How About Seven? ✔

46. Sons of War

They were skipping rocks at the river during sunset.

"You know," Hayley said, "I saw you training with Damian today. You're really harsh on him. Don't you think you should let up?"

Thomas looked at the setting sun and shook his head, once. "If I don't push him, he'll die."

Hayley raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Dramatic, much?"

"Damian needs to learn ruthlessness." Thomas' voice is quiet. "He's good at what he does, but he's not ruthless enough. There isn't an intention to kill."

"Maybe he hasn't found enough motive yet. It is just training."

"The intention to kill doesn't come suddenly in battlefield. If you can't kill while you're training, you won't be able to kill during real missions. I guarantee it." For a second, there was a haunted look in Thomas' eyes. "That's why so many fresh recruits die on their first mission. They couldn't bring themselves to kill, and in that second of hesitation, they are killed instead."

Thomas gripped a rock tightly. "Damian is the only family I have. I can't lose him."

Gently, Hayley took his hand in his. They sat there for a moment, in shared silence.

Hayley was the first to break it. "I heard him cursing your name twenty times the other day during his post-training stretching."

Thomas laughed. "Twenty! That's a lot of vehemence."

"He hates your guts, you do realize that, right?"

Thomas looked up from the grass and smiled. "If that saves him in the end, I'm alright with that."

|*|

Kaylan held two guns steadily in both hands. One pointed right at Re, and the other at Jasper. 

"Shoot her," he said calmly, "and you're both dead."

Jasper's finger jerked, a mere inch away from pressing the trigger. Re turned his head discreetly and muttered something into his shoulder. There was a crackling sound from Kaylan's waist, and then Re's voice echoed out,

"Barat's team, come in. Barat."

Kaylan turned, so we could see the walkie-talkies of all three Jasper's men hanging from his belt. He turned back - and then Kaylan Hood smiled. It was a familiar smile, and I realized it was the same kind Jasper wore. 

Cold, humorless, yet full of pleasure.

Dimly, in the less shell-shocked and grief-stricken parts of my mind, I found a little voice whispering, 

No amount of teen rebelliousness could have allowed a so-called high school "bad boy" to take down three professional Blackcroft mercenaries. Only someone with incredible skills, and several proper years of training could have done that.

I looked up, and felt the floor spin a little dizzily beneath my knees.

Who are you really, Kaylan Hood?

As if hearing my thoughts, Jasper stood up, forcing a chuckle. Still, he kept the gun trained on me, even as Re lifted his gun at Kaylan. 

"Well, well, well! It seems that Hood junior is a lot more skilled than Hood senior would have let us to believe. Taking down three of my most skilled men is not an easy task." Jasper's eyes narrowed. "Who are you, exactly?"