Sun Kissed

21. The Knife (EDITED)

21. The Knife

Julio broke Amancio's nose.

"Why is it so hard for you to do as you're told?"

Amancio tried to make himself as small as possible on the floor of the cavern. The waterfall roared steadily at his mentor's back. Never had he expected Julio to be so upset over Sofi going to the Encante. If anything, he thought Master would be proud.

"I'm sorry." Thanks to the blood, his speech came out bubbly. "I just got caught up in the moment."

Julio didn't shout. He just looked down at Amancio like he was nothing. "Is that what happened when you attacked Antonio? You got caught up in the moment?" He knelt and pulled Amancio forward by the chin.

"Master, please!"

Julio corrected Amancio's nose without ceremony. The pain blinded him.

"Quit your howling," Julio hissed.

When the only sound in the cave had returned to the downpour of water, Julio said, "I'm afraid that's the last time I'm going to help you, Amancio."

Amancio was lying on his side again, his whole face throbbing. "What do you mean?"

Julio turned his back on him. "I have all the information I need. So this is goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Amancio forced himself onto his elbows. "I did what you asked. I got Sofi to like me!"

Julio laughed. "Your voice is giving me a headache. Shut up before I cut out your tongue."

Amancio stood up. "You can't just leave me here for another twenty years. I deserve to go home!"

Julio turned, grinning like one demented. "Is that what you thought would happen today? You'd bring a ripe human back to my palace and all the disciples would invite you to join their little fraternity?"

Amancio's arms gave out. There was still a knife in his shoulder. Buried to the hilt.

Julio glanced at it and sneered. "Our Sofia was being far too forgiving when she drove that in. She could have gone for your ribs. It would have killed you."

Amancio licked his lips. "When I get my memories back –"

Julio's laugh roared over the water. "That's rich, Amancio. Trust me, our Sofia is done with you."

Tears pricked his eyes. "She cares about me."

"Maybe so. But you're an Encantado. Sofia is drawn to you, but at the end of the day, she will choose the human over you. Just watch."

While Julio was distracted by his own lecture, Amancio moved his hand across his chest until it was wrapped around the handle of the knife. He inhaled slowly through his nose and steeled himself.

"No." Flesh and sinew came out with the blade. "You watch."

As Amancio lunged, he expected his organs to shrivel from electrocution. Julio's craftsmanship at lightning was one of the things that defined him as a legend in the Encante. Amancio, on the other hand, could barely make it rain.

But he had been watching his mentor closely these past few weeks. If his observations were correct, for some reason, Julio had grown too weak to call on that kind of power.

To Amancio's relief, there was no lightning. He and Julio crashed through the watery barrier and into the depths of the basin. Julio acted fast, switching to his true form as soon as he could. Amancio stuck to his human skin and swam towards the shallows with the knife in hand.

Julio met him there. His shift was as swift as his next strike. Amancio trained himself to remain calm. He knew if Julio couldn't rely on lightning, he would use speed.

"You know weapons are forbidden," Julio said, as if he had expected Amancio to attack all along. "And when the pirates came, you used a staff."

Amancio pushed his wet hair out of his eyes. "You never showed me self defense. So I had to teach myself."

"You were never supposed to be my student." Something passed over Julio's dark expression. Guilt? He reached out his hand and edged forward. "Give me the knife, Amancio. If you kill me, you'll never mend things with Sofia. You'll never find your memories."

"Julio," Amancio steadied his breath, "there was a time when I would have done anything for you. I wanted to please you so badly. I wanted to believe everything you said. I still want to believe you."

"What did you just call me?" The guilt was gone now. "We're not equals. I am your master."

Amancio slowly shook his head. "I'm my own master now. And I know that because," he gave a smile of his own, "you are and have always been completely full of shit."

Whatever Jade spell Julio used had finally worn off. Amancio could see the extent of his exhaustion. And what was more, Julio had wounds of his own. Split lips and fresh bruises all over his torso. He clenched a bleeding bicep where the knife must have bit into him at one point.

Despite his state, Julio grinned, "You think it's over, but trust me, it'll only get worse from here."

Amancio went in for the final blow. There was a flash of light. His blade met the surface of another. Something clean and sharp bit into his wrist and he lost control of the knife.

The fresh pain brought him to his knees. The apex of a sword at his throat prevented him from nursing the wound. He followed the length of the blade up to its wielder – an Encantado wearing a wreath of iron leaves. She didn't smell like a dolphin.

"Go," she said. There was something unmistakably feline in the way that she stood and cocked her head to the side. "And if I see you come anywhere near my Master again," she revealed canines that were both delicate and sharp, "I'll kill you."