Rogue Firefury

TEAM WORK

Two weeks later, as promised, Tiene was as good as new. Fyn's healing touch had undoubtedly made a tremendous difference; her arm and shoulder had healed as if they had never been broken or dislocated in the first place.

Communication between her and Sauren, however, had not mended so quickly. He was away mostly, but when he was in the grounds, although he was always polite and pleasant, it seemed strained somehow. He no longer snuck up on her and her group now and again, giving them frights or testing how long it took for them to detect his presence. She missed that.

It was now a couple of months further down the line and Tiene regretted ever having been privy to what Lexie confided. Her so-called friend had not even kept in touch like she said she would. Further proof that her story had been nothing but an attempt to unsettle Tiene and undermine her opinion of Sauren.

Oddly, and she knew not why, she found herself lying awake some nights, listening to see if footsteps passed her door, or sighs and moans could be heard from across the hall. Daft, she supposed, considering he was mostly out of the grounds anyway.

Training continued with her team. They learned how to dodge and parry with super efficiency. The art of bluffing, which turned out to be great fun, often resulted in shrieks of laughter within the team, but Ylwen stressed it could mean the difference between giving or receiving a death blow in the field.

Obstacle courses improved skills on so many levels. From stealth, litheness, stamina, an aptitude for puzzle-solving to lock-picking - nothing should stand in the way of a rogue achieving their goal.

Some of the tests ventured outwith the grounds. In the woods, students learned how to shimmy up trees in the blink of an eye using the surrounding flora for camouflage. Likewise, in the city, they climbed buildings and scuttled across rooftops. Occasionally, this was executed during the evenings - thus giving students a feel for working under cover of night. The team worked well together, and also on an individual basis.

Many new strikes and abilities were taught and practised. 'Exsanguinate'; a twisting of blades in your victim, resulting in massive blood loss. 'Sap' - which rendered the target immobilised for a short time. 'Distract'; the art of hoodwinking the target, enabling a surprise attack or the chance to reach another goal.

Fan of Knives, however, was Tiene's favourite manoeuvre. Students were issued a collection of throwing knives which they stored on wrist, ankle and thigh wraps. Each little blade had its slot, and Tiene thought she looked very good with all that metal glinting on her. Well, she did until Ylwen pointed out that those little glints could give away her position to the enemy - so camouflage was pertinent.

Tiene practised religiously with her little blades, even into the night when others were sleeping. She would end up repeatedly sharpening and throwing all her knives at the hapless target dummies, honing her skill. It also helped to cap her frustration for not being assigned to missions.