6 The Semi-Forgotten Assassin

Moving within the tree-lined pathway leading to Kondaira Academy's Headmaster's quarters was a girl of 17. This girl was swiftly and silently moving from one tree to the other without touching the ground. She was using her ability to make herself easily ignored as she proceeded down the path. When she reached the end of the trees, the 5-foot-7 girl carefully slipped to the ground and dashed for the shadowed side of the building. Crouched below a window the girl could hear two voices.

"I'm so glad you decided to join us!" Headmaster Raven Clof said.

"Thanks for giving me a chance," replied a young man.

"Of course," said the Headmaster. "You needn't worry about a thing. We even have safety precautions set up should you lose control."

"How?" asked the very confused young man.

"Ah well, your father was working with us on making it possible for you to come to school here. Of course, we intended for him to teach here as well…"

"… I miss them."

"Of course you do," Headmaster Raven Clof said in a sorrow-soaked tone.

Liza, the girl under the window, wondered who the young man was as she crept further down the side of the house. Confident that the distracted Headmaster would be none the wiser, she unlocked the glass door to his study and carefully opened it.

The most likely location for her target was inside the ironwood desk. Ironwood is a very difficult material to work with. But the properties that made it difficult to work also made it incredibly sturdy and great for lasting enchantments. A common device made out of ironwood was holo-watches. Like the one flashing on the girl's wrist. She quickly dimmed the lights on her watch as she glanced around to see if she'd been caught.

Hearing nothing and seeing nothing out of place, the girl proceeded to the desk. Once there she noticed the shimmer of a shield on one of the desk drawers. Should she do this fast and loud-ish, or slow and silent? Just how long would Raven Clof be talking to that young man?

Well, it's not like the slow method has worked before, might as well go fast. The girl slipped a dagger from its sheath in her earthy-brown knee-high leather boots. Dagger in hand, she struck the drawer.

"Clang!" The shield broke but the desk was hardly scratched. That didn't matter, all she had to do now was use the lock picks stored under her shirt.

She had just finished deftly unlocking the drawer when she heard footsteps approaching. The girl scrambled to open the drawer and grab file she was after. File in hand, she ran to the door with her power active.Please work this time.

Just as her hand touched the door handle, "Liza, I believe that is the wrong file," Headmaster Raven Clof said with a smile.

The girl carefully looked at the whole name of the file. *Team arrangements XXXX 2nd years*

"Dang. I was so close this time," Liza said as she returned the file to the laughing Headmaster.

"That you were. If you had just looked on the desk instead of in it, you may have found what you were after."

The girl, skeptical, turned to look. Sure enough, the file *Team arrangements XXXX 1st years* was sitting on top of the desk. "We're never going to speak of this again Grandpa," Liza said. Even though she knew her grandfather would tell this story at the first good opportunity.

Liza walked towards her Grandfather and away from the desk that sat below a family portrait. This portrait had been completed two years ago, and a young girl, who sat between her now deceased parents.

Liza was currently wearing, brown pants that matched her boots, silver dragon scale bracers that rested on top of her fingerless dark green gloves, and a dark green short sleeve shirt embroidered in silver and brown. Her hair was a reddish brown like her father's and worn in a braided crown on her head like her mother used to. The orangish gold color of Liza's eyes matched her Grandfather's.

"My alarm went off a few minutes ago Grandpa. If we don't leave soon, we'll be late to the welcome back ceremony," Liza said as she walked to the glass door.

"I'm the Headmaster; they wouldn't dare start without me."

"I could just beat you there and say your speech for you," Liza said with a smirk.

"When did you even memorize it?" asked her disgruntled Grandfather as he followed her out of the house.

"Oh, how about during one of the dozen times you made me be your audience," Liza said.

"Ah, I suppose I may have practiced it a bit too much. But it's important that the students understand what awaits them without terrifying them, too much," Headmaster Raven Clof said as he made his way to the arena where the entrance ceremony was to be held. With his Granddaughter at his side.