Page 42 of The Lost Guard's Healer

I let out a chuckle. “No reason. I just think that’s funny.”

Bohan flushes with rage and charges at me. His anger will make him careless. But also formidable. I’ll have to be careful to use his anger in my favor.

Bohan goes for heavy punches, which I easily evade, while Wills rushes up with a jumping knee thrust. I move swiftly between them, gauging their prowess and thought patterns. They are brash and are openly indicating their moves to me, as expected. I side-step to avoid their attacks, block a punch and use the momentum to throw them off balance, and at times have to twist or dive away from them.

Wills comes at me with a thrusting kick, but I raise my leg to intercept, plant my foot against his, and push him back. He rolls through the dirt and knocks into the surrounding watchers.

Heavy grunts and footfalls tell me Bohan is charging from behind. He goes to grab me, but I spin around and bring my arms up under his arms to clasp my hands behind his neck. That traps his arms and renders them useless while my hands remain firmly locked behind his neck.

But he is a fiercely resilient opponent, and he tries to shake me off. I’m still not as strong as I used to be, but I manage to hold the arm lock. Bohan throws his head back as I quickly shift my head away. He would have knocked me unconscious with that blow.

I finally release him and shove him away. Wills has picked himself up and is coming at me from the side. I catch Wills’ punch and twist his arm, careful to not put enough pressure to break the bone, and flip him over my shoulder to slam him on the ground.

Bohan charges at me like a mad bull. I leap up and flip over him, twisting in the air, and bring my foot down to kick him as he passes. That elicits some impressed gasps from the spectators.

Wills fires off a series of punches and kicks, but he is growing tired and I evade them easily, not even needing to raise my arms. I start to sense the growing approval from those around us, as I show them what they could be capable of doing.

When Bohan charges at me again, I duck low to hook my arm under his leg and roll us both to the ground, bringing him into a firm lock with his arms and leg trapped. I allow him to stay helpless for a second, making sure others see what I’ve done, and release him when I sense Wills coming for another attack.

Wills comes low from the side. His arm flashes out and a cloud of dirt and grit hits my eyes. The shock of the impact stuns me and I feel myself drop hard to my knees. My vision is gone, and so is my confidence. It feels like my eyes are bleeding.

I throw myself to the ground to evade a punch from Wills, which I just sense coming. Then I have to roll to avoid angry foot stomps from Wills. I push myself to my feet, clearing the dirt and dust from my eyes, and manage to see distinct shapes through my blurry, stinging eyes.

A boot lands on my back and knocks me several feet through the air. My breath leaves me as I hit the ground hard and roll in a heap. I cough into the dirt, kicking up more dirt into my face and mouth.

“It’s over,” I hear Bohan say, his voice strained and exhausted.

I take a moment to clear my eyes, my vision gradually returning.

“That’s not fair,” Freddick says.

“There are no rules in battle,” Bohan says.

“We won. We landed a blow. That was the deal,” Wills says, panting heavily.

“They are right,” I say. “They won, fairly, even if they played unfairly.”

Zayne’s deep voice carries over the crowd. “Tarin showed us he is a capable, experienced fighter. Far beyond the skills of any of us. Even myself. Even the great Bohan.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Wills says. “A deal is a deal.”

“But that flip,” someone says.

“Or that lock he had Bohan in,” another says. “I want to learn that.”

Others chime in, making it clear they want to keep learning.

“Enough,” Bohan barks, forcing a silence. He glares at me, his chest still heaving from the adrenaline that must be coursing through him. His tone softens slightly when he says, “I don’t know anyone who could take on two opponents like that. You made us look like fools. Even if we won, I… I would still like to learn from you, outsider.”

“This is bullshit,” Wills says, seething. “You’re going to listen to him?”

“We all will,” Bohan says sternly, staring Wills down. He turns to me. “Yes. Tarin lost. He will leave as promised. However, before he goes… I would like to know how that arm lock move works.”

I smile at him and nod, relieved at the understanding and respect showing in Bohan’s eyes. “I’ll be happy to show you.”

“Very well,” Bohan says with a small nod of his own. There is no more aggression emanating from him. “Let us continue the training,” he yells to everyone, once again needing to be the leader of the group.

I continue the training and we go for hours, until almost dusk. This will be my last night with the Shanti People. I make arrangements to leave in the morning.

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