Page 178 of A Soul to Touch

Margo, the fucking mountain of a woman, was holding back Klaus and Henry by herself.

Margo and Mayumi were evenly matched in polar opposite ways. Where Mayumi was swift and agile while wielding enough strength to hold her own, Margo was pure brute strength with just enough speed to make her a frightening opponent. Bothwere cunning, both were intelligent, and both would fight with every part of their bodies, from their hard heads to their strong, sharp nails if need be.

They both could wield any weapon handed to them, Mayumi hitting her target dead-on every time, whereas Margo would give an impact that could shatter the whole target altogether.

No wonder poor Klaus and Henry were struggling.

But I have never seen Cordon fight.

The rumours stated he was deadly. As quick as a snake, as strong as a bear, and as cunning as a fox.

All of which she experienced now.

Her knee had been bashed from the side by one of his kicks, and her cheek was hot and aching from when he’d smacked the pommel of his sword into her face. Then there was the shallow sword slice she had down her arm.

She’d managed to slash him across the cheek and torso, but it wasn’t enough. She’d given up her sword, and he’d just taken her whip.

Standing back, she caught her breath when he did. Her lungs were on fire and wheezing dry breaths burned her throat. Her heart was a deafening drum in her ears, and her skin was slick with sweat. She was so hot that not even the frosty chill in the air could cool her.

Cordon’s blue eyes still held a piercing, unrelenting gaze that had not once fallen since the fighting started, but his shoulders lifted and fell with each of his heavy breaths. She’d been giving it her all, and he was obviously tiring just as much as she was.

She expected him to sprint at her. Instead, he opened his stupid mouth to prattle at her – and she hated when enemies did that. ‘I’m big, strong, smart enemy, you small, dumb woman. Me fight you and win. Grrr.’

Ugh, she couldn’t think of a more idiotic way to waste breath.

He didn’t lower his weapon as he spoke, but even if he had, she wouldn’t have dared lowered her own.

“You could have been one of the best of us,” Cordon said with a shake of his head, already threatening to make her eyes roll. “Had you not been so foolish to keep that blood sack within you, you could have been one of the greatest Demonslayers in all of history. At the request of your father, I made sure you were trained by the best. He knew you would exceed all of them in skill, and you proved him right. I was almost to the point where I was going to give you the rank of Elder, despite your rejections, and take you on as my underling. I was going to hand over my position to you had you lived long enough to receive it. You could have had power, secrets, and lived a long life within the safety of the keep.”

Mayumi’s features twisted into a sneer. “Your position sounds cowardly.”

“Cowardly?” he chuckled. “How so?”

“You hide yourself behind walls and send out people to die.”

“They made that choice, as did I when I enrolled. I didn’t get to this position by twiddling my thumbs. I got here by earning my place.” He took a step forward and held his sword out flat to point it at her. “You talk of cowardly, but how about your stupidity? How many people died because of what is between your thighs? Was the potential of being able to bring a child into this world so important that you thought so little of your comrades?”

“Why are we talking?” Mayumi asked with a mocking tone. “Have you grown so immobile in your years as a Head Elder, surrounded by parchments and quills, walking around the keep with your hands behind your back and looking down your nose at everyone else, that you require a break?”

The only reason she knew he was smirking was because of the way the corners of his eyelids crinkled. “Not at all.”

She heard her name being called by Faunus. She was about to turn her head to him, but Cordon changed his stance in preparation to swing his sword.

She took a step back and to the side to create space, hoping to get closer to her sword lying on the ground so she could dive for it.

The following roar Mayumi heard sent a chilling shiver down her spine. The tiny hairs covering her flesh stood on end when it felt like her bones filled with buzzing insects, a physical reaction to the anxiety that flew through her at the sound of Faunus’ call.

He needs me.

He needed help.

She had one weapon left, and she’d been gripping it for dear life this entire time. She no longer cared as she tossed it straight into Cordon’s meaty leg in order to stop his attack and slow him down.

There were weapons littered upon the ground; if she ran to Faunus’ aid, she was hoping to take up a new one – maybe even her own.

She turned so she could run, only to come face-to-face with Jace. Her face paled when she realised that Cordon had set her up in a trap.

No wonder the bastard had started uselessly speaking.

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