The Marked

Mistakes

Laying down in the tall grass, I heard the ever present Oklahoma wind rustling through the field. Rogues like myself were skilled in one-on-ones, because we had a good mix of speed and strength. My attacks didn't have as much power as Tom's, my strength was still greater than Swifts. Or rather, it was supposed to be. However, I was still fairly new to my own powers, and Shea seemed to use hers as easily as breathing.

Sighing as I imagined the bitter taste of defeat, I tried to come up with a plan that would allow me to beat her. Oh just admit it already, you can't beat her. The most you can hope for is to just last longer than the others. The sudden thought that I could at least try to be a challenge for her came to mind, and I steadied my breathing in resolve.

The only way the others had beat her was by using underhanded tactics, like firing from a distance. If I could last more than two minutes against her, then I would be satisfied. Standing up, I quickly scanned the field for Shea. It took me a few moments to spot her amidst all the tall grass, but I soon saw that she was only a hundred feet or so away with her back turned to me.

Jogging over to her, I saw that she was slowly scanning the area in front of her. She didn't hear me until I was about ten feet away, but she spun so quickly with her eyes immediately locking onto mine, that it was hard to think that I had gotten the drop on her. She looked casual, dressed in her white flats, tight ripped up blue jeans, and a yellow T-shirt. However, this was contrasted by the fierce look in her eyes and her rapier facing straight at me.

Swallowing a lump of nervousness in my throat, I stepped forward and summoned my own sword, settling into my stance. I was dressed in my usual attire, which was a pair of loose fitting jeans and a grey long sleeved T-shirt. Shea watched me silently for a few moments, and I tried to think of something to say.

"What are you doing?" Startled by her question, I tried not to stutter as I answered.

"Well, I uh, I wanted to have a fair fight. . ." I trailed off as her eyes narrowed in annoyance at me. We hadn't spoken much since that time we were in the kitchen, unless you counted saying hello and goodbye to each other, which I didn't.

"Do you really think that I can't take any tricks you throw at me? You should know this by now, Rogues specialize in stealth. Sure they can fight one-on-one, but your outclassed up against me." There was no gloating in her voice, as she was simply stating facts. I tried to think of an appropriate answer, but none came to mind.

"I just didn't want to beat you that way. . ." I wasn't sure why she was acting so aggressive, but I could feel myself retreating back into my shell, my throat constricting to choke off any more words that threatened to come out of my mouth.

She stared at me for a few moments, annoyance written all over her features. Turning her body to the side, she put her right foot forward, knees slightly bent, and right hand holding her rapier level with her face. This was her stance, and it was terrifying to think how quickly she could launch off of her right foot, lunging towards me with deadly accuracy.

"Then get beat by me. I was really looking forward to seeing how much you had improved, you know. I'm disappointed to see that you're not using your strengths effectively," she said, and I felt like her rapier had already hit me However, instead of knocking me off of my feet harmlessly, it had speared my heart.

She took that moment to lunge, and my body reacted of its own volition, sliding to my left and deflecting her thrust. She countered quickly, too quickly, and I had to fall backwards to avoid being slashed as she threw a horizontal cut at my chest. As I was falling I quickly let go of my sword, which dissipated into smoke, and I threw my weight backwards, managing to pull off a slightly shaky back handspring.