A servant suddenly appeared at Ro's elbow. Holding up a towel covered hand.
"I'll take those." He said. Ro didn't know what he was talking about until he pointed with his free hand at one of her daggers. "We'll clean and oil them then return them to your room."
"Uh sure." Ro carefully placed the wickedly sharp daggers on the towel. The servant wrapped them up and walked quickly towards the building. Ro grabbed her weights from the seat they were on and slowly put them back on. Then she was unsure of what to do now. She looked at Alexi, lost.
"That was two very good fights, dear." Lady Alexandra told Ro. Ro looked at her mouth. The clan leader remained silent.
"Thank you, Lady Alexandra."
"You may sit by me while we watch Alexi's fight."
"Yes, Lady." Ro said. Alexi stood. He still hadn't looked away from Ro.
"Now it's my turn to impress you." He said with a dark smirk. The intensity of his gaze made Ro's body feel warm.
"Alexi, you have to impress us all. Now have a good fight, my darling boy." Lady Alexandra corrected. She looked at Ro and patted the vacated seat next to her. Ro hesitantly sat.
Alexi stretched as he walked. All of the remaining guards followed him. They formed a circle around him as he stopped in the center of the court. There were nine of them.
"Begin!" Yelled the clan leader.
Alexi just stood waiting for the first attack. After a moment the crow directly opposite him charged, thrusting his spear forward. Alexi turned to the side and as the crow's momentum carried him forward, Alexi thrust with his elbow smashing him in the face.
Blood spurted from the crows nose as it was crushed. The next strike came from overhead and behind before Ro could even blink. Alexi jumped back and in the same movement swung the butt of his spear up and into the attacker's stomach. He continued the movement, swinging his spear around him in an arc. Air burst from the spear tip knocking back three more would be attackers. Then he was forced to perform an overhead block, stopping the downward slice of another spear from behind.
Alexi bent back and kicked a charging crow in the chest. Turning as he righted himself, he brought his spear down, slicing deep into a crow's shoulder. He thrust backward with the butt of his spear pulling it free of the first guard and hitting another in the stomach. He spun to the left, slicing as he went and catching another crow who didn't back up fast enough in the right thigh.
Three guards came at him at once now. One from the front and two from the back. Alexi turned his head and saw them coming. Instantly, he spread his wings and shot from the ground. He released one hand from his spear and opened it. The crows were following when the sandy dirt Ro up over taking three of five remaining guards as they flew up after him. It wrapped around their trailing limbs. Alexi closed his fist. As one the three caught crows cried out. As the dirt fell away, the crows dropped to the ground clutching whatever limb had been caught by it.
"Lady Alexandra, what did Alexi just do?" Ro asked quietly Lady Alexandra didn't look away from the fight. Alexi was now trading blows with the three remaining crows.
"That was compaction. It is an earth magic that can compress almost anything until it applies tons of pressure. Alexi compressed the dirt and crushed their legs and arms." Ro felt sick. That was a powerful weapon.
"Thank you for explaining that, Lady." Ro said softly.
"It's no trouble." Lady Alexandra replied.
Ro returned her focus to the fight in time to see Alexi spin and avoid the attacks of the two remaining guards. The third was on the ground not moving.
Alexi knocked them back with gusts of air. Then looking straight at Ro, he smiled. He dropped the tip of his spear across his body to below his left foot, then swung it up in an arc over his head. A roaring filled the air as a wave of shadow followed the spear. It slammed into the crow behind Alexi and drove him to the ground where his body hit with a sickening thud.
The crow laid unmoving where he fell. Alexi turned to the other crow and sent blades of air spinning at him. The crow deflected them then charged. They traded blows for a while, then Alexi spun allowing the crow's spear to pass him. He caught it in one hand and pulled it from the guard's grasp. He let it fall to the ground. Turning with a vicious smile, he stabbed the stunned crow through the stomach. The crow clutched his belly and dropped to the ground, leaving Alexi alone in the air.
Ro felt cold. Alexi had just beaten nine well trained adult demons in under ten minutes. If the Ky and Laine were this good, she wouldn't be able to beat any of them and she would be claimed. She swallowed hard as Alexi flew over.
He landed with a smirk just in front of the bleachers.
"Well?" He asked. His eyes staring at the pale faced Ro.
***
"You lost." The clan leader stated with disapproval. Alexi's smirked faded into surprise. The clan leader pointed to his left arm where a small scratch was trickling blood. Ro had no idea when that had happened.
"It's just a scratch." Alexi retorted.
"It is bleeding. You lost." Alexi's eyes darted to Ro. Lady Alexandra nudged her lightly in the ribs.
"Say something nice." She whispered. Ro cleared her dry throat.
"You were amazing!" She said trying to sound bright and cheerful. "That was very impressive." Alexi's gaze darkened as he looked at her. Ro fidgeted feeling uncomfortable.
"Regardless of what some human thinks, you lost." The clan leader stated again, placing emphasis on the word human to show his disgust. "Which means being in that class is making you sloppy. I will talk to the Chancellor and have you transferred." Alexi looked sharply at his father.
"No."
"What do you mean no?" The clan leader's voice became louder.
"I mean no, I don't want to be transferred." Alexi said firmly. The clan leader's face turned an interesting shade of crimson and he opened his mouth, readying to say something. Lady Alexandra forstalled him by talking first.
"Honey, Alexi is an adult now. He gets to make his own decisions." She said gently.
"But he is making a bad decision based on his desire to be near a human." The clan leader's voice was thickened by suppressed anger.
"Well maybe there is a comprise he would make." Lady Alexandra pressed. "Alexi, what do you suggest? You know things cannot remain as they are now." Alexi frowned thinking, then he smiled.
"Roselyn trains with one of the best sparring partners I could ask for. Have me the school assign me to train with them."
"And who is this person?" The clan leader growled.
"Laine Niklausen." Alexi replied. Lady Alexandra smiled happily.
"We know him. We tried to get him when he had just graduated but he went with Battlelord Itoko instead." She looked at her mate who was glowering. "I think this is a wonderful compromise." She turned to Ro. "And how would you feel about spending more time with Alexi?" Ro face showed her confusion.
"Well…" she said slowly. Lady Alexandra's face turned colder.
"Surely, you're not saying you wouldn't like to spend more time with my son?"
"No, no. I was just thinking how it could work." Ro hastily replied. "He could spar with Zephyr while I work with Laine. Zephyr is always wanting to fight." Alexi looked at her in surprise.
"Who is this Zephyr?" The clan leader asked Alexi.
"He is another member of the top six. He has the same rank as Laine." Alexi replied his eyes fixed on Ro.
"The school assigned this human two tutors?" The clan leader sounded incredulous. Alexi was silent, and Ro realized she had made a mistake by mentioning Zephyr. "Well?" the clan leader pressed.
"I believe he is training her of his own free will." Alexi replied slowly.
"Then this Zephyr is voluntarily wasting time on some worthless human?"
"Father." Alexi warned. Lady Alexandra sighed resignedly.
"What your father means to ask, is why is he doing it?" Alexi opened his mouth to reply but he was cut off by a snarl from the clan leader.
"I already know why he's doing it. She is spreading her legs for this Zephyr and probably the other one too!" The clan leader thrust a shaking finger at Alexi. "And somehow she has managed to convince him that he's special." Ro felt shock as though she had been slapped in the face. She turned white then crimson.