Sister Valeris leaned against a scorched trunk, still as stone. She listened to the banter between the two young ladies as they moved across the atrium.

"Come on, girly girl, where's your rage now?" Sister Agnes was fluid grace, tumbling and twisting through the air in a manner that lived up to her Draconian birthright. Her sinuous body spun, dodging a golden streak of lightning that licked at her from the ground.

She landed catlike on her feet, raising a brow at Sister Ramona, panting and sweaty across the churned up clearing. "Was that supposed to tickle?"

Ramona gave a shout, swinging a large board sword with renewed energy to sending another crackling bolt of divine energy at the Dragon Blooded. Valeris frowned at the sight of the broad sword. Surely there was a more suitable weapon for the girl. The effort it took to lift the damn blade caused her stance to be teeter off balance each time she swung. Valeris could see the strain in her face. Her arm muscles were likely trembling just holding it upright.

Sparks sizzled along the blade, steaming as the metal began to run. The instructor squinted as the sword lost structure, unable to contain the divine energies pulsing through it. Ramona staggered upright as the metal melted away, leaving her holding a misshapen lump of a hilt. She muttered a few curses, throwing it over her shoulder. It landed with a clank, in a veritable grave yard of weapons that yielded beneath the Divine Blade's power.

Valeris pursed her lips as Ramona picked up a fresh weapon from another pile, a trident no less.

Ramona's grin was feral as she raised the three pronged weapon high, an ancient pagan deity made flesh. She slammed the tri-tipped head into the ground with a shriek. Agnes flipped up into the air, unfurling mid spin to breath a plume of spark laden smoke. The lightning appeared to vanish. Agnes touched back down on the tips of her toes, looking smug.

"You can't aim for--" Light erupted from the ground, slamming into her chest. The girl went flying, managing to catch herself on a nearby tree.

It was Ramona's turn to grin. "You were saying?"

Agnes hooked her knees on a tree branch, swinging down like some wild bat as she clapped her hands excitedly, her long hair brushing the ground.

"That was amazing! Did you hold a sustained arc the whole time? How are your energy levels? Are you feeling depleted at all?:

Ramona opened her mouth to answer when she collapsed to her knees, a sheen of perspiration on her pale face. Valeris tensed, watching as the Divine Blade swayed, glassy eyed, the trident crumbling to dust in her hands. Agnes was at her side in a flash, bracing her.

"What happened?"

Ramona answered her with a weak grin. "I wanted to get one good hit in. I think I pushed too much."

The ground around her cracked and smoked. Agnes glanced around wide eyed at the blackened circle. "What good is getting a strike in if you can't sustain your strength."

Ramona pulled herself out of Agnes's hold, flopping onto her back with an arm over her eyes. "If I don't throw a wide net, I can't hit anything. None of the weapons in the armory last long enough to focus."

The two glanced at their dwindling pile of weapons. Agnes grimaced. "Is that the last of them?"

Ramona nodded. Her stomach took the opportunity to rumble loudly. "We should eat something. I need to refuel."

Valeris waited until the two girls were well on their way to the kitchen before she moved. The Sisters had many talents among them. As an instructor, many thought Valeris's a weapons expert but her true value to the Mother Superior was a talent for spying. The girls wouldn't have noticed their observer unless she wanted to be seen, quite a feat considering the Dragon Blooded's superior senses.

She exited the locked wing through alternate means, leaving the door untouched as she made for the Mother Superior's office. Valeris made a single quiet rap with her knuckles on the outside wall before she entered.

Mother Superior Ilona struck a match, lighting the long stem pipe clenched between her teeth.

"Report," said the head nun, extinguishing the flame with a wave of her hand.

Valeris gave a respectful nod. "They've made much progress the past few months. Their bond is a strong one and they have an excellent eye for each other's combat strategy."

The mother superior breathed out a stream of smoke, studying Valeris. "Something is holding them back."

The nun wasn't surprised by her summation. Mother Superior Ilona's specialty was her insight.

"We do not possess a weapon that can channel the Divine Blade's energy. Sister Ramona will be unable to improve her abilities without a proper instrument to work with."

"I worried that may be the case, now that the relic has awakened." The mother superior looked out the window of her office, her forefinger tapping the bowl of her pipe as she considered their options. "I may have a solution for her."

She slid a sheath of papers to Valeris, waiting as her spymaster studied the documents.

"Interesting," said Valeris.

"I want you to bring those two with you," said the Mother Superior.

Valeris raised a contentious eyebrow. "Sister Ramona is not ready for the field."

Smoke spun lazy circles through the air. "She killed a member of the Cult before she set foot in our convent. I want to see how she handles herself in this situation. What sense of justice does our instrument of God possess."

Valeris stare sharpened. "What plans do you have for the Divine Blade, Ilona?"

The mother superior's smile had an edge to it that made the hairs stand on Valeris's arms. Through the smoke and glow of the pipe, the head nun looked more devilish than holy. "Why, I will wield her against the Cult, a weapon of justice. She will cut down their dark designs with divine wrath."

The spymaster snorted. "You mean to make her a squad leader," said Valeris, tucking the documents under her arm.

Ilona took a deep drag of her pipe. "You best be going. You have hanging to stop."