Page 42 of Forgotten Fate

I let out an exasperated growl as he let go. Without hesitation, I went in for another blow, this time aiming straight for his face. He barely dodged this one, then went to grab my wrist. I expected it this time, and pulled my arm away just before he could reach it. I then brought my left elbow in and drilled the bony point into his forearm.I made contact, and Elias shot his arm back.

The guilt I felt for hurting him only lasted a second because he let out a laugh. “Impressive,” he revered. “You learn quickly.”

I rolled my eyes. “I haven’t learned anything,” I retorted.

“On the contrary,” he smiled. “You anticipated my next move.”

“Only because you did the same one over again.”

“Maybe so,” he shrugged. “Again.”

“Seriously?”

His golden eyes narrowed. “Again,” he ordered.

I huffed, then got back into position. I threw a calculated punch in his direction and, yet again, he dodged it. But instead of going for my wrist, he countered with his own punch towards my shoulder. I blocked him with my uninjured forearm just in time, but he didn’t stop there. His other fist flew at me, and I jumped back to avoid the blow. I kicked my leg up with force and hit the side of his thigh, slightly knocking him off balance. I swirled around to create momentum for another kick, but he had already moved out of the way.

“Excellent,” he praised. He wasn’t even slightly out of breath, unlike myself. “See? I didn’t do the same move, and yet you countered beautifully.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. “Again,”Idemanded this time. Elias let out small laugh, then got into a defensive position.

I threw punches and kicks at him in quick succession, putting the many moves my uncle taught me to the test. Some missed entirely, some he countered, and some actually hit. I wondered if he was letting me hit him every so often just to boost my confidence, or if I was actually doing a decent job. But each round went longer and longer as I got better at anticipating his next move, and was able to keep the attacks going.

We switched roles after a while, and I took the defensive while Elias attacked. I was not nearly as quick as he was, making it difficult to evade his moves. He would stop himself before actually hitting me, then put his hands on my shoulders or my arms or my hips, to shift my body into the correct position. Every touch sent a wave of heat through my senses.

After a while, Elias let me know it was time to stop practicing and move on.

“Just one more time,” I wheezed, trying to catch my breath. I was never this winded after training with my uncle. I knew Balor eased up on me during our trainings just a little so that I could learn, but didn’t realize how much so. With Elias, it was different. It was exhausting. Strenuous.Exhilarating.

He raised his brow as he stood there, not showing any sort of sign of the physical exertion from our long practice.

“You’re tired,” he pointed out.

“I’m fine.” I took a deep breath. “Just one more go, then we can leave. Please.”

Elias uncrossed his arms then let out a sigh. “Alright. One more, then we stop before you reopen your wound.”

I nodded a thank you, then got into position one last time. I began the attack, determined to get at least one good last hit in. Our battle was like a dance, each move and countermove meticulously calculated. I went hard for this last round, causing Elias to have to begin backing up in order to avoid my advances. After a minute or two, I let out one final full-force blow with my fist, straight towards his center. Elias shifted his body backwards, not seeing the jagged rock that came out of the earth behind his foot. He lost his balance as his ankle clipped the stone, and he tumbled towards the ground.

He let out a huff as he fell to the earth, only stopping himself with his arms out behind him. I let out a laugh as his ass landed on the stillsomewhat muddy ground.

“Always pay attention to your surroundings,” I laughed. An important lesson from my uncle. I stepped towards him and put my hand out to help him up. He flashed me an annoyed look which quickly turned to a smirk. He reached for my hand, but instead of using it to pull himself up, he yanked me down. I flung forward and landed directly on top of him. Before I could even think, he twisted our bodies around quickly so that my back was now against the earth, and his body towered over top of mine. He held himself there, his face only inches above my own. A hungry grin crossed his features as he stared down at me. I gulped, feeling a heat rising in me.

“Never let your enemy have the high ground,” he said in a low, sultry growl. My gaze moved from his eyes to his mouth, and I prayed he could not sense the arousal that was taking over my body.

I didn’t have to worry about it too long, because he immediately jolted up, then reached down to help me stand. I tried to numb the physical feelings I was having, but they only amplified when I took his hand and the energy from our touch sent shockwaves through my system.

I let out a gasp as he pulled me to my feet. “Are you alright?” he asked, a concerned look crossing his face.

I coughed, and looked away to hide the heat rising in my cheeks. “You cheated,” I said, trying to distract myself. “I was going to help you up.”

Elias chuckled. “Never trust your enemy,” he said.

“Clearly,” I hissed, wiping some of the mud from my leather pants. He followed as I walked back over to my pack and threw it over my shoulder.

“You did very well for your first training session,” Elias spoke. “You definitely know all of the basics, and then some. We’ll need to work on your defense more.”

I let out a short breath. “You think I’m ready for Horus?”