Channeler's Choice (12 page)

The bleachers weren’t quite packed. While there were three grand tournaments a year where all the races competed together, today was just a regular tournament. The first grand tournament wasn’t until the end of February. During regular tournaments each different martial art held their matches at different times.

Eren watched the Mayan matches closely, trying to learn each girl’s strengths and weaknesses. Halfway through the Mayan guys’ matches, Aiden and Caitlin had to leave to get ready for their own. It killed Eren that it wasn’t her in there getting ready for a fight. She was supposed to be the Rector after all, and Caitlin wasn’t even a warrior channeler. But her maestro told her that if she kept learning at her current rate, she’d be able to compete in April’s tournament. That kept her going.

She and Fane sat among maybe forty other kids waiting for the next match to start. Several adults were rearranging the mats in the middle of the gym to suit the change in fighting style. The ring for Mayan fights was much bigger because the style had more kicks and throws, requiring a lot more room than Irish boxing.

“
I’m thirsty. Would you like to come with me to get something to drink before the matches start?” Fane asked.

“
Sounds good,” Eren said.

They left the gym for the quieter halls and made their way to the concession stand set up in front of the main office. A Tibetan girl with a long black braid draped over her left shoulder gave Fane a shy smile. He returned it with a distracted look.

“
What would you like, Eren?” Fane asked.

“
Root beer.”

“
Root beer and a water please,” Fane said to the girl behind the counter.

The girl moved to fill two large paper cups but her eyes remained on Fane. A blush colored his cheeks and he turned away from the girl’s direct gaze. Eren had to work really hard at not laughing.

“
Root beer? Really, Cuz? That’s a lot of sugar,” he said.

Eren shrugged.

“
The body is a temple, after all,” the girl chastised Eren as she handed them the cups.

The smile she gave Fane was so ridiculously huge that Eren couldn’t hold back a laugh this time.

“
Guess my temple needs some sweetening,” she said.

As Fane thanked the girl, Eren turned around and almost ran right into some guy’s chest. His power felt familiar, and unpleasant. Not painful or anything like that, but kind of like oil the way it slid over her, leaving her feeling dirty. To see the guy’s face Eren had to step away, the concession stand counter biting into her back.

“
I’m sorry I didn’t see—” she started to say but the rest of the words died on her lips.

Familiar brown eyes stared down at her with a mixture of disgust and anger. She placed the feel of his power. It was one of Luke’s old friends, Claud. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw three more were with him, all of whom she recognized. She started breathing way too heavy as she flashed back to that night last October when she and Fane had fought these four. Back then, they hadn’t stood a chance, but things were different now.

Straightening her back, Eren made a fist and let a little of her power build around it in a blue halo. Beside her, she felt Fane’s power start to surge. Claud’s eyes widened.

“
Whoa, Aiden’s girl, we ain’t here for trouble. I just want a candy bar,” Claud said, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

But he was full of it and Eren knew it. The only thing making him back off was his fear; she could feel it tainting his energy and see it in his eyes. She used it to give her strength, feeding off it as though it was a meal she desperately needed. It gave her the confidence to take a step into him. He moved back and didn’t look happy about it. Reaching out, she grabbed Fane’s hand and pulled him to her. Backs together, they worked their way free of the four boys step by step.

“
It would be in your best interest to leave us alone,” Fane warned once they were clear.

“
Don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re just here for food,” Claud insisted.

“
Yeah, and I feel like having Mexican,” another boy said with a laugh.

Eren’s guts clenched. Both of her hands started to glow as she thought about blowing the cocky look off the boy’s face. Claud slugged the second boy in the chest none too gently.

“
Shut up,” he told him through gritted teeth. “No trouble here,” he reiterated as his gaze returned to Eren and he took a step back.

After a few reluctant glares passed between them, the others stepped back with him. Claud blew Eren a kiss that made her shiver in a bad way. Curling her lip back in disgust, she flipped him off.

Claud licked his lips and grinned. “Any time, baby.”

“
Not in any lifetime. You aren’t worthy of touching a hair on my cousin’s head,” Fane snapped.

The group of boys laughed as she and Fane backed away until they rounded a bend in the hall.

“
Well played,” Fane whispered as they went through the gym doors.

Eren gave him a weak smile, her stomach too ill to risk a response. Shaken, but determined not to let it ruin her night, she followed Fane back to their seats.

The corner judges were getting into position for the first match as she and Fane sat down. Once the shaking stopped, Eren was able to concentrate on the matches. Kids thirteen and under were first. While Eren couldn’t really pick up any moves or tips from them, it did give her a chance to see how the Irish matches worked.

By the time the high school girls’ matches began, Eren had a good enough grasp on it to concentrate on the fighting. It wasn’t quite full-contact, but she was a bit shocked to see that it was bare knuckle boxing. But then, it wasn’t really like channelers could break their knuckles as long as they used their power to strengthen them. The match was a point based system. Points were rewarded for each scored hit that the judges caught and agreed upon. A judge stood in each corner and another was mobile around the ring.

When Caitlin came out for her first match, Eren and Fane started cheering. At first Eren was surprised when she discovered that healer channelers also competed in the tournament. It wasn’t exactly something she imagined healers doing. But then Fane explained to her that every member of a Society had to be prepared to fight to defend the Society. The tradition dated back to the time of persecution and was still honored by the tournament he said. To keep things fair, warrior channelers weren’t allowed to use their power against healer channelers.

Most of Caitlin’s curly blond hair was pulled back into a tight bun, revealing her fierce countenance.

“
Wow, she looks great,” Fane murmured.

“
I wish she could hear that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her blush,” Eren said.

