“Where are you taking me this time?” Samantha asked as the train took them past the stop that would have taken them to the older part of the city and the store front that they had gone to train the first time. Instead they were going a few stops further down and with the moon as high as it was, the train car was almost entirely empty. After eating they had taken Samantha’s bags to her new motel and then hopped back on the next one to the new and elusive training spot that the pair of them had discovered.
“Yeah that place has seen some better days,” Dick said leaning against the pole of the train. “We had to move to a new location. The shop got bought. Think they’re going to renovate it.”
“Great, I’ll loosely miss that place.”
“Don’t worry captian. You’ll love this new one” Dick saluted and pointed as the train lights highlighted a building with heavy graffiti. Most of the windows had been shattered to the point where finding some with a working window was a tall order. It had at least five levels and when Samantha looked at the ground she saw a half open garage.
“Was this a ware house?” she asked as they got off at the train stop.
“No idea.”
“Parking garage,” Lily said taking the steps a few at a time going toward the large half open door. “Long time ago. Now it’s just abandoned. Especially now. When we need to get practice in we come out here.”
Stepping under it, Dick and Samantha followed her in. Street lights from outside poured in some orange glare but the shadows were long. Samantha walked toward the far wall and looked up the ramp to the higher floors. “Please tell me you don’t practice on this floor.”
“Of course not. Have more faith in me than that,” Dick said and pointed up. “We go to the third floor most of the time. Sometimes up to the second or the fourth.”
“Never up to the roof though Dick keeps trying.”
“I just want to see the stars and the moon light while we train. Is that so wrong?”
Both girls spoke together and said, “Yes.”
“Well fine then,” he shrugged his shoulders and backed up looking at the overhang from the next floor. “Manifestar.” He said under his breath and thrust both his arms forward. The chains came to life as they flew and latched onto the concrete.
With a pull he jumped forward the chains remaining taught. He raised his legs up to clear the jump and landed with a smile. He felt the chains slide back around his arms and nodded happily. Walking over to the edge of floor he waved at them. “You guys coming?”
Samantha sighed and glanced at Lily. “I’m sorry I left you with him.”
“Please. Six months is nothing compared to seventeen years. Go meet him up there. I’ll take the stairs like a normal person.”
She laughed shaking her head slightly. She tapped the ground with her foot and launched herself into the air on a small pillar of ice. Clearing the overhand and landing on pavement, she turned to face Dick. There were still some faint lines where the parking spaces would have been.
She walked toward one of the pillars and saw the deep marks in it from something sharp. She touched one of the deeper gouges and turned back to Dick raising her eyebrow. “I take it that was you?”
“It might have been.”
She shook her head and then smiled. “So, Dick, let’s see what you’ve got. Have I taught you the rules for sparring?”
“Betty gave us the run down while you were gone,” Lily said coming up the stairs slowly and leaned back against the concrete wall and held up three fingers. “Something like fencing a clean hit scores a point. Three points marks a winner. Any hits on the face take away a point.”
“Exactly.” Samantha clapped her hands. “Can you play by the rules Dick?”
“Before you guys start let’s drop it to two points,” Lily added. “It’s already late enough and we are not skipping school tomorrow.” She glared at Dick.
He took a stance, “Fine by me. Whenever you’re ready Capitan.”
She smirked and raised one arm as her geist formed around it. The gauntlet gleamed in what little light it could catch and she got into a stance holding an arm behind her back. Dick glanced at her arm and then her. “And I thought I was the cocky one.”
“Oh don’t worry Dick. I’m definitely respecting you. Now get ready or I’m coming for you.”
He threw his hands down as the chains rattled against the ground. They shifted on the slowly and he crouched staring at her.
Neither moved for a long moment and Dick flexed his hand and the chain shot forward like a snake. It launched at her chest and she raised her gauntlet creating a circle of ice. The chain bounced off it and he swung again as it shot back at her.
She ducked underneath it and punched the ground, a tiny pillar of ice shooting up. The chain whipped around it, wrapping around the pillar tightly. She hit the ground again, a pillar shooting her to the side as the other chain crashed into the ground.
Rolling across the ground she got to her feet. The other pillar shattered as Dick’s brought both chains back to his side. Closing her fist, she dragged her hand through the air leaving trails of ice behind and then created four knives of ice. Turning she threw them all at him.
His chains reacted instantly breaking them and sending clouds of ice and snow in his face. When his chains lowered Samantha was in his face. She stepped on one chain and kicked at his legs. He jumped backwards and she jumped after him touching the ground. Ice flew forward striking at his shoes. He stumbled backwards almost entirely but one of the chains shot into the ground going rigid and keeping him upright.
Samantha dashed forward and tapped his chest with her knuckle the other chain a hair away from her back. “Close but score one for me.”
“One point for Samantha,” Lily confirmed holding up a finger.
“Alright. That was good,” he said getting up slowly and he shook his shoulders out a bit. “Next point is going to be mine.”
“Sure sure.” She walked back across the garage and got her stance grinning. “Show me what you got.”
Dick watched her carefully and then threw his arm in the air. The chain whipped off the ground and flew at her like a spear. She watched it then crouched as it sailed over her head. Touching the ground, a thin pillar shot up going through the links of the chain and holding it back.
The second chain was already on its way and she rolled out of its path watching it slam into the ground. Narrowing his eyes, he swung his arms at her and the chain arced around to wrap around her.
