Page 24 of Axios

Why is he angry with me?

Felix shifted a gaze between us. “Do as the other boys did. Attack and defend.” A sly grin spread across his face. “This shall be interesting.”

Once Felix joined the boys watching from the side, I faced Eryx.

Rain steadily poured down upon us and blurred my vision, so I wiped a hand across my eyes. That one moment of distraction cost me. His fist collided with the side of my head, knocking me to the ground. My hands sunk into the mud, as did my knees, dragging me back down when I attempted to stand.

Eryx kicked my stomach, and I flipped over to my back.

He stood above me, the dark clouds looming above him, and narrowed his eyes.

“To your feet!” he yelled through the chaos of the storm. “For once in your life, Ax, fight!”

The pain he inflicted on my body didn’t hurt nearly as bad as the rip inside my chest. My eyes burned, both from rain and unshed tears, as I looked up into the angry face of the boy who meant more to me than anything on this earth.

He reared back his arm and aimed for my face. Before he struck his blow, I rolled to the left, feeling thewhooshof his fist inches from my head. I stood and faced him. He didn’t hesitate and lunged for me.

Quickly, I moved to the side and pushed against his back. Unlike me, he didn’t fall to the mud and instead regained his balance on the slick surface.

When he punched me again, I blocked it as best as I could but his fist slid against my slippery skin and crashed into my cheek anyway. Not even a heartbeat later, he aimed again. My forearm slammed against his, and I pushed him backward.

He stumbled a little, and upon his faltering step, there was an opening to hit him.

But I didn’t.

Nothing would ever make me strike him.

“Hit me!” He barged forward and shoved against my ribs, hitting me so hard I felt the breath leave my body. “This is what you must become!” He jabbed me in my side. “A warrior. A man. Fight!”

I’d never heard him scream that way—filled with such fury and desperation. His words always came out calm and with each syllable measured carefully. Even when he issued commands during training with the other youths, his tone was loud, but controlled. His actions were that of a true leader who never resorted to threats to get a point across, but rather with truth.

Yet there he was; wild and with his composure broken. So different than the boy I knew.

The rain transitioned into a soft mist, and I was able to see him clearly. His eyes looked like that of a man who’d lost all hope.

When he hit me again, I let him. As his fists smashed into my torso, causing me to lose footing, I burrowed my heels into the mud to keep from falling all the way back.

The reason unknown to me, Eryx needed this. To punish me for some wrongdoing I unknowingly committed.

I made no noise as he bruised my ribs and dealt powerful blows to my stomach. But even though his punches were hard, I knew they weren’t at his full strength. He was holding back.

With each strike of his fist to my flesh, I saw the pain in his eyes, as if hurting me also hurt him.

Perhaps he was punishing us both.

“Why can’t you be like the rest of us?” Eryx asked in a defeated tone. His cheeks glistened, but not from the rain. “Fight, damn you.”

I could barely stand. Every part of my body ached, and blood leaked from my cracked lip and a cut on the side of my head. My right eye felt swollen, and my jaw was tight. But I hadn’t fallen.

Felix stepped between us, placing his hand on Eryx’s chest and pushing him away from me.

“That’s enough for today,” he said, looking between the two of us with a narrowed brow. His voice had lacked the usual demanding qualities, and instead he’d sounded wary. Then, he surveyed the boys around us and spoke in a more intimidating manner, “You are dismissed. Leave my sight and go clean yourselves.”

When I started walking, Felix slammed his hand across my chest and halted me.

“As for you two,” he continued. “I put you against each other to observe your actions when given an order that went against your personal beliefs. As a warrior, you will face such challenges. I did not like what I saw.” His gruff tone held compassion, as did his eyes. “This barrier between you… tear it down and repair the connection I’ve seen you build over the years. In all my years of trainingephebes, I have not once witnessed what you share.”

Without another word, he advanced toward the edge of the arena and left.