Rise (13 page)

The remainder of the day passed quickly. By noon, the sun hung high in the sky, and was beating down relentlessly onto Victoria’s forehead, as per usual. She grabbed her rag from her pocket, and wiped at her brow, incidentally, wiping pieces of slop into her hair as well. Her red roots had completely grown out now, giving her a very odd looking appearance. She hadn’t taken care to dye them recently, because she wondered if it even mattered anymore. Victoria remembered when she was with Roman, down in the city, and he commented about all the things she would know, if she hadn’t been cooped up in the convent her whole life. Perhaps the past was the past, and the city, as well as the people, was finally moving forward.

But Raela wasn’t. Although Victoria didn’t let on, she knew Raela had been watching her the entire day. Victoria didn’t know Raela’s personality as an assassin, but she was quickly realizing that it was entirely different from her buck-toothed, shallow girl routine. There was something absolutely bizarre about that transformation, and Victoria found herself wondering if Raela was seriously planning on assassinating her during training, and then making it look like an accident.

Victoria shook her head. She wasn’t going to let that happen. Raela might be good, but she was going to be better, at whatever cost. “Hey! That’s too much!” A tiny voice snapped her back to reality, as she saw a little girl standing in front of her, with an overflowing bowl of slop. “Look! You got extra. Aren’t you lucky? Next!” Victoria said, and she grabbed the next bowl, as her thoughts turned back to Raela. Victoria thought of the foot long, obsidian dagger. She hadn’t got a good look at it, because she figured that anyone who got that close would likely be impaled upon it. But, from her memory, Victoria remembered that looking at that dagger, honestly looked like staring into the pits of hell. She wondered if Raela even had to actually kill people with it, or if she just waved it around and screamed “DIE! And they just dropped dead. She handed another bowl to an orphan. Where does a buck toothed idiot get a dagger like that, anyways?

After filling what seemed like an infinite amount of bowls, Victoria finally put the rest of the bowls away and eagerly waited for sundown. It was only a couple of hours away now, and as she sat on the edge of the wooden serving table, she scanned the convent grounds. Raela was still over near Sister Katherine, shooting her furtive glances every now and then. Grace was nowhere, and without her steady presence, Victoria felt very alone.

The sun went down a few hours later. As Victoria helped the other nuns put away the utensils for the day, she felt herself brimming with excitement. She would see Roman again, and her training sessions would officially begin. At the thought of this, she quickened her pace, and finishing cleaning the slop table in half the time it would have normally taken her.

She sat impatiently on the grass, and twirled her dagger. This morning, she figured it would be a good idea to keep it with her at all times. Raela’s looks only increased her confidence in that idea. Earlier, Victoria had wondered where Raela might have gotten her dagger, but in truth, she wasn’t really sure where she’d gotten her own. For as long as she could remember, she’d had her dagger. By this point, it was like an extra arm to her, albeit, a short one. It wasn’t as long or hellish looking as Raela’s. It was a little less than 6 inches long, Victoria couldn’t be sure, because she had never measured it. About its hilt, were many lines and impressions that had faded over time giving it the look of an ancient tree stump. She liked her dagger a lot. It wasn’t too flashy. It was simple, and effective.

Victoria knew she couldn’t have been born with a dagger in her hand, because that would have been crazy. She sometimes liked to entertain the idea that it was a gift from her birth mother. Perhaps she was an assassin too. “Victoria, it is time. Come along.” Sister Katherine’s gentle voice came wafting into her thoughts. She shook her head, hoisted herself up, and followed after her.

Instead of heading to the convent, to the secret Other Sisterhood door like Victoria expected, Sister Katherine led her around the convent, and down a small worn path that led into the surrounding forest. She clutched her dagger tighter, and looked around, nervously. Victoria had never been this way before, and with all the new information she was discovering on this day, it was better to be safe than sorry.

The two travelled deeper and deeper into the forest, to the point where Victoria wondered if Sister Katherine knew where she was going at all, or if this was all some sort of elaborate trap. Her suspicions were later eased, as the two women soon emerged into a clearing, where an assortment of nuns and monks were waiting. Immediately, Victoria spotted Roman, and she a little calmer. She could spot his messy dark hair anywhere. He looked up, caught her eye, and smiled. As he did, Victoria remembered that she was going to ask him something, but she couldn’t remember what. Next, her eyes fell to Raela, who was openly admiring her own dagger, and flicking it about the air. Victoria rolled her eyes, and finally spotted Grace. The big nun was wearing the traditional Other Sisterhood robes, and was holding not a dagger, but unless Victoria’s eyes were deceiving her, a sword of some sort. It was curved, and seemed to glow. But unlike Raela’s dagger, Grace’s almost seemed to emit a holy glow, and as much as she tried, she just couldn’t look away.

