Chapter 34 A master artist

(Callie)

Taniya drove Callie to the grocery store and they purchase a wide assortment of ingredients. From flour to several cuts of meat costing around one hundred crowns a piece. For one steak, that was absurd, but tonight, Callie wanted a distraction from her troubles.

And cooking was something she could lose herself in. Besides, she needed to distract Tania Long enough to steal her comm without her noticing. On their drive back to the naval base, her mind wondered, drifting back to her fondest memories from the compound. Back to the times she spent with the mousy cook.

Cooking wasn't a strictly regimented class like combat and shooting, it was Callie's escape during their infrequent breaks. Even with expert healing, the body needed rest, and during that time, Callie would sneak away from the others to cook. At first, it was in secret when she was about ten. Luckily, the cook didn't tell the instructors of her burglary. Callie took that as permission and just kept coming. After a while, the kindly cook took her on as a sort of apprentice.

There was a tightness in her stomach, and anger rose in her chest. Despite knowing that the secari were the instigators of this fight, Ilene didn't deserve to die. Not everyone from the compound was an enemy, and Ilene was one such a good person. It the midst of their demanding training, the cook was Callie's haven, a sort of shelter to hide behind for precious minutes each day.

Callie chopped some tangy smelling yellow fruit, her mind elsewhere as she prepared the meal on autopilot. She remembered the compound burning, a plume of fire and smoke. That place held far too many terrible memories for her to love it, but there were some people there that she had cared for. And now one of her two remaining friends was being torchered by Villus.

Callie tossed a large dollop of butter on a pan, angrily turning up the heat to max. She seared the sides of three thick steaks, each imported from Saleia. The meat hissed and a wonderful fragrance filled the air.

After each side was seared on the steaks, she turned down the heat, and placed several cloves of crushed garlic, as well as some interesting new spice she hadn't used before. It smelled faintly of parsley, but a strong onion smell as well.

She placed a lid over the pan and walked over to Taniya, who was whisking at a thickening mix of batter for the five layered lava cake. There were several round tins lay out, each filled with a unique mix of batter that once cooked would be stacked. Callie, in one close pass, pulled Taniyas' comm from her jacket pocket. She casually placed it in her own pocket and activated her comm.

Her comm started the long process of decrypting, and then transferring the information to Taniyas Comm. Callie felt terrible for betraying Ts trust like this, but she didn't have a choice. She needed up-to-date information on the slax ambassador, and T would have it.

Her stomach tightened. All she needed was to wait about an hour for her comm to do its thing. It was pre-programmed to break the passcode and download all Ts information without the younger woman suspecting a thing. The only downside was Callie needed to have her comm basically touching Taniyas to pull this off. If Taniya decided to check her comm, then the gig would be up. She forced herself to have fun, as that would be the best distraction for T.

Taniya grinned up at Callie, and Callie couldn't restrain a laugh. Taniya had some flour across one cheek, and even some on her nose. The younger woman's face scrunched up, accentuating her dimples, and she wiped at her face, her effort spreading the mess across her upturned nose to her chin.

The tv played in the background, covering the latest news of Senator Orleans' arrest. More protesters were out on the streets, only this time protesting Orleans' arrest. The video of Callie and Taniya's arrest was on almost every news channel, popping up every two minutes..

Like the major promised, both Callie and Taniyas' faces were blurred out, revealing only their bright blue uniforms. The front door swung open and Dustin enter, taking off his boots at the front door. He looked exhausted and a little grumpy.

"I'm surprised to see you here."Callie said, removing the lid to season the three steaks with a pinch of salt. She cover them once more and stirred the caramelizing mushrooms and onions in another pan. "This is my apartment, I'm the one letting you stay here."Dustin drawled, wearily watching Taniya place the small cakes in the oven.

The kitchen looked like chaos, with pans, bowls, cutting boards and different ingredients spread everywhere. "You sound grumpy. Did you have a long day or something?" Callie asked happily. Dustin let out a weary sigh, and his eyes drawn from the mess to the Tv.

"Yes, unlike you, I didn't get the pleasure of arresting a senator for treason. I had a long day of meetings, and no fewer than ten calls from irate politicians."Dustin said, his face a mask of exhaustion.

"Well, you didn't miss out on much. He was actually a bit of a crybaby once Callie put handcuffs on him."Taniya said, whisking some cream. "Still, that sounds more exciting than ten hours of meetings." Dustin grumbled, rounding the counter to open his fridge. He reached inside, pulling out a box of biscuits.

