Braden jumped on him and leveled blow after blow against his face and then concentrated his efforts on his stomach. Xavier did his best to try to defend himself, but it became almost painful to watch. Braden had this one track mind to put Xavier out of the competition. He could’ve stopped pummeling him at any time, but he continued, until he was reasonably sure that he wasn’t going to get back up.
If I thought that Braden looked bad after what Xavier had done to him, then it really didn’t compare. Xavier looked like a piece of meat that had been tenderized. His face was pretty bloody and a couple of his teeth had come loose from his mouth and was now sticking in the knuckle of Braden.
“That’s for last year.” Xavier tried to get up, but he was using his bad wrist. When he realized that wasn’t going to work, he tried his dislocated shoulder, but that was a no go. The clock was ticking and it was already up to the 3 minute mark, before he tried to use his feet to get back up. Unfortunately, he was too big and he needed his upper body to succeed at that task. “Never underestimate your opponent. That’s the one thing that you taught me and probably didn’t even mean to, Xavier.”
5 minutes went by and Xavier was carried out of there, but still alive. He most likely would feel humiliated and his ego would’ve been crushed, but the least he was still breathing.
“I think with that we will take a 20 minute recess. That should give you plenty of time to get ready for your next opponent.” He was directing his comments towards me and I felt like he was mocking me in some way. “You’re going to need everything that you can to go on to the next round.” He was purposely not mentioning Nicholas’s name. I didn’t know quite what to make of that, although his sinister stare made me think that I was biting off more than I could chew.
Braden walked over to me looking like he had just gone through the wringer, but he was smiling. “Shana, if I can do it, then you can. Trust in your instincts and in your training. I’ve seen you do some amazing things. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that you’ll be able to take Nicholas out. Nicholas is quick and he doesn’t lose focus. That doesn’t mean that he can’t be beat. There’s a reason why he stands here and not as part of the guardsmen. I was the one that took him out last year. He might think that it’s going to be easier with you, as his opponent. He doesn’t know what he’s up against.” Speaking of Nicholas, he was making his way over here.
“I just want to tell you that that was some amazing foot work. You surprised a lot of people, not to mention Lord Vadam himself. You may have not noticed it, but he was on his feet the entire time that you and Xavier were going toe to toe. This year is definitely different from other years. We not only know each other better, but we also have the threat of the attacks that have currently happened in Markham.”
“I appreciate what you’re saying, Nicholas. I just don’t think that it’s appropriate, considering that you’re going up against Shana in a few minutes. If you have something to say to her, then now is the time to do it. Once you’re out there, then all bets are off.” I could tell that Nicholas wanted to say something, but I had a funny feeling that it had nothing to do with the tournament.
“Shana, I want to thank you for showing me that new technique.” He was not talking about any kind of fight technique. He was talking about what I had done to him that Braden was always smiling about. “I plan to utilize that technique right after I become one of the guardsmen. I do like you, but do not mistake that for weakness. I will not let that call into play when I’m out there against you. Be ready, because like Braden, I’ve also been researching other techniques for the Garrock.” This was good to know and for him to tell me that only made me feel like he thought that he could beat me.
“Out there, it’s anybody’s game. It would be an honor to either beat you or be beaten by you, Nicholas. If it is all the same to you, I believe that I’m going to strive to beat you. I have a lot of supporters and to say that their dreams and aspirations are on my shoulders is a vast understatement. They need to see me fight and win. This is one thing that I will promise you, Nicholas. You will not walk away from this unscathed. You will remember fighting me for years to come. I will make sure that people are talking about this one fight. I want to become a legend.”
‘That’s easier said than done, Shana. May the best ‘man’ win.” He had emphasized the word man, just to get underneath my skin. The only thing it did was cement the fact that I had to do this for all woman kind.
I trained for the next 15 minutes with Braden using his hands for the target. Finally the time had arrived and Lord Vadam came back out onto the parapet looking out over his people. He looked too happy and I could see that smirk from a mile away. That was not a good smile.
“Under the letter of the rules it states that a competitor can return to competition if they weren’t eliminated by normal means. That being said, I believe that there is going to be another two competitors. Nicholas you’ll face Ansel. He is the alternate of the white castle.” I knew that he was waiting for the best for last. I had no idea what he was going to say, but I doubted very seriously that I was going to like it. “It’s only fair and fitting that this person comes out to introduce themselves.” I heard a door creaking and then I turned to see a figure emerge through the swirling dust that the wind had picked up.
Everybody was on their feet and the person with which I was going to have to do battle with was none other than… Gemini.”
Book 6
Chapter one
I thought that I was imagining it and that somehow I was seeing a hallucination. She was standing there and she was looking at me and I had to look back at Braden to see that his expression was exactly like mine. We were both stunned, completely taken aback by seeing Gemini walking like nothing had happened to her.
