Chapter Three
In the late morning sun, Dahlia leaned against the half wall separating her from a short drop into the training grounds near her barrack. She’d had Genji conjure up darkness, a specialty of his that created concealment and muffled sound, so she could drill her soldiers on stealth attacks. She figured this was the best she could do short of telling them to be on the alert for a knife in the back from another member of the force. Watching through specially designed glasses, she could see them moving through the darkness as Genji directed the rest of her ranked members in a ‘stealth force’ against the other soldiers. Her first and second lieutenants watched from above with her to provide feedback.
“Relax Jo-jo!” her first lieutenant, Sabir, called out. “If you tense up how can you sense anything around you?”
Jo-jo visibly tried to relax. Then, to his right, Rezzi conjured a ball of fire. Genji immediately shot him in the head with a pad-tipped arrow. Rezzi’s eyes crossed and he dropped the fire.
“Wrong!” roared Sabir, “a fire only blinds you while your eyes adjust and provides an excellent target.”
Jo-jo had dropped to the ground when the arrow zipped by him. He rolled forward, putting space between him, Rezzi’s guttering fire, and Genji.
“Good, Jo-jo!” her second, Lieutenant Arreal called out.
Dahlia watched as Jo-jo relaxed, hearing Arreal’s voice, and slipped away through the darkness. Now that he had an idea where Genji and the stealth force were he was trying to circle them. Genji, anticipating this, pushed Rent and Fidelity out in either direction from him, a silent gesture for them to spread out.
Rent was heading towards another member, Raschel, who was crouched down, her hand pressed to the ground, using her ability to sense for vibrations. She picked up Rent’s presence a split second before he picked up on hers and she threw herself to his left, slicing at his achilles tendon with her cloth-wrapped blade. Observing the rules of the drill, Rent went down on one knee and lashed out with his own wrapped blade, catching Raschel in the back. She rolled out of the way and pulled up a cover of rock between them just in time as his thrown knife thudded into the wall. She pushed the wall into him and it collapsed around him, trapping him.
“Damn!” Rent yelled, “of course I ran into the girl who can manipulate the ground!”
Raschel grinned and swept her hands, pushing Rent in his trap out of the training area.
Genji’s next arrow smacked her in the chest.
“Should have moved! Rent gave your position away. He wasn’t just yelling to shoot his loud mouth off.” Arreal cheerfully called down to the girl.
While Rent had gone towards Raschel, Fidelity had moved into Jo-jo’s path as he attempted to circle around Genji and the others. She moved lightly, a padded wooden version of her giant hammer was hoisted over one shoulder. She brazenly walked directly into Jo-jo’s path. As he struck out with his wrapped short sword, she casually batted it away with the hammer then lightly, almost lovingly, bopped him on the head with it.
“Lighter step next time Jo-jo,” Sabir roared. “She could hear you and get ready.”
As Genji and Fidelity began stalking the rest of the team, Captain Borreal padded quietly up to Dahlia.
“I’m impressed Genji manages to keep all this up, let your lieutenants’ voices in, and still shoot down your barrack members.”
Dahlia smiled, “It’s a gift, he delights in creating situations where people stumble around into each other.”
They watched as Fidelity stalked Nel. The young man stood absolutely still, barely breathing. He drew his curved blade in around his body and waited. Fidelity could sense him, but she couldn’t pinpoint him. She grew impatient and swung her hammer in his general direction, missing by about two inches. Nel didn’t move a muscle. Dahlia was impressed. The full force of Fidelity’s hammer swings could take a man’s head off. Nel had to be either very sure of himself or very oblivious to his danger.
Fidelity stalked forward and Nel swung. She brought her hammer up in time to counter but his blade slid down and smacked into her hand. Per the rules of the exercise, she dropped the hand to her side. Nel went in for the kill. Fidelity countered with her hammer then an arrow smacked Nel upside the head.
“Good work Nel, but don’t forget there’s more than one of them! Fidelity, you let your impatience trip you up and lost a hand for it!” Sabir seemed rather pleased about Fidelity losing a hand to the new recruit.
Borreal smiled. “She might be impatient but working one-handed doesn’t seem to be impairing her. Looks like your ‘stealth force’ could use a bit more of a challenge, especially Genji. I like this drill. What say I call my ranked members over for another round?” Borreal offered.
“That would be very helpful,” Dahlia smiled. “Save me stumbling around in Genji’s darkness.”
“I doubt you ever stumble.”
“Not often but like I said, Genji has a gift.”
Borreal waved his barrack members over, Lieutenant Traedon in the lead. Shirtless, with his cardinal-red hair pulled back into a long mane he looked as good as he had last night. Maybe she could find time tonight to see him again...
Dahlia mentally shook herself. No, she’d promised herself a night to practice and she needed to watch her trap as well. She remained expressionless. A number of the soldiers in both barracks probably suspected he was her lover. Even if Nel hadn’t said anything. But that didn’t mean she should acknowledge it.
Traedon kept his expression neutral as well, bowing first to his captain then to her, “Captain Borreal, Captain DeMorra.”
Dahlia politely inclined her head as Borreal nodded to him. “Lieutenant Traedon, once Genji has finished eliminating his barrack, I’d like you and the ranked members to train with them.”
Traedon looked down into the training ground, “Yes, sir. It seems Fidelity just took out the last member so we’ll head down.”
Borreal glanced down as the small, pink-haired woman celebrated, swinging her hammer over her head and following it back, cartwheeling over it into an acrobatic flip.
Genji dropped the darkness and concealment he’d conjured and wiped his forehead before bowing to Dahlia, “Captain, your loyal defenders have been vanquished!”
Dahlia suppressed a grin, “Luckily we have reinforcements arriving. In fact,” she turned to her lieutenants, “Lieutenant Sabir, Lieutenant Arreal, join Genji’s squad.”
Sabir nodded and handed his glasses to Borreal.
Genji looked up to see Traedon and his team descending. “Very well. Reset!”
The ranked members of her barrack retreated to the opposite side and took up positions facing Borreal’s members.
The captain wants me to take on her boy toy, fine, bet he’s afraid of the dark.
She heard the thought in Genji’s voice and had to conceal an eyeroll. He’d dropped his mental shield and knew very well she’d heard that, just like he knew she couldn’t reasonably punish him for thinking something. She knew he didn’t mean it, he adored his captain, he just enjoyed toeing lines. His sense of humor would cause someone to strangle him one day. But Genji was in for a surprise with Traedon; tigers could see in the dark.