"Well, if you want something exiting, then get this! Tomorrow at five thirty pm, Callie is fighting Captain Delander."Taniya said excitedly. Dustin raised an eyebrow and reached into the box of pastries he took from the fridge. "Maybe I will get up early tomorrow. Sounds exiting to watch Callie get beaten up for a change."Dustin said with a cheeky smile. Callie reached out and snagged the box of cookies from his hand.

"Hey!" Dustin exclaimed. "The food is almost done, don't spoil your appetite with sugar."Callie said, reaching up to place the box out of his reach on the top of the shelves. Taniya burst out laughing. Callie smiled mischievously. "Dont worry, I will get them back down for you after food is done. You won't even need to buy a stool."Callie said, pulling the steaming pan of caramel'd vegies off the heat.

"Is that a joke about my height? I'm not even that short." Dustin stated, giving Callie a mock hurt look.

"Uh huh, tell him T, he is short."Callie said, pulling the three steaks from the heat, and removing the lid. Taniya was struggling not to laugh. "Dont bring me into this. I'm shorter than Dustin."Taniya said, snickering.

"I'm almost five ten."Dustin said defensively. "Oh, that is shorter than I thought, not even a proper six feet tall."Callie said mischievously. "You know what, I'm definitely going to wake up and come watch you get beaten up by Captain Delander."Dustin stated.

"Jokes on you, I'm going to win!" Callie said, uncertainly. Dustin snorted. "No chance! Delander is a master!" Dustin said, folding his arms.

Taniya cheered," Now this is more like it! Dustin, what at are you willing to bet on the outcome?" Taniya asked enthusiastically. Dustin shrugged, his face scrunching up in uncertainty. "How bout this, you take Callie and I out to dinner?" Taniya said, giving Dustin a sly wink. "And not to a dingy pastry shop, to one of those super expensive restaurants in the capitol."Callie said, getting exited.

"Woah, hold on, I'm not making that bet. Buying for the both of you would be a week's salary." Dustin said haltingly. "I thought you were confident she was going to lose?" Taniya said slyly. Dustin smiled nervously. "Alright, I accept. If Callie wins the sparring match against Delander, I will take you both to an upscale restaurant when we escort the Etrian prime minister to Valia."Dustin said hesitantly.

Taniya gave Callie a mischevious smile. Callie sighed. So that is what Taniya was up to? What a clever young woman. Maybe Callie should purposefully lose the match later that day?

Dustin chuckled nervously and shook his head. "lets eat. I'm starving!" Dustin said. They dug into the meal, and as promised, Taniya was suitably impressed. Callie assembled the small lava cake when it finished, and they all sat in front of the Tv to enjoy the dessert.

Callie felt a small vibration on her chest, and she smiled. Her comm had successfully downloaded the stored information from Taniyas. She just had to wait for the right time to return the comm back to its rightful owner. That time came when Taniya rose to leave, and, of course, hugged Dustin. Callie folded her arms, and was standoffish at first, but folded to the younger woman's look after some prodding.

She stood Hugging T and slipped the younger woman's comm back into her jacket pocket smoothly. Callie had to admit, pick pocketing was a lot easier when the target volunteers to get so close.

Callie and Dustin cleaned the pile of dirty dishes, talking about random things. Callie was feeling sick to her stomach and couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal. Her betrayal of Taniyas' trust by stealing her comms contents was putting Callie in a dower mood.

She was angry with herself, but also happy with the success. However, guilt gnawed at her, and she couldn't bring herself to smile at Dustin as she retreated to her room. Just like that, she betrayed them both again, and this time she was doing it knowing full well the empire was in the right.

She didn't have the same confidence in herself as before. Callie shut her door and leaned against it, banging her head against the hard plastic softly. This sucked so badly. What now? She opened the new file and easily found the information she needed. Taniya was distressingly organized, and had files for each of the of the high-ranking politicians under the devalis' protection.

Taniya had separate files for Berdant, Valia and the city of Galan. And a file helpfully labeled foreign ambassadors and politicians. Callie perused the file, finding the person she was looking for. His name was Roger el Suasua, and he was the third son of the Slax emperor.

On Rogers' file was an extremely detailed plan of his routes, where they would move him day by day, and where he liked to eat. Callie grimaced, both relieved and angry. She didn't want to give Villus this kind of information. But what else could she do? If she didn't, Warren was going to die, or more likely Villus would send her some of his missing toes.

Could there be another way out of this? Maybe, but that would involve finding Villus and killing him.Callie took in a shuddering breath. She would normally ask Peyton for help, but he couldn't exactly leave the watchful eye of the enforcers.

