Royal blooded, p.17
Royal Blooded, page 17
part #1 of Royal Blooded Series
“They’re your bodyguards. I figured they’d be armed.” Turning to Lilly, Eli switched to broken Elvish. “I’m going to cut my hand. Please don’t heal it. Okay?”
Lilly’s eyes went wide, then nodded. Eli quickly ran the blade along the palm of his hand, leaving a cut which was dripping blood. Hopping up, he looked at Aria. “Okay, let’s go before I start getting blood everywhere.”
Returning to the platform, Eli noticed his cheering section was at it again. He waved to them before refocusing on the vampire in front of him. He looked the part of a stereotypical vampire – pale skin, straight black hair, red eyes. He was just as tall as Eli, and his body had scars all across it. His nose twitched as if he smelled something, and his eyes began to dart around the platform.
Not waiting for him to catch on, he bowed to his opponent and settled into a fighting stance. Distractedly, the vampire mimicked the motion, and the referee indicated for the fight to begin.
Eli squeezed his cut subtly, letting the blood drip out onto his hand. He recklessly ran forward and began throwing wild punches, ensuring to let the blood drip on and in front of his opponent. The vampire was easily able to block every strike, but he began to twitch and become increasingly agitated every second that Eli was near him.
Knowing that he was distracted by fighting his own instincts, Eli thrust forward with an open palm strike towards the vampire’s face. It was blocked, but Eli used the opportunity to smear blood all along his pale arm, leaving a large bloody streak. Eli hopped backwards, grinning. “Oops.”
The vampires eyes went wide as he saw the streak. Looking down, he sniffed his arm before his tongue instinctively darted out, tasting the red liquid. His head snapped backwards as if possessed and his arms outstretched as he cried wordlessly.
Realizing this may not have been a good idea, Eli started slowly backing up. The vampire’s head snapped forward again, and his nostrils flared. Without any warning the vampire dissipated into a cloud of darkness.
The cloud immediately reappeared behind Eli, and he felt a pair of fangs sink into his neck. Screaming, Eli elbowed several times backwards but it was like elbowing a brick wall – he couldn’t get the vampire off of him. The edges of his vision started to fade and he began to sink to his knees, losing consciousness from the blood loss.
That was when the referee stepped in. Using her spatial magic she tore the vampire away along with a good chunk of Eli’s shoulder. Several more referees held the vampire in the air as he thrashed, carrying him away to the waiting rooms for him to recover from his temporary madness. Eli realized the crowd split between booing and cheering but as a referee came over to him and raised one of his arms in victory, the cheers began to outweigh the boos. He smiled as he passed out, slumping onto the platform.
_____________
He awoke to the sight of Lilly standing over him, healing his shoulder as Aria stood worried. “Told you it would work.” He said weakly.
Aria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “You stubborn ass.” She said, unable to keep a grin from forming on her face.
Lilly pushed a bottle in front of Eli, and he began drinking. It was different from the one before but tasted equally as terrible. Knocking the entire thing back, he looked at her. “What does that potion do?”
“Puts the blood back.” She said in Elvish.
“Ah.” He said, before sitting up slightly. He locked eyes with Aria. “So, we won that round, right?”
“Yes. There was… a development while you were recovering though.”
“A development?”
“The two fighters in the other quarter-final both used magic in their fight. Both of them were disqualified, meaning that you win the semi-final by default.” She said.
Eli shook his head in disbelief. “Wait, that means…” He said slowly.
“…that you are going to the final, yes. That’s not all – your opponent is Anar’s champion.”
Eli scrambled to his feet. “Shit. Okay. How long until the fight? What can you tell me about her?”
Aria shook her head. “That’s the thing. She said she needed to talk to you before the fight. She’s just outside.”
Chapter 15
“What do you mean she’s just outside?” Eli asked.
“I mean, she’s outside that door waiting. She knocked on the door just before you woke up, introduced herself as Anar’s champion, and asked to speak with you.”
Eli was silent for a moment, considering all the possibilities. Finally, he spoke. “Let her in.”
“What?” Aria replied.
“Let her in. If she wanted to try to kill me, why would she introduce herself? She could have attacked while I was still unconscious too, but she’s been waiting patiently.”
“That’s not a guarantee though. What if she has some ulterior motive for waiting for you to wake up before trying to kill you?”
“Then I’d much rather her try to do it in here where I have the three of you to back me up. If she tries to kill me out there, I have to rely on the referees to step in – and we saw how slow they can be. If that vampire was resisting his urges less, he might have killed me.”
Aria nodded slowly, then turned to the door where Freya was standing guard. “Open it.”
Freya slowly opened the door and Anar’s champion stepped inside. She was just as beautiful as the first time Eli had seen her. Even more of her olive skin was on display, as she only wore a sports bra on top. Her hair was also tied back, and Eli appreciated how well-toned and sexy her body was. She smiled at Eli disarmingly. “Hello.” She started in English with a Middle Eastern accent. “My name is Zebeyana bint al-Ramil. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She said with a bow.
Memories of working with clients in the Middle East sprung to Eli’s mind. “As-salamu alaykum.” He responded, remembering the traditional Arabic greeting.
