When All is Lost

8.

The courtyard is busier this afternoon and I sigh rolling my shoulders and stretching a little. If they want a show, I can deliver that. I scratch at my face, the cuts have already healed, the bruise is still there but it's a pale version of its original purple. I glance around wondering how much I can show off. If Nate and the others are close by, I'll have to hold back a little. They're nowhere to be seen. This is going to be fun.

Laya sets me up with bouts, testing some of her graduating class against me. I'm light and fast, not your typical fighter and she likes presenting me as a challenge to them. Something about my thinking often flummoxes the typical guard, they expect reasonable logical patterns, but that is not how my brain works. My thinking is very creative and somewhat erratic, once I find my rhythm, I'm difficult to beat.

I find that flow and feel unstoppable. Laya keeps me grounded, calling instructions and I know from my training to keep her voice locked in. Otherwise, things get a bit strange. Once when I was about 12 I called all of the shadow sprites to the sparring suite. We were in complete darkness until my father was able to calm me down and I made them return to their various corners. I've practised keeping them out for years.

After beating the fifth graduate I stretch my back looking at her with a smile.

"Happy?" I ask, smugness radiating off me.

"Never." She responds with a smile that hints at pride, before turning to the five men and pointing out corrections.

Clapping echoes around the yard and I turn to find Tommy walking toward me, a cigarette in the corner of his mouth as he applauds me. Shit.

"I didn't know you were that good." He says and I shrug.

"I've had really good teachers." I smile, picking my jacket up.

"No, no." He removes my jacket from my hands, "I want a go."

I roll my eyes. "I'm not fighting you,"

He grins, slipping his coat off and tossing it on top of mine. "Please, I never get to fight anymore."

This is terrible. I'm not supposed to give any reason for Nate to suspect me and if Tommy goes back telling everyone how well I fight I'll be in deep trouble with the King. Laya is watching me from behind the security of her graduates but I know I have to fight. It'll seem strange if I refuse. I guess I'll let him win?

I sigh, shaking my arms and shoulders to loosen up again.

"Alright, but don't cry if I hurt you." I tease.

Tommy is a boxer, light on his feet and solid in his core. I'm going to have to work hard to make this look good and lose.

We move into the yard, circling one another as Tommy bounces on the balls of his feet. I stay low to the floor, knees bent, watching his movements.

He laughs, "It feels weird, I don't want to hurt you."

I smile and make it easy for him, swinging low and to the right, I jab him in the side. He's slow to defend but it stops him laughing, he nods to me, understanding I mean business and sinks a little more into his stance.

I move a little closer, I'm faster than him and I need to use that. I jump forward, as he lunges, knocking the back of his knee with my heel before swinging around to bring an elbow to his shoulder blade. He touches the floor before spinning and throwing his weight behind a punch to my ribs, I'm already moving and although it connects the force is removed as I swing myself around into a roll across the cold cobbles. He jerks forward regaining his balance as I take a moment in a crouch to survey. If this were a normal bout I'd keep moving too quickly for him, using the floor and my speed to knock him off balance and raise his temper until he saw red and lost control.