Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #22 January 2016 | Page 45

***
Lucas was training alone in the gym. He
teleported from one side of the gym to the other as fast
and accurate as he could. He was breathing heavily
and drinking about a gallon of water a minute when
Jake entered.

“You want to, but can you? Can you really
look into another person’s eyes, no matter how big
of a saint they are, and end their life?” Jake’s voice
was the same, but his expression, one of concentrated
intensity, showed how serious he was. Lucas had
never thought about it like that.

“How’s it going?”
“Great.” Lucas felt guilty for smiling, but then
Margo’s memory gave him a mental smack on the
head. “I only needed to get used to it.”
Jake flashed a faint smile. “OK, now I need to
imprint something in your head. You’re gonna face a
killer. Someone that won’t hesitate to rip you apart.
Someone who is not paid to do it, but wants to. You
need to want to, too.”
“He killed my sister,” Lucas retorted. “Of
course I want to kill him.”

“I’m… I’m not sure.”
“I know you can’t. Not like this.” Jake walked
over to the nearest wall and took a sword. “I can
prepare you. But it’ll take time.” Jake stopped Lucas
from objecting. “Margo would much rather spend a
few months in a gladiato