“What’s the matter, Shana? Are you are a bit surprised to see that Gemini is ready to take the fight to you? I have to admit that my medicine man did a great job of healing her wounds.” I saw that he was gloating and then looked to Gemini to see that she was not showing any ill affects of what my armor had done to her. That seemed almost impossible and I had literally beaten her to an inch of her life. There was no way that he could possibly get her back into fighting form in time for the tournament. Yet, the proof was in the way that she was now standing there with her hands to her side and waiting for me to make the first move.
I’m just a little surprised to see that she’s able to compete. She really did take a beating. I’m not you that she’s ready for something like this. I would hate to take advantage of somebody that wasn’t at 100%.” I knew that Braden was probably thinking the same thing. Gemini had seen who did this to her and I was curious of the fact that the guardsmen had not come into restrain me for prosecution.
“I can assure you that she’s fully capable. Her body is healed, but her mind is not completely unscathed. Apparently, the medicine has given her a clean bill of health, but it also left her with a case of amnesia. She remembers nothing of the last few days. In fact, she’s different, more focused and not at all interested in excuses. I think you can see that she’s not exactly the same woman that you remember, Shana.” I didn’t have the opportunity to look into her eyes, but when I did, I felt like this cold icicle being driven into my chest.
There was no emotion and she looked like she was some kind of drone doing the bidding of Lord Vadam. She stared me down, unblinking and I had this momentary thought that it would be nice to have my armor present. I wasn’t sure why I was thinking that, except that it felt good to punish her. My armor had taken the revenge in my heart and turned it on the woman that had become the bane of my existence.
“I’ve talked to her extensively and even though her answers were short and sweet, I became quite convinced that she was ready to step back into the tournament. Believe me, I was just, as shocked as all of you, but pleasantly so. She is my crown jewel, my secret weapon and now she is more of a warrior than I could ever hope for.” There was nothing there,
but this pure rage that seemed to direct itself at me.
“I don’t think that she’s completely ready. It would be better that she had more time to compose herself. Maybe this memory loss is only temporary and that certain things will jog her memory back to the surface of her consciousness.” I’d always been fascinated by the human mind. It was capable of a lot more than most people even could imagine. With positive thoughts and envisioning things to happen, you could practically roadmap your life the way that you wanted it to go. I was all about meditation, controlling my thoughts and sending out to the universe a message of self confidence. I found that only a few minutes a day had made it easier to control my thoughts.
“Are we going to do this or not?” Her voice was cold and I got this funny feeling that whatever love that she had for Lord Vadam was gone. He was now seeing her as the perfect vessel to destroy my chance of winning this for the Red castle. “I don’t have all day.” I had to take a step back, realizing that she was not going to get caught up in any petty arguments that we had previously had. She wasn’t even looking at Braden and this time my death would not be stopped because of her latent feelings for Braden. Nothing was going to stop her and the only thing that could was going to be me.
“I like her attitude. She doesn’t think of anything besides the task at hand. I think that I’ve always been looking for somebody like her, but have never found her. I think that we are all going to be very surprised by the results of this contest.” I was beginning to think that maybe all was lost, but then my mindset switched and began to see that the only thing that was stopping me from vanquishing my foe was me. If I believed that she was going to beat me, then I would be on the ground looking up at her unemotional face.
“I know that you can beat her, Shana. I know that deep down you have the tools. Just reach in to where you keep them and pull them out when you need them the most. It’s like sex, you just have to show confidence and be ready for just about anything.” Braden was only trying to help. I was nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I was going to be. Something had changed and I was looking at her and she was looking at me and I think we both knew that this battle was going to be one for the ages.
She came after me, not saying a word. Where I was expecting a primal scream of some sort was more of a determined woman on a mission. I moved slightly, seeing her in my mind’s eye going by and then slamming my elbow down onto the back of her neck. It didn’t knock her out, but did momentarily stun her. She looked at me and was rubbing her neck. I think that she was getting the idea that I wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
The way that she was dressed had given her an air of mystery, but when I stripped all that away, all I saw was the vulnerable woman underneath. I didn’t have to worry about the warrior, because the warrior was just a myth, something that was placed there to make me feel like I was inferior. I worked on the premise that she was the one that was weak, unable to withstand the onslaught of my attack and then I perfected that into something that I could use against her.
She was already feeling the effect of my first counterattack. I’d heard all my life that the best offense was a good defense. If I were to strike out on my own, I’m sure that she would have seen it come. Instead, I stayed completely still and waited for her to react. I could see that she was getting antsy to the point of wanting to do something. She was almost willing me with her eyes to come after her and even that slight smile that was meant to be condescending did not get my goat.
I had centered myself, allowed the universe to surround me and keep me in its embrace. She went into these moves that looked very precise and intricate. Some of them impressed me. They could do some real damage and I think that she was trying to instill in me some kind of fear. At first, I felt ill equipped to deal with something like this, but then I stood there and narrowed my eyes and gave her no hope for a sneak attack.
