The Hidden Orphan (The Chronicles of Mistar - Book 2)

Six · · · Jadon

Chapona, Lotna

CRACK.

The sound of Ben's whip on Ella's skin made Jadon wince. Her purple striped face turned black with pain as red flashed in her cheeks showing her anger. About half-a-second later, Ella stood to her feet, her face fully red. Jadon almost thought she was going to breathe fire.

Ella pointed one her knives at Ben and growled, "You'll regret that."

Ben only laughed in her face as they started to circle the mat. "You always say that, Ellabean. Personally, I never do."

"It's Elladean," she snapped, baring her white teeth. Looking down at her arm, she glared at the cut as blood started to boil over her skin. Even through the pain, she snapped her arm, letting her knife escape through her fingers.

The cold blade skimmed Ben's cheek, catching him off guard.

"That was a warning shot," Ella growled.

Jadon could see that Ella's warning shot didn't seem to bother Ben. Smiling, he brought a hand to the cut on his cheek and pulled it away to see the smear of hot, red blood. "Now why would you do that?" he asked, his voice moving like the river he was. "You're only giving me more liquid to work with. Plus, I get a cool scar."

As Ben's hands moved gently through the air, the red liquid coming from his own cut flew into the air heading straight into the ball of water in front of him. It turned it a hue of rusted iron, the color of diluted blood. Jadon watched it disperse through the water until all of it was orange.

Rolling his eyes, Jadon complained, "Can you guys start already?"

"Fine," Ella mumbled. "If you're in such a hurry." Then she charged, her knife raised.

Jadon watched Ben motion for the water to go towards Ella's face. Still running, Ella put up her arm in such a way it didn't even touch her face. She ran into Ben, tackling him to the ground. Jadon laughed when he heard Ben yelp in protest. He had dropped his whip, his only other weapon besides his control over other liquids. Ben scratched at Ella's back only making her even angrier. Blood flew from Ben's mouth when Ella's fist connected with his jaw.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jadon could see the water start to move again. He watched the liquid crawl along the mat, like snakes, as it made its way to Ella's ankles. Somehow, the water twisted around her ankles and yanked her back. Now it was Ben's turn to do the punching.

Just as he reeled back for his first punch, Ben head connected with Ella's. She had headbutted him. Ben fell backward but quickly scrambled to his feet to see Ella standing over him. Her smirked made Jadon laugh. He was pretty sure who won this round.

"Give up yet, Ben?" she laughed as she started to circle him.

Scrunching up his nose, Ben growled, "No."

Ben kicked Ella's legs making her topple to the floor. Just like Ben's whip, Ella's knife flew from her hand clanging to the floor outside the mat. 

For the time it took Ben to get up, Ella was already standing despite crashing to the floor. She started to run for one of her lost knives, but Ben was just too quick. He stooped down to grab his whip. At the sound of another crack, the end of his black leather whip circled Ella's neck. Instantly her hands flew to her neck, trying to pull the whip off, as her eyes started to bulge. Even though she was suffocating, she still pushed against it using all her might to reach her knives.

Finally, Ella's strength gave out as she almost passed out. Ben pulled her backward with the flick of his wrist. Ella fell to her back still clawing at her neck. After loosening his grip with the whip, Ben let Ella pull it away from her neck. The poor girl started coughing and slapped the mat three times, her sign of second place.