Shadow Rider (Vampire Academy Fanfic)

Chapter 17 - Thanatia

I knocked on the door of Tanner's room for the second time, still not receiving any response.

Probably he and Dimitri had staked out the gym. I headed there, and sure enough, saw them practising together.

Although fit like any other guardian, Mikhail Tanner was no match for Belikov, with the latter's formidable size and strength. I regarded them for a moment, the sweat forming on Tanner's forehead, Belikov's hair escaping from his ponytail.

After a minute, I unclasped the cloak from my shoulders and approached them.

Belikov glanced up at me, his face imploring, when Tanner abandoned their fight altogether, jogging up to me.

'Hey there! Your performance the other day was outstanding!'

'Thank you,' I returned, a little taken aback by his enthusiasm.

'Want to practice with us?' he asked.

'Sure, why not?'

I dumped my weapons on the floor, jumping right into the fighting ring. At first we fought quite timidly, but after warming up, I'd had enough.

'Alright guys, enough playfighting. Both of you against me, no mercy.'

Tanner looked hesitant, but Belikov immediately attacked. His fists and legs were fast and difficult to evade, but I managed, despite taking a bit of a beating. After a while, Tanner abandoned all care and gave his all too, which made it almost impossible to fight them both.

Focusing inwards, I channelled the inner darkness, letting it consume me, though keeping firm control on it.

My movements grew faster and stronger, and I knew no sense of pain. When the both of them began to tire, I still prevailed, increasing my offensive until I finally kicked Tanner out of the ring. He was out, which left me with Belikov, who by now was slick with sweat. A punch to his stomach had him doubling over. I backed away, sprinted towards him, and performed a flying scissor takedown, which left him trapped beneath me. Forcing him into an armlock had him tapping the floor in defeat, and I released him.

'That was incredible,' he panted, still lying on the floor.

I stood and offered him a hand, hoisting him up to his feet. I mock-bowed, and smiled up at Belikov. He regarded me steadily, his emotions carefully hidden.

'I was actually meaning to interview you,' I said, stretching my thigh. 'Still up for it?'

'Yeah, sure. No problem.'

Tanner waved over at us. 'I'm gonna shower,' he said, disappearing into the changing rooms.

Belikov sauntered over to his sports bag, pulling out a towel and wiping his forehead.

'Go ahead,' he said, leaning against the wall.

'I asked Rose as well, earlier. I wondered if you wanted to help out with the guardian training?'

He seemed surprised that I had asked. 'Yes, I'll help.'

'Great! We start tomorrow in the evening.'

I then proceeded to ask him about how the education system worked in Russia. It turned out to be quite similar to ours, but it was not thanks to this that Dimitri's talent was extraordinary. Just like Rose, he had a mentor of his own during his school days, someone who had forced him through tough challenges. He also said meditation was a huge factor in his success.

It seemed I'd have to mention the idea about mentoring to Casimir, or to the Queen herself.

I thanked Dimitri for his time and let him return to the changing room. I decided to pay Sergei Glazkov another visit, sincerely hoping that Casimir had made him forget my last outburst in his office.