Zion, Aliyah, and I spent the next month practicing Dambe; flying our gryphons; eating too much food; collecting cuts, gashes, and bruises; and being healed by the aziza. I grew more frustrated by the day. One month of training and I was still not succeeding.
One of those days, Aliyah had made Bakari completely surrender. He had sent a punch toward her, fast and true. She grabbed it so quickly that it seemed like she was in one spot, and in another second, she was in another. The only evidence that she had moved was a small shift in the air as the heat rose from the ground. He grunted as his fist struck her hand, but she disappeared again. Crack!
Bakari yelped as she appeared behind him, pulling his arm so far back that his bones snapped. “That’s enough!” he screamed. She wrapped her hand around his neck and pulled him down. “I said that’s enough!”
Bakari ended up limping back inside the Palacia to be healed, a grimace lining his face.
“Now that’s how you take a man down!” Zion had screamed, doing an impromptu dance as Bakari shoved past him. I tried that same move with Makai, but I was rewarded with a mouthful of sand. Again.
Another morning, Halifa was determined to show no mercy to Zion, a response to him mocking Bakari. She got a surprise that day, though. She swiped a sharp sword at his chest, but he was much too quick for her. He disappeared in a hush of air, reappearing just a few feet away, catching her off guard. He waved at her, a smirk brightening his face. She swirled around him like a cyclone, trying to confuse him, but he matched her every stride. With a yell, he kicked at her sword, making it fall to the sand. In another swipe, the sword was now in his hand. With a determined cry, he flipped the sword and jammed its butt into her stomach, right through her armor.
She gasped, bowling over. He caught her in his arms and pushed her upward. “Ow,” she said, clutching her abdominal muscles. “That really hurt, Zion.”
“I know,” he said. “I meant to make it hurt. Just like you meant to make lunch meat out of me with your sword.” She grunted in assent and limped inside the Palacia.
I know I can do that, too. Though, when I tried that move with Makai, I was the one who ended up bowled, another day with a mouthful of sand. I stalked off once again after he helped me to my feet. I refused to train with Makai after that.
“That’s never going to happen again,” I complained to Agbala as she healed me afterward. “Keep him away from me!”
Agbala sighed. “You must continue, Cameron. He only means to help you. He’s not treating you any differently than anyone else. You will get this. I promise.”
“I meant what I said. Keep him away from me.”
A week later, Zion and I were practicing Dambe for fun, me wearing my red Chucks to see if that would make a difference in my luck. It was a way for me to relieve some tension after refusing to keep training with Makai. Makai had no qualms with continuing to point out my weaknesses, but he kept his distance like I asked.
Practicing with Zion, though, kept my mind off the fact that we didn’t have long before we set off to find the crown, that we didn’t have long before Ramala would succumb to her illness. And then Amina would win. I couldn’t have that, but I couldn’t shake the fact that I wasn’t doing well. All the faith everyone had in me, I didn’t see it in myself.
I rolled to the sand as Zion’s foot connected with my stomach. I grunted and fell over. He moved so fast that he was swirling shadows and sand. I narrowed my eyes and jumped quickly to the side. Time slowed, and I saw him scatter to my left. I brought my arm up, slamming it in his chest. He grunted as he almost fell to the ground, but not before I bent low and tripped him up just because I could.
I laughed at him sprawled out like that. His hair, armor, and clothes were full of sand. He coughed out some. I reached and helped him to his feet. He took my hand, squeezed it hard, and a slight grin appeared on his face. That was my mistake. I didn’t have enough time to call for Dambe before he twisted my arm and threw me over his head. I flipped in midair and dropped to my feet, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of falling to the ground again. This time, I was ready for him. The sand shifted again, and I could see him running across the pit and then doubling back toward me, trying to confuse me.
It worked. He moved so quickly that I didn’t know where he was coming from. Sand whipped around me in a blur. I gritted my teeth with frustration. Why can’t I beat Zion?
I tried to push away those negative thoughts and refocus. The air vibrated near me again, making me take the sword off my waist and use its pummel to slash to the side. When the flesh gave way, I knew I had made the perfect contact. Zion wheezed as I attached the sword back to my waist. I turned and disappeared, this time making sure he didn’t see me. Air and sand whooshed as I moved.
I ran up a nearby sand hill, hoping to confuse him, but he was much too fast. We crashed against each other at the top of the hill. Time slowed as we both went into Dambe. I saw his face, dripping with sweat and fierce with determination. He threw his sword to the ground, and we continued in hand-to-hand combat. He threw a punch my way, and I parried it. I pushed against his chest with a flat hand, like Makai had taught me. A punch is effective but requires more force. Save your strength for when you most need it.
“Oof,” Zion said. He grabbed my hand, twisted it, and I cried out in pain. He twisted it harder and sent a kick to my stomach again. I flew off the hill and landed on my back. I closed my eyes, momentarily blinded by flying sand.
“Ahh!” Zion said. I opened my eyes to see him jumping, soaring in my direction. His body connected with mine, knocking the breath out of me. I expected him to continue the beating, but he didn’t. He tickled my stomach instead.
“Stop, Zion!” I giggled. “We’re supposed to be fighting, not playing around.”
“We are fighting,” he said, pinning me down to the sand so I couldn’t move. “Surrender and I’ll stop tickling you.”
“Never!”
“Wrong answer,” he said. He proceeded to tickle my stomach and my armpits.
“Surrender and admit that I won!”
“Okay, okay,” I said, laughing so hard that I was beginning to cough. “I surrender!”
“Finally,” he said. He stood and reached out his hand to me again. “Now, let’s go inside and get something to eat. I’m hungry after all this fighting.”
“You’re always hungry,” I said, taking his hand. We continued to laugh and talk as we walked toward the dungeon doors. The conversation kept me from thinking about the fact that I had lost again. I had lost to Aliyah yesterday, and I thought Zion would be an easier opponent, but that wasn’t true. If I couldn’t fight, all of this would be for nothing. Even Zion’s constant joking didn’t stop him from being better than me.
“I see this is funny to you.” We were so engrossed in our conversation that we didn’t notice the lumbering shadow in front of us, barring our way to the Palacia. We stopped when we finally saw Makai. He shook his head in disgust before speaking again.
“I’m disappointed,” he spat. He turned accusatory eyes on Zion. “You’re supposed to be teaching Cameron, not making him laugh. This is serious!”
“Man, whatever,” I said. “I’m not a fighter, okay? I can’t be good at everything.” I was beginning to stalk away when something stopped me. “Wait!” I said. “Zion was supposed to be teaching me? Zion?”
Zion grimaced when I turned to him.
“That’s not a response. I don’t speak Neanderthal.”
“I told him to help you,” Makai barked. “You’re not taking any of this seriously. We are teaching you Dambe because you’ll need it for the trouble ahead.”
I rolled my eyes and sidestepped Makai to make my way back inside. “Seems ridiculous to prepare for a trouble that my own family didn’t prepare me for.” Of course, I knew I needed to learn everything I could to face Amina, but it was easier to act like a child than admit I still had so far to go.
Anger burned inside me. Everyone else had parents, or people who loved them and were waiting for them to succeed. Me? My parents had died before I even got the chance to really know them, and Grandma had taken it upon herself to keep my lineage away from me. It was unfair.
I turned and marched back to my chambers. I didn’t need any of this.
“I’m obviously not good at this. Let Zion and Aliyah be the heroes you need me to be.”