Chapter 13 #2
“The hostages, don’t let them go!” I pushed up and Celine broke free from her fight. She tapped each of the hostages and dragged them back to a corner.
“Don’t just stand there, Pyro, do something,” Beast said, chasing the hostages.
Pyro squared up to me. “Sorry, but this is for Ghost.” A fist flew at my head; I weaved just out of reach, then a knee slammed into my gut.
I dodged another punch, and another. I swung back and popped her in the nose.
Blood trickled out, rolling over her lips, down her chin.
She smiled, bloody-toothed, and chuckled.
“You hit hard. No wonder Ghost was pissed.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re still an amateur, though.” Her boot heel slammed into my toe, her elbow swung up and smacked into my chin. Elbows hurt worse than fists, I thought, as I stumbled back into the wall and the room began to swim and blur around me.
Another person on my team surrendered. Then another. My team was dropping like rain from a dark storm cloud. Taewyn went down, face dripping with blood. Team Assassin was leading the hostages out the door.
I shoved off the wall and swung at Pyro. She blocked with her forearm, then sidestepped and her boot smashed into my gut. I gasped, bending over against my will and leaned into the wall again. Why did gut hits hurt so much?
Beast stepped beside Pyro and gripped her shoulder. “Hit her again.”
I half turned to shield my stomach, and she hit me in the back—kidney shot.
Inside I was roaring like a cornered animal, but I still couldn’t take a deep enough breath.
I coughed and sputtered, hating myself for it.
I was better than this. I should be better than this.
I hated that they had been training to fight for years, and I had had a few short months.
I felt like a child compared to them. Even if I was ducai, even if I was faster and stronger than everyone at home, I was not here.
Not among the elite who all but toyed with me.
“Again,” Beast said.
Pyro looked up at him and shook her head. “She’s done.”
“She hasn’t surrendered yet.”
Blood filled my mouth. My back ached like fire. As much as I didn’t want to lose this game, she was right. I was done. Our team was on the floor or moaning in pain in the corners of the room.
We looked pathetic really. Against vampires, we’d all be dead. But I guess we were the vampires tonight. Even the vampires would be embarrassed of us.
I held up my hand, as a gesture of surrender.
Beast chuckled. “I didn’t hear anything, did you, Pyro?
” With one hard swing, his fist connected with my jaw.
As the stars flashed across my vision, I knew he’d held back during our first fight at my initiation.
Tonight, his punch felt like a boulder had smashed into my face.
My legs gave way, and I hit the floor. “Dirty loths don’t belong here. ”
“Morrow, she surrendered, you bastard!” Taewyn pushed himself to his hands and knees. “She surrendered!”
Noise and light faded in and out. My head throbbed and everything went black. No, I had to stay awake. The ringing in my ears was too loud. The laughter and cheers of Team Assassin drifted away...
I thought of my grandmother Thora. Of holding my hands over her neck as warm blood pumped between my fingers.
Then I twisted and was screaming; the vampire’s weight crushed me into the ground.
My hand was burning, searing, like I’d stuck it into boiling water.
A head plopped to the ground—the vampire’s—and his body flew away from me.
I crawled to grandma. She wasn’t moving. I screamed, “Wake up! Wake up!”
My father carried me into the house as I begged to bring grandma with us, but he left her there until morning.
My little voice changed... Someone else said, “Wake up! Bonecarver, look at me. Hey, wake up.” It was Taewyn.
He sounded far away. “Wake up.” My eyes fluttered.
I was trying to open them. I felt his hand on my back, giving me a gentle shake.
“That bastard. I’m going to kill him. Bonecarver!
” His voice took on a higher register, panic. I knew it well.
I peeled an eye open and another larger male in black dropped to a knee beside me. “Damn it, Bonecarver,” he muttered. His familiar voice warmed me, soothed me in a way no one else’s did. I pulled my arm off the floor and reached for him. He took my hand and squeezed it. He was here. I was safe.
“What happened?” Vander’s voice was low, hard to hear.
“Beast punched her after she surrendered,” Taewyn told him.
“That little prick.”
“He’ll get in trouble for that won’t he, sir?”
“I’ll ensure that he does.”
“More than a little ruler slap on the wrist? He needs to be put in his place, sir, so he doesn’t keep doing things like this. And you can do it, sir. He’s afraid of you.”
“Trainers don’t retaliate against apprentices.
I’d lose Bonecarver if I did.” At one time he didn’t want me, but he sounded like he was afraid to lose me.
.. I thought he’d jump at the chance. I was surprised he hadn’t sabotaged his role if it was so easy to do.
“You want him put in his place, then do it.”
“But—but.” Taewyn sounded defeated. “He’s a better fighter than me, sir. I don’t know if I can.”
“If you think that way, you’ve already lost. He isn’t better than you, you simply believe he is.”
I lifted my head and curled my knees underneath me.
Tears threatened but I wouldn’t cry. I refused to break down.
Vander put his hands under my armpits and lifted.
He all but held me up. “Hey, killer.” He carefully pulled my mask, pushed my hood back, and inspected me.
His face was half covered but concern lined his blue eyes.
I smiled, then groaned. It hurt my cheek too much.
“You don’t look so good.”
“Don’t feel too good either.”
