Chapter Seven

 

The group of second years stood around the sparring room waiting for Instructor Kaz. Across the circle from Kuma, Deacon whispered in Yara's ear, their flirting grins bringing unexpected rage to his chest.

"I can't believe it," said Camina with her arms crossed.

"Me neither. I thought for sure she'd tried to sabotage the Black Crows, not sleep with them. She's probably doing that to annoy me."

Camina screwed up her face. "Not everything's about you, Little Bear. I'm talking about the stones."

Kuma ran a hand across his head. "We need allies that can fight."

"I should have had a chance at that topaz. Or Tick."

The smallest member of their trio looked up. He'd been examining a beetle crawling across his palm.

"I don't mind. If there's any stone that's a scrapping stone, it's topaz."

"Sometimes I wonder why you even joined the Academy," said Camina.

Across the circle, Deacon leaned back as Yara ran her hand along his tattooed neck. The topaz was prominently displayed in his ear unlike most waku, who hid them to disguise their abilities. Three of the Black Crows had stones: Deacon had both an amber and a topaz, while Syn had an amber and emerald and Laird wore an amber alone.

"It's wasted on them," said Camina. "They fight like children."

"We haven't seen them fight yet."

"I can tell," she said. "Sloppy punches and kicks. They have noodles for arms and legs. It's embarrassing."

Kuma didn't disagree, but he was trying to stay positive for the clan's sake. He wanted his father's plan to work, and for it to be successful, the Black Crows had to be integrated. He supposed he should be happy that Yara had taken a liking to Deacon, as she'd been his biggest concern, but it somehow felt off.

Deacon leaned into Yara's ear, and despite Kuma's attempt to overhear with his amber, he learned nothing. A moment later, the pair broke apart, laughing hysterically and glancing over at Kuma and his friends.

The crisp steps of Instructor Kaz had everyone gathering to attention, placing their feet wide and hands behind their backs. The three Black Crows matched the position but without the enthusiasm of the Razors. Kaz reviewed everyone from the center of the circle, a frown hoisted on his oversized lips, while Instructor Helena entered the room, but stayed at the back. The presence of the opal suggested that the day's lessons were going to be more intense than normal.

"Today we fight, and not the formal tournament style matches that exist in the light. I want to see you scrap as if your life depends on it. Because it will someday. Everyone grab a weapon from the rack. We'll pair up randomly. Matches go until I call it, your opponent yields, or is unconscious."

Under her breath, Camina muttered, "I hope I get matched with Deacon."

"He out-stones you."

"He doesn't know how to use it." She scowled. "And I'm sick of his cocky attitude. He acts like he owns the place, and he only just got here."

Kuma didn't disagree. The three remaining Black Crows were given leniency about the expectations and rules. Their disrespectful attitudes would have earned the rest of them a hundred arc runs.

As one of the last to the rack, he decided on a long spear as his weapon and returned to his place next to Camina, who had chosen curved blades.

Instructor Helena pulled two tiles out of a bag. "Tick versus Juliana."

Tick crouched to the ground and let the beetle crawl onto the hardwood floor before he stepped into the circle with his batons. Juliana had a short sword and buckler. The training weapons were dull, but could still do major damage with the right strike.

After the formal beginning to the match, the two combatants leapt into battle. Juliana was taller and stronger, but Tick, despite his twitchy demeanor, was a cagey fighter and managed to use his amber to great effect, anticipating her blows and dodging out of the way. The end of the fight came when he overextended with his batons. Juliana brought the buckler under his chin and stunned him, then used the flat of the blade against his temple to knock him down.

"Hold!"

The announcement was unnecessary as Tick lay groaning on the ground, while Juliana stood over him. Instructor Helena applied her healing energies into him and helped him limp from the circle.

As new tiles were pulled from the bag, Deacon said, "I don't get it. What's the point? This still ain't a real fight."

Instructor Kaz stared at the Black Crow member with heavy-lidded eyes. "Do you have a suggestion?"

"No, but my point is no one fights with just these antiquated weapons," he said, holding up the ball and chain he'd picked. "Where are the guns? Explosives. Fucking mage tricks. My one rule of fighting is never do it fair."

Instructor Kaz said nothing. He turned to Helena, who called out with a smirk and a shoulder shrug, "Camina versus Deacon."

After the pronouncement from Deacon, the rest of the Razors, minus Yara and her friends, called out encouragement to Camina as she stepped into the circle with her twin blades. The ball and chain hung by Deacon's side as he smirked at Camina.

