The relentless pummeling stopped.
The child gasped.
The Captain glared at Gavin. “What did you do to him?”
“What did I do to him?”
The magical assault suddenly made sense.
Had it been the boy? Did I have it wrong?
The woman, the request for help, even her home had all fit.
The only thing that hadn’t was the Captain’s response.
The Captain kicked, and Gavin brought his leg up to block. He rotated and followed through with the movement, stepping outward and lashing forward with his other foot.
It was a dance.
He twisted and turned, kicked and spun, drove one foot and one fist, using all of the various fighting techniques he’d mastered. It took everything in his power to combat the Captain’s moves.
Had he more space, and if he weren’t under this kind of attack while trying to hold onto a child, he might’ve had an easier time. Even that wasn’t a guarantee. The Captain was skilled.
“Where did you train?” Gavin asked.
“What?” The Captain was almost breathless.
“Your fighting style is familiar. You’re obviously well-trained. I’m just curious where.”
He was genuinely curious, but at the same time, he wanted to throw the Captain off to disrupt the flow of his attack. The man took a step back, regarding Gavin for a moment.
“I trained with Santos on the Isle of Isaw.”
“Interesting. I haven’t heard of—”
The Captain darted forward, using Gavin’s distraction against him.
Balls. He was skilled.
Gavin was tempted to set the child down, but if he did, then he gave up one advantage that he had. So far, the Captain hadn’t been willing to attack Gavin on the side where he held the child.
If the child could be used as a shield…
He hated the idea of using a child to protect himself, but he didn’t know if he had much choice in the matter. Not if the Captain was going to keep striking at him like this.
Gavin pushed the child forward, forcing the Captain to turn his attack. He relented, releasing the blow he would have lunged at Gavin with. Instead, he dipped down.
That was the opening Gavin needed. He twisted and kicked his foot out, connecting with the side of the Captain’s head. The blow would have been devastating and knocked most people unconscious. Instead, the Captain flowed with the movement, his maneuver making it so he absorbed even more of the attack than Gavin would’ve expected him to do. He shook his head and then rolled off to the side.
Gavin anticipated the roll. He stepped forward, simultaneously bringing his hand down in a hammering motion and his other foot up. One of the two would strike, but he had no idea which one it would be.
The Captain might jump up, and if he did…
His hand slammed into the back of the Captain’s neck. It hurt, like driving in iron. The Captain was thin but also wiry, filled with muscle, and the attack hurt Gavin almost as much as it seemed to be hurting the Captain.
Enchantments.
Gavin smiled to himself. That had to be what it was.
He’d fought many people over the years. Few had considerable magical power but many possessed magical enchantments. In his experience, those with enchantments were quick to use them. Against somebody with considerable training like Gavin, an enchantment might be the difference between surviving a fight and failing.
He darted back and reached for his core energy again. When the Captain turned toward him and started a new attack, Gavin twisted, pushing the child closer to the Captain.
Surprisingly, the child had not come around during the fight. If what Gavin now suspected was true, the child was the sorcerer who’d been attacking him, and Gavin had knocked him out by blasting through his assault.
The Captain ignored the next kick and turned toward him, swinging upward. His attack was off though.
With the way Gavin was fighting and how he held onto the child, the Captain didn’t have the same safe ability to continue striking him. He had to be cognizant of where the child was. Gavin started to shift his attack, changing how he faced the Captain, using the child.
Gavin landed another blow to the side of his opponent’s head. As before, the pain made it feel like he was striking iron. In any other time, he might’ve marveled at the enchantment and wanted it for himself. Having a way to withstand a fight would be incredibly valuable.
He was going to have to use some other strategy. He wasn’t going to be able to kick through the Captain; not without shattering his own leg. Gavin healed quickly and didn’t doubt he would recover, but he might not make it out of the fortress.
A different technique was needed, but it was going to involve something a bit more dangerous.
“Be ready,” he whispered to Gaspar.
“Be ready for what?”
“To run.”
He turned and shifted the boy from one arm to the other, the suddenness of the movement surprising the Captain. Gavin whipped his leg around and swung it up and over, connecting with the Captain’s head. A painful crunch rolled through Gavin. He didn’t know if anything was broken, but pain coursed through him.
The Captain cried out.
Gavin landed on his uninjured leg and tested the other. Maybe broken. Hurt and throbbing, at the very least. He didn’t know. He pushed the pain away.
He dove and collided with the Captain, slamming the man’s head against the stone. The Captain shook off the blow. Gavin turned, and his leg tried to give out. He focused on his core strength.
He’d done that too often during this attack. He needed to be more careful. Calling upon that core energy always seemed to weaken him, and at this rate, he might fail entirely before he managed to escape.
He spun, using the child’s legs as a weapon. The Captain darted out of the way and Gavin kicked, catching him in the groin. It was a cheap technique, but when fighting, cheap was often effective. The Captain grunted, crumpling to the ground.
Gavin started toward the door, and