Victoria pulled out her own dagger, although it now felt a bit small compared to Grace’s holy sphincter and Raela’s obsidian devil. She sighed, and prayed that she wasn’t about to be impaled upon either of those weapons.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up into Sister Katherine’s face. “Come this way, Victoria. You and Roman will have to find a training spot.” Sister Katherine led her over past Roman, who fell into step behind them. They descended deeper into the forest, until Sister Katherine stopped abruptly. “I can’t go any further. However, when you are done training, two to three hours should be sufficient, come find me.”

Victoria stood motionless, with her dagger hanging limply by her side. “Why exactly did she just lead us into the middle of the forest? What’s this about her not being able to go any further.” In response, Roman pulled his own dagger and placed it down on a rock besides him. “A good assassin finds his or her own training spot, away from prying eyes. It’s a rite of passage thing. You become one with your training spot. Know it like the back of your hand, you’ll find that when it comes to completing your tasks, everything is easier.” “That makes sense, I think.” Victoria said slowly, and she scratched her head. Roman laughed. “I didn’t get it either, at first. But, you’ll see—is that your dagger? It looks like you.”

She looked down at the dagger dangling loosely in her hand, confused. She wasn’t sure how a dagger could look like her. Was Roman trying to say she looked short and unspectacular? “Uh, thanks. I guess yours looks like you too.” Victoria didn’t mean it, but as she looked closer at Roman’s dagger, in an odd way, it did look like him. It was black, like Raela’s, but it wasn’t as blatantly intimidating. Instead, it was graphite, about a foot long, and slightly curved. It looked strong, solid, and deadly. Victoria smiled.

“
See what I mean?” Roman picked up his dagger and twirled it around the tips of his fingers. “They say that the dagger chooses you.” He said, slowly. “That’s a load of crap. I don’t believe that.” Victoria insisted. “Where did you get your dagger, then?” Roman said, even more slowly, and Victoria realized he was playing with her. “Where did I get it?” She faltered. “I’ve…always had it. Where’d you get yours?” She countered. “I’m not really sure, but that was my point, Victoria. My dad told me he found me playing with it one day, when I was seven. He threw it away, since it was dangerous and all, but somehow, I always managed to get it back.”

“
I wonder why that is” Victoria wondered aloud.

“
Who knows? Perhaps it’s fate or something. Anyways, let’s get on to the training. I’ll show you a few moves I learned. Come here. Stand in front of me.” Victoria wandered over, and stood directly in front of Roman. “I’m not sure what this move is called, but it’s pretty simple. You duck, and I swipe. It’s supposed to be a fake out of sorts, best used when the enemy doesn’t know that there are two of us present. Let’s try it. Duck, like this.” Roman wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down. Victoria felt a sudden burst of air woosh over her head, and she realized it was Roman striking. After he did, he released his grip on her hips. “Want to try it again? This time, we’ll want to move around, and we can even vary it by standing back to back.” “Sure.” She replied. She wouldn’t mind his hands on her hips again.

They repeated the moves a few more times before stopping to take a rest. Panting, Victoria slumped down against a large slab of rock. “That was more work than I thought it would be.” She said, as she gasped for air. Roman chuckled, and sheathed his dagger. “That’s the life of an assassin. But, when you’re actually in the moment, you’ll be less tired. Adrenaline, you know. Sandwich?” He reached into his robes, pulled out a small wrapped sandwich, and broke it in half. “Thought you might need a little more energy, before your battle with Raela.”
Victoria stopped mid-chew. “Battle?” Roman nodded. “I mean, that’s what it is, isn’t it? When you entered into the clearing earlier with Sister Katherine, she was giving you this look. I’m not sure what it was, but it wasn’t a friendly one.” He took another bite of the sandwich. Victoria shrugged. “I’ve never really liked her either. She’s just one of those girls that always has to be faster, stronger, and better than you. Prettier, too, if her buckteeth weren’t in the way. I guess we just rub each other the wrong way.” Roman smiled. “For the record, I think you are infinitely more beautiful.” Victoria couldn’t help but blush, so she took a huge bite of her sandwich in hopes that would distract from her reddening cheeks.

