Chasing Sparks

Chapter 22.3

The announcer called the two remaining contestants together at the centre of the arena. He explained they had one final chance to submit and walk away now, given that they had seen their opponent in action.

“There would be no disgrace in conceding victory at this stage,” the announcer even whispered quietly to both of them.

Lerrick looked at Celie and simply said, “You cannot beat me. The spark is mine.”

Celie matched his stare and just said, “Tell me why?”

The announcer misunderstood the question but Celie could see from Lerrick’s eyes that he understood clearly.

Lerrick looked at Celie and said, “It was simply what needed doing at the time.”

Lerrick paused and a look of sympathy crossed his face, “I took no pleasure in it. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for your loss.”

Celie just stared at him.

“You can walk away with your life now. Just leave me the spark,” Lerrick continued.

“You took away my life two months ago,” Celie replied. “I didn’t come here for the spark. I came here to kill you.”

It was Lerrick’s turn to stare.

Celie then added, “I won’t take any pleasure in it. It’s just simply what needs doing.” With that she turned and walked towards her post.

Lerrick turned and did likewise. Celie didn’t bother going behind the post, she just stood next to it.

Lerrick did the same. They just stood there looking at each other.

The announcer looked at both of them and started counting down,

“5, 4, 3 …”

The crowd was roaring.

“2, 1, fight”.

The crowd screamed loudly but Celie and Lerrick just stood completely still, looking at each other. Neither had placed any arrows in the ground. Neither had done anything. Celie kept her attention firmly focussed on Lerrick and her hands by her sides. Lerrick did the same.

The crowd was quietening down now, as they watched the two combatants just staring at each other. The tension in the air growing.

Celie then began slowly walking away from her post, making sure to make no sudden moves. She walked casually, her mind purely focussed on Lerrick. She wasn’t thinking, just looking and walking calmly. Trusting in her ability completely.

Lerrick watched her.

Then as Celie started lifting one of her feet off the ground Lerrick erupted into action. With a whirl of arms, an arrow left his bow. A fraction later he was diving and rolling to his right.

Celie didn’t roll or run. The moment she saw Lerrick move, she just smoothly pulled and released her own arrow.

She focussed on Lerrick’s chest, as he rolled. She could see her target clearly and guided the arrow towards it. The world started to slow and she could feel her arrow almost there.

That’s when the pain exploded in her body and she collapsed to the floor in a heap, her focus on her arrow gone.

Celie lay there for a while, wondering if this was what death felt like. But it felt surprisingly painful for death. As her mind began recovering from the shock, she became vaguely aware of the cheering crowd. Slowly she also became aware that the pain was coming from her arms, both forearms.

She tried to move her arms, but she couldn’t. It felt like they were stuck together. As she slowly opened her eyes she saw there was an arrow neatly piercing both of them, pinning them together. But, together with her bracers, her forearms had stopped the arrow.

The head of the arrow was sticking out of her arms but it had stopped there. She clamped her teeth onto the head of the arrow, and pulled her arms away from her. She screamed in agony and nearly collapsed anew at the pain but the arrow came free of her arms.

She had guessed right. Every archer had a favourite target. Lerrick had shown her his when he had hit Brin through the left eye. He had tried to do the same to Celie. The arrow was headed straight for her left eye when she had crossed her forearms together in front of it by way of defence.

She had moved at the last instance giving Lerrick no time to adjust. Her tough leather bracers, providing the resistance needed, along with the skin and flesh of her arms, to stop the arrow from reaching her eye.

The irony of the shot was that if Lerrick wasn’t quite so accurate he may have missed her forearms and killed her instantly through any part of her body. But Lerrick was the best shot she had ever seen and luckily for her his shot was true. The arrow hit both forearms and bracers dead centre.

With her bleeding arms hanging loosely by her side she staggered to her feet, to gasps from the crowd and looked over too where Lerrick was. He was lying on the sand. Celie could see he was still alive as his hand moved to staunch the bleeding in his chest. As she walked closer she could see he was also very pale and coughing up blood.

She had missed his heart, as her concentration had been broken at the last second but the arrow was close enough by then to catch Lerrick just below puncturing a lung.

Lerrick struggled to raise his head as Celie stood over him. But he could hardly breathe and the energy in his body was drifting away. He coughed and wheezed and managed to stammer, “Good shot,” before falling dead on the sand.

The announcer came over and placed his finger on Lerrick’s neck and shook his head.

There was a stunned silence before chants of, “Face, Face, Face,” started to ring out around the stadium.

Celie dropped to her knees. Her hands next to useless at her side, as she started crying. She was still crying when she realised the crowd had gone silent, and five people were looking at her in the middle of the stadium.

She recognised the announcer and the little man from the registration room. But it was the larger Terron man who spoke. His voice resonated around the stadium with such power that it almost had a will of its own.

“Do you know who I am?” the voice said

Celie looked at him and said, “I guess you must be the Duke.”

A huge intake of breath reverberated around the stadium, at the lack of respect.

“Yes.” Marsh chuckled, “I guess I must be,” and the tension evaporated instantly.

“You’ve met my assistant Viri,” Marsh said gesturing to the small administrator, “and this is Ylo,” pointing at the announcer.

Celie was barely listening.

“These are Tiel, Bolo and Alona. Sparked affines along with myself. You have proven yourself worthy of joining us today.” Marsh let his words hang in the air, before continuing.

“Celie of Mabel forest. Do you accept the offer of joining us.”

Celie looked at Marsh and said, “Of course. It would be a great honour to join you.” She was a little surprised at her own respectful tone, but the Duke sounded like he deserved it.

It was then that she noticed the other sparked affines.

Tiel was looking at her with an expression of indifference. Someone going through the motions and probably wanting to be somewhere else.

The big one called Bolo seemed genuinely pleased to see her and had that look in his eye that warriors only reserve for other true warriors.

But it was the expression of sympathy etched on the face of Alona that she would remember. Remember for the rest of her days. The look of pity told Celie everything she needed to know about what she had just agreed to. She was the next Seeker and looking at Alona, she knew exactly what that meant.