Chapter 19 Izzy
IZZY
Fuck.
I was so screwed.
I needed some way to end this fight now, before Hana recovered and Golana and Saldrea got their act together.
Right now, they were both doing their own things, trying to crush me with earth or throw boulders at me, and I was only just managing to evade or block their attacks.
But if they coordinated again, like they’d done with Rook and Olinara, I’d be toast.
Rook…
And my grandmother…
I’d gotten those two into this mess, and they might have paid with their lives. Neither was moving and the amount of blood…
Wait… if they were off the field… they could be healed.
As careful as I could be — while dodging and evading attacks — I softly scooped them up with earth and pushed them off the field.
Now they could get medical attention and hopefully live, but that meant only Vyns and I could fight and Vyns’ blinding attack wouldn’t be doing much at this point. It might dazzle Hana once she’d recovered, but by now Golana and Saldrea would know not to use their eyes, but their earth-sense.
And the distraction of me saving my teammates was all those two had needed to get me.
I didn’t know who did what, but suddenly the earth under my feet softened to quicksand and I slipped, hip-deep, into the ground.
The earth then solidified around me, trapping me.
At the same time, rocks pummeled me. I put my arms up in front of my face, blocking the attacks while I summoned an earth shield.
The stone wall jutted up in front of me, but not before my arms were a bloody mess.
I only had a second or two before the two earth users simply crushed me, like they’d done with Grandma and Rook… only instead of pushing me back, they’d simply kill me.
I needed a second to recover, heal, think!
But I didn’t get it. The earth shifted as two massive walls closed in on me.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!
I did the only thing I could think of, a last-ditch defensive move Lhorine had mentioned. I’d never tried it, but if I didn’t do it now…
I hollowed out the earth around me, shifting it aside, making a hole, which I fell into, then I covered over the hole with more earth, so I was completely underground and hidden.
The walls of earth meant to crush me had only been above ground and when they crashed together, I was below them. Golana and Saldrea would figure out what I’d done soon enough, but I hoped this little ploy would fool them for a second or two.
I quickly healed myself. When I’d healed Vyns from near death, I’d realized I could sense his injuries. And now, after learning how to focus my anima, I could target only those areas, instead of using tons of anima and hoping.
With pain no longer lancing through me, I could think straight.
I couldn’t use water, not down here, which meant, if I was going to do anything while hiding, it would have to be with earth…
…Against two of the strongest earth wielders on campus.
Fuck.
But it was all I had left, all I could do.
I summoned all the power I had, which people kept telling me was significant now that my mother’s binding had been removed. Then I pushed earth as hard as I could against Saldrea and Golana. I knew where they were through my earth-sense. I couldn’t sense far, but across the pitch was far enough.
All I’d been able to manage yesterday was a rolling wave, which wouldn’t do much more than knock them off their feet… maybe. But this time, perhaps from sheer desperation or fear of death, I created a tidal wave of earth.
And it was just in time, as — for an instant — the walls of my little hole began to close in on me. The two had found me, but once I initiated my attack, they stopped theirs, to block and cancel mine.
Their power pushed on mine, countering my wave with one of their own, two against one. My wave stopped… then inched backward.
No!
I couldn’t allow them to win, couldn’t let them block me, as soon as they banished my wave, they’d go back to crushing me and I’d die down here, having dug my own grave. I couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t stop fighting, I had to overpower them… somehow!
I dug deep, using everything I had: the power Koar had lent me, my bond with Myel, my spirit-link with Vyns, my fear for Rook and Olinara. I couldn’t fail or I’d be dead, and this world would lose all hope. Saldrea and her mother would win and rule as tyrants.
I took all the fight within me, all the rage against injustice and tyranny and screamed in my little hole as I threw all of myself into one final push with earth.
Nothing happened.
I screamed louder, pushed harder…
The resistance against me faltered.
Yes… maybe!
I roared, punching the earthen wall in front of me and poured all the anima I had into one final push.
In an instant my wave of earth overcame the others and swept over the field, pushing Saldrea and Golana behind the line.
I collapsed against the side of my hole, breathing hard, shaking with the strain of what I’d just done. Had I really done that? Had I… won?
The walls of my hole began to close in.
What?
But…
That little fucker. She’d lost and was still trying to kill me!
I shot myself up out of the earth so fast I launched myself into the air, flailing, and couldn’t stick the landing, falling unceremoniously on my rump.
The crowd was deathly silent as the bell rang marking the end of the match.
Even then, they remained silent for a beat, perhaps wondering how wise it would be to celebrate Saldrea’s loss.
But once one person did — a faint cheer and clap coming from somewhere — the entire crowd broke and roared with applause so loud it deafened me.
And that was the power of one person. If one person cheered, they all could, safe in the knowledge Saldrea wouldn’t be able to pinpoint anyone to lash out against.
I laid back on the sand, chest heaving, heart pounding, but smiling up at the sun.
I’d won.
Somehow… me and my team… we’d won!
Fucking hell! We’d WON!
It was a damned miracle.
I couldn’t help the laugh which bubbled up out of me, manic and pure.
The crowd’s cheers slowly died out to silence once again.
I knew why. I felt it through the earth: the stomping footsteps of — it could only be — Saldrea heading straight for me. It was curious that even after I’d spent so much strength, I could still use my earth-sense. I guessed Lhorine’s training had ingrained it well.
“You!” Saldrea spat, stopping to loom over me. “How…? What…?” she sputtered, clearly at a loss. “You can’t defeat me!” she screamed.
“Guess again,” I panted, smiling. I couldn’t help but goad her. She was insane and dangerous, but she wouldn’t kill me here, out in the open… would she?
“How? You’re orange rank? You’re nothing! How?” She was near to frothing at the mouth.
“I got stronger,” I said with a shrug.
“That’s not possible! You can’t… HOW?”
Enough of this. I’d recovered enough to get to my feet, and I faced her down, stare for stare.
“Doesn’t matter. I won, and unless you’re going back on your word, I’m free to stay here on campus and live my life… aren’t I?” I made sure to say this all loud enough so the whole crowd could hear me.
This was it. Would Saldrea keep her word or break it in front of all of these people?
Hatred seethed behind her perfect blue eyes as she considered her options. I was fairly certain one of the options she considered was killing me and breaking her word and showing everyone what would happen if you fought against her. God… she was crazy enough that she just might do that.
I backed off a step, suddenly afraid.
She smiled, a grim thing… but then, through her gritted teeth she smiled wider. Her shoulders unbunched a little. She turned to the crowd, not me.
“Let it be known that I am an elf of my word and this half-breed is safe here on campus until the end of her schooling. Then she shall be escorted back to the human realm as an exile!”
I hadn’t missed how she’d emphasized this half-breed is safe… as if to say, all my friends and any who followed me… they were fair game.
Fuck.
I should have seen that coming.
And Saldrea confirmed it when she turned back to me and whispered words only I could hear,
“I can’t touch you, but that doesn’t mean your friends are safe. I’ll crush everyone close to you, everyone who helps you. I’ll make your life a living hell without ever touching you… just you wait and see.”
I’d won this battle, but I’d started an all-out war and my friends would be the casualties.