“
I don’t think it’s personal. With Raela, I mean. She wants to be the best. She expects others to lay down like a dog for her, and I’m sure you don’t do that.” Victoria shook her head vehemently. “Absolutely not.” “That’s probably why then.”

The two ate in silence for the next few minutes. Then, what Victoria had been meaning to ask rushed back into her head with such force, that she nearly jumped up. “You!” She pointed at Roman. He jumped back and flinched, almost dropping his sandwich. “You what, Victoria?” He asked, as he eyed her warily. “Oh, you know what.” She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. “Sister Katherine told me a little something about tasks. A stipulation if you will.” Victoria waited for Roman to say something. When he said nothing, she plowed forward. “A life for a life. Does that ring any bells?” Roman looked at her in silence. “Volunteering for these quests means kill, or be killed. Were you aware of that? Say something.” He looked at her in silence, again, before opening his mouth to release a heavy sigh. “Yes, I knew that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t know you were going to volunteer. That’s part of why I didn’t want you to.” Roman admitted, with his eyes on the ground.

“
Not only that” Victoria ventured forward. “You volunteered anyways. You know what happens if I fail, if we fail.” “I know.” He said quietly. Victoria stepped closer to him, so close, she could feel his breath on her face. “But you volunteered anyway. Why?”

He hesitated, and looked up into her eyes. In his eyes, she could see fear. Not the type of fear one gets when the danger is physical. A different type of fear. Victoria recognized it immediately. It was a fear of rejection. “Why?” She asked again. She knew she was pressuring him, but she wanted to hear him say it. There was a silent pause, and then, he spoke. “Because, I would die for you, Victoria.” And he met her lips with such unbridled passion, that she almost stumbled back. The world around her disappeared, and all she could feel was his body on hers, as they held each other. And for the second time in twenty four hours, Victoria felt like she never wanted to let go.

But it was Roman who broke the kiss, and Victoria felt her elation instantly subside. “We should, we should get back now. Raela’s waiting.” She responded by burying her head further into his shoulder. “You’ll do fine. Just don’t let her distract you. Lots of defense, lots of defense.” His voice was shaking, and she didn’t know if it was from the intensity of what had just happened, or what was about to.

They made their way back towards the area where the nuns and monks had gathered. It looked as if the others had also stopped for a food break, as the majority of the nuns and monks were sprawled about in the green grass, talking quietly amongst themselves. Victoria spotted Grace, and made a beeline for her. She was feeling more nervous about this whole ordeal than she should be. It was just a training session, one of many more to come, in fact. So why did she feel like she was marching to her deathbed?

“
Hey there, Victoria.” Grace said softly as she approached. Victoria settled down in the grass next to Grace, and admired her dagger. “Roman told me that the dagger chooses you. Is it true?” She leaned forward to get another good look at Grace’s dagger. It was dazzling, distracting even. Suppose that’s part of the appeal, Victoria thought. “It’s true alright. I saw this one first at a yard sale. I passed it by, because I figured ‘What do I need a giant dagger for?’. This was before I was inducted into the Other Sisterhood, mind. But, as I like to frequent yard sales, I kept seeing it at every sale I went to. The bugger was following me. I was afraid to ignore it, lest it show up in my bedroom, and I’m on the wrong end of this guy.” Grace laughed her hearty laugh, grabbed her dagger, and wiped it down with the edge of her robes.

“
So, Raela. I thought this was just a training session, but the tension is so thick in here, even this couldn’t cut it.” She waved her dagger around for emphasis. Victoria found herself staring at the dagger again. “Why is that dagger so shiny? I can’t stop staring.” Grace laughed again. “Ah, it’s distracting, ain’t it? Every dagger has its own special property, and that’s this one’s.” She looked at her dagger with the same love in which Victoria looked at her own. She understood. “Do you think mine has one?” Victoria asked, unsheathing her own dagger. Again, it looked pitifully short, next to Grace’s brilliant, lengthy one. “Of course it does. You have special attributes that make you, you, don’t you? But you’re young. Only time will tell. I don’t know this for fact, but I swear your dagger grows with you.