The Ace of Swords

Chapter 9

I stand there and gawk at Fang for what could have been hours before the sound of the crowd draws my attention away. I look up at the open sky. There are almost no clouds and I can feel the warmth of the sun. I missed it so much. My pasty white skin has too. Behind the iron fence there is a small stadium filled to the brim with people. If I had to estimate the number I would say around one hundred. The arena itself is quite small. It is saturated with the metallic scent of blood. The fence around me is caked with it.

I look up into the crowd and see all the Reds and Oranges. Most of the Yellows are missing but they are probably tending to some people's needs. My eyes meet Bas's and he winks at me. He nods towards Fang and when I look she's charging at me. This catches me off guard and I am thrown into the fence. I have never fought Fang and she has watched me train every day. She knows all of my weaknesses and I know nothing about her's. I stagger as I fall off the fence. I can feel something warm sliding down my back. I don't have time to consider what it is before Fang takes a swipe at my face. I lean back in an awesome ninja-like move and she misses by a hair. Sadly, I overcompensated and end up falling on my butt. I crab walk backwards to avoid Fangs kicks at my face. One of them hits its mark under my chin and I end up flat on my back. I see her foot coming down at me and roll. If it had hit me it surely would have crushed more than one rib. I leap to my feet and go into battle mode as I like to call it. Fang smiles and begins to circle me. She's scarier than Bas although I would never tell him that.

As she circle me her she bares her fangs showing me exactly how she got her name. Her fingers flex showing off her claws. She is the very definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing except in this case she doesn't hide her wolf that well. Her back is arched almost and her eyes shift constantly taking in my every movement and my every breath. Her eyes aren't like the Yellow's dead ones, they are calculating. She rushes forward like before but I'm expecting it this time. I dodge out of the way as quickly as I can. She runs into the fence but it doesn't stop her. She uses it as a back board and flings herself at me. She knocks me to the ground and I feel my shirt rip as she claws at me. I grab hold of her hair and slam her head into the ground. Before she can even breath I bring my fist to her face. I hear a crack as her nose breaks along with a few of my knuckles. She barely even reacts. Her claws come up and slash across my face and down my neck. I can't see in one eye because of the blood that now flows freely down my face. She doesn't stop there, she grabs a hold of my wrist and dives her teeth into it. If I didn't know better I would think she was a vampire. She jumps off of me and back away. At first I think it's over but when have I ever been that lucky.

As I leap off the ground I'm hit with a wave of dizziness. When I look at my wrist I already know that she hit the artery. I look up at Fang but she isn't looking at me. She is looking into the stands. I follow her gaze to an older large man and I would place him on his early forties. A woman around his age sits beside him looking as if she's the queen. Her greying blonde hair is put up in a French braid. The man's eyes meet mine and he smiles at me. It looks like a fatherly smile but there is a hint of malice behind his eyes. He nods at Fang. She approaches me and I manage to kick her in the stomach. She doubles over clutching her stomach for only a second. I try to kick her face but she catches my foot which forces me to the ground. She rolls me to my stomach and put her knee in between my shoulder blades. I squirm and try to wiggle out of her grasp. She has about twenty pounds on me and it's all in muscle so I don't stand a chance. She allows me to struggle for a few more seconds before bending down to my level. She smiles at me. She looks younger when she smiles despite the pointy teeth.

"Congratulations, Ace, you passed. You are welcome with the Reds," she wraps a green band around my arm and I can't help but be proud. I didn't die and I went up against Fang. A guard comes to me and pulls me away from her. He leads me through a small opening in the fence that I did not notice earlier. I look up at the sky and enjoy my last few seconds of sunlight before darkness surrounds me.