Eternal Fire

Chapter 19

The fights were set up to where someone was always at a disadvantage due to their ability and race. All humans were put against werewolves for the first round, and no one from the same school went against each other. Everyone's money was on a fourth year from the Europe branch who enjoyed snacking around his opponents like they were insects. His name was Cristian and his special ability was that he could make dragon scales appear like armor. He was a werewolf built of strong muscle and years of fighting experience. Even before he was marked he was a pack warrior that helped protect his pack. He was constantly fighting rogues and vampires, so he's had plenty of experience.

Match after match, I fought and won. Azazel fought and won his first two matches but lost the third to a third year witch who was wicked good at curse magic. Joseph had gone against Cristian in his second round and Joseph didn't stand a chance against him. He was ruthless to Joseph though. The only way to win a match is by total knock out. Anything goes, be it torture or a simple good ass kicking. Joseph was so badly injured we thought Cristian had killed him. Now he's resting in the infirmary, watching the rest of the fights on TV. At this rate, it'll be me and him fighting for the victory.

Lykos sat by my side, watching the fights intently. Azazel sat next to me, handing me a water bottle. "We want you to throw your next fight," he told me as I took a drink. I began coughing and sputtering. "You want me to do what," I asked him. "He will put you so close to death without batting an eye," he told me. I shrugged, "I can handle myself." I then gestured with my chin to the idiots in charge of these sick games, "Plus they'll know if I throw it." He growled softly before sighing, "Look at what happened to Joseph. We really don't want that to happen to you." "Why is it just me you're trying to convince," I asked him. "What about the others who face him?" "He plans on torturing you Cleo. He thinks women shouldn't be warriors," he said through clenched teeth. "We wont be able to step in unless he knocks you out and something tells me he will keep that from happening." "I get your concern, but I still have to try," I told him. "I cant run if I'm put up against some foe who is ten times stronger, so I shouldn't when I'm in a match with rules against killing. Plus with his scales, I'll be able to truly test my strength." He growled and crossed his arms, "Joseph said you would say something like that." "Then you should've listened to him," I told him.

The bell then chimed when Cristian won his match. One more match and we'll be going against each other.

Batair's POV

This was the biggest fight we were dreading. Cleo vs Cristian. Cleo has done a tremendous job in her previous fights but this was going to be something else. When they stepped on to the field there were many whispers that he was going to kill her. Joseph then surprised us when he came and sat next to Azazel. "Shouldn't you be resting," Azazel asked him. "She wont be able to hear me from the infirmary," he said. I then looked to Lykos as he watched her. He was alert yet seemed calmed.

When the bell to start chimed, Cleo took off like a bullet. She was moving too fast for us to see. It was clear he was expecting a direct attack. "She's looking for a weak spot," Joseph said. "What's up with your eyes," Azazel asked him. "She's not gonna find one and move to another tactic," Joseph said, not able to hear him.

"He is using his gift of foresight to try and see how the fight will go," I told him. "He hasn't learned how to use it while being aware of his own surroundings yet." Azazel nodded then looked back to the field. Cleo then stood in the center. It was then Cristian's turn to make a move. He ran with his wolf speed to punch her but she was able to grab his arm and throw him over her shoulder, slamming him into the ground. "She's going to need a medic and several things of blood to replace what she looses," Joseph informed us. "Cristian will need a team of medics to carry his unconscious body off of the field."

Cleo and Cristian were blow for blow, neither holding back. There was a loud crack sound that made Lykos growl when Cristian snapped her left arm. She bit back her scream and continued to fight. She managed to give some amazing hits that cracked his armor a little. The way they fought, you couldn't tell that they were simply students in a game.

We watched as his fist met her jaw, snapping her head to the side. She flew a few yards away from the force of it. She was still conscious, fighting to stand up. He grabbed her by her neck. "You have no business being a warrior," he spat at her. She spat a glob of spit and blood into his left eye. She then grabbed the wrist that held her neck and wrapped her legs around his arm. He tried to swing her off, but she held on tight. Then when he used the right force and angle she let her legs go, using the force of it to her advantage to swing him into the wall as she let go. They were both panting as they faced each other, both beat to hell.

She then launched herself at him and began to deliver a series of repeated blows. She knew she was loosing a lot of blood from when he attacked her with his claws and was trying to end this quickly. Her fists were beginning to glow, most likely another development in her ability, as she fought. Finally, with an upper cut to is jaw he flew across the field, and laid there. A warrior went and confirmed he was unconscious, that Cleo was the official winner in the fighting portion of the games. Cleo then dropped to her knees, coughing up blood. Azazel was out of his seat, and grabbing her before we could blink. He flew out of the field and to the infirmary in another blink. Joseph swayed from using his gift for such an extended period of time. I caught him, "I think you should go rest lad." He shook his head, "Not till I know she's okay." He and Lykos left the stands to go sit outside the infirmary.

I sent a glare up to the warrior council. Usually the fighting portion is simply trying to knock another out of a ring, but this year they had the full field and it was knock out. We just got lucky that they couldn't use weapons. Commander Alec came and sat next to me, "They're planning something." I nodded in agreement, "The question is, what is it?" He sighed, "Something tells me we're just gonna have to wait and see."