Witch Saintess

Chapter 7: The Fight

"BEGIN!" The announcer declares.

Leon circles Tanner, his sword shining by his side. He raises his shield to cover his chest, and I notice the pattern. A white horse on a black background. Like the horse Leon has.

Tanner lunges first, clipping the edge of Leon's shield. The crowd leers at the poor blow. Leon crouches slightly, re-adjusting his position, as he watches Tanner like a hawk, following every movement.

Tanner backs off, swallowing nervously at Leon's look.

Leon feints right, and Tanner lifts his shield to block it. Stupid move.

Leon thrusts forward, aiming for Tanner's hip. The blonde boy notices, and steps back, as Leon's blade slices a sliver from his outer thigh instead. Tanner winces as a dapple of blood showered to the floor, met with whooping from the crowd chanting 'First blood!'.

Tanner takes a step back, and Leon strikes again, burying his blade into Tanner's shield.

He pulls his blade back at an angle, pulling Tanner within striking range as he bludgeons him with the shield's boss, hitting deep into his ribs with a crack, winding the boy. Tanner staggers, and Leon seizes the opportunity, casting away Tanner's shield, and his sword.

Tanner smiles as he realizes what Leon did, and takes a steady step forward, swinging the sword, on his weak right side, causing him to stumble. Leon rushes forward, slamming his shield in the same direction, toppling Tanner, who barely clings onto his blade.

Leon kicks his side, a side of brutality I admire, stepping on Tanner's sword hand. He grips the boy tight by the throat, and I realize what's happening, as with a snap, Tanner's head tilts on a brutal angle, and he falls limp.

Leon walks over to where his sword is stuck on Tanner's shield, and he retrieves his blade, stalking off to sharpen it, picking up his shield with his other hand.

The crowd cheers, greedily eating up the violence. I watch them clean it up, and glance over at Silvera, who looks uncomfortable. I shoot her a look, we're saintesses, we need to look neutral about this.

She nods, and smooths her face out, just in time for the second, and now last fight.

"Alonzo and Moreno. BEGIN."

Leon appears, against Moreno, the scarred, black haired boy. Moreno looks Leon dead in the eyes, and drops to a fighting stance, revealing an axe, with an elegant blade that curved up underneath the sharp part, a hollow where limbs of blades could be trapped.

Leon eyed it, emotionless, and started to circle him, but Moreno circled first, forcing Leon to move opposite him, his sword hand trapped on the outside.

Leon feinted in, but Moreno blocked him. Leon took a step to the side, turning and facing an already prepared Moreno. Moreno twirled the axe as he dances back, a taunting smile on his lips.

"Risky move." I murmured out loud.

Leon adjusted his shield, and took a step back himself. The crowd leers, like blood rushing through veins. One of the things about fighting that gets me is that a humans heart beats faster increasing blood flow, making then bleed out faster.

They just circle each other like fighting cats for a minute, as the crowd voices their complaints. Leon takes a second to look up, and Moreno lunges for him, the axe arching for his head. Leon ducks, raising his shield, but Moreno arcs his blade to the side, raising his shield again.

Moreno stamps his foot, feinting forward, and stepped back. Leon flinches, and adjusts the grip on his sword. Moreno isn't moving, so Leon attacks in a side slash, guarding his open side with his shield.

Leon managed to barely clip Moreno's calf with the flat of his sword. That would sting, but it wouldn't draw any blood. Moreno retaliated, a heavy blow that shuddered through Leon's shield with a thud, one that I felt through the floor.

Leon stepped back, as he caught another axe blow. He staggered, and struck with his sword, hitting Moreno square in the knee. Moreno fell partially, and raised his shield. Leon took a tentative step forward, but Moreno hooked at his ankle with a viscous swipe.

Leon backed off, and circled him, almost nervously. 

They were very well matched. Leon's usual aggression tactic was not going to work here. Moreno was doing very nicely though. Moreno glanced up at me for a second, and I caught a glimpse of his eyes.

They made me shiver, and not in good way. Why was he so confident that he thought he had time to look at me? I tensed up unwillingly, it felt like I was looking into the eyes of an eqaul match.

He could definitely sense something.

I just prayed whatever faint traces he could detect he mistook for divinity. That would make him loyal, and an excellent tool, but right now, he was just dangerous. And it made me paranoid that I was so close.

Leon crept around Moreno's side, his sword low and level, sneaking around Moreno's flank. Moreno slid his gaze away from me, pretending to be unaware. He knew.

"Alonzo!" I shouted, unable to stop myself. I couldn't have Moreno as my head witch-hunter. He would reveal my secret, I was sure of it.

Leon's eyes widened, as he heard me, and dodged. Moreno's axe missed his guts by a fraction, taking a nasty deep slice from his side. My stomach plunged. That would have been a fatal blow.

And I knew, although that cut was shallow, it would hurt, and bleed making it much, much harder for Leon. 

Moreno's lip snagged down, and he stood again, bracing on his strong side. He took a chop at Leon, who surprisingly, went to parry it, but seemed to miss as he struck at the handle. Moreno hooked back, trapping Leon's blade in the back curve of his axe.

Moreno pulls Leon in close, angling Leon's blade away, and trapping the edge of his shield between the wrestling blades. My witch ears pick up on the words Moreno whispers.

"Surrender. I'll let you live." The words are urgent and almost pained.

Leon's eyes widen, and my heart tremors. No. No! Leon has to win. He has to. I can't be anywhere near Moreno.

I know in my heart that Leon is supposed to lose, like I'm not supposed to become the saintess, but Moreno would be too good at his job. He'd get rid of the witches, like I wanted, but he'd also get rid of me. And that can't happen.

I muster all the courage I can, and grip at the paper star deep in a secret inside pocket of my robe. The eel spirit thrashed excitedly, and I felt it's hunger pangs aching deep within. I wind a part around my fingers, and blindly focus on Moreno.

The eel writhes in joy, and ripples into the invisible world, not that anyone else has the ability to even sense it. It circles Moreno, and I see him shiver. The eel sinks his teeth into his shoulder, and I feel a flood sinking through my hands.

Strength bubbles through my fingers for just a moment, before I realize what the eel is doing, and I tense around the paper, but the thing is already back by my side, purring in satisfaction, before disappointing, a pinch of hunger at the edge of my mind.

Moreno's eyes are wide, and I smell pain spiking through the air. He staggers, and Leon sees an opportunity.

Leon takes a step back, and thrusts his shield forward. I wince, knowing what that could have done to his wrist, but it winds Moreno, and he staggers back, leaving his side exposed, Leon smirks, and raises his blade.

I catch Silvera in my peripheral, she's pale, and clutching at the arms of her chair. She looks at me, part relief on her face as she gestured at the sight unfolding before her. She wanted me to stop it. She'd never forgive me if I let Moreno die.

Curse her gentle heart.