She gasped, the speed of the chain catching her off guard. Rolling backwards avoiding the touch of the chain she heard the pillar break. The first chain darted at her and she jumped to the side and watched the chain chase after her like a pair of starving wolves.
The other chain flew at her from the side and she threw her hand at the ground. It iced over behind her and she slid backwards but the chain was too fast. It grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her off the ice, the other jabbing her in the stomach. She grunted and stood up as the chains went slack and slid back to Dick.
“Gotcha Capitan,” he smirked.
She stood up and nodded slowly rubbing her stomach lightly. “So that’s one to one,” Lily said and nodded. “Next one wins it.”
Samantha nodded and raised both her hands the armored one in front. Dick raised both hands, fingers spread as he kept his eyes on her. “Still not going to use your full geist?”
Samantha chuckled and shook her head. “You want to lose that badly?”
He glared for a second and the chains pointed at her sharply. “Intentalo.”
“Your funeral,” she took a step forward and stomped the ground, the geist manifesting around both her hands, her feet and the mask around her mouth. “Remember you asked for this.”
She slid forward on the ice and crouched, dragging her hands across the ground. Dick threw both arms forward the chains flying at her. She crossed her arms in front of her face and the chains stopped inches away from her chest. The edges iced over and sank like rocks.
Panicked Dick swung his arms together and the rest of the chains flexed and broke the ice circling around to chase and slow her down. As fast as they were though, they were predictable to her eye. The chains finally caught up to her, flanking on both sides before darting at her.
She crouched down as the links wrapped around but suddenly she wasn’t there. Or rather she was a few feet ahead rolling forward, leaving a perfect replica of ice behind her. The chains wrapped around the statue and cracked it but she had moved on.
Jumping forward with a boost from a pillar of ice she launched at Dick landing a solid punch to his chest. He skidded backwards a few feet and sank to his knee. Groaning he rolled over on his side and tried to stand and couldn’t manage it yet. “What the heck was that?”
“That was my training,” she said with an innocent smile. “Two points for me.”
Lily clapped a few times and whistled. “That was very impressive.”
Dick rolled onto his stomach and picked himself off the ground. Groaning he said, “Alright. Alright. You have to teach me how to do that.”
“With time and practice my friend. You’ll get there,” She said “A few quick pointers if you want them.”
“I can take some constructive criticism.”
“You rely on your chains too much,” she said pointing at his wrist as the chains rattled on the ground.
“What do you mean? That’s kinda their thing, right?” he asked as one jumped off the ground and wrapped around his arm. “I think and they do something.”
“Yeah but you have to remember the chains are still weapons,” she said. “The fact that they move based on your thoughts is an extra benefit. Remember when you swung your chains and you redirected them after sending them out?”
“Yeah but that was kinda a spur of the moment thing,” He said and motioned toward the chains. “Read my mind.”
Samantha nodded. “You’re an instinct kind of guy. Try this. Grab one of the chains and throw it, then pull on it with your other hand. Redirect it that way and let the chain do the rest.”
Raising his eyebrow, he looked at her but she motioned toward one of the pillars. “Come on. Hit that pillar while facing this way.” She walked toward him and pushed him forward and rotated him slightly so that it was directly adjacent to him. “Do your best, the chains will correct for it but you’re doing the work.” He looked at her for a moment and she nodded with a smile. “Trust me.”
“I have since we met,” he said and whipped his arm forward the chain following suit. Taking a step forward he pulled on the chain and felt it grow taught against his skin as it turned at a sharp angle. His eyes followed it out of the corner of his eye as it arced past the pillar faster than he was used to.
“Whoa,” he said under his breath. “I missed but wow.”
“Wow indeed,” she said. “Practice that a few more times. You’ll get the hang of it. Try holding onto the chains when you do it. Just flinging them around like that is only going to work on wraiths for so long.”
Nodding again he brought the chains back and spun one slowly in hand. He motioned to send the chain again when Samantha got her phone out and checked the time. “It’s getting late.”
Dick checked his phone and mumbled under his breath. “My tio has been blowing up my phone. I’ve gotta head back home and come up with an excuse.”
“I’ll go with you,” Lily said. “He likes me remember?”
“Si,” he smiled at Samantha and rubbed his chest again. “Guess I’m back to you teaching me the robes. But I’m fine with that. I’m a fast learner remember?”
“I hope so. As the captain how well you do makes me look good or bad.”
Both Lily and Dick walked over and hugged her and she hugged them back sighing softly. When they stepped back Samantha motioned for them to go. “Go home. I’m going to be in the city for a little longer.”
Dick rolled his eyes, “Doing patrolling even though you just got back.”
“I want to get reacquainted with my home. So not patrolling. Just walking. Leave me be. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
Saying their last goodbyes she watched them leave and head back toward the train station. Samantha took a slow deep breath and grunted, her chest and shoulders aching from the exercise. But she was impressed. Dick had grown, at the very least in his decision making. She could only imagine what Lily had gotten up to since then.
Quickly moving up to the top of the garage she faced a brisk wind and shivered but smiled at the skyline. The city glowed orange with flashing colors here and there. Some reflected off the river and others were high in the sky from overhead planes and other vehicles. She could hear the faint echo of car horns and voices. Leaning against the small wall she closed her eyes and let the sounds wash over her.
The Harlequin Library 