Besides, Peyton was safe, and he appeared to be doing alright. If she tried to get his help, he might end up back on death row. And even if she found him, Villus wasn't an idiot. He would most likely have Warren hidden somewhere with some sort of trap to use Warren as leverage..

What about Dustin? Could she get his help to save Warren? Callie shook her head and bit her lower lip. Warren was a wanted criminal, and Dustin wouldn't hesitate to have him arrested. She erected a ward of green energy over the door, weaving the energy as finely as her meager skill with the positive art would allow.

Feeling frustrated, Callie disrobed, entering the shower. Maybe the rush of water across her scarred skin would help calm her racing her tumultuous thoughts? She rested her head against the shower wall, letting cold water soothe her aching muscles, her mind a whirl of concerns.

That night she went to sleep nervous and unsure, without a solution.

Callie awoke, much of her previous night's bad mood gone. She stretched, climbing from the bed, and dressed. She checked the time, and excitement filled her. It was almost five pm. With a spring in her step, Callie headed for the training hall.

The large training hall was filled with more soldiers than usual, and most of them were grouping up around the sparring rings. Callie paused, cocking her head at the group of navy soldiers, and even at least twenty enforcers?

The distinctive silver lettering IE stood out on their pitch black uniforms. It was distinctive from the gold raven of the navy. Upon approaching the group, Briane greeted Callie.

"Are you really going to fight against Captain Delander?" Briane asked, her usual calm broken by an excited smile. Callie nodded, tensing as an armoured soldier approached her from the side. The soldiers' face plate turned transparent, revealing an exited Taniya.

"Oh hey T, who do you think is going to win?" Briane asked, for once matching Taniyas' excitement. "I am betting on Delander."Taniya said instantly. "Are you betting against me?" Callie asked, feigning hurt. Taniya shrugged helplessly, giving Callie an innocent smile..

"Why do you think Delander is going to win? You have been sparring against Callie every single day for like a week. She is really good."Briane said, cradling her helmet in the crook of one arm.

"Well, you should have seen what Delander did yesterday! He turned an entire door to sawdust with a gesture. It makes me shudder to think of what might happen if that struck a person."Taniya reply, waving her hands in excitement.

Briane nodded and gave Callie a regretful look. "So where do I place my bet?" Briane asked.

"That would be with me. If you bet on Callie, you have thirty to one odds."Taniya said, all business. Briane nodded. "I'm going to bet one hundred crowns on Callie winning and take my chances. I think she can win."Briane stated. Callie smiled, bobbing her eyebrows at T.

In the crowd, a group of five enforcers waved at Taniya. "Excuse me, I need to go collect more bets, this is getting exiting!" Taniya said, skipping away.

"Wow, she must be really excited to watch you lose for a change?" Brian Said, her lips turning up slightly. Callie smiled fondly at Taniya as the young woman gesture animatedly to the group of enforcers, placing bets.

"Ya, she is a little competitive. But she actually is betting on me winning and losing, so don't let her attitude fool you."Callie said, looking around the room for her lazy boss. Dustin still hadn't arrived, and she was starting to wonder if he set an alarm.

Callie checked her comm, noting the time was five twenty-five. She approached the ring, happy that the grouped soldiers moved to allow her passed. She didn't appreciate so many enemy soldiers surrounding her, but she couldn't back out now.

She had to glare to stop the soldiers from patting her on the back in their excitement. Even so, Callie had to suffer through more than one exited enforcer or navy soldier patting her on the back either in excitement or offering their condolences.

She gripped the hard plastic sparring knife tightly, forcing herself not to stab anyone. Besides, they wouldn't even learn a lesson. This knife wasn't even sharp. Callie climbed up into the ring, slipping through the transparent green barrier.

She ignored the cheers and catcalls of an over enthusiastic soldier and focused on Captain Delander. He was dressed in a full body soft suit with a helmet just like hers. The helmet's visor was transparent, revealing his calm expression. The soft suit clung tightly to the captain's athletic body, accentuating his wide shoulders and thick arms.

The captain stood casually, his eyes following her every movement. It wasn't a lecherous gaze, but an assessing one. His eyes watched her shoulders and feet, taking in the way she moved. "I didn't realize we would have such a large crowd?" Callie said, gripping her knife loosely.

"Surprises are the spice of life."Captain Delander said,dryly. Callie smiled at that statement. She gave one last glance around the milling crowd of enforcers and soldiers. She was definitely monitoring her surroundings and not looking for Dustin.

