Viktorija Adelyte Kazlauskas

Chapter Seventeen

Viktorija looked at the seals on Launce’s neck, she had been able to combine them together to make one seal, this will take most of the stress away from his chakra network. It was good to know that she could do it while half-asleep.

It had been something she had been training in for the last four years, but not something she thought she had perfected. It still wasn’t perfect, but it was almost there and now Viktorija had to do her own because she was starting to feel drained from her chakra going into five different seals, two taking less than the other three.

She could only hope that she had gotten to Launce in time, then again. Viktorija had hoped that she had gotten to her own little mark in time to stop the poison from spreading in her own mind and soul.

She had a feeling she was going to snap soon, even with Jakoba’s soothing presence behind her.

And one of the two on Team Emilek were going to die, Ismay being higher on her s**t list then Etienne was. If the entire Martin family were going to die, Viktorija would be sure she would the first person to dance on their graves.

“I see…” she whispered to herself.

Viktorija did always love a good prank; it was one of the reasons she wanted to learn stronger illusion seals in the first place. The reason she had started learning Medical seals was the number of foxes and snakes that she had found left to die in the forest.

If it wasn’t for the fact that she had to keep Ismay alive and keep an eye on Launce’s seal, she would tracked down and killed Apoloniusz, since she had a feeling that little s**t had something to do with it and he had been waiting for them to leave awhile.

But she couldn’t do anything; she left out a huff of air that moment he had left; Apoloniusz most likely saw no point in hanging out. Not when he had also had to pass this test, she had a bad feeling that Lynne was going to do something before she could warn anyone about it.

“We’re going to have to move soon, once Melanthe or Hyacintha gives us the signal,” Viktorija told Etienne, Launce and Ismay. Jakoba, Aldona, Azuloas and Montgomery had gone ahead to see if there was anyone who’d attack them while Launce and Viktorija were weak.

Viktorija looked around before moving her hand to her own shoulder, it would hurt, and she knew that it would. It just needed to be done, since she couldn’t be draining her own chakra at such a rate that’ll leave her useless.

Launce just nodded his head, before moving next to her. Etienne moving to her other side, closing her eyes and she had combined all five of her seals; where three of them came from, she didn’t know.

Biting her lower lip, all five of her seals merged into one. Like she had thought, it took everything in her not to scream in pain.

“Good thing we don’t have to fight anyone,” Viktorija told Etienne and Launce, who both nodded their heads while looking at her. “Melanthe is coming, we can leave soon.”

“Like you know,” Ismay growled at her, Melanthe breaking through the greenery and wrapping herself around Viktorija’s torso.

“You were saying?” Viktorija asked her.

--

Viktorija walked just behind Melanthe as they continued making their way to the middle of the tower, Etienne taking the back so he can defend them if anyone got passed Aldona, Azuloas and Montgomery.

“Thinks she can boss me around,” Ismay muttered under her breath, she glared at the river next to her. Like it was the reason she was here in the first place, she had been muttering to herself for the last two hours, not once had Viktorija or Launce allowed them to take a break.

Something about being a certain distance away from Launce’s team. So Aldona hadn’t allowed them to take a break either, Ismay had been walking for the past four hours and they were still no where near the middle of this forest.

“Not even allowing us to take break,” Ismay continued to mutter.

“You’re going to die,” Viktorija told her, stunning Ismay enough that stopped talking and almost tripped over her own feet. “You really are. If you continue the you are, you’re going to die before you reach twenty. How long to do you think fights last for? They’re not like the ones at the Academy, where someone will step in the moment it becomes clear you’re losing.”

“They won’t care if you can’t get up,” Launce told her.

“No, they can last hours at a time; some of the famous battles would last days and weeks without breaks; the smallest mistakes taking their lives,” Viktorija continued without looking behind her, her eyes locked onto Melanthe’s form. “And you can’t walk for a few hours? You’re not part a Warrior, you’re not a Soldat and until you change what you think one is; you’ll never be one. Not in the eyes of those who risk their lives every day.”

“I have my tags,” Ismay hissed at her. “I’m a Soldat of Nestanha.”

“Those mean nothing when your dying,” Launce told her.

“Nothing,” Etienne agreed.

“Doesn’t make you one,” Viktorija agreed.

“I’m the one who most Lady-like,” Ismay growled at her.

“Useless information,” Viktorija shot back, slowly waving through ink black trees until they were back onto a normal path. “We’re in a middle of a life or death situation, we’re not playing royal courts.”

Ismay just looked at her. Mama told her she was the perfect Soldat. She was perfect lady for the next Atspoguļo Clan’s Head; that she was perfect for Etienne and he wouldn’t want for anything with her as his wife.

She was perfect; Ismay knew that she was perfect. She would be the perfect wife and mother, all she had to do was prove herself to Etienne, even if he had to take other woman into his bed to build up Clan numbers.

And here Viktorija was telling her she wasn’t going to live to twenty.

Then, she hadn’t gotten any closer to Etienne in the last six months. He had even told her, her to stay away from his cousins like it wasn’t Etienne she wanted, but his last name. That she would drop him and try with Launce instead.

Emilek hadn’t move them past team building in their training, when he showed up and most of the team Viktorija had already left by then. Never telling her or Etienne where she was going, never telling them anything.

“You only understand this life… when you’ve taken a life and learn how to sleep even with the blood staining your hands,” Viktorija told her without looking back, Etienne and Launce looking at each other before continuing their scan of the woods. “When you’ve trained until you can’t move anymore. Practised a technique so many times not until it’s good enough, but until it’s perfect and won’t fail. When you train even after completing a mission, always trying to push both body and mind, because there’s no such thing as perfect when it comes to skills that’ll keep both your team and client alive. You’re nothing like that and I don’t see you changing. You’ll regret it when you’re dying; they always do.”

Viktorija paused and Melanthe lifted her head, shotting a breath of fire onto the male that went to attack them from the front. Viktorija unsealing a sword and cutting off his head, letting his body fall into the water. A vine appearing before dragging the body into its depths, Ismay looking at Viktorija before remembering that she had been told.

Viktorija was a cold bloodied murderer. And could kill her without blinking, like she had done that man; she was a monster, like her Mama had warned her about.

“You go home as soon as you finished a mission. Worrying about your weight and hair more than your skillset. Which is why, Ismay Martin; you’ll never be anything other than a leech, that’ll stuck the blood from the body your attached to,” Viktorija told her, kicking the man’s head into the water before Melanthe continued on her way. “You’re more likely going to be a KIA or MIA, and no one will care. You’ll be another name and another faceless number. And there are some things that are worse than death.”

Ismay only glared at her, Viktorija keeping her sword out. Even Etienne and Launce unsealed their swords, Viktorija would never hesitate to kill anyone and Ismay knew that she didn’t know what mercy was.

To Ismay, Viktorija was a village. Mama was right, Mama was always right and if Mama was right; that means everything that left Viktorija’s mouth was rubbish and wasn’t worth considering or remembering.

Nothing she said was true. Viktorija was an i***t and those who were dead last weren’t worth listening to; Viktorija would be one who wouldn’t be missed; the one rotting forgotten on the battlefield.

While Ismay would be comfortable and looking after her children. Mama wouldn’t let her down, Mama never let her down.