“Wa-Alaikum-Salaam.” She responded, a smile spreading across her face. “Though I do not often get the chance to converse in Arabic anymore. You will have to tell me someday how you came to know the language.” The smile started to falter. “But this is not a social visit. Perhaps another time.”
Aria looked between the two, eyes wide. “Now I know how you feel when we speak Elvish in front of you.”
Eli grinned. “Zebeyana, why-“
“Please.” She cut him off. “Just ‘Zee’, to my friends.”
“Are we friends?” Aria asked.
“We could be.” She responded.
“Okay Zee. You wanted to talk. What did you want to talk about?”
She turned to Aria. “Your brother tried to convince me to kill this man during the tournament. He offered me large sums of gold, jewels, enchanted items, or whatever I wanted.”
“What did you say?” Aria responded.
“Would I be here warning you if I said yes?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.
Eli decided to jump in. “Why did you turn down the offer? Aren’t you his champion?”
Zee’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t seem surprised by this information.”
“When we saw you the other day, Anar implied he’d try something. Unfortunately nobody else heard it except for Aria, so we didn’t have any hard proof until now.” Eli said. “But it still doesn’t explain why you’re so willing to spill his secrets.”
“I serve the royal family of Avallonè. Princess Icitra offered my services to Prince Anar, knowing that I have won several of these tournaments. I am merely a means to an end for him – I have no loyalty towards him.” She responded.
“That still doesn’t explain why you turned down his offer. You could still serve the royal family and make a boatload of coin at the same time. Sounds like you’d even score some points with this princess too.” Eli said.
Zee looked conflicted for a few moments, obviously debating how much to share. Deciding to press the issue, Eli stepped forward. “Look, Zee, if you’re going to ask us to trust you, you need to trust us. Nothing you say goes beyond this room. You’ve come this far – just tell us the whole story.”
Finally, Zee’s face became resolved. “I am no mere servant. I am a member of the royal intelligence services. I pass messages and information about humans back to the royal family.”
“You’re a spy.” Aria simplified.
“A crude way to put it, but yes. I was in the United States military for 10 years, serving tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. I reached the rank of captain before I was honorably discharged, and began working at the United States Central Intelligence Agency. I investigate money laundering for terrorism.”
Eli let out a low whistle. That kind of job would give her access to all sorts of information that wasn’t publicly available. She was a valuable asset for the Avallonè royal family. “Wow, okay – that’s a plot twist I didn’t see coming.”
Zee grinned. “Indeed. Prince Anar and Princess Icitra assumed that because I work so closely with humans, I would have grown to hate them. If they had bothered to look into my history, they would have seen that I do not kill without reason, and that I do not believe humans should be hated. I have served with many honorable humans – warriors, healers, leaders. They are no different than us.” Then, locking eyes with Eli, she spoke to him directly. “You do not deserve to die just for being human.”
“Thank you.” He nodded to her. “If you had come after me, I’m not sure the referees could have stopped you.”
“They would not have.” She responded, completely serious. Given her experience, Eli had no doubt she was right.
“Would you be willing to testify against Anar to my father?” Aria asked.
“No. When Anar and Icitra made their demand that I find a way to kill you during the tournament, the only reason I was able to say no was because I convinced the rest of the royal family that it would spark a diplomatic incident between our nations. If I were to openly testify against Anar, it would accomplish the same thing.” She paused, pursing her lips. “Spies are meant to exist in the shadows, not in the light. The punishment for causing a disturbance like this would be severe.”
“Is the royal family anti-human as well?” Eli asked.
“No. Officially they are neutral. Unofficially, they are divided. Icitra in particular is virulently anti-human, often campaigning for Avallonè to directly attack them. The others are more reserved, and some of them look for opportunities to reopen peaceful relations.” She responded.
Eli was shocked. “Attack? Would that even work?”
“No. We have the largest military force of any of the elven nations, and it still wouldn’t be nearly enough. We would lose. She’s just started to believe her own propaganda.”
“Why even tell us then?” Aria said. “If you won’t testify, nobody will believe us that Anar is trying to kill Eli.”
Zee shrugged. “Part of my job is to protect the royal family from potential threats. I believe Anar and Icitra’s warmongering will get us exposed and killed – which, needless to say, would be against the best interests of the royal family. I hoped that by warning you, you may become more vigilant in the future and perhaps find some way of stopping him before it is too late.”
Eli nodded. “Thank you Zee. I appreciate what you’re doing here. Now, the question is: what are we going to do about this tournament?”
Zee’s grin returned. “We are going to fight. If we didn’t, it would look suspicious. Just know that I do not intend to let you win.”
Matching her grin, Eli walked up to her and held out his hand. She shook it, meeting his eyes. “Good luck then.”
With a quick nod to Aria, Zee left the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Eli saw Aria shaking her head slowly. Turning to her, he asked. “What?”
“You really have a type, don’t you? I just didn’t know your type included desert elves like Zee.”
“What are you talking about?” Eli asked.
