A Drop Of Haunted Blood [REMOVING FOR PUBLICATION DEC 1] [WATTYS WINNTER 2023]

Chapter Eight: Best Enemies

Archer moved first, drawing a dagger with striking speed and swiping at Sebastian's face. A square shield of light appeared in the air to block the weapon. A moment later, it was gone. Sebastian held up a hand. A beam of light materialized in front of his palm and took on the shape of a dagger. Sebastian grabbed it out of the air and swung at Archer, who dodged easily.

Felix glanced at Kendra. "So, Sebastian's ability is...?"

"Light magic," Kendra said. "He can temporarily convert light into solid objects. Or into energy for use in attacks."

It was hard to keep up with the action. Sebastian and Archer's strikes all seemed to miss each other by the narrowest of gaps, but when they each took a step back for a moment of air, Felix noticed a few thin gashes. Most were on their hands, but Sebastian had one down the side of his face.

Arisa noticed Felix's concern. "This is normal for practice fights," she said. "Nothing to worry about. There are a few Guardians with healing abilities at the castle."

"And items with healing properties, too," Kendra added. "In fact, the skin under your bandage should be completely healed up by now. You'd never even know the cut was there."

Felix reached up to peel off the bandage. Sure enough, when he touched the skin underneath, it was perfectly smooth.

Sebastian and Archer were moving at full speed again, delivering blows in a blur. Lowering his voice, Felix asked, "Who do you think would win in a real fight between them?"

Kendra blew out a breath of air. "In terms of raw magical energy, Sebastian's unmatched. But Archer's got much more discipline. He's learned to channel some of his magical energy into speed and physical strength."

"Sebastian's the most powerful?"

"One of the most powerful. It's hard to compare Guardians, though. Different environments favor different abilities. Plus, raw power's only half the battle," Kendra said. "Learning to use your magic in clever ways is the real trick. You can beat someone much stronger than you if you know what you're doing."

Kendra was right. Archer was unbelievably fast. Still, Sebastian managed to dodge most of his blows without much effort.

Archer slowed down and spun his dagger in his hand. Instead of going for another strike, he hooked his foot around Sebastian's ankle and sent him stumbling toward the edge of the rectangle.

Before Sebastian could step out of the box, the lines of light shifted a few feet, keeping him in. Archer was now standing outside.

"See? I win," Sebastian said.

"Isn't that cheating?" Felix asked.

"No," Sebastian said, in the same moment that Archer said, "Yes."

Archer stepped back in and swung again. While Sebastian ducked, Archer's other hand drew a second dagger from his side. His thumb slid along the edge of the blade as he brought it forward. He tossed it into the air, caught it by the handle, and stepped forward to slice through Sebastian's shirt and graze his shoulder.

"Ah." Sebastian pressed a hand to the wound and took a step back. "Poison."

"Not much," Archer replied, voice cold. "You should be able to handle it."

"Good way to slow me down, though." Sebastian lifted his light dagger.

"Uh, this is still fake combat, right?" Felix asked.

Behind them, the door to the castle swung open. Before Felix could turn to see who it was, shadows swallowed the training yard. The sudden darkness sent his heart racing.