They walked on in silence for a while.
'And that made a barrier to my teaching I could not penetrate.'
'So what happens now?'
He shrugged slightly. 'Something changed, at the end. She heard me. But though she had lost the fight, and she knew it, still she attacked. And despite her speed and ferocity, tired and injured as she was, her attacks were easy to counter. In the field, or in battle, I fear for her. Were she wounded or outmatched, I think she would attack, ready to die foolishly rather than retreat, regroup and rethink.' He shook his head. 'She needs much instruction.'
He looked with some satisfaction down at Leeth then back to Emma, and nodded. 'Hai, shame of failure will unlock this oyster.' The delight returned to his expression. 'This one, I will teach. I will speak to Father.'
They walked on. 'I do not wish to speak to her guardian.'
Emma looked at the cold anger on his face; then down to the young, bruised girl in his arms. Bruises which in a way he had been forced to inflict.
An unpleasant shiver ran up her spine.
Dojo left Emma in the infirmary preparing the medical scanner, signaling to Father that he wished to report face to face. The carved wood-paneled door whisked aside at his approach.
'Dojo. How did the first training session go?' The man behind the desk sat with military correctness, brushing the holo-display out of existence with a curt gesture. Although in his fifties, he adhered to a sensible exercise regime. Blue eyes in an austere face focused alertly on him. Then narrowed, noting Dojo's sweat, and disheveled look.
'Ah, a little bit strange. She will be… a challenge to teach.'
Father looked intrigued. 'Why? She was extremely keen to be given martial arts training. What happened?'
'You informed her of my abilities in this area?'
Father frowned. 'Yes. I stressed you were a true Master of the Art. Pre-eminent. She was, as I said, very keen for you to teach her. She literally bounced from the room, she was so eager.' His voice hardened. 'What happened, Dojo?'
'You warned me not to underestimate her.' Dojo paused. 'The warning was necessary. She is as dangerous as you say. And when I have finished teaching her….'
He bared his teeth, but in something darker than a smile, and for some reason Father felt the man was warning him. Dojo's gaze went distant, and hungry, as if a long-held promise lay now in reach. And his next words confirmed that.
'When I have finished teaching her, we may have the weapon we need against him.'
Father blinked.
'But there is something… wrong with the girl,' Dojo continued. 'She may not be completely sane. She has some basic skill, and you told her what to expect. Yet still, she launched the first attack on me.' Dojo shrugged. 'Much spirit, not so much sense. And she is as fast as you said. Faster.
'So. At first she listened to my words, and improved. But soon grew frustrated when she could not penetrate my defenses. Her attacks became more determined. She lost her temper. I explained to her she should not. I showed her, anger was senseless. She regained control. From then until the end, she sought only to kill me. But at that end… it was glorious.' Dojo's delight was palpable. 'And what she did…' He shook his head. 'She is wildly unpredictable. She controls her center of gravity. You understand? Magic. Finally, you bring me the student you promised.'
'And Leeth herself?'
'She is now unconscious in the infirmary.'
Father waited, but did not see the embarrassment he expected. 'Yet you are not,' he prodded.
Dojo, remembering the fleeting expression on the girl's face at the height of their battle, smiled. 'Of course. Yet, she held something back.'
Father looked surprised.
Dojo shrugged. 'I do not know what, yet. But after I have taught her….'
His smile turned wolfish. 'Today, it was as if I fought a wild animal. She did not reason, reacting purely on instinct. And I think maybe she is not a complete person – she cannot deal with failure, except by a direct attack on its source.' The smile vanished. 'As I said: maybe not so sane. She may be impossible to teach.'
'Impossible? Or just very difficult?' Father asked. At Dojo's angled head, he continued. 'An agent who can barely tolerate failure will be useful, you must agree. Stubbornness can be a desirable attribute.'
For a while, both men thought, before Father spoke again. 'Her training will not follow the same path you've used for your other students, will it?'
'Not so much.'
'Very well. You and I both know that to master the Art, you must master yourself. You say she is incomplete? Complete her.'
'Ah. So simple.'
Father frowned, unaccustomed to sarcasm from the warrior. Then saw that the man's anger had returned.
'You said the mage, "the Doctor," had raised her. Her incompleteness is his work, then. Did he know what he did?'
Father's expression went a little cold. 'He is a trained psychologist. Yes, I would say he knew what he was doing. I will review this incident with him, immediately.' Father's eyes returned to Dojo. 'Eagle says the Doctor has laid the groundwork for a most useful agent. He wants us to "round her out." She is to become an assassin. She herself wants that.'
Both men frowned at the implications. Dojo shook his head.
'You don't think she will make a good assassin?' Father asked.
'No,' he responded without hesitation. 'You will see when you review the session. Maybe she will be too good.'
Father saw the hunger return to Dojo's expression. 'But we can't let that long term goal ruin her medium term usefulness, Dojo. We need to be able to control her.'
Dojo inclined his head. 'Until we unleash her.'
Both men shared a look, hoping Eagle knew what he was doing.
Table of Contents
PrologUE
Part I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Part II
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 3
PART III
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
PART IV
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Afterword
Publishing, 2015
Harsh Lessons, Ch 1
Wild Thing Page 43