22 | The Cat That Caught The Canary

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Sol·i·tude/ˈsäləˌt(y)o͞od/nounthe state or situation of being alone

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Sol·i·tude
/ˈsäləˌt(y)o͞od/
noun
the state or situation of being alone.

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[ Nanda Parbat, 1960 ]

BURIED DEEP IN THE MOUNTAINSIDE laid the fortress I practically grew up in. And now we were about to (stupidly) waltz in. Sure, it was a different time, but it all still looked the same. Same location, a different scenario I reminded myself. You still have control.

   Flaming torches lit up the exterior, highlighting the contours and rough cutting in the rocks.

"Home sweet home," I sarcastically mumbled as we approached the entrance.

"Quite welcoming," Martin added, mimicking my mock enthusiasm, "Perhaps Jefferson and I should—"

"Extracting Sara will require stealth," Rip told the professor.

"Like I said before If should have been just me."

"Like hell I would have let you go in here alone," Rip protectively defended.

"I can handle myself."

"No doubt about that. But with a building full of you's... I figured you could use all the help you could get."

I watched him with leveled eyes, Rip unholstered his gun with a head tilt. My brows pitched up, my ears quickly catching the faint sound of feet shuffling.

   "Look out!" Jax shouted.

   Swiftly I shifted my footing. With a quick fist, I punched the assassin in the gut. He doubled over, attempting to regain his balance. Hooking my right arm around the back of his neck, I brought his face to my knee. My free hand withdrew his sword from his back, allowing the man to fall into a wheezing spell at my feet.

   Pressing my foot into his chest, I palmed the hilt of the sword. Twirling around, I pressed the blade into the throat of another League member.

   "Sloppy."

  The menacing glare staring back at me calmed my nerves for some odd reason.

   Feeling Rip's fingers curl around my sword-wielding wrist, he softly guided my arm down. Taking a deep breath in, I blew black smoke into my attacker's face. The assassin inhaled and instantly dropped to the ground.

   "Remember the mission at hand," he gently reminded.

   Closing my eyes, I centered myself. I was quite literally stepping into my past. Suddenly aware of how natural it all came back to me— the training, the torture, the mindless killing— It sent an uncomfortable shiver down my spine.

"You guard the exit while we find Sara," Rip told the crew.

"Follow my lead and maybe we won't get killed."

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