Ascendance

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

The following morning in the pit was a lot more relaxed than our previous session. Hunter was acting like a completely different person. Yes, there was still the occasional arrogant comment and egotistical act but with each defeat he  checked me over and asked if I was okay.

"Let me go!" I shrieked girlishly as Hunter threw me over his shoulder and spun me round. "Hunter, stop!" I cried as my head began to feel dizzy.

"You guys, seriously?" Amber scolded us from the side of the dark matt as we continued to act like children. "What happened to the whole training thing?" Slowly and gently Hunter placed me back on my feet and held me in place. The walls continued to spin in my vision for a minute or so before I could compose myself.

The rest of our training for that morning was nowhere as near intense compared to our previous ones. Although Hunter did teach me how to fight, every punch and kick he sent towards me was more careful and controlled. However, mine weren't like his. I enjoyed seeing the shock on his face each time I punched his blind spot that he wasn't busy blocking.

"Hunter, she's kicking your ass." Isaac laughed as he and his brother took inventory on the blades and weapons that were based in the far corner of the pit on big steel tables and iron shelves in the walls. I doubted Isaac and Gale would be able to correctly count all of their weapons because there were just too many. 

"I'm playing nice." He grinned to Isaac when we took a break. Amber and I were deep in conversation so Hunter decided to join the twins in the weapon area. After Amber bombarding me with questions as to why me and Hunter were being so 'flirtatious' as she put, I decided to tell her about the previous night.

"Hunter?!" She exclaimed. "That Hunter?" I nodded yes, and waited for her to continue her endless questions. Whenever Amber asked me a series of questions it felt like I was at a job interview or something. "Well I never!" She giggled to herself quietly.

"Don't start." I pointed at her playfully before walking over to the boys, eager to see exactly how many weapons were there. Most of the blades and weapons looked completely normal but others were very different to anything I'd seen before. For example some even glowed, when asked why Amber told me that they were enchanted but were only used is severe situations.

"I spoke to Cesar this morning," Gale started. "He's managed to get in contact with some of our kind in the East and some nomads. They should be arriving within the next couple of days if everything goes to plan."

"That's great, we need as many men as we can get. There's only thirteen of us here and I think only eleven of us will actually be going to fight if it's Cesar's decision." Hunter spoke to us all aimlessly as he helped the boys return some of the blades to their homes on the walls.

"What do you mean thirteen? I'm coming too." I protested, looking at Hunter in shock. All along I'd been waiting for someone to say this and if I was a betting person I would've guessed it would have been Hunter too. 

"There's no way you're coming with us. You'd be killed within minutes, may be even seconds." Hunter argued, disgusted by my comment. I could see the frustration in his eyes as he watched me. Although my eyes remained on him I could see the other three shifting uncomfortably.

"What do you mean? It's my mom Hunter of course I'm going. What do you think I've been training?" I responded in disbelief.

"You guys, there's no need to argue. It's Eden's decision if she comes or not Hunter, we can't stop her." Amber sided with me, being the first of the three to voice there opinion as she tucked a strand of her auburn curls behind her ear.

"Yeah if it was anyone of our family you'd feel the same way Hunter." Isaac added.

"I agree, and besides by what've witnessed today give the girl a gun and I think she'll be just fine." Gale finished.

"And what if she gets hurt? What if we get hurt protecting her?" Hunter spoke directly to his family now, leaving me a witness to their discussion.

"Hunter," I started, "Nobody has to protect me, I'm deciding to go whatever happens is my decision. I'm just grateful you're all willing to help me." I was anxious about how he would respond. I watched as his grin widened as he ran his hand over his scalp.

"And you think I wouldn't die protecting you?" Hunter laughed in disbelief, closing the space between us.  His eyes searched my face for what I assumed was sense in his opinion. I'd never been told something like this before, especially by a boy. He'd basically just declared that he'd die for me and yet he treated me as just a friend with the exception of a few moments that were significant.

"Maybe we should go," Isaac shifted, before exiting the pit with his brother and Amber by his side, Silence filled the hollow room once their footsteps had drifted off down the passage, neither Hunter or I said a word for a while, we just watched each other, not knowing what to say to convince the other.

"I don't want you to die for me Hunter," I sighed at last, it sounded like a stupid thing to say, "I don't want you to even contemplate doing such a thing. I just need your help to get in there, if someone is going to die for another it will be me for my mother."

"I won't assist you in your suicide," Hunter mocked, turning away from me. "I can't even imagine if something happened to you."

"And so he really does have feelings." I joked, attempting to lighten the mood and failing miserably as he didn't reply. Instead more silence followed. "Hunter, I don't know what's happening between us, heck, I don't even know if there is something or if I'm just imaging it. But I'm asking you, I'm begging you to help me."

"I'm sorry Eden." Hunter mumbled before walking towards one of the punching bags. Although I didn't turn around I could hear his fists hitting the bag and the echos of his punches bouncing off the walls. I didn't want to argue any more, I knew it was unfair to ask him to, admittedly, help me risk my life in fatal circumstances. Circumstances that I'd never even imagined to be possible. I wasn't even sure myself if I was ready to go to battle. I wouldn't even know what to do if someone came at me but I'd try because I'd have a reason to keep fighting.

"Okay." I said, defeated.

In the following days it was clear to me that I needed a new sparing partner and the only person I could think of that would teach me anything about a real fight was someone I knew would not go easy on me. For some reason she'd hated me from the beginning but now she was my only hope. And that is how I found myself lurking at the threshold of Rayne's room.

"Can I come in?" I asked, knocking against the wall as a formality.

"What do you want?" Rayne replied, answering my question wit a question.

"I need you to fight me," I let rip. "I know it sounds strange but Hunter won't help me, Amber won't even think about stepping onto the mat against me and well, I don't really have anyone else to go to. So will you help me?"

"Hang on," Rayne laughed musically, getting up from her bed from which she'd been resting on. "You're asking me to beat you up?"

"No I'm asking you to fight me."

"Yeah that's what I said." Rayne smirked devilishly. "I'm in, meet me in the pit tomorrow at sundown."

"Done." I forced a smile before leaving without another word. To be honest I wasn't quite sure what I'd just signed myself up for but I guessed I'd soon find out. It seemed to me that my whole life had become a series of training, sleeping, and dealing with Hunter drama.