Page 67 of Eryx

Please obey me, I silently implored. I had no desire to hit them, but I would if I had to.

Fortunately, the boys heeded my warning and obeyed. Cassius swung at Demetrius, and the smaller boy ducked beneath his arm. But then he blundered and let his guard down.

“Demetrius! Never turn your back on the enemy,” I yelled, pacing as I watched them.

“He is not my enemy,” Demetrius said with a frown. “He’s one of us. My friend. Why should I strike him?”

By the gods, he sounded just like Axios. At the thought, I glanced at my lover, remembering how defiant he used to be on such matters. He never did hit me that day, even after I’d beaten him bloody.

“It matters not,” I spoke, moving my stare back to the boy. “Cassius may be your friend, but when you are on this field undermycommand, he is your foe unless I state otherwise. Fight or be beaten. Understood?”

Demetrius gave a sad nod and shifted into a fighter’s stance.

After they fought a while longer, I told them to separate and get back in line. As their instructor, it was imperative for me to reach them. Even with the threat of the whip on their flesh, neither boy had tried their hardest during the fight. Both had held back.

“Axios!” I kept my back to him but lifted an arm and waved him over. “Come here.”

My herd of youths knew of my companionship with Axios. They knew what he meant to me. And so, if I wished for Demetrius and Cassius to learn, I needed to show them it could be done.

I smirked as Axios hesitantly approached.

“I believe that in order to learn, you mustdo,” I said, walking over to Cassius and taking the stick from his hands. “However, observing is also among the methods of learning. If you witness a man leap off a cliff into water, without first checking the depth of the water, and he’s soon impaled by sharp rocks, you will know to always check a water’s depth before doing the same. Observing the foolish behavior of others allows you to avoid making their mistakes.”

Axios narrowed his eyes, and it took all the strength I possessed not to laugh.

Yes, my warrior, you’ll be my learning tool for the day.

I grabbed the rod from Demetrius and handed it to Axios. Our gazes met as he grabbed it, and suspicion sparked in his eyes. I stepped back from him and focused on the boys.

“I will be showing you defense maneuvers,” I told them before looking at Axios. I held my arms out to the side and taunted him with a smirk. “Strike me.”

No one had ever beaten me in a fight, not even Haden. And as much as I worshipped the ground he walked on, Axios wouldn’t fare any better. He knew the odds were stacked against him, yet he agreed to fight me anyway. A true Spartan.

Axios moved the stick between his hands, testing the feel and weight of it. When he began to walk, I mimicked him, both of us moving in a slow circle. I carefully watched him, seeing his chest move with his breaths, seeing the tic in his jaw as he calculated his attack.

And then he lunged for me.

Expecting the attack, I easily deflected it by knocking his rod to the side. I then used mine to strike his stomach. He showed no sign of pain as he regained his footing and swung at me again. Our rods connected in the air, and I smiled as our eyes met.

Every bruise I left on his body from this fight, I intended to kiss later.

He pushed forward, trying to break my hold. He might’ve even succeeded had I not shoved him with my shoulder and sent him stumbling backward. He lost hold of his stick and it fell to the dirt. As he bent to retrieve it, I brought my rod down on the middle of his back. He crashed to the ground, and I felt bad for hitting him so hard.

However, I refused to go easy on him.

“See why you never turn your back on your rival, Demetrius?” I said, slowly circling Axios as he lay in the dirt. “It leaves you vulnerable to attack. If this were a real battle, Axios would be a dead man for that mistake.” I stopped in front of him and kicked the fallen stick toward his hand. “Retrieve your weapon and rise.”

When Axios reached for it, I kicked his arm. The stick rolled farther out of his reach. He glared at me and clenched his jaw.

The smirk had faded from my lips. This gave me no pleasure. I took no joy in hurting and humiliating him. I did it because I loved him. If I went easy on him in training, he wouldn’t be prepared for the day we fought the real enemy.

Quicker than I expected, Axios snatched the stick from the dirt and rolled out of the way as I swung at him. I kicked him in the side, and he lunged to the left before my foot could collide a second time. His abdomen was already turning red from where I’d kicked him, but he didn’t let the pain slow him down.

Axios jumped to his feet and faced me with a defiant gleam in his eyes.

I smiled at his refusal to surrender.

“Good,” I said, keeping an eye on him as I paced back and forth. His eyes followed my movements like a hawk. “Again.”