The rogue assassin

The elders

My rogues did exactly what I asked them to do. They started to crawl forward in the formation while enlarging the circle to surround them. Meanwhile, I mind-linked some of the members to hide for a sneak attack. They were soon out of sight which meant that everyone was in place. The smell became stronger and soon 4 people appeared. The headache I had the whole day now came back with a much stronger force that shattered my defenses completely. They were in my head, the elders. This meant…. “Stand down!” I yelled while mind-linking my team members. Even though, I decided to leave the hidden wolves hidden for a while longer. I knew they would still be of use when all hell broke loose. Normally, I would have called them back but last week's training seemed effective. There was no heartbeat to be heard, and their smell was too covered which might’ve made me smile for a second before becoming serious again. The mental force blew against my wall again, making me break it down and finally letting the person within my mind. “Well, well, well, look who is getting stronger. Our little Vicky." I recognized the voice immediately making me cringe internally. "Unfortunately, I heard that your group isn’t as strong as you are. Aren't you suppose to train them?” It was the grey-haired woman in the middle of the group that spoke into my head. I made my way over to the visitors where I stopped 25 meters before them. The visitors consisted of 3 men and of course that grey-haired woman. The three men were clothed in black colors and a kind of weird-looking cape. They wore a stern and unforgiving look on their face as they came to a stop. The woman who spoke to me in the first place looked different. Of course, she was also wearing black-colored clothes as well as the cape, but her expression was very much off. It showed joy and enthusiasm. Her smile was dangerous. It almost made you forget who you were dealing with before she starts to kill. Our bosses and teachers are called the elders and she was one of them. The woman stepped forward and spoke out loud. “It looks like some rules were broken. A fight between my young assassins. Explain now or be punished, my daughter”. I turned to look around, only to see all of the rogues in a kneeling position on the ground out. Showing their respects. I knew I would never do that again. Not after what they did to me and the people I cared about. So I raised my head and spoke back with the same loud voice. “It was for training purposes which unfortunately went out of hand”. She walked closer to me but stood still 3 meters before me. Her gaze reading my body language. “Right, I forgot that training means to kill your own men instead of showing mercy. It is the enemy who is trying to kill you. Not us, not the other teams. But please, keep breaking the rules and you will be next. I would love me some good kill”. She waved James to come closer. This made me suspicious. She was not going to kill him too right? “And who may you be my son?” He lowered his gaze in submission before saying his name. Just as he was about to kneel she made a comment to stop this action. “I want you to look me straight into the eye boy. Show me some respect.” He raised his head while shaking with fear. I wanted to step closer to him, protect him from that woman but I knew I couldn't do that. The woman smiled satisfied by the action of James. She raised her hands to grab his head softly into her hands. From this moment, time appeared to stand still. “Good job, my boy. Now die for me.” While saying that, she unnaturally twisted his head while keeping only his head in her hands. The cracking sound of his neck echoed through the night, making all the other rogues gasp in shock. James’ headless body fell onto the ground as the woman let out a horrific laugh. She threw his head right in front of my feet as it rolled and eventually even touched my bare feet. His eyes were wide open and full of shock as I stared back at him, frozen in fear. I knew his death shouldn’t touch me as I didn’t know him that well, but it was still my fault. Another one died because of me. My gaze shifted from his head to his lifeless body before shifting back to the woman who was getting rid of the blood on her hands. “Let this all be a warning for you. Do not mess with us. Oh, and you guys should be happy! Your first assignment is coming up! Which means training days are over. The assignment will be delivered tomorrow by mind link so don’t you dare to channel us out again Vicky. Bye, my children!” With these words, she turned her back to me and made her way back to the 3 men. They turned around to walk behind her as soon as she passed. We stayed frozen at our spots for a couple of minutes even though they were long gone. Just to process everything that happened that night. I was the first to recover and I started to look around. I called everybody back to the fire before making sure that James was buried in a good spot. I dug the hole all by myself as I blamed myself for these events. Some offered to help me which I declined instantly. Had I not put the offer at the table, 3 more people would still be alive. It appeared that one bad decision in this world resulted in the deaths of many people. This meant I had to be more careful with my actions. I walked back to the shed, only to see everyone was already asleep. I wasn’t tired at all. I had too many things going on in my mind. I closed the shed door to keep in the warmth for the others as I stayed outside a bit longer. Soon, rain fell out of the sky and crashed over me as I sat on a wooden log. I know thinking then and there that I should’ve just died. It would have been the easiest way out. But I wasn’t a quitter. I had to keep going on. I didn’t know why but I just had to believe there was something out there for me. I took shelter under my tree as I sat with my back against the bark. This is where I eventually fell asleep. But not for too long.