed.
Think happy thoughts.
I controlled my temper, but my hand still shook slightly as he passed me the paper, and I could tell that he’d noticed my tremor.
“Have you gotten a hold on that new ability we uncovered in our previous session, Ms. Bishop?” Master Abbott asked.
I swallowed, trying to wet my mouth. “I have almost complete control over my light now, thanks to Master Locke’s guidance,” I said, my voice steady.
“Good, I’m glad we won’t need to resort to such methods again in the future.”
I can punch him in the face. Just once. No one will notice.
I schooled my expression. “Yes.” I turned away and returned to my earlier position, reading the paper as I walked.
Group: Brielle Sutton, Axel Lai, and Lenna Bishop.
Mission: infiltrate the International Bank of Boston and plant listening devices in their facilities.
Master Abbott said, “You will have the remainder of the day to design the perfect plan with your partners and then execute it. Do not come back to the compound until you have succeeded in your mission.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Our abilities do not give us any advantage during this mission, so we’re going to have to use our wits here,” Axel said, pouring over the schematics of the bank.
“That’s a shame
, because I was really hoping I could just fill the bank up with water,” Brielle said with a wink.
“That would be quite counterproductive. It would be more sensible to enter the bank undetected,” Axel replied, missing the sarcasm in her tone.
“Axel,” I said, watching as he lifted his focus from the documents. “Brielle was making a joke.”
He blinked. “Oh, I see.” he turned to Brielle. “I tend to miss the nuances of sarcasm, I apologize.”
She laughed. “It’s alright, smarty pants.” She paused, looking at the files on the table from her seat in the Guild’s library. “There is only so much we can plan from inside. We need to do some reconnaissance to see guard postings and other security measures they have in place.”
“Why don’t we get some disguises and each go in one hour after the other, take down whatever information we can find without being suspicious, and meet back up to devise our strategy?” I proposed.
“And if we aren’t able to plant physical devices, I will just hack into their online security systems and piggyback on their cameras. I’m sure the Guild would accept it if we showed them that it wouldn’t be possible through any other method,” Axel added.
No wonder the Guild recruited him. He can fight, he’s ridiculously smart, and he’s a computer genius. What can’t he do?
“Um… Why don’t we just start with that plan and be done with it?” Brielle asked.
“I’m sure they want us to work for our success, so I presume they won’t accept that option, unless we’ve already exhausted other resources,” Axel replied.
“Especially since Axel would be the only one putting in the effort,” I said.
“Would have been nice to have a day off,” Brielle said, rolling her shoulders. “I could use a break from the constant training sessions.”
Brielle had come far since she had started training. Muscles now lined her thin frame, and she could easily keep up during sparring.
“At least we get to leave the compound. If there is time after our mission, I want to check out a tech store on the way back. There’s a new supercomputer that was just released,” said Axel.