The next month passed by in a blur. We held more meetings and kept an eye out for the spy. I was worried about Lily. If that person had heard everything that we had talked about, then Lily could be in serious danger. The person could wield a sharp sword with that information.
I tried my best to distract myself, so I continued to train. I improved by leaps and bounds. I practiced daily with Astrid, running the courses and sparring. Eventually, I was able to beat Gram with ease. I think Luka has been wary of my light ability ever since the competition. He always seems to be more on edge whenever I'm around or fighting someone else. I was eager for a second round to show him my progress.
I approached him one afternoon to ask him about a rematch. He was sitting on one of the many benches littered around the training grounds. He had just run a couple laps around the property and was coated in sweat. I sat next to him on the bench, keeping a respectful distance.
He grunted a greeting as usual. I was thinking about what I was going to say when I heard Gram approaching. He called out both of our names and hurried over. He was dressed in clothes to train in and was carrying his bag on his back. He stopped to catch his breath before speaking.
"Luka, where have you been?!" Gram exclaimed, clearly exasperated. "You abandoned me in the living room! I was looking for you everywhere!"
Luka only grabbed his water bottle and stared at Gram as he drank. Gram continued to ramble on about how rude Luka acted and how he should have waited. After Gram had finally finished, Luka looked at him with a cool gaze.
"So? I don't need you to be watching over me twenty four-seven, Gram. It's not like I'm going to do something dangerous! Besides, what can I do here at this boring estate?" Luka said. Gram fell silent, his face darkening. I could tell that Gram was actually hurt and slightly angry. He let out a frustrated sigh and started to leave.
"Luka, when are you going to grow up and change?" He called, before finally leaving. Luka grumbled something under his breath. I felt uncomfortable. I had just witnessed something that probably should have been private. I debated whether or not to leave, but Luka stopped me.
"What do you want?" he snapped. I flinched at his harsh tone. It reminded me of my foster parents. Luka mumbled an apology before asking again in a softer voice.
"Ah, just forget it. I forgot about it and I can't seem to remember what I wanted to ask you about," I rambled. Of course, this was a blatant lie, but after what I just experienced, I felt that it might not be the best time to ask.
Luka glared at me. "'Solis, when will you learn that you can't lie to me?"
I kept quiet. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "If you wanted to spar, you know you can ask me any time you want, right?"
My eyes widened. Whelp, either I suck at lying or he is just really good at detecting them. I shook my head, a small smile forming. Luka, noticing my reaction, revealed the tiniest hint of a smile.
"Come on," Luka said, beckoning me to follow. I walked to the sparring area with him. He disappeared into a shed and brought two wooden poles out. He tossed one to me and walked to the center of the ring. I followed and took up my position.
I was about to start when an idea struck me. I smirked. Luka noticed my smile and his eyes narrowed.
"Let's make a bet," I said. Luka raised an eyebrow and a devious grin slowly formed. "Are you sure you want to strike a deal with me?"
My smile must have answered his question because his grin widened. "So, what's your terms?"
I thought for a moment. I was curious about what had occurred beforehand and I wanted to find out more. "If I win, you have to answer one of my questions and...you owe me a favor. The same will go for you if you win," I finished, satisfied.
"If? Are you that confident?" Luka asked. "Let's find out!" I said, before lunging forward with my wooden pole.
In this match, we would be using any of our powers, only the wooden pole. We didn't use real swords because Archean would kill us if we got hurt.
Luka was quick and easily blocked my attack, pushing hard against my pole. I braced myself, gritting my teeth. Luka was physically much stronger than me which meant that I would have to rely on my wits to win. I disengaged and spun away, balancing myself. Luka came at me again. He disappeared from my line of vision. Realizing what was happening, I ducked. I felt the pole skim the top of my head.
I turned and struck low. Luka grunted from the impact, but he didn't fall. I took the opportunity to get up and step back. He swung his pole hard. At the last second, I was barely able to dodge it. I knew that if I had raised my pole, it would have been snapped in half.
As he lowered his pole, I pounced, hitting him square on the shoulder. He grunted, but he seemed to be prepared for this. That's when I realized, it was a trap. I couldn't do anything as he hit me square in my left shoulder, sending me tumbling. I gripped my pole tightly as I rolled. I would have lost if I had dropped it and it had hit the ground. I steadied myself with the pole.
Luka hit me hard with that pole. My shoulder throbbed immensely as I raised my pole. There was no way that I could withstand another hit nor would I be able to block any of his attacks. It seemed that I was really in a pickle. Crystal always love to whisper criticism or, very rarely, offer advice. This time she just ditched me.
'Don't even ask me. You are on your own.'
"Not like I was going to ask for your help anyways," I growled.
I dodged Luka's next attack. Suddenly, he stopped. "Hey, let's raise the stakes. If you win, you can have a dare and vice versa."
I smiled. This was totally worth it. A dare had immense power in our team. When someone dares you to do something, you are obligated to do it and if you don't...well let's just say that it wouldn't end well for you. "Alright, I agree!"
Luka grinned and ran forward. He twirled at the last second and disappeared. The next thing I felt was a wooden pole digging into my throat.
"Heh, ready to give up yet?" Luka whispered from behind me. I gritted my teeth and evened out my breathing. I wasn't done yet. With all the strength I could muster, I threw my pole into the air, grabbed onto Luka's pole.
"Never," I whispered, flipping myself over it, kicking Luka, and springing back, free. I jumped up and snatched my pole from the air. Luka steadied himself and smiled.
"You never cease to amaze me, but I want that dare," he said. He sprung forward with renewed energy. I parried his strikes, barely hanging on. I had to end this and fast. My thoughts raced, trying to find a way out. I had three options. One, break his pole. Two, make him drop his pole. Or, three, make him surrender.
Three was already out of the question. So, I would have to choose between one or two. I struggled with my thoughts as Luka rushed at me again. I crouched, dodging the swing, and this time, rolled. Yes, rolled. I slammed into Luka's legs, taking him down with me. I landed near his feet and shrugged off my dizziness as fast as I could. I swung, aiming to hit Luka's hands. Still slightly dazed, he struggled to regain his bearings and my swing slapped his hands.
He yelped in surprise and pain. He immediately dropped his pole and I dived forward and snatched it. I lost my balance and fell on top of him. He grunted in pain as I held both poles in opposite hands on either side of him. He looked at me with a surprised look.
"How did we end up like this?" he asked. I flushed hard and scrambled back, causing me to trip over the poles and fall hard. I groaned at my clumsiness and gave up, sprawling myself out on the ground. Luka stood over me and sighed. He held out his hand for me. I gratefully took it and got up. Luka grabbed both of the poles and put them away. He trudged back over to me, rubbing the back of his neck.
"How did you… how did that… " I grinned. He looked so confused that I started laughing. I laughed even harder when he was startled by my laughter. He sighed in defeat and shook his head.
"Ugh, I guess I lost the bet," Luka said.
"Yep, you know what that means… " I said, excited.
He heaved another sigh. "Yeah, I have to accept your dare."