Fateful Signs (Ballad of the Seer, Book Three)

Chapter 12 - Benefit of the Doubt

A chilly wind blew through the trees, it brought the scent of lake water to Jack's sensitive nose. The sunlight had barely broken over the horizon. It was still fairly dark at the spot Jack had chosen, deep in the woods near Lake Cornelia.

        "It's too damn early for this." Jason griped.

        But Jack was always up at this hour, and neither darkness nor cold bothered him. Typically, he would be running the trails behind his house, to relax and blow off steam before the school day started.

        "You wanted to learn to focus." Jack reminded him. "You wanted to get control of your powers. Whatever the hell they are. This is the only time that I have free."

        "Alright." Jason said. He held a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn. "How do I do that?"

        "Simple. Get angry. Then try to push through it. That's how I took control, when I had control."

        Jason held the large stick in front of his face. He had a good stance - due to his mother's coaching, no doubt. The purpose was for Jason to try to hit Jack, which he had not been able to do so far. Jason took a breath and swung the stick toward Jack. Jack jumped back, moving faster than Jason could.

        "Damn it!" Jason threw the stick on the ground. "This is useless. You're twice as fast as me. I'm never gonna catch you."

        "Not thinking like that, you're not." Jack picked up the stick. He handed it back to Jason. "I saw how fast the other hunters moved. I know what you're capable of. And if you want to be able to do that, you can't keep whining like a little bitch baby."

        Jason's lips curled into a scowl. That made Jack smile; he had gotten to him. "That's it. Get pissed at me. Remember all the bad shit that's happened to you. Let that fuel you."

        Jason closed his eyes for a second. Jack could see his rage growing; it was plain on his face. He had a lot to be angry about. His father tried to kill his mother. Then the crazy-ass man caused him to turn into something that he didn't want to be. "Are you gonna take control and hit me? Or are you going to be a weak ass punk for the rest of your life and let everyone push you around?"

        With his mouth set in a hard line, Jason opened his eyes and lunged at Jack with incredible speed, swinging the stick in a wide arc. The stick broke in half against Jack's shoulder, knocking him to the ground. Jason jumped into the air, landing in a crouch over Jack, aiming the splintered wood at Jack's throat. An inch close and Jack would be bleeding. "Was that fast enough for you?" Jason asked, pulling his hand away. He tossed the broken stick into the bushes.

        "That was good. But I think you can do better."

        When Jason stood, he offered Jack a helping hand, pulling him to his feet easily. "Should we go again?" There was a challenge in Jason's voice.

        Somebody's getting cocky, Jack thought. He decided to teach Jason a lesson in over confidence. "Sure. But no props this time. See if you can hit me. For real."

        Jason raised a brow, flashing an arrogant smile. "Whatever you say."

        Still with such speed, Jason threw his arm out to hit Jack. Jack slapped the arm back, pushing his other hand against Jason's back, throwing him off balance. Jason stumbled forward, falling face-first into the dirt.

        "Argh!" Jason slammed his fist on the ground, enraged. After he was on his feet again he turned his head to the side and spat into the brush.

        "How'd that dirt taste?" Jack asked, amused.

        "I was sure I had you."

        "You can never be sure about anything during a fight." Jack said. "You never know what tricks your opponent has up their sleeve. Remember that. And never think you've won until the other guy surrenders, or he's unconscious."