The Crystal Chronicles: Cursed

Chapter 27: Sanctuary

We continued this dance of me trying stuff, Ty stopping me, and me quickly evading him before he could hurt me. Ty and I had one of the longest duels I've had in years. He's calm, cool, and collected. I'm convinced Ty is made of stone. The blows I do manage to land seem to have little effect on him. Ty is patient and controlled. He doesn't waste his energy chasing me around the mat. He only hits me when I get close. When I give him the opportunity. Ty is smart. If the crystal didn't supply me with stamina, I would've tapped out a while ago. Ty has been trained well and he's had a while to study my fighting techniques. Most days we spent two hours training his people together. Ty has studied enough to remain in control of the entire fight.

I stand at the end of the ring, panting. All my attempts have been skillfully thwarted. I wiped my sweat covered brow. I attempt to stop my arms from shaking as I lift them, but my muscles quiver. I need to end this now... Before Ty does. The entire fight I've been studying Ty. Watching his every movement like a hawk. I finally noticed his fatal weakness. During the last half of the fight Ty began favoring his right knee more and more. He protects his legs and shifts his weight onto his left side. If I make a move directly at his right knee, surely Ty will try to stop me. Ty will protect his injury at all costs and leave his left side completely open. I'll use that opportunity to strike his kidney and end this one. Once and for all.

I quickly spring into action and bolt for his right knee. Unfortunately, Ty fakes as well as I do. He slowly moves to protect himself and I quickly change direction. Swinging my leg for his left kidney, Ty suddenly moves and catches me in the air. He throws me onto the mat with a smirk. I'm stunned as the wind is knocked out of my lungs. Ty quickly drops onto the mat and places me an inescapable arm bar. His arm presses against my throat. I struggle to breathe. My surroundings blur and my vision begins to black out. I've lost. I lightly tap on the training mat beneath us. Ty quickly releases me and slides away. I gasp for air on the floor. I can't believe I lost... I turned toward Ty with a glum expression. Gasping in shock, now that the battle is over Ty's body finally shows how exhausted he is. He's dripping with sweat. Ty pants on the mat and his muscles are violently shaking.

"Well darlin'. Looks like Ah won. Are yah gonna stand by our bargain?" Ty questioned between gasps of air. Chuckling at his condition,

"A deal is a deal. You might have won, but at least I won't have a shiner like you will." I laughed at him. Ty slowly reaches up to his swollen eye. Even though I inevitably lost I still managed to punch Ty one extraordinarily good time. His eye was swollen shut immediately after impact, but in the end he didn't even stagger.

"That was one hell of a hit. Ah've gotta give you credit. Yah are one strong little person."

"I'm not a little person! I'm just small! You know dynamite comes in small packages!" I slowly lay my head against the mat. Though I'm reluctant to give Ty any answers I won't go back on my word. "Now what is it you wanted to know earlier?" I giggled when Ty groaned in pain while he sat up. I may have lost, but Ty is going to be sore for days. Ty holds his ribs and grimaces, but he directs his attention toward me.

"First, how did yah possibly fight them all off on yah'r own?"

"Fighting off a group of unorganized men isn't all that hard." I slowly explain what happened in the fight. How I attached the men with weapons first and how I got grabbed. I gave him as many details of the fight as I could without divulging where I was trained. Ty listens closely and lets me finish before he speaks, "After that you and Matt showed up. The men who could, got up and ran away. Beautiful entrance by the way, very timely. Honestly, a few more minutes and I probably would have been a goner." I admitted as I sat up.

"Where did yah train to do that?" Stiffening as these words leave Ty's lips. Put it as vaguely as you can. Don't get yourself into trouble.

"I was captured by Ravenna's soldiers and placed in one of her camps. I was trained there until I managed to escape." That is all I can bring myself to say. Honestly, these words hardly pass my lips. I feel like Ty knows far too much already. However, I made a deal, and I must keep up my end of the bargain. Ty's face settles in total concentration. Like I had just given him a complex math problem to solve rather than giving him information about my past.