The Rogues Who Went Rogue
Chapter 73

When they were far away enough, Rafael said, "May I just say that was a game well-played back there, Your High-"

"It's just 'Lucy', Rafael, really. And I wasn't playing anything. Those two cousins hate each other more than anything or anyone. If they don't improve when everyone else does, I WILL be practicing with my husband despite the risks." Rafael took a peek at his best friend now manipulating the king and duke before he said, "I doubt the king and duke would let that happen, Lucy." When they reached the tree, Lucianne asked, "So, who am I fighting, Rafael?"

With a warm smile, Rafael said, "Me."

Lucianne's shoulders slumped before she said, "You can't heal like us if I hurt you, Rafael. Are you sure I shouldn't just get one of my warriors?"

"I'm quite certain, Your H- Lucy. And this may sound arrogant but I doubt you'd be able to hurt me tonight."

"Really, why?" Lucianne asked with curious eyes.

"Unlike the rest, we're not starting with wall-building. It'll be too easy for you. I'm going to slither my way in, and we'll start by seeing if you can sense it. Once you do, see if you can differentiate the authentic from the inauthentic. And if you do manage to attack me tonight," he patted on the tree trunk next to them and said, "This is my escape route. My family owned an orchard and I've climbed trees since I was a boy, so I'll be able to climb fast enough for the manipulation effects to wear off from your mind."

Lucianne's relieved eyes went to the tree, then back at Rafael before she admitted, "That actually makes me feel a lot better."

"One more thing, Lucy. If practicing with me alone proves to be...too doable, I'll have to involve Pelly so that the two of us can combine our powers to make it a more productive session for you. Being the Lycan Queen, you should have the ability to fight off the manipulation of a non vampire ruler, maybe not in the beginning but you will be able to eventually. It's a muscle within you that's probably dormant for now, but it will be active when we start practicing." Lucianne nodded once before she said, "Alright, let's do it."

With a firm nod of compliance, Rafael's smile faltered, and he began his work. Lucianne didn't realize yet that her mind had already been invaded, because she didn't see Rafael's smile falter.

What she saw was Rafael taking his position before she heard the snarl of two proditors appearing from the tree. One landed right on top of Rafael, and Lucianne heard his bones break before he groaned in pain as he was kicked to the side.

The other proditor landed perfectly on the ground next to his friend, and they both glowered at Lucianne. She took a quick look around and realized that the proditors were invading Polje. Her people and the decipios on their side were already trying to fight them off. Lucianne reflexively charged at the ones in front of her after sizing them up. When she saw the one on the right throwing his body forward, intending to make her fall, she abruptly stepped back and let him fall to the ground before the proditor on the left charged forward and tried to land a few blows in her face, which she easily dodged before her claws extended as her claws plunged through its arm, earning a deafening shriek. Lucianne then plunged her claws through his body and kicked him to the side like how its friend kicked Rafael earlier. The one whom she made fall earlier charged at her again. As Lucianne dodged his attacks, she tried to guess what their abilities were. Neither of them would be a discretus or they both would've been invisible to ease their attack. Not a velox because their attacking speed was too slow. Definitely not a fortis with how easy it was to destabilize them just by a simple kick in their chest. Plus, it was odd that when her claws went through, it felt...light, like she was attacking thin air. Decipios? But if they were decipios, why weren't they attacking her mind? And then the truth hit her, maybe they were already in her mind.

As she dodged attacks, she realized that she didn't detect any strong smell of chrysanthemum and pine leaves. In fact, those scents were faint, meaning that they were a short distance away. After her claws went through the proditor's chest and she watched him fall to the ground, she began focusing on her other senses apart from sight.

Her nose told her that there was only one vampire within her vicinity, and her ears could hear the two on the ground groaning and struggling with their wounds. Her animal prompted her human part to close off anything they're seeing and hearing, concentrating fully on their noses. When she was trying to trace the only vampire she could smell, she heard more snarls and found herself being surrounded by more than ten proditors, who were pacing towards her in slow steps. Most had blood on their faces, which made Lucianne automatically conclude that som of her people were already dead. That very thought threw her off-course from her scent-tracing effort as regret and blame started engulfing her.

Her animal thought differently. She was still focusing on scents, and when it still smelled only one vampire, it made its human part aware of that. Lucianne wiped away her tears and lowered herself to pick up the rock by her foot, letting her animal pinpoint the one they were really after.

What was worrying was that Lucianne then started smelling more than one vampire, which was beginning to confuse her animal. But the problem was that the other vampires seemed to be further away than where they now stood. And she was even beginning to smell wolves and lycans even though she was seeing none.

It was getting more confusing by the second. Still, her lycan somehow...felt that the closest vampire was their target. After agreeing with her animal that the closest one was at their seven o'clock, Lucianne swiftly turned and threw the rock with great force in that direction. The rock flew through the air and fell on the ground.

Lucianne thought she made a mistake, until she realized that the proditors that were surrounding her had vanished. But she still smelled vampires. Instead of feeling confused, she was getting frustrated. But right before she growled into the emptiness out of pure rage and annoyance, her vision started seeing what was real.

Rafael was at the very spot where she threw the rock, and he was tossing the rock with his left hand with a wide smile as he waited for the manipulation effects to wear off. Lucianne stubbornly tried to hasten getting rid of the effects by shaking her head. Then she started remembering what really happened.

She remembered that Rafael was never harmed, and there were no proditors, so she was actually avoiding and attacking the night air. Her animal covered its face in embarrassment at how it now looked.

Lucianne started smelling more vampires, lycans and werewolves because her friends and the vampires they paired up with were taking a break, and decided to come see how Lucianne was faring since their decipio partners told them that their queen's training was different. Rafael made sure they stood a considerable distance away for tonight, not wanting to add that type of confusion at this stage yet.

When she threw the rock, Rafael caught it with an awestruck expression. The rock never landed on the ground like she was manipulated into believing. And finally, she remembered how everyone around her gasped and wowed when she threw the rock directly at Rafael. When reality came back to her, her bright, relieved eyes met Rafael's still-amazed ones when he said, "That was bloody well done, Lucy."