After bowing and speaking the formal words, Instructor Kaz said, "Begin!"

"You got this," said Kuma to encourage Camina.

She stayed on the balls of her feet, swaying back and forth with the blades held before her. The ball and chain was a frightening weapon that could shatter an enchanted riot shield with enough topaz force. Most students didn't pick it, because they didn't want to hurt their fellow clanmates, but that concern hadn't occurred to Deacon.

He twirled the ball in a lazy spin at his side, observing Camina with the intensity of a hyena. Behind him, Yara clapped her hands.

"Come on, babe. Show her what you got."

The setup couldn't have been worse for Camina. Her blades were suitable against most other weapons, but the ball and chain could break through the most strident defense, sometimes shattering thin blades. Her best bet was to entangle the chain and disarm him before trying to take him out.

Deacon head-faked, making Camina jump to the side in anticipation of a strike. It was one thing to get hit with a staff, or even have your arm sliced open wide, but the heavy ball would break bones. He chuckled at her skittishness, bringing a scowl to her lips. He did it a second time, but she lunged in, slicing his forearm with the blade. It wasn't as deep a cut as a real weapon would have inflicted, but beads of crimson formed along the cut, and he licked them off before refocusing on her.

Camina smirked, staying low and ready like a snake about to strike. Deacon spun the ball faster than necessary and Kuma sensed what he was about to do a moment before it happened. He loosed the weapon, letting it fly from his hand, catching her across the jaw. Before she could recover, Deacon caught her wrists and brought his forehead against her nose, shattering it.

His topaz had been active, but Kuma sensed the moment he reared his hand back that it vibrated to full power. He struck Camina in the chest, sending her flying backward to land unconscious on the wood floor with a bloody face.

As Instructor Helena rushed to Camina's side, Kuma stepped into the circle and slammed Deacon in the chest.

"What the fuck are you doing? You could have killed her."

"I thought we were learning to scrap," said Deacon, holding his hands wide in mock apology.

"Kuma! Get out of the circle," said Instructor Kaz as he joined Helena at Camina's side.

The furious rebuke left Kuma frustrated as he stepped back. Yara smirked at him from across the way. She kept eye contact as she kissed Deacon full on the lips upon his victorious return.

After a brief consultation with Kaz, Instructor Helena scooped up Camina in her arms. She moaned, unconscious.

"I'm taking her to Brazio. Her injuries are beyond me."

An emptiness filled Kuma as he watched Helena carry his friend from the room. The idea that he was supposed to support the Black Crows for his father's sake seemed like mist on hot stone. He barely heard when Tick tried to console him that she'd be alright.

Instructor Kaz stepped into the circle. "You'll feel much worse when your friends are dead on the battlefield because they weren't ready to scrap. As brutal as it was to witness, need I remind you that Camina is alive and will recover quickly. We have our opals to thank. Before the stones, injuries like that might have taken weeks or months.

"And if you think that Deacon fought too roughly, strike that thought from your mind. He fought to win, something you should all consider when your life is on the line. Use everything you have, leave nothing back. As Deacon said, never fight fair." He paused. "Since we don't have our opal on hand, we'll table the rest of the fights for a later date. Return your weapons to the rack. We'll work on our holds and throws. Everyone grab a partner."

Kuma returned to the rack, jostling until he was next to Deacon.

"You did that on purpose."

Deacon regarded him coolly. "I fight to win."

"We don't hurt our own."

"I did her a favor. I bet she trains harder after that and won't be surprised if someone tries that."

"Bullshit," said Kuma. "You tried to kill her."

Deacon set the head of the ball into the catch and turned back to Kuma. He placed a single finger against his chest.

"If you're not willing to kill, then maybe you're not a warrior I want at my side."

Deacon brushed past as Yara laughed, a cold, cutting sound that had Kuma fuming inside. Clearly Yara had told Deacon about the duel with Pandora. After returning his long spear, Kuma joined Tick on the far side of the room.

"She'll be fine. Your uncle is the best opal in the clan. Probably the Undercity."

Kuma blushed as he wasn't thinking about his friend, but the Crow and how much he wanted to hurt him. Even though he believed in his father's mission—that the way the clan was going to survive was to have allies—he wanted revenge for what Deacon had done to Camina. The idea that he would have to swallow his pride and work with Deacon was worse than any of Instructor Kaz's training.