SERAPHS: THE AWAKENING

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Max, you don't have to train with me today," Nora said following Max into one of the training rooms at the Seraphs Academy. The training room had a brown brick wall and pine green, marbled floor. On the left side from the door were sparring sticks, zayins and swords, maces, hand axes, spears, knives, spikes and crossbows.

"Why? You are scared?" Max walked, light-footed, to the weapon stand.

"What? Pffft," Nora waved her hand dismissively, "I'm not." Fear was not the exact word Nora would use to express how her body felt, the last time she trained with Max. Nora had been at the Academy for three days. Her typical day had been to wake up by 5 am, run twenty laps around the Academy ground with other Seraphs, train, attend theoretical classes then train again. Until it would be night and she had to do it all over again the next day. She practised her archery for about two hours before going to her room every night.

"Then what is the problem?" Max picked two long sparring sticks and threw one to Nora. They were longer and thicker than the ones Nora trained with at the Bloomfield's Manor.

"I just don't want to bother you. I am sure you have other things you'd rather be doing," Nora said but that was not the real reason for her squeamishness. She trained with Max yesterday and Nora still felt like her joints were being poked with needles.

Every morning, Nora trained with other Seraphs. Her afternoon- private training was handled by Zeno Black. He oversaw cadet combat exercise and he was a close friend of Keelan. Keelan asked Zeno to oversee Nora's private training and he had been doing a good job. For her evening training, Zeno told her he would choose someone to train with her. Max found a way to cut in line yesterday and today. Since in Zeno's word, Max was a 'brutal trainer,' Zeno allowed her.

Max shook her head, "Nah, nowhere I'd rather be." She strolled to the centre of the marbled floor and beckoned to Nora. "Come on now, you are not afraid to fight a sixteen-years-old, are you?" she smirked.

"You know I trained with your brother, right? And your mum? I am not afraid." She met Max in the centre of the room, rubbing the calluses forming in her hands.

"I am not my brother. Keelan would hold back with you...," Max posed like a lion that just saw its prey, "...I wouldn't," she had a devilish grin on her face.

Nora had lost count of times she had landed on the training room floor in defeat. She thought she was a good fighter. After training with other Seraphs at the Academy, she wasn't so sure about that anymore, despite being told at every training that she was a natural.

Max, who was without a doubt having a good time, smiled and lunged at Nora. She struck so fast Nora staggered when she blocked Max's stick.

"You want to take it easy? It is training, not Tekken," Nora said.

"What is Tekken?" Max asked and poked Nora's hand with her stick. Nora dropped her sparring stick and got down on one knee to pick it up.

"What? No movie or game on this dimension?" Max didn't wait for Nora to pick up her sparring stick. She came at her again. Nora stopped the stick from hitting her face with both arms.

"Nobody has that time," Max replied.

Nora grabbed Max sparring stick and tried to pull Max with it, but Max had a firm grip on it. She jerked Nora to herself with the stick. Nora stumbled forward and would have fallen on Max had she not kicked Nora backwards with her left leg. Her lethal kick sent Nora flying into the wall and Nora's rear side made a thud with the brick wall.

"Don't be a baby. Get up," said Max.

"You kicked me into a wall," Nora groaned, favouring her tail bone. "I think I deserve a minute," Nora said stirring to get up from the floor.