Chapter Nine #2
By the time Killian and Bréagha had scaled the two walls right after the logs and flipped their way through the fire rings, they were neck and neck.
Next was the rolling logs that got everyone the first time through.
He held his breath as Bréagha hit the first one and wobbled a little, her arms flying out to catch her balance.
Suddenly, a red flash came from her back, and she was flying over the logs, her fiery wings beating quickly.
“Hey! That’s cheating! Can she do that?” Bracken shouted and turned to Drago who was grinning widely.
“I guess she can,” answered Colin, laughing.
Bréagha touched down on the other side of the logs and took a second before taking off again to climb another wall, using her wings to give her extra speed.
That was followed by the trapeze rings, rope mountain, and another straightway with obstacles that had a smelly bog on both sides.
She was several lengths ahead of Killian now, and they all heard her laughing manically as she passed the finish line several seconds before him.
“She has beaten everyone’s record.” Drago announced once everyone was back up on the platform.
“She sprang fucking wings and flew through the hardest part of that course. No way should that count,” growled Killian who up to this point held the record. Bréagha laughed.
“You should’ve seen your face when that happened.
Oh my god, it was soo funny. Almost knocked me right out of the sky.
” She bent over and wrapped her arms around her belly as she laughed, remembering the bewildered look on his face that almost made him lose his balance.
“It would’ve been even better if you had actually fallen, though.
” She fake pouted at him before grinning again.
“Aggravating. Isn’t she?” Aiden interjected from his place next to Liam. He had finished last, having taken a swim in the very swamp that had caused Bréagha to develop wings to avoid.
“Dude! You need to shower! I’ll show you where,” Bracken complained, pinching his nose closed.
“Oh man, I’ve been there.” He clapped Aiden on the back and led him towards the caves which housed the hot springs the Sentinels used after training to ease their muscles and wash the inevitable dips in the bogs or swamps off.
“Well, we now know, Bréagha can indeed fly. Can you pop your wings out whenever, or was it instinct to save you from falling?” Drago walked behind her and examined her back.
She had taken her flannel shirt off before the run, but her tank top was still intact.
She looked over her shoulder and concentrated.
It took a few seconds, but she was able to push her wings out.
Drago and Colin stepped forward to examine them.
They were a translucent color that started deep red at the base against her shoulders, went through shades of pink, orange, yellow, and ended up with blue at the tip.
They’d the appearance of feathers and flames.
They popped out of her shoulder blades just like the Magic Keepers did, perfect placement for her racerback tank top.
“Extraordinary.” Drago breathed. He reached out to touch them, and they recoiled back into her back before he could.
“No touchy.” Bréagha grinned at his disappointed look. “Sorry, I don’t think they wanted to be touched.”
“Dude, why couldn’t I have been soul-bound to something cool like that? I would love wings for when Jaxx trips me into the damn bogs.” Bracken complained as he rejoined everyone.
“Don’t let Kaelis, hear you say that.” Warned Travis, knowing Bracken’s panther was a sensitive soul.
“Kaelis knows he’s badass and awesome. Just wish he could fly too,” grumbled Bracken. Bréagha patted his back in commiseration.
“Okay, let’s move to archery. I want to see this amazing marksmanship.
Once Aiden is back, we can do a sparring session.
” Colin pushed them all to keep moving. Technically the only ones that needed to be here, was him and Drago with Bréagha, but the two teams of Sentinels insisted on being there to watch and make sure everything went okay.
The news of the fire at the Soulbinding had spread quickly.
They all moved through the archery course and the shooting range.
They tested her both on the regular bow and arrows as well as the crossbow.
They activated the targets to move side to side, up and down, and even zig zag.
She hit or almost hit the bullseye every single time with both weapons.
She did equally good at the shooting range with several handguns and rifles.
She took whatever they handed her and shot without hesitation.
She missed only twice, both times when Killian grumbled under his breath.
Aiden rejoined them halfway through the archery and stood watching, like a proud father, as Bréagha broke everyone’s records.
Once the last gun was tried and the last target obliterated, they all stood in silence for a moment.
“Well, damn. Is there anything you can’t do?” grumbled Cathal and Bracken agreed.
“Do you have to show us all up?”
“How does someone who is so clumsy do so well?”
“Sorry guys. I can try to come down to your level more if you want.” Bréagha grinned.
“That would be lovely, thanks.” Bracken growled then ruffled her hair.
“Let’s see how she does hand to hand. Aiden, do you want to handle this part? You know her best.” Drago tried to turn everyone back to the task at hand.
“Actually, wouldn’t it be better to have someone else test her? Someone that won’t be gentle with her,” observed Killian, from where he was standing at the back of the group. “He may unconsciously go easy on her, but I won’t.”
Drago nodded. “Good point. Yes, Killian, why don’t you take her on.
Let’s see what you’ve got, Bréagha.” They all walked to the hand-to-hand arenas.
There had been other teams training, but they all stopped what they were doing to watch Killian and Bréagha step into the middle ring.
They didn’t have official boxing rings, just ropes around a dirt circle but it served its purpose.
Bréagha was a little winded from the obstacle course, then going through the archery and shooting ranges, but she faced Killian. She was determined to get him on his ass at least once. They faced off, then started circling when Colin did his whistle-go signal.
Killian made the first move, coming in on her left but she quickly sidestepped, spun and got a kidney shot in as he passed.
He swung around quickly and took a quick jab to her right, feinting last second to come in again on the left catching her shoulder as she tried to readjust. The hit spun her sideways, but she recovered fast, pivoting back with an uppercut beneath his chin.
The two tested each other for a few more minutes and then they got to work, really pushing each other’s limits.
Bréagha was more agile and moved quickly, but Killian was strategic and strong.
He got more hits in than she did and quickly started wearing her down.
Bréagha gritted her teeth after he caught her ribs again.
She could tell he was pulling his punches despite what he had said, otherwise her ribs would have been cracked by now.
She focused on just keeping her feet under her and finding any opening she could.
He tried the same move he had at the beginning, coming in on the right but feinting towards the left at the last second.
Bréagha was ready for him and used all her strength to spin through, coming back with a scissor kick that hit him against the ribs, throwing him off balance.
She finally got him on his ass! He flipped back to his feet faster than she could track and came back at her doing a spin kick that threw her across the ring, seconds before she slammed into the dirt her wings popped back out and flared with fire.
A force beyond her screeched and she threw out her hands, sending a wave of fire towards Killian.
Everyone that had lined up on that side of the ring scattered like cockroaches when the lights came on.
Killian faceplanted against the dirt and felt the heat as it rushed over his back.
He looked behind him at the rope currently on fire that had once been the outline of the circle.
The remnants sending smoke curling into the air.
Then he looked back at Bréagha who stood with her hands covering her mouth, tears in her eyes.
“I am so sorry Killian! I have no idea where that came from! Are you okay?!?” She took an unsteady step toward him and then stopped. She shook from panic, not sure if he would allow contact after that. He slowly stood, brushed the dust off his pants, put his hands on his hips and laughed.
“That was awesome!” Everyone around them wasn’t sure if they should be more shocked at Bréagha or Killian. Drago wasn’t even sure the last time he had seen Killian laugh like that.
“Are you insane?!? What the hell, Killian! She tried to kill-you, kill you. Not just beat you up a little,” yelled Cathal, from beside Drago.
“Well, we know she can hold her own on the battlefield, right? That’s all that matters.
Even if she’s overpowered physically, she can just incinerate them.
” Killian responded. Yeah, he about became fried chicken himself, but this made him feel better about her being in a fight against the shadows or anything else for that matter. Not much could fight against fire.