Author's Note: I would like to thank the 5 of you who reviewed as well as the terrific xxTunstall Chickxx and the Superb Sweet Sassy Sarah, both of them are great Beta's that spoil me with compliments.
And also a new that one of the lovely reviewers left behind when the y pushed the pretty review button, splendiferous, I believe was how it was spelt. Anywho, I really like that word so a speacial recognition for BACswimma for that splendiferous word
I AM NOT TP
They crossed through the remaining wilderness and stayed true to their agreement, a truce and a friendship. They finally reached the Gallan training camp that Kate longed to be part of, yet Jarret seemed to get more and more rigid with every day that they closed in on this place.
Once they exited the thickest part of the forest, they saw atall, solid, and menacing wall that emerged from the trees. The high stone wall was lined in tree branches to match the surrounding area.
A little ways down the wall was a small gate that was just big enough to allow a horse and rider enter in a single file line. The entry way was small but it looked like it was sturdy and next to it was a square of metal.
Kate felt the magic around this gate and metal plate andwondered what Jarret saw through his sight because she could tell this wasn't the work of just one mage.
Jarret placed his hand upon the metal and drew a few symbols below it.
The metal square flared with magic from many different colored gifts. A flash of yellow-green magic caused Kate to blink to clear her vision the next she saw was dark blue that was a few shades darker than her brother, Jason's gift. Then a brilliant turquoise gift glowed for a moment followed by many more reds, greens and more.
"Come on. And welcome to Galla." Jarret told her before walking into the now open gate leading his horse and the pack horse behind it. Kate followed him in awe, not from the buildings, but from where she was. The famous training camp of assassins, home of the great Gallans, the land of the legends. The Cursing trained here. The Jagged. The Flash. The Merciful. The Rock. The Viper. The Panther. The Heart Stopper. The Abyss. Kate ticked off names of assassins that trained here in Galla as she took in the surrounding.
Two story buildings stood in random areas and one three story building was standing tall in the very center. A flag pole was standing erect in front of the three story building, flying from it was a the flag of Galla, a large hawk perched on a mountain with its wings outstretched. Below that flag was a smaller one that had a simple spiral on it. Kate knew that symbol, her adoptive aunt, Gemma Maswaft told her that after that symbol began to appear, it was the symbol of The Whip. An assassin that attempted killing Gemma long ago but failed.
Jarret's back slowly straightened as he walked to the three story building. She swallowed, for the first time this entire trip her fear started to show. The fear wasn't of the unknown, but of the question she asked herself, Am I good enough?
They tied their animals up to a post and Jarret brought her into the building and motioned for her to sit on a bench at the side. There were three doors up against one wall and a set of stairs on the walls next to the doors. Jarret walked into one room after a quick knock on the door and the last thing Kate heard out of that room was an enticingvoice, "Milord. I've returned with a prize."
Kate waited out side the door. She wanted to fidget but didn't know what they would think of that so she forced herself to stay still. She looked out one of the windows in the plain wooden room and waited for something. She wasn't sure what, but something.
Kate waited for what seemed like an eternity before the door opened and a young woman that looked to be about eighteen came in. She was short with black hair that was pulled into a short horse tail and hazel eyes, her skin tone held a Carthaki heritage with its darker hue. The young woman was dressed in a full sleeved shirt, knee-length breeches, and wore Carthaki sandals with a string of copper beads around one ankle.
Her smile was warm and curious as she looked at Kate. The new woman looked fragile but Kate saw the muscles beneath her skin were like wire. She was half Kate's size and yet she looked at her with care that most would use for a child.
"Hi, you must be the new one that was supposed to be coming in. I'm Vi." she extended her hand to Kate and she noticed that Vi was only slightly taller than her when she was sitting.
"I guess I'm the new one. Jarret brought me. Call me Kate." she grasped the offered hand.
"That's odd," Vi sat next to her on the bench. "He rarely gives out his real name. What else did he give you? Name wise anyway."
"He said he was Jarret Marcoy." Kate was curious if she was suppossed to be talking to this girl.