Fane laughed and looked quickly away. “Oh I have.”

Eren bumped her shoulder into his and would have made him give a detailed explanation, but the match started and her attention was drawn to the ring. Their banter eased the tension from Eren’s shoulders and stopped her power from humming below the surface of her skin. Sitting here, joking with him, she could almost forget about Luke’s creepy friends. Almost.

In the ring below, Caitlin dodged, weaved, and struck out so fast that her movements were hard to follow. Her feet were as fast as her fists and her opponent could barely keep up. Some of the punches looked like they could break the bones of a normal human despite being light contact for a channeler. They couldn’t use their power as a weapon like warrior channelers did but the fight was still impressive.

The girl was no match for Caitlin. It was over by the end of the second minute-long round. In the high school matches one could knock their opponent out (which was crazy hard to do to a channeler) or they could follow the two methods that also applied to the younger kids, score ten points, or score the most points after five rounds. Ten points had sounded easy when Fane explained it, but then he’d pointed out that each strike was only half a point.

With a grim look, Caitlin reached across and shook her opponent’s hand. The head judge stepped forward and took both of the competitors’ hands in his. After a dramatic pause he thrust Caitlin’s hand into the air. Fane and Eren’s cheers echoed above all the others.

Caitlin went on to win her next three matches. There were two other rings set up with matches going on, but Eren and Fane only paid attention to the one Caitlin was in. This was why it came as a complete surprise to them when the only two fighters remaining were Caitlin and Bridget. During a five minute break, Caitlin sat and meditated on the sidelines while Bridget stretched and paced about. Eren smiled at that, wishing she could be the one down there getting ready to pummel Bridget.

The four judges took their corners and Caitlin and Bridget entered the ring. They faced each other, only a few feet apart, and at the head judge’s cue, they knocked their fists together. Bridget with her prissy, overly made up face, couldn’t glare as effectively as Caitlin could. It was almost comical. As the judge raised his hand they stepped into fighting stances.

“
Begin!” he hollered as he dropped his arm and moved back.

The two danced around each other, testing out a jab here and there. Caitlin threw an upper cut beneath Bridget’s block then caught her so hard with a left punch that Bridget’s head whipped around.

Both Eren and Fane flew to their feet cheering. Caitlin went in for another strike, but this time Bridget caught her with a fast right hook. It looked like her fist had glowed just a little but it was hard to be sure. If it had, that meant she’d used her power to enhance her strength. Hardly even fazed, Caitlin threw several punches towards Bridget’s solar plexus.

Anger crawled beneath Eren’s skin like army ants. She knew Caitlin was going to take a few hits but she hadn’t realized how mad it would make her. If Bridget used her power, then she’d cheated. A protective urge seized Eren and she couldn’t shut it off. The need was almost overwhelming. She was only a few heartbeats away from embarrassing the hell out of herself by running down there and attacking Bridget. A moment before she stood, Fane’s hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

“
Whoa there, Cuz. You’re pouring power all over me. I hope you’re not thinking what I think you’re thinking,” he said.

His touch eased the burning of her power and helped clear her mind a little, but she continued to watch the match out of the corner of her eye.

“
Father said this might happen. Eren, listen to me!” he demanded.

His words broke through the desperate need to protect that had gripped her, but just barely.

“
What do you mean?”

“
You feel protective of her because you’re her Rector. I would have warned you, but I had no idea the feeling would be so strong. I’m sorry.”

Understanding what the feeling was helped Eren relax and get it back under control. She hadn’t realized until now, but the over protectiveness had caused her body to start vibrating in preparation for channeling. Had she really been that close to making herself the talk of the whole school? Oh God, she felt ill.

“
How did you know?” she asked.

“
I could feel your power rising,” he said.

“
The vibrating.”

He shrugged. “No, I felt it before that. It’s hard to explain but it’s almost like it pulled at my power.”

A whistle blew and time was called, drawing their attention back to the match. They had missed the end. The judges convened briefly then the head judge went to the center of the ring and took both girls by the hand. People were on the edge of their seats. The judge thrust Bridget’s hand into the air. Fane and Eren weren’t the only ones booing. Caitlin was quick to pull her hand from the judge’s and leave the ring. She paid the ring judges a respectful nod before dashing off to the lockers.

Eren wanted to slap the smug look from Bridget’s face. She started to rise. Fane’s hand tightened on her arm, pulling her back down.

“
Let it go, Cuz. You’ll have your chance to fight her soon enough,” he said.

The crowd settled back down and most of them took their seats. People started to come and go as the judges prepared for the Irish boys’ matches. Bridget paused to talk to a group of girls on the sidelines. Ten minutes later, Caitlin emerged from the locker room wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, her wet hair clinging to her. Gaze flicking to Caitlin, Bridget said goodbye to her friends and started toward the locker room. Caitlin slowed and gave Bridget a dirty look. Pretending not to notice, Bridget flung her hair from her brow and kept walking.

Eren would have stormed down there if Fane’s grip hadn’t held her in place.

“
Hey guys,” Caitlin said as she climbed the bleachers to them.

Sighing, she sat down in front of Fane and leaned back against his legs. Heedless of her long, wet curls, Fane leaned forward and put his arms on her shoulders.

“
You fought valiantly. It was inspiring,” he said.

“
Jeez, Fane you’re hard to follow. ‘You did great’ sounds so lame after that, but you did do great Caitlin,” Eren said.

Caitlin grunted and gave Eren an apologetic look. “Not good enough. Sorry, Eren, I really wanted to beat her for you,” she said.

“
Thanks, but you didn’t have to. Just watching you pummel her was great,” Eren said.