Without warning, Karter’s fist flew towards her face, and it was only because of her developed reflexes that she managed to duck just in time. He came at her again, and she pivoted around on her foot, avoiding contact once more. He then swept his leg out, trying to trip her, but she jumped into the air and, upon landing, she automatically aimed a roundhouse kick at his torso. He deflected her leg with his burly arms, but it was enough to unbalance him, and the move gave Alex the chance to regain her bearings. She didn’t have time to wonder why he was attacking her, she just steadied herself, waiting to see what he would do next.
Karter reached a hand over his shoulder and drew a sword from the scabbard strapped to his back. He threw it towards her— with absolutely no regard for occupational health and safety—and unsheathed the blade from his belt, raising it in the air.
“Aw, come on!” Alex cried, hoping Karter didn’t intend to continue the fight. “You can’t blame me for—”
She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence before he lunged at her.
After spending over two months training with the man, Alex tuned out everything else and fell into a natural rhythm as she deflected his attacks and parried with her own thrusts.
Step left. Deflect. Pivot right. Thrust. Jump back. Duck. Lunge.
Karter was relentless in his attack. Their blades met over and over again and the noise of clashing steel filled the Arena.
They continued fighting for what felt like forever. While Karter had always been hard on her during their training sessions, he’d never focused so intently on destroying her. But he was a man on a mission, and his blows were fuelled by tightly controlled aggression. It took all of Alex’s concentration to stay in the fight, and after a while she only had enough energy to respond defensively.
A loud clang sounded when Alex’s weapon was finally jerked from her hand, landing on the Arena surface with a mocking thump.
She was breathing heavily but she tried to still her body since Karter’s blade was pressed point-first to her windpipe.
“Do you yield?” he demanded.
What do you think? she felt like saying. Instead, she panted out, “I yield.”
He lowered his sword and sheathed it at his waist. Alex bent to pick hers up and she handed it to him without making eye contact. Once it was strapped to his back again, he led the way over to her wide-eyed classmates.
“For any of you who might’ve believed the ridiculous rumours spreading around,” Karter said, “that was your proof that they are exactly that: rumours.” He stared down each of her classmates and continued in a firm voice, “For the record, Jennings was ordered by the headmaster to undertake remedial Combat lessons with me over the summer holidays. You’ve just seen for yourselves that she’s been training her ass off. If I hear anyone—in this class or out of it—speculate otherwise, look out. I will not be lenient.”
Alex gaped at her Combat instructor. Had he fought her just to prove a point? If the awed looks on her classmates’ faces were anything to go by, then his tactic had certainly paid off. Alex just wished someone else could have been the guinea pig in his little showdown.
“With that out of the way,” Karter began again, his entire demeanour relaxing, “welcome to another year of Epsilon Combat.”
Alex felt an irrational urge to laugh. Thankfully, she managed to smother the impulse before Karter could catch her and demand a rematch for her disrespect.
“Labinsky, Gibbs and Baxter, you’re all back as first and second year apprentices, so I expect your best performances. James, Stirling and Jennings, since you’re not yet apprentices, I expect even more from you to prove yourselves worthy of me keeping you on over the next few years. Understood?”
The six of them nodded dutifully, and Karter continued. “Since we’ve already wasted enough time, we’ll get straight into it. Pair up and find a clear space. The rest of the lesson will be spent revising unarmed fighting techniques.”
As Karter walked away from them, Alex felt her heart begin to race—again. Despite the demonstration she’d just been through with her instructor, she was more nervous now. Better the enemy she knew than the one she didn’t.
“I call dibs on Alex,” Declan said loudly, much to her surprise.
“No way, man,” Brendan argued. “I’m the oldest.”
“And the ugliest,” Nick said with snigger.
Before the conversation could escalate, Kaiden jumped in. It was the first time Alex had heard him speak since seeing him in Tryllin and she struggled not to lose herself in the memory of seeing him—and dancing with him—that night.
“Why don’t we let Alex decide?” he suggested.
Oh, awesome. Just what she needed: to pick favourites. That was one way to guarantee getting her butt kicked by them on a regular basis. Thanks a bunch, Kaiden.
They were all waiting for her answer, so she said, “Uh, well, fair’s fair. Declan was the first to say he wants me.”
She groaned inwardly at her wording.
“I mean, he was the first to say he wants to fight me,” she quickly corrected. “As an opponent.”
She had officially gone beyond digging a hole to the point where she was actually burying herself alive.
Kill me now.
When her classmates had finished laughing—and it took a while—she followed Declan over to the far side of the Arena. Admittedly, she was glad that he was her opponent for the day, since she’d already fought him unarmed twice before. Neither time had worked out wonderfully for Alex, but in her defence, he was built like an armoured vehicle.
“And we meet again,” Declan said with a grin, no doubt remembering their previous rounds.
“This time it’ll be you who ends up unconscious,” Alex threatened, trying—and failing—to sound menacing.
In the end, no one ended up unconscious. Declan came out much less bruised and battered than Alex, but that was hardly surprising. She was pleased that she’d managed to defend against most of his attacks—and she’d even gotten in a few of her own.
“You’ve improved heaps,” Declan said as they walked back over to their classmates. “I didn’t have to hold back this time.”
“That’s what happens when you have… what did Karter call it? Remedial Combat lessons,” Alex said. “You either improve, or you end up six feet under. And I wasn’t a huge fan of the latter.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re still in the land of the living,” Declan said. “You sure put on a good show for the rest of us.”
Alex sent him a dry look. “My life is complete.”
They arrived where their classmates were waiting and stood around for zero-point-two seconds before Karter gave his standard, abrupt dismissal.
Alex followed the boys out of the Arena, overwhelmingly shocked that she’d made it through the day.
“That was awesome!” Sebastian said as they all walked back up the hill.
Alex looked up to find everyone staring at her and nodding in agreement.
“Huh?” she asked, guessing she must have missed something.
“Seriously, Queenie! I can’t believe you took on Karter!” Sebastian raved.
Alex frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Sebastian held his hands out in front of him and karate-chopped the air. “You were like, wham wham, and he was like, bam bam, and then—”
“All right, Seb,” Kaiden interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. “Calm down, buddy.”
“Sorry, Queenie,” Sebastian said. “It was just so awesome!”