"Wow. The entire real name. He must think that you'll do good." Vi had been looking off out the window until now, she turned and cocked her head and watched Kate again. This made the taller girl slightly uncomfortable with the staring. "In fact, I hope you do well there's something I like about you." she smiled.
Kate laughed at how blunt she was and the two turned around as another person let out chuckle from the side of the room.
"Vi ye have a good judge of character but I ain't to sure 'bout this un." the newcomer gave a broad smile. He was a young man about the same age as Kate with blond curls and bright blue eyes. He was as tall as Kate and had a whisp of goatee on his square chin.
He placed himself on the other side of Kate, "You seem to have a certain air about you." he dropped the lower class tortallan for noble speech.
"By the way that's Xander. Are you noble?" Vi watched Kate intently.
"That's it. I bet she is noble." Xander smirked at this new discovery of theirs.
Before Kate could answer the door that Xander had just come in from slammed open. A tall Bazhir woman walked in. Her hair was tied back in several tight braids. Scars covered her dark hands, and a scowl was placed on her face. "Is he back?" Her question was more of a demand.
Xander pointed at the office.
"What's the matter? Tired of a cold bed, Janelle?" Vi smirked at the tall woman.
"We'll settle that comment on the courts." Janelle sneered at Vi, "Mithros knows I can rip your limbs off."
Looking at this woman, Kate could believe it. She was as tall as Kate and had shoulders just as broad, and they were covered in muscle.
"That's only if you could catch me." The short girl smiled sweetly.
Just then the office door swung open. Jarret came out with a calm but stern face set in place. He looked at Janelle and gave a small forced smile."I'm going to assume our one woman welcoming committee introduced you all." He gestured to Vi. "She goes on the table tonight. Vi you're wanted to watch over her and help her settle down. She now has permission to know anything and everything. After all, by now she won't be leaving here unless it's through a smokestack or as a loyal member."
A wry smile twisted on the Bazhir's lips and she didn't give Kate a second glance now. "Jarret." She said before pulling him out of the room by his hand. Kate stiffened at that small gesture.
"Well let's get you settled then." Vi smiled at Kate. She couldn't help but smile back and odd sense of trust lingered around the shorter woman.
Vi led Xander and Kate out of the office, she motioned towards the saddle bags that sat on the ground containing all of Kate's possessions, Xander swept them up on to his shoulder and ignored Kate's attempts to help him with the load.
They walked into one of buildings that were close to the building with the office and the area that looked like practice courts. Vi walked through a small sitting area up the stairs to a long hall. She almost skipped down the hall before she turned and pushed open a door.
Inside was a plain wooden bed frame, night table, desk, and a chest at the foot of the bed. There was a brown wool blanket spread over the bed and a few leafs of paper scattered on the desk.
Simple and functional, was what Kate decided to call this place.
"Welcome home." Vi said while Xander placed the bags on the bed. "There is a privy and several wash basins along with wash tubs down the hall. If you need anything at all, anytime of the day I'm right across the hall." She smiled broadly again and pointed to the door across the hall.
Xander chuckled, "When she means anytime of the day she means it to. What was the last time we counted? seventy five hours or so?"
She beamed at the blond, "I think it was seventy eight actually." She turned to Kate ignoring the laughing guy behind her, "We timed how long I can stay awake and stay active. I ate every six hours and drank water the entire time. I finally crashed after seventy eight hours."
Kate joined Xander in his laughing fit even though she was shocked to hear of this, she could barely go twenty four but that was also without food or water.
Xander turned towards the door still chuckling, "I will see you later Vi and..."
"Kate" she filled in.
"Kate. I'll see you at supper and hopefully in a couple of days." He left the two young women alone.
"So about this table, what should I expect or can you tell me?" Kate asked Vi who sat gingerly on her bed.
The short woman's face went from cheerful to sorrow. "You are told to display your level of pain tolerance. If you survive you are given two days to recover in which I'll keep an eye on you. After that you begin training and evidently they think you will do well if you're already posted with the elite."