“Oh come on. You were practically undressing her with your eyes. Apparently you have a thing for strong, independent, sexy women.”
Eli bit back a retort, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her instead. “That ‘type’ includes you. Now come on – I’ve got a tournament to win.”
_____________
Eli emerged from the hallway with Aria one final time. The tournament had taken all day, and the sun had finally set. Bright lights had been rigged to shine on the platform in the middle of the arena, and the crowd was already deafeningly loud. The now-familiar chant of Eli’s supporters boomed throughout the stands, and he was surprised to see that many elves and other magical races had also joined in on the chant.
Kissing Aria on the cheek, Eli let go of her hand and ascended the stairs to the platform. He reached the top at the same time as Zee, locking eyes with her as he did. He bowed respectfully to her when the referee indicated to do so, and she reciprocated the motion. Finally, the referee dropped her hand and the final fight had begun.
Eli stepped slowly towards Zee, bending his knees and dropping into a stance which kept his center of gravity low and his left arm angled towards her. To him, she was a relative unknown – he didn’t know how desert elves fought, and her fighting style could be even more exotic given her experience. He was content to let her come to him.
Taking the invitation, she moved closer and launched a probing attack. She was fast, but by minimizing the angle she had to work with Eli was able to block several attempted kicks to the head before taking a punch to his body. He responded with a counter of his own, attempting several punches which were blocked but had the effect of pushing her back.
As she hopped backwards, he realized her opening had been a textbook kickboxing attack. “She was trained by humans.” Eli realized. “Of course she’s going to use human martial arts.”
Popping up from his low stance he moved close to her and switched to more of a Krav Maga style attack, using his elbows and knees alongside his fists and feet to drive her back. Amazingly, she was able to block every strike he threw at her, often bending at angles Eli thought were impossible in order to dodge or push away his strikes. He realized his attack wasn’t working as she began to throw counters, pushing him backwards into the middle of the ring.
The two combatants separated, grinning as they slowly circling each other. The other fights had been challenging, but this was different. This was the first opponent whose style truly matched Eli’s, and he was going to enjoy it. “Your kickboxing is pretty good!” He called out over the roar of the crowd. “How about we give these people a real show?”
Her grin broadened. “How’s your judo?”
Before he could respond, Zee leapt into the air with a flying kick towards Eli’s head. He barely managed to block it before she landed beside him, sweeping her leg out and knocking his out from under him. Instinctively his hand shot out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her to the ground as he fell. She landed on top of him roughly, elbowing him in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him.
Twisting impossibly, Zee grabbed Eli by the arm and pulled him over, trying to pin him face down. Realizing he had only seconds before he lost the fight, Eli used the momentum to continue rolling, taking Zee with him and ending up face-to-face on top of her. The two of them breathed for a moment, eyes wide as they were locked together and lips only a hair apart. Eli recovered from the momentary lapse in concentration first, rolling to the side off her and back to his feet.
She was back on her feet in a flash, arms up in front of her in a boxing stance. Eli couldn’t help but grin – he was having fun – even if he wasn’t sure he was going to win this. “Your judo sucks.” She said, tauntingly. “I could have had you there.”
“Maybe if you weren’t so distracted!” He responded, launching a roundhouse kick towards her.
She caught the kick midair with both hands, pulling Eli off balance. Desperately, he used the opportunity to punch her directly in the face, catching her in the temple and stunning her. She dropped his leg and Eli hopped back, not waiting to tempt fate.
The two of them continued to circle each other, alternating between different styles of martial arts. Neither could find enough of a weakness in the other’s defenses to land a decisive blow, and after almost twenty minutes they were both exhausted. They were covered in sweat, breathing heavily as they disentangled their limbs from their latest exchange.
Knowing he wouldn’t have very long before his defenses started to slip, Eli racked his brain for some sort of plan. She was incredibly flexible, often dodging or blocking his strikes in ways that he thought were impossible. The only real advantage he had over her was his reach – being taller, he could hit her from farther away.
Deciding it would have to be enough, he switched his tactics and began to rain down kicks from long range on her. She blocked them all, but compared to the start of the fight her blocks started to become more and more sluggish. Her reaction time was slowing with the fatigue, and eventually she would slip. The only problem was that Eli was expending a lot more energy launching these attacks than she was using to defend against them, meaning that if he didn’t land a hit soon he would tire quickly, leaving him wide open to a counter.
Eli willed himself through the fatigue, repeating the mantra of “Just one more.” As he kept kicking. Finally, Zee’s guard slipped just slightly and a strong kick connected directly to her ribs, knocking the wind out of her as she fell to the ground. Eli’s surprise was quickly overcome by resolve as he grabbed her by one arm and one leg, and with an almighty roar used the last of his strength to throw her off the platform and onto the sand below. The crowd went wild as he collapsed on the platform, breathing heavily.
He vaguely felt Aria crouching next to him, muttering magic words and tracing patterns in the air. The next thing he knew he was floating in the air back to the waiting rooms while Lilly was holding his head up, helping him drink yet another foul-tasting potion. He closed his eyes as he felt a cooling sensation spread throughout his overworked limbs, easing their pain.
