Prophecy: Tome of Skin

3. No Friend of Mine

The blow that Qui'hara delivered with her sword proved to be almost fatal, with Toby only managing to block it at the last possible second with the steel of his own. Still, it was not without consequence, as the sheer force was enough to knock the weapon from his hand and send it flying across the room. He only looked after it for a second, but it was a second too long as the muscle of the demoness' arm clotheslined him and sent him to the ground. Having proven her point she offered her hand to him, waiting for him to finish rubbing his nose before he took it and returned to his feet.

"I am afraid that you have allowed your reflexes to slow in the time that has passed." Qui'hara chastised him, picking up the sword and tossing it to Lorelei next. She looked a little more confident, like she thought she stood a better chance than her predecessor. She didn't. Indeed it seemed as if their skills had diminished with all the lesser demons they had been fighting, and it had taken a one-sided battle with their new foes to realize just how out of shape they had become.

"I'm not too good with those," Myrna stepped back when the weapon was next offered to her.

"You must have more to rely on than just your magic alone-it will not always protect you." The Karthix demon insisted to no avail. It had become clear that they needed to refresh their strategy and undergo a little more training, and they could think of no better teacher than Qui'hara. Qui'hara was unlike them in that way-as in so many other ways-and the warrior's code that she lived by insisted that she always be sharp and ready, that she always be at her best. She had proven time and again that she was formidable when she allowed her restraint to slip.

"I'll go next." Austin volunteered himself from the rear, happy to emerge from the dark corner where Toby had sat him.

"You just got back on your feet, you need to take it easy before you overexert yourself." Toby wished to stop him immediately, not wanting him to follow the way of the warrior-a path that they all seemed to take at one point or another.

"I'm fine," the words didn't slow Austin down as he breezed by, ignoring the urgency he could feel from his boyfriend. "But I don't want to learn with the sword, I don't think I'd have much luck with that."

"Then choose," Qui'hara beckoned to the array of weapons behind her. There was a large pile stacked up in the middle of Lorelei's den, and almost all of them were hers. It was the first time that any one of them had been in her apartment-which was more like a penthouse, though it was not actually all that surprising considering her profession.

"Well I can't hit the side of a house with a bow and arrow," with a short pause Austin held up the weapon and considered it, finally setting his eyes on something that seemed much more fitting. "How about this battle staff?"

"Allow me to demonstrate." With one hand extended, Qui'hara waited to receive the weapon, twirling it effortlessly in one hand before switching to the other. It was a cyclonic blur as she twisted and twirled it, eventually evolving into a series of swift, graceful strikes. Instantly Austin was taken with the utility of the weapon, and Qui'hara placed it back into his hands while she took more time to show him how to begin. She knew that he was not as skilled as all the others, and she was content to teach the art of battle at his pace-it was her people's way.

Toby knew that his reservations would not be welcomed, so he kept them to himself with great difficulty. Already he had been reminded that Austin was not allowed to be human, and he could see that slipping even further away. Yet the look that Austin wore on his face expressed that he had little concern for that, that he was embracing his new role and happily shrugging off his normalcy. Toby tried not to seem too distracted when Qui'hara left their newest warrior practicing off to the side, and he concentrated on his own training once more as she returned to spar with them again.