Healer's Touch (Deadly Touch #1) [Complete]

Chapter 23: Fight Him

No-one had seen or heard him coming. Llew had only looked to Jonas for a moment; everyone else had had their back to him. Not anymore.

He stood in the middle of the road; Nilv was still farther down the road, sitting atop one sweaty horse while leading another, and holding a crossbow leveled at the group. The weapon looked monstrous in his weedy arms and arthritic hands, but he held it steady and Llew didn't doubt he could use it.

Jonas and Alvaro had been in the process of mounting. They both eased themselves back down and faced Braph; Cassidy and Hisham took the risk of provocation to turn their horses to the man. It was better than sitting with their backs to him. Braph's attention was locked on Jonas, his most immediate threat, and Nilv kept coming on to back up his master.

Jonas strode up to his brother, so they were nose-to-nose. Or, they would have been, had Jonas not been a few inches shorter than Braph. It was like watching two stallions parading, necks arched, muscles rippling. All they needed were flying tails and flaring nostrils.

Llew eased down from her saddle, figuring the back of a nervous animal wasn't the best place to be under the circumstances.

Jonas lashed out first. It was just a shove, but what a shove. Braph flew back. But he didn't crash to the ground. He controlled the fall, landed on his feet, and propelled himself back at Jonas, and then it was Jonas's turn to fly.

Their little group scattered as the Syakaran hurtled toward them. Cassidy and Alvaro kept the horses from bolting and Hisham moved to act as a brake for his friend. Jonas slammed into him, sending the two men rolling and skidding along the road. In the moments it took Jonas to right himself and rush Braph again, the magician flicked the latch on his bracelet, popped out a still-good pink crystal and replaced it with one of Llew's dark purple ones. Her chest constricted.

Cassidy stepped up beside her, bow in hand, quiver of arrows on his shoulder. She looked at him: he didn't think he was going to get involved, did he? He might hit Jonas. And if Jonas couldn't better Braph, what made him think he could?

"If he finishes Jonas, we're next," he said, his attention firmly fixed on the fight.

The Syakaran and the magician fought weaponless, testing themselves against one another. Jonas had been carrying his knife, but it was no longer in his hand. Llew scanned the ground. He must have thrown it aside when he first rushed at Braph. Pride. He should have kept it, and Braph had a weapon in his magic bracelet. The fact was, there was no such thing as a fair fight between the two of them since, completely weaponless, Jonas was the stronger, the faster. Llew doubted the bracelet made Braph merely equal to his brother.

Jonas drove a punch at Braph. Braph blocked and swept around in an attempt to drive Jonas off his feet. Jonas jumped and came down swinging an even bigger punch and spun to follow it up with another. Somehow Braph anticipated the moves and twisted out of the way while staying close to ready his own attack. They failed to connect so many times; it looked more like a dance than a duel.

Braph flew about Jonas, the Syakaran unable to follow the magician's moves. Braph's fist connected with Jonas's head and Jonas stumbled. He recovered quickly, but Braph could fly faster than Jonas's running and spinning on the ground. Jonas's attacks rarely landed, while Braph was nearly managing a perfect score.

Jonas only had his strength and speed. Braph had those too, but he also had myriad other ways to direct his magic, as he soon demonstrated when he flung Jonas back and had him writhing on the ground, while Braph simply held a hand in the air above him. Sweat beaded on Braph's brow. Llew's eyes were locked on Jonas. She didn't understand what was happening to him; he was in agony. His body flailed, arched, and spasmed, and he screamed.