The Phoenix's Fire

Chapter 6

Aku:

I launched out my right fist. Than my left, A right knee, Left foot. Each one was deflected with smooth waves of Avol's hands. A left jab hit me in the right kidney. I buckled over. holding back a gag. Avol stood above me like a force to be reckoned with. The tattooed flames that licked around his face danced in the shadowy light. The Dark Flames. I had heard it whispered in my mother's tea lunches. Avol was the Dark Flame of the Royal Court. A kitchen boy from the castle born, with the god like abilities of the Elite.

"Get up, Aku, or is this all you have? I thought you would be stronger than this by now." Avol snipped. "You are as weak as the ground you lay upon. Letting people tramp all over you and doing nothing about it. Get up."

Snarling, I twist my leg back, still on the ground, and try to knock him off balance, but he sidestepped me easily enough. I scramble back to my feet, wiping the blood off my chin on the way. Avol looked no worse than when we had started. There were bags under his eyes and paler skin.

"What happened?" I asked finally.

Avol sighed heavily like he was waiting for my question, "Nothing for you to concern yourself with."

Knowing I wouldn't get anything else out of him, I ask another question, "I haven't seen Jax in a while. Where is he?"

Avol snarled at me. It was raw and untamed, like a beast. "You will drop this subject. It is out of your jurisdiction, boy." He grabbed his shirt from the floor and stalked out of the training room. It looked like the flames inked over his chest and down his back, were real, flickering like a live flame.

There went my lesson. I grimace. I sucked at hand to hand combat, but give me a weapon and I could knock anyone on their ass. Except for maybe Phoenix and Core. Giving the mat a longing glance, I see my new bright red blood stains start to sink in. I grabbed my shirt, that was thrown off by the doorway, and carried it back with me. The halls were deserted and quiet. It felt like I was back home. Father was always away doing something, and mother never even looked twice at me. It was a big home where you could go unnoticed for days at a time. Not acknowledged at mealtimes or expected to were fancy silk shirts.

"Hey Aku."

My name jerked my attention around to see Sain and Hex walking towards me together. I always got an odd feeling they hold a secret together due to their fighting. They had been fighting ever since Hex joined mid year, last year.

"What are you doing this far into the training rooms?" Hex asked.

I stopped to wait for them to catch up, "I had training with Avol. He got mad and ended it early."

"What you say?" Sain asked this time, clapping me on the shoulder. "He doesn't get mad very easily."

"I asked about Jax." I shrugged out of his hand, but kept my pace back so he could keep up, "I think he got fired for some reason and Avol is unhappy about it."

"We should get Phoenix to find out." Hex merges in, "She has a closer relationship to him then us."

"But how close?" I grumble out, "He likes her. In more than a friendship way."

Sain shrugged, "Than work harder to get her attention. Core does that enough."

"As do you." Hex murmured under his breath, but Sain heard. Sain's smile faded.

"I didn't mean to dream of her. She was just there and..." Sain trailed off, "I'm not interested. No matter what anyone thinks."

Hex huffed his disbelief. I was about to agree with him, but the look Sain gave Hex shut me right up. "Well I have to get to class or I'll be late." I comment, giving them claps on their shoulders before leaving down the hallway to fifth hour.