Chapter 14: Battle of Cheaters
The clash echoed through the training arena again—and again.
Gabe lunged. Wesley darted forward.
The mop struck the sword.
The sword deflected the mop.
Sparks flew—imaginary or not, the crowd around them gasped with every blow.
They moved like a dance, fast and fluid, trading places so frequently that no one could remember who started on which side.
The scuffed flagstones bore the brunt of their footwork, a blur of heavy boots and sweeping steps, of grunts and panting and raw, growing exhilaration.
Once, Gabe’s back was to the sun.
Then Wesley spun, and in the next second, the angle flipped, and it was Gabe squinting into the light.
Again and again they rotated across the courtyard’s center, circling each other with primal rhythm.
A cheer rang out. Then another.