in a real fight. Since guns attract too much attention, and arrows are slow and difficult to use in close quarters, that leaves hand-to-hand combat. Can anyone tell me the limitations to fighting elite this way?”
“They’re too fast and strong,” a boy said.
“That’s right, Eric. The elite are much faster and stronger than any human. The best weapon, in close range combat, is a stake through the heart while they’re sleeping.”
“Why wood?” asked the first girl.
“Metal is too clean; the wound will seal, and they could still kill you, before you get away. A wooden spike leaves a big, round hole, it tears out micro-fragments of the cell walls. The wound is much slower to repair, and if they don’t pull out the stake quickly, it’ll be too late and the whole system will fail.”
I scoffed a little too loudly. So this was their plan for war – wait until the elite are sleeping and pick them off one by one? It might be practical, but it also seemed cowardly.
“You’ve got something to add, Chosen?” Steve glanced up quickly, using the title like an insult. In the compounds, it had always been an honor: an elite term of status and power, to be treated with respect and deference.
“Just that the elite will fight back. And they’re almost never alone. To get near one, you’d have to take out a dozen guards first.”
“Exactly,” Steve smiled. “Which is what we train for. Even with elixir, which will make us stronger and faster, no human can consume enough to defeat an elite. Once one is alerted to your presence, all you can do is run. But in order to defeat their guards and troops, we need elixir to fight our way out. Since we have a special guest today, perhaps I could convince her to give a demonstration of the fighting styles taught at the citadel?”
He waved a hand for me to come join the class, but I crossed my arms and leaned back against the bench. I wasn’t in the mood to fight, and I hated the idea of giving this group of child-assassins any extra knowledge. Master Svboda’s class had been a dojo to me, almost a temple. I’d spent weeks learning how to fight and defend myself, generally getting my ass kicked. I wasn’t going to perform for this bastard’s sick pleasure.
“Come on,” he said. “We’ll make it a fair fight. A drop of elixir each.”
Camina stiffened next to me.
“Make it two and you’ve got a deal,” she said, standing up.
“Jacob isn’t going to like this,” Marcus said.
“Then don’t tell him,” Steve sneered.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, reaching for her arm. The elixir had healed her wounds, but I could tell from her pale, sweaty skin that she was still wrestling with the addiction, which would slow her down in combat.
Camina smirked at me. “He shot you. The least I can do is punch him for you. Besides, I won’t get better by sitting around. It’s time to get back to training.”
Camina tied her hair into a ponytail and stretched her arms and neck, before climbing over the short wall into the enclosed rink. She was nearly as tall as Steve, but without all the muscle, which made her look frail next to him. He took out a small vial with an eyedropper and placed two drops on the back of his hand before lapping it up with his tongue, like a cat cleaning its paws. He did the same for Camina. She frowned, keeping her eyes on Steve as she licked the blood off her skin, staining her lips red.
Then they circled each other slowly. They both moved quickly, with precision, testing each other’s defenses. Steve struck first, jabbing with strong blows, but Camina swatted each strike away before ducking under the last and slapping Steve on the butt, making the kids laugh.
He turned and charged, this time going for her center of mass. She boxed his ears as he tackled her to the ground, lifting her off her feet and slamming her down on the hard floor. Before he could pin her, she wrapped a leg around his neck and twisted until she was on top of him. She got in one good punch before he tossed her to the side. She rolled to her feet, and rather than waiting, attacked with a flurry of kicks aimed at his stomach and chin. He blocked most of them before grabbing her leg and lifting her up