Scars of her Blood • Shadowhunters

Chapter 15: Trial by Combat 2

Disclaimer: This chapter contains violence and strong language.

Celia took a few steps back to get in a defensive position and waited. She would not be the one making the first move; she would not be the one starting this. Diego seemed to interpret her reaction as fear, because he attacked with a confident smile on his face. Celia escaped the hit easily and positioned herself again. Let's tire him out first... Somehow, Celia hoped that there was still a chance he would give up.

The two fighters started to circle around each other, Celia always being one step faster than Diego. She did not want to risk getting hit too badly. Going into the last fight with an injury could be fatal.

All of a sudden, he moved towards her and pushed his sword straight forward. Celia knew this movement all too well and turned to the side to avoid the blade. When she looked up, she saw absolute dedication in Diego's eyes. He wanted to kill her. Badly. Did I do something to you?! Celia dropped her passive strategy and attacked back, her anger taking over her mind. They both started using their enhanced speed, moving around each other so fast that this fight must have become a dizzying matter for most of the audience.

Celia felt his blades cut her a few times, but the wounds never seemed to be deep.

Suddenly, she realized a flaw in Diego's defense: He was beginning to be sloppy with his left arm, lowering it further and further every second. Celia decided to just go for it and moved closer towards him, stabbing him through the heart. His eyes widened as he tried to hit her one last time, but Celia blocked his blade with her second one and thrust it through his throat right after. The movement had come totally naturally to her – it was an effective way to kill a Hybrid.

Celia was still wondering if she had felt a difference while killing him, while she starred into Diego's blue eyes, seeing the familiar sight of life slipping away from a body.

The thrill of the fight faded away quickly and Celia pulled her swords out of his body, stepping away from it.

The crowd was dead-silent, not a single sound was audible. Celia felt like she had been standing there for an eternity, when she felt Benicio calling her back to him.

Come here!

She turned away from the body and walked towards him, as he was waiting for her at the side fence. He would not have been allowed to step into the ring himself, since there was no reason to do so, according to the rules.

When she reached him, Benicio took the swords out of Celia's hands immediately.

Slowly, the life seemed to trickle back into the audience, even though the first ones to talk were not the Tamayo family members.

"Why couldn't he just accept it?! His family will hate you for this, Celia..."

She just nodded. Celia's mind was already preoccupied with the next question:

"Do you think they planned that?"

Benicio looked at her for a second in absolute confusion:

"What?"

"The death-match... Do you think they planned that?", Benicio was not answering her, but he seemed to be following, "the first fight was super easy and by the looks of that guy, he could not have been much older than eighteen." Young Hybrids that wanted to join the army could start their training at the age of fifteen, meaning that with eighteen, after receiving the mark, they could participate in duels. Even though they basically had no chance at that age. It was too easy... Because it was supposed to be! Celia grabbed Benicio's shoulders, pulling him closer to her: