Chapter 31: Marble

I look into her eyes, empty and cold blue marbles stare back at me. I used to see so much warmth and kindness in them. What happened? “You didn’t look deep enough,” Abhartach says dryly.

“Why are you doing this?” I ask. Carol bites her lower lip as her face twists in conflict, “I won’t die, not for Danann, not for humanity, not for my family, not for you. I want to live and that scroll is my only way right now so please, last chance,” she lets the last part roll-off her tongue aggressively. “Give me the fucking scroll.”

I hesitate and take a step back instinctively. I do not want to fight her, can I fight her? She takes a step forward in response. “Don’t do anything stupid, you can’t run,” she adds. “Shit,” I curse the situation. I stride back swiftly and she responds with dashes towards me. She lunges with two pressure point attacks directed at my chest, I block them both and land a ‘get off me’ kick at her torso and push her away. “I gave you a chance, Sam.”

Carol throws off her coat, leaving her battle suit, there is no going back for her. She is serious. She charges ferociously. Her attacks come without hesitation one after the other. She aims for my vital spots using a fluent gentle fist style. I block and evade as best as I can. She lands two steel-hard fingers on my shoulder point and ducks low attempting two more attacks. I block the first aimed at my knee and parry the second aimed for my abdomen, leaving her centre open. I jab twice and land both swiftly on her chest and push her inches away. I land a mean right hook square on her left jaw and with the same hand, I grab her shoulder before two more punches with my left onto her right cheek. I dial back and send one more and she head butts me before it reaches. I groan as a sharp pain invades the part above my nose. “You bastard!” she howls as she attacks again. I duck and her punch flies over and misses. I land on my arm and attempt a flashy counter with kicks.

Carol blocks and strides back. “Show off,” she says. “I don’t want to do this,” I repeat. She relents and her attacks continue. We alternate between blocking and attacking. I have to take her out. Fuck. I dodge and use her overarching arm as cover and move under it. She wavers and I turn quickly and send a kick toward her right cheek. It lands and she cries out in pain as she ragdolls and lands on the ground. “You just won’t listen, will you? Fine.” Carol gracefully picks herself up with a quick get-up. She rushes at me and Abhartach warns, “Sam!-“ I stop him, “I know, I can sense her bloodlust. She covers the distance between us within a blink and flips expertly as she sends a kick to the left side of my face. I block abruptly, shit, I wasn’t fast enough. A staff digs into my ribs on my wide-open right side. I wince and she takes the chance to find her footing and sends another hit in the same spot. I feel it like pressure invading my side. I hear her giggle softly. I unsheath my daggers and parry the next attack aimed at my head and push the staff upward and counter with a kick to her chest.

I lunge at her sending furious slashes aimed at her in various areas indiscriminately. She evades three, five, eight slashes. One slash slips by and a cut forms on her bodice. She blocks most of my attacks but more keep slipping in and a cry escapes her lips. Her vision blurs a bit and I notice, the first punch I landed earlier had most of my strength dialled into it and she took it directly. My right side feels sluggish. Damn, I can't believe this is happening. I toss one of my daggers at her and it flies like a bullet aimed at her shoulder. She puts her staff right where it would hit and the blade is sent flying after it bounces off. I rush forward and launch into a backflip, kicking the blade back once more immediately lodging it into her chest right inches above her right breast. She cries out and spins her staff and knocks me to the ground while I was still airborne.