Hidden Temples

(6)Battle feild

        (Jack)
The sound of the wind outside wakes me.
I jump out of bed and throw on a grey t-shirt and my best, and stretchiest pants.
Hopefully Rue got there okay, she's new to this, I wouldn't blame her.
I walk outside my temple and call the wind. I wrap it around me, and hiss,
"Battle felid."
The wind whisks me away, and I land on the lawn by the battle field.
I look around for Rue, she's no were to be seen.
"Hiya," a familiar voice says from behind me.
I jump, then turn around, to see Rue, in tight black tights, and a loose white t-shirt, with her long dark hair tied up in tight ponytail.

I have to admit, she does look good, she did from the day I saw her, but it's her eyes that draw me to her, and she's fierce.
I'm not saying I like her though, I don't.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Ready as I'll ever be." She says.
I chuckle.
"C'mon, let's go, mistress has cleared the battle field for you, you'll practice with other Liths, from the lower level, to the highest."
"Wait I'm fighting other Liths in front of everyone?"
"Yep, but it's not like you have to kill them, only bruise. You okay with that?"
"Course, but what if I fail, I read a couple of books, but I don't know if I'm ready."
"You'll do great, just, trust your instincts." I say.
She nods, but, she doesn't even look worried one bit.

I walk her to the battle field, and show her the sward's.
"You can choose," I tell her,
"Your sward."

"Cool," she says, as she inspects them.

She finally chooses a grey sward, with blue and aqua gems and curves. She flipped is in her hand, and grasped a tight hold.
The way she holds it, and how the sward matches every curve of her hand, would make you think it was designed for her specifically.
"Definitely this one," she says as she runs her hands along the razor sharp blade.
"Here," I say, giving her the thick plastic sward cover.
"We don't want you actually killing someone with that sward, everyone has to put one of these on their sward."
She slips the cover over the sward, then swiftly and gracefully,  hangs it on her belt.
"I'm ready," she tells me.
"Okay then, let's go."

I stare at her as we walk, she wasn't even looking at me when she says,
"Quit staring at me."
"I um..."

Usually when I stare at girls they blush or hide behind their hair, Rue,? well, she just stands up tall, and doesn't look Any bit bothered.
We walk onto the battle field, and I tell Rue,
"I'm going to be up there with the mistress, you fight there."
I point to the large but thin mat, that's carefully placed on the fresh grass.
"Your first opponent will be someone from the lowest level, if you conquer him, then you advance to the next level."
"You got this," I say placing my hand on her bony shoulder.

"I know," she says with a wicked grin, worn on her face. With one swish of her ponytail, she walks onto the mat.

I take my place on the bench with the mistress.
"Do you think she'll do okay?" She asks me.
"She'll do great," I reassure her her.
Rue's first opponent walks onto the mat, I recognize him, his name's Nathaniel, he's very talented, especially his sward work, let's see how Rue handles him.
"Begin!" Mistress calls.
Rue doesn't take her sward out, instead she just stands there, looking helpless.
"What are you doing Rue?"
I mutter under my breath.

Nathaniel pounces forward, but at the last possible second, Rue calls the wind to her side, and knocks him to the ground. She calls another gust, and flings it towards his head, Nathaniel cuts through the wind with his sward, but Rue used the extra time to unleash her sward, she cuts through his wind with her weapon, and puts her leg under his, then she flips him to the ground with a big thud, and points her weapon to his heart.
Nathaniel moans.
Dang.
Mistress looks at me with awe, I grin, and turn back to Rue.
"Next!" Mistress calls.
Nathaniel rolls of the mat, and her next opponent walks confidently on stage. Though I could see in his eye he looked nervous.
Matthew, that's his name. He held his hands out, probably to call the wind, but this time, Rue holds her sward in front of her.
They begin, and Matthew calls the wind to his side, then he flings it at Rue, but she ducks, and holds her sward out so the wind reflects, and goes straight back to Mathew, knocking him to the floor, but he's quick enough to get back up to block Rue, and to cut her elastic, allowing her hair to flow free. It did make her look better.
Rue then moves faster, and almost knocks his sward out of his hands. Matthew points his sward at her, but she dives behind him, and points her sward at his back.
She won again.
Mistress seems pleased as she calls her next opponent.

Rue won all the games after that one, the guys must've felt really defeated, and embarrassed, by being beaten by a skinny girl, not that there's anything wrong with that.
"Jack," mistress says taking me out of my thoughts.
"Yes mistress?" I say.
"I want you to try to beat her, your the strongest fighter I have, and don't go easy on her. I want to see what she can really do."
"Um, okay."

I get up and walk onto the mat.
"Your my next opponent?" Rue says grinning.
"What, disappointed?" I ask.
"C'mon, let's get this over with," she sighs.
"As you wish," I say taking my sward out of my belt.
She calls the wind, and coils it around her waist, and wrist. I lunge forward, and she blocks me with ease, she spins around and our sward's collide. She wraps the wind around my wrist and snatches my sward, and twirls it around her fingers, she strikes forward, but I call the wind snatch it back from her.
"Nice, but can you beat this?"
She uncoils the wind that I forgot was wrapped around her waist, and wraps it around my waist, holding me still. She grabs my wrist, and pulls my sward out of my hands, she pulls me closer, and she points the sward at my heart.
I stare into her eyes, she grins.
"Guess I bet you," she says.
I chuckle.
"Guess you did,"
"You didn't go easy on me on purpose did you?"
"No, that was all you."
She beams.
She lowers her sward, and swings it over he's shoulder.
As she walks away, I can't help but stare at her.