I breathed deeply and watched her hands and suddenly they began to slow down, so that I was literally watching them go by. I don’t know what other people saw, but to me this was a well choreographed ballet. I could see all her movements, predict where they were going to go and I moved to make a concentrated effort to give her nothing to strike out against. She was the one that was feeling the effect of doing those moves and I hadn’t done anything, but move slightly to the side each time that she had decided to level a blow.
“Do something.” Her anger was evident by the way that she was gritting her teeth and breathing heavy after such an exhaustive display of expertise. “Why do you just stand there and do nothing? Why do you infuriate me to the point that I just want to kill you?” I could see that she was making slight mistakes. There were chinks in her armor that had never been seen before. “My purpose is to end you and by Lord Vadam’s decree, it will be done.”
She slashed across in a wide arc and caught my face. Her fingernails dug into the skin and caused the blood to come to the surface. She had only done it to make me angry and had I been wearing my armor, I was almost assured that it would have attacked on my overwhelming and demanding thoughts. It would feed on my desire for revenge. Without it getting in the way, I could concentrate on going further in the competition.
“I’m not going to give you the satisfaction of a response, Gemini.” I think that I was secretly happy that she didn’t remember a damn thing. It was possible that those memories would resurface, but for the time being, I had nothing to worry about. The only thing I had to do was make sure that she was incapacitated for 5 minutes and the best way to do that was to let her tire herself. That was when I would strike. This tactic was working like a charm and she was having a hard time trying to balance herself after putting such an effort forward.
“You will fight me, or you will die where you stand.” She came at me with her hands lethal weapons. I felt that numbing pain in my face and I think she had only done it to distract me and make me think about it and nothing else. It worked to a point, so that she could at least get a few good strikes in that made me feel like I was losing a step.
The shot to my kidneys made me twist against the attack, not quite knowing how I was supposed to avoid something like that. I gave in to my emotions, letting them carry me on a wave that would probably be detrimental to my health and well being.
“I never said that I wouldn’t fight you, Gemini. What I said was that I wasn’t going to give you the satisfaction of fighting you on your own terms. It’s obvious that I would probably be beaten quicker, if I were to stand here and fight back. You’d use that against me; try to find that opening that you could use to make me suffer. I know that you have never gotten over Braden. You may say that you did, but I think underneath it all that you still secretly harbored a desire to be with him. You wouldn’t have been with him in the first place had you not seen something that was worthy of your love. I have him now and that must burn into your very soul like a knife.”
“You talk a good game, Shana. You have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t feel anything towards Braden. I don’t feel anything towards anybody. The only thing I know is that your death will make me smile and that’s more than enough to make me want to do it.” She came in with a knee and I moved, while bringing my hand up underneath her knee, so that I had her leg immobilized and was able to bring my elbow around to strike at the side of her head.
That resounding smack caused everybody to stand on their feet, watching, as she stumbled after feeling the effect of what I could bring to the table.
Chapter two
I had walked down this path with the express purpose of taking out my competition. Gemini was going to stand there and bring her best. She had not gone down, but she did slip to her knee and then back up on her feet. I had caused her to feel like her life was on the line. This was not going to be easy. To beat someone with no emotion meant that I had to use her hard focus against her.
I was smiling and I think that was getting her even angrier. She was slightly out of it, her eyes looking aro
und like she didn’t know where she was. “I can’t believe that you just did that. I will be victorious and the sooner that you realize that, the better off all of us will be. This is a losing battle and by the time everything is said and done, I will be the one that is taking the place of one of the guardsmen. I will be the first woman to do it and I will take away the one thing that you desire most. It will give me infinite happiness, even though I don’t feel any more. I don’t know what happened, but I get this funny feeling like you’re responsible.” Her subconscious was telling her that I was the one that attacked her. I was lucking and it appeared that those memories were still currently out of reach.
“I know what you’re trying to do, Gemini. You’re trying to throw me off my game, but it’s not going to work.” I’d seen that she was not invincible, not some warrior that was going to destroy me and leave me vanquished in the sand for everybody to look down upon from the stands. “This is just a tactic and it’s not going to work. I really don’t care what you throw at me. I could be half dead and still beat you.” This was a very bold claim to make and not one that I was sure that I could back up with actions.
“I don’t think you know what you’re saying, Shana. It’s one thing to avoid attack, but it’s another thing to beat me in a fair fight. I don’t think anybody has been able to do that and that was when I had emotions to cloud my judgment. I have a vivid clarity, something that makes me look back at those times that I was strangled by emotions and wonder just what the hell I was doing. That accident had certainly showed me the right way.” The one thing that she didn’t know was that emotions were necessary and without them, we were basically robots. Without them, we didn’t have a mind of our own or any semblance of how to deal with certain aspects of humanity.
She was missing that piece of the evolutionary scale and I was going to capitalize on. Emotions were the one thing that we could hold onto.
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