"To make sure we are on the same page. No using attacks with intent to kill. Also, all attacks must be blunted to ensure we don't accidentally kill one another."Delander said, calmly. Callie nodded, her focus solely on the Captain..

The captain shifted, and his calm faded, turning to a serious look. "Are you ready?" Delander asked, his body shimmering with a green barrier.

Callie nodded, tapping her reservoir. She blinked, and if not for her augmented body, she would have lost in the first two seconds of the fight. Callie bent backwards, bending unnaturally to dodge a stab for her throat.

Her heart thunder in her chest as she countered the blindingly fast attack. Her knife darted in for his arm before it could retreat, but her knife bounced off his energy shield. She flooded her body with more energy and lurched back to her full height, slamming her knife against his chest.

The air rippled, and the knife halted against his barrier yet again, the energy shield cracking under the force. Her own barrier sparked and Callie retreated.She weaved and struck, catching his attacks on her knife. His arms were being rattled, each strike feeling as though the captain was trying to pound her into the ground. It took most of her skill, flexibility and speed to avoid his darting knife.

She mostly defended, testing his spread and reaction time. An opportunity to attack came when his knife glanced off her barrier awkwardly. Calle pushed into his guard and slammed a palm filled with brilliant green energy against his chest. She moulded the energy from a fine blade to a heavy hammer blow.

The captains eyes widen from under his visor and he flew up and across the ring, slamming into their roof of the barrier hard. There was a distinctive cracking as Delander's personal barrier shatter from the impact.

He slid down the barrier but was quickly back to his feet, wincing in pain. The captain cradled his left arm against his side as the soft suit restricted his movement. Callie, not wanting to give him even a moment to recover, launched a wide net of green energy towards the captain. The net opened, expanding to wrap around the staggered captain.

He raised his free hand, dropping his knife. The mans hand glowed bright green, and the air filled with a terrible ripping sound. Callie gaped as her net shredded like it was made of paper, dissipating into the shimmering sparks of energy.

Callie swallowed and rushed forwards. Damn! She needed to get back into close quarters. A crackling ball of energy expanded from the captain as she approached, and Callie flooded her barrier with energy.

She crouched low, as the ball of positive energy froze in the air, and then began swelling in size. On the other side of the ball of death, Callie watched Captain Delander shield himself in layer after layer of energy.

Anxiety filled her. Callie lept backwards and threw over half of her reservoir into an attack. A wall of green energy as wide as a shuttle launched forwards, slamming into the still growing ball of energy. She tinted her visor on her helmet as their attacks collided.

Callie was thrown bodily across the ring, tumbling and crashing against the rings protective shield. Her ears range and she blinked to clear spots from her eyes. She shook herself, glancing around the ring, looking for her opponent.

Captain Delander was pulling himself from the padded floor, looking a little worse for wear. Callie cringed and notice her left arm was locked up. Callie took in deep breaths and pushed herself one handed to her feet.

Her opponent was blinking rapidly and swaying unsteadily on his feet. She rushed towards him unsteadily, not wanting to give him a chance to recover.

She closed the twenty feet between them before Delander could rise fully and caught him in the face with a full forced kick. He ducked and her leg only caught him with a glancing blow, which sent Delander tumbling..

The captain rolled and his body shimmered, green energy expanding from his body. Callie stepped to the side, and the wave of energy meant to throw her back missed by inches. Not wanting to make the same mistake twice, she lept forwards on top of the captain.

Callie dug her knife into the base of his neck by his spine and rested her knee on his back. The man tensed, but Callie dug the point in harder. She could feel him panting under her knee, his back tense. The captain patted the mat." I surrender!" He said, gasping for breath.

The crowd cheered and booed simultaneously. Callie sweating took a step back from the captain, who sat up, wincing. He massaged his neck, his face a mask of pain and curiosity.

"I wasn't expecting that much of a fight. I most certainly didn't expect you to throw my attack back at me."Captain Delander said with a sheepish smile.

"Well, if I didn't react when I did, I would have lost for sure."Callie said, taking a step back as the captain rose to his feet.

"Great duel. We will have to do this again sometime?" Captain Delander said, holding out one armoured hand. Callie shook his hand, cringing a little inside.

"That would be great! You will have to show me how you made that sphere of energy. I need something that absurdly powerful in my arsenal."Callie said. The captain chuckled. "I would, but that is a trade secret!"

Callie looked around, scanning the crowd until her eyes rested on a mop of drity blond hair. She smiled, meeting his deep brown eyes. Dustin gave her a small nod, cracking a mischievous smile. Callie knew that look. Dustin was up to something.