A lump formed in Kate's throat but she ignored it. "So I do this tonight after supper?"
"Yes."
"Thanks." Kate sat to next to her on the bed. "So who are you? I know Jarret is The Blaze but what about you? Do you have an assassin's name?"
This time it was Vi who looked weary but she obliged, "My name is Vianna of Quarry Hill here in Galla. Yes, I am noble. You might know me as The Viper."
Kate froze. The Viper, was just as deadly as The Blaze. The Viper was famed for the amazing speed this person was capable of. She was fast in everything from running to fighting. The only person that ever claimed to be able to keep up with her was The Jagged, Kate's adoptive aunt."The Viper. Wow. Can I...Could I... Would you mind showing me one of your blades."
This was not the reaction Vi was expecting. Fear, shock, anything but...awe. "Sure." The short part Carthaki lifted a sleeve and removed her 'calling card'. "Watch the points."
She handed Kate a small two pronged razor blade with what looked like red dye on the end but Kate knew it was poison. "Amazing." Kate looked at the thin metal blade in her hand then at the assassin in front of her.
"You are something else aren't you?" Vi snickered
"You have no idea." Kate handed the blade back. "I think of truly great assassins as others would think of war hero's and great mages." Kate still looked like she was meeting her hero.
They finished unpacking Kate's things into the chest in her room talking idly as they did and Vi assured her that the training master would provide more clothing and she didn't have to worry about paying for them.
She led Kate out of the building and towards another. In the shadows they saw the tall Bazhir woman wrapped in the arms of a dark brown haired man in the middle of a none to chaste kiss. Kate felt her stomach drop and anger raise. Her teeth began to grind as she watched her hands move to his head.
"Honestly. Can you two keep your tongues out of each other's throats until after her test?" Vi yelled at Jarret and Janelle.
Janelle didn't even let Jarret break their kiss, she held the back of his neck with one hand and gave a rude gesture at Vi and Kate with the other.
They left the couple and Kate couldn't help but have a feeling of depression creep over her, and Vi noticed.
"I hope you never got your hopes up on him. He's not serious with her, they just use each other to keep their beds nice and toasty. Other than that they could hate each other, if it wasn't for the common interest." Vi said in a soft, comforting tone.
Kate snapped back, "It's nothing. I'm called The Icicle with my cold heart, I have no 'hopes' for anything with him or anyone else for that matter."
"Perhaps I could change that." Xander came up beside them and wrapped an arm around Kate's shoulders.
She rolled her eyes at him but refused to take notice of herself enjoying his presence much more than necessary. She elbowed him in the stomach, hard. He dropped his arm but showed no other signs of pain other than a grunt.
Vi broke out laughing, "I like her."
The three ate together, laughing between bites, in the regular mess hall that few other people were in.
The meal seemed to fly by and Kate's heart fluttered as they led her to a small building where lines of benches were pushed up against one wall and a few table sat at the front. Two sheets of cloth covered various tools of some sort on two of the tables and another was bare.
"Who's doing this?" Vi whispered to Xander and Jarret who just came in the door with Janelle on his arm.
"The Rock." Jarret said with a bit of strain in his deep voice.
Vi didn't say anything, she just gave Kate an odd hug considering their height difference, and went to sit on a bench off to the side.
A large young man slightly older than Xander came in. He had light brown hair and dark eyes. His shoulders were broad and heavily muscled even though he was a half a foot shorter than Kate. This must've been The Rock.
This new young man that Kate decided was The Rock grabbed one of her arms and before she could struggle Xander grabbed the other. The pulled her to the table and laid her down on it. Fear began to shoot through her now and her heart beat kept speeding up along with her breathing.
"Don't worry we'll break you of that soon enough. By the way I'm The Rock." said the new person.
Kate's wrists and ankles were strapped down so tight they started to cut into her flesh.
"Now then, time to begin." said The Rock just before raising his fist the had an iron with studs running across it fixed on to the glove he wore.
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-A/N Review please and a free excerpt just for reading:
"Kate," Xander said with pity as he carried her away following their short friend to Kate's room.