With a shake of his head, Vander took hold of my arm, slung it over his shoulder, and held my waist. “You might be the end of me, Bonecarver.” A few simple words shouldn’t suddenly make me feel lighter, make my pulse beat quicker. “Let’s get you back and put ice on that jaw.”
Other trainers filed in through the door or windows. Celine sat against the wall, looking defeated. Falcon pulled her to her feet and patted her back. At least none of them were yelling at us for losing. I had expected it.
I leaned my head against his shoulder. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and lean into his firm body.
He always smelled good, too, like cedar soap.
The urge took me by surprise. I should pull away.
There couldn’t be anything like that between us.
I was only setting myself up for heartbreak if I let those feelings bloom.
People like him and me didn’t belong together.
Him, the noble, high-ranking assassin, and me, the humble Bonecarver.
Even if I was LOA now, I still felt the disconnect of our upbringings.
“Sorry we lost. I was looking forward to that night of magical drinks at Enchanted Elixir. I know you were, too.”
“Eh, it’s overrated. They told you about that place, huh?”
“Yeah, I could really go for the Blue Ice drink. It might numb my throbbing face.”
“I’ll take you sometime. After you can walk straight on your own.”
“No face-numbing drink now?”
He chuckled. “I have some whisky in our room. It’s been collecting dust for a while, but you could put it to use. Will that be good enough?”
“Viper, you’ve been holding out on me.”
“Maybe a little.” He sounded more playful than usual. It was strange really, but welcome. “But letting my apprentice get drunk hasn’t been priority one.”
“Or one at all, apparently.”
“Was that a regular occurrence at home?” He teased. “Should I have given you the name Lush rather than Bonecarver?”
I lightly smacked his belly. “No! I would drink a glass of wine or mead sometimes, but only got really drunk once, and I vowed never to do it again. Ale isn’t good anyway.
Whisky is even worse tasting. I don’t know why men like it.
Kace was the one who kept challenging me until I puked, and he thought it was funny, too. ”
His arm tightened around my waist. “And this was the man you wanted to marry?” The playfulness had gone from his tone.
“He didn’t mean anything by it. He did the same to my brother.”
“Did no one tell him you don’t treat the woman you like the same as your male friends?”
“I guess we were young, you know? Sixteen.”
The ladder was set up for us to easily climb down the granary to the grass below.
Viper offered his arm once we both reached the bottom, but my dizziness had faded so I waved him off.
“I’m alright now.” Even though I wanted to lean on him, it wasn’t because I needed the help.
I didn’t want him to think... “During the next game we’re the assassins?
” We walked side by side, me with a slight limp.
I must have rolled my ankle when I collapsed too.
“Yes, they will be the vampires, and you’ll be the assassins.”
Taewyn stepped forward, inserting himself into our conversation. “That’s our chance to redeem ourselves then.”
“You will, and you’d better,” Vander answered.
He glanced around at our limping, beat-up team.
Every one of us looked like we’d been run down by a bull and dragged through the dirt.
Half of our team had torn uniforms and crooked masks.
“We were going to run your asses the rest of the night, but you’ve all had punishment enough for one day.
I don’t think a team has lost this bad in years. ”
“Thank you,” came from many, as well as relieved sighs. I wanted a half bottle of that white willow tincture, a shot of whisky, and my pillow.
“Don’t thank him,” Falcon said, half laughing. “You won’t in the morning. The punishment for this embarrassment still stands. You’ll just be running your asses off tomorrow.”
Could one die from running? My chest and throat burned and ached. My legs might as well be made of my mother’s oatmeal mush. I could barely put one foot in front of the other, and the sun was hotter than it had ever been, or felt like it.
We were assassin ducai, born to run, to fight, to never quit, but hours without so much as a pause for water? We’d started at daybreak, and it had to be afternoon by now. Sweat leaked into my eyes, stinging them. My lips tasted salty.
Vander and the other trainers stood at checkpoints to keep an eye on us. Taewyn’s pace had suffered the last few laps and I’d stayed beside him. He slowed now like he meant to quit. “If you stop, they’ll punish us worse,” I breathed. “Keep going.”
“They’re cut-throat, ruthless,” Taewyn muttered, picking up speed again.
“They’re training us to be killers. You think a vampire would stop chasing you just because you were tired? After our embarrassing loss last night, I’d run us until midnight,” Celine said from a few paces ahead of us. “They were taking it easy on us the first months.”
Vander stood against the stone keep, his arms crossed. The ease had ended. I could see it in his face, in the way he watched us, watched me. There was no softness in him. I knew he’d make certain that what happened to me at the game would never happen again.
I’d lost count of the number of laps we’d run around Drakthar.
Every time we passed the other team, who were taking the day off and having a picnic on the training grounds, they’d laugh, point, and mock.
Beast wasn’t among them. Hopefully his punishment for hitting me after surrender was losing the prize for the game.
The prick didn’t deserve to have an easy day off or a night on the town.
I hoped he was sitting in the corner of his room in timeout for acting like the child he was.
As we passed Vander and Falcon, I heard her say, “Should we give them a break?”
“No.” He made sure to look at me when he said it. Last night he’d gotten a baggie of ice from somewhere so I could hold it to my face. He made me a calming tea and gave me a shot of whisky. I was singing his praises in my dreams, but now I wanted to spit curses.