Chapter Six

Kalum

I stand in the middle of the Moon Field, a hidden field in the heart of the forest that the White Cove Coven planted to protect us years ago. Eddie, Jake, Ben and Alex stand there with me. We are putting on our training armour. It is a thin leather armour that wraps around most of our bodies. The armour is infused with magic that protects us as well as clearly shows if we have received a fatal blow. Heat burns through my wrist and I turn towards the forest and there she is. Emira steps into the clearing and the sun illuminates her. Her long platinum blonde hair hangs down her back. It sways as she walks and I can see the bright fuchsia color that has taken over her tips. I love it. She wears a thin pink tank top underneath her armour along with a pair of white shorts. The same pair of boots she wore yesterday are on her feet. A light brown leather belt wraps around her waist, nearly melting into the armour. It looks like decoration but I know that her twin blades are strapped to the back. They are of course magic so right now they are only handles, but as soon as she reaches for them, their blades will show. I watch the pink vines on her right wrist and feel as my love for her builds inside of me. She looks up and meets my gaze. A smile spreads on her lips. Stella, with new red highlights, Natsuko, with golden highlights, and Hanna, with purple tips, walk next to her, all wearing the same sort of outfit but with different weapons. Hanna has a light brown leather long sword sheath strapped onto her waist, Natsuko has a dozen small daggers hooked in small belt loops all around her waist and Stella carries a spear. They also look up at their soulmates with the same goofy grins. They all skip over to us.

"Okay!" Alex calls our attention to him as he steps up in a large rock on the outskirts of the field. "I am in charge of your practice today so I have created two teams. You will fight against each other. First without magic and then with magic. If your armour glows orange, you have been hit but not fatally, if it turns red, you have received a fatal blow and you are to fall where you stand until the fight is over. This is incredibly important as there has been an increase in demon attacks. We need to be ready. Understood?" Everyone nods. "Good. The teams are following: Team one, Kalum, Hanna, Ben and Natsuko. Team Two, Eddie, Emira, Jake and Stella. Go to either side and wait for my mark." Emira turns to me with a wicked grin.

"You're gonna lose!" She says with her hands on her hips. I laugh and pull her tight to me. Her breathing speeds up and I grin.

"Really? I think it's the other way around." I say by her ear. "Good luck my sweet Emira. I'll go easy on you, it has been a while. And I love the hair." I kiss her forehead and turn to my team. Looking over my shoulder, I can see the bright red blush creeping into her cheeks. She turns and half walks half runs to her team. I smirk and walk with satisfaction to my team. Ben pats my back while Hanna and Natsuko roll their eyes. "Are you ready? I sorta said that we would win." More eye rolls. Then nods. I smile and turn to face the other team. They stand battle ready. Eddie stands with his hand wrapped around his sword's handle. Next to him, Stella twirls her spear and it's tip glistens in the sunlight. Jake stands tall, a long black obsidian sword rests across his broad shoulders. He is a carbon copy of me, but a little bit shorter. In the middle stands Emira. She holds her twin swords by her sides. They shine silver in the sun's light. Their hilts are wrapped in leather and a Witches Mark in pink sapphires. She looks up at her brother. Alex raises his hand and whistles loudly. The fight starts. I race forwards, followed by my team. Eddie reaches me first. His long sword clashes against my obsidian blade. I push him back. He growls and throws his full weight behind his next attack. I see the manoeuvre coming and easily side step it. Seizing the moment, I slice his back. My sword makes no mark on his armour, but a red glow comes from where I sliced him. Eddie lies still, pretending to be dead. I run over to Hanna who is locked in battle with Stella. Hanna's sword is long, but Stella's spear is longer. Hanna can't land a hit on Stella and there are already orange spots all over her armour. Stella raises her spear over her head for a final blow. I race forwards. Stella begins her attack but my blade stops her spear. Hanna doesn't hesitate. She stabs Stella's armour above her heart. The armour responds and glows bright red. She's out. I look over to Ben and Natsuko. They have both been battling my little brother Jake. Ben has fallen to the ground, a long glowing red line covers his torso. As I watch, Natsuko throws her last dagger at Jake and it hits its mark. A red glow grows over Jake's heart. Natsuko looks up at me and Stella and smiles wickedly, flipping her long fiery ponytail over her shoulder. A shadow moves behind her.

"SAM! BEHIND YOU!" I yell at her but it's too late. Emira races up behind Natsu and slices across her back with both of her blades. Natsu falls to the ground next to Ben and Jake. All eyes are on me and Stella as we push our backs together. We spin in slow circles, looking for Emira. Sunlight catches on a set of silver blades that drag across Stella's stomach. She falls down, keeping her eyes on Emira. Emira stands in front of me, her blades hanging loose at her sides but I know that in half a second's notice, she will be ready to attack. We circle each other slowly. She jumps forwards and initiates the fight. I raise my sword and block hers. She pushes her swords but when it comes to strength, I have her beat. I push back and she takes a forced step backwards. I stalk after her and get on the offensive. She blocks me every time, but with each step she is pushed further and further back. I duck as she swings her blades towards my head and slice her side. An orange glow spreads on her side. She curses and goes into a deeper defence. I back her into a tree and trap her there. She ducks and kicks, trying to find a way away from the tree. But I have her trapped. She raises her swords and I raise mine, preparing to block her attack. But she drops them both and drops to the ground. She whips out a white hilted dagger from her thigh holster and stabs my armour with it. A red glow emits from armour that wraps around my torso. I look at Emira and she smirks. I chuckle and fall backwards, pretending to be hurt. My friends laugh out loud and clap Emira on the back. She joins in the laugh whilst she sheaths her dagger and blades.