~It All Hurts~

Tam didn’t know what to think anymore; her family was dead and she had caused it. 1

The rancid smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils, causing her eyes to water heavily, adding another layer of red circles. Tam wasn’t usually one to cry but the way they had died had left her a wreck. Walking slowly around what was left of her old house, Tam looked for a sign that her family might still be alive, but she already knew it was useless; the blast had been strong enough to demolish five houses, let alone her own fragile home. If only she had moved a little faster...2

* * * * *3

Tam watched her enemy closely, making sure that he didn’t attack before she was ready; if he caught her off guard Tam knew she wouldn’t stand a chance. The man before her was stronger and taller than her which meant she would have to rely on speed rather than strength this time around. She didn’t think herself weak; any woman who could teach herself the sword and beat half the senior students in the Academy couldn’t be weak, but Tam knew when she was outmatched.4

Tam had always thought that anything was possible if you trained hard enough. When Master Akosi had rejected her request to train in the Academy because she was a girl, her anger had flowed freely through her and it was only with the highest amount of self-control that she had narrowly avoided trying to kill him. Instead, she had resolved to teach herself the art of the sword. After then, she had realised that it wasn’t as easy as she had first thought; her dream of becoming the best swordsman was falling fast. She wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t fast enough; her whole body was ill-prepared for the torture she would have to put herself through if she wanted to succeed.5

Tam studied the man again, paying special attention to his stance. He hardly moved at all; only the flutter of his eyelashes and the slow rhythm of his breathing showed that he was even alive. The fight was at a standoff, each waiting for the other to make the first move, waiting out fear that came with the desire to move and not being able to. Tam had seen battles where the stalemate had lasted for hours, exhausting the warriors quicker than the fight itself; to feel a contest so close, to smell it in the air and still be waiting, frustrated even the most advanced fighters. 6

But patience was the first rule to battle.7

Tam knew this man well; it was the one reason she had challenged him after learning her had returned to her village, when she knew she hardly stood a chance. He had killed her brother in front of her eyes and left her to carry his cold, lifeless body back to her parents while he escaped into the night. Her brother had fought and died for her safety and tonight, she would have her revenge.8

"Damian." Tam spoke in a whisper, though just loud enough for her enemy to hear. "Are you ready? I’m not looking forward to standing here all day just because you aren’t brave enough to move."9

Damian raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Are you not the one who is standing there with knees shaking? There is no threat of me dying; you on the other hand, have no teaching and no idea of who you are up against. Your brother was a skilled swordsman, yet didn’t he also die at my hands? Little Tamitha, your brother died because of you; if you had not followed me from town, he would never had protected you and died."10

Tam bit her lip to stop herself from crying out and saying he was lying. His words struck her soul like glass, sending silver shards deeper into the open wound she had made for herself when she watched her brother die. Inside, she knew it was her fault, knew that Damian spoke true. That was why she had to fight.11

Tam glared at Damian and slowly began to unsheathe her sword. That perhaps was the strangest thing of the fight; neither Damian nor Tam had yet drawn their weapons.12

"Are you ready then, Damian?" Tam spoke is soft tones, weighing her sword carefully in her hands as if weighing her chances of survival.13

The man smirked. "Whenever you are."14

Tam nodded. "Go." Almost in synchronisation, they sprang forward, swords drawn back towards their hips, trailing after them like a silver streak; each sword promised a quick death for the fighter to slip-up. Metal clashed violently, ringing through the air like screams but neither Tam nor Damian bore any scratches yet. 15

"You can’t win." Damian sneered, flipping his sword to the right as Tam went to strike, causing her to stumble slightly. Damian smirked and stabbed downwards but Tam rolled under the sword, though not without being caught on the arm. Blood seeped slowly from the scratch, but Tam had only eyes for her enemy and payed no attention to her wounds.16

Damian and Tam were tiring fast; the fight was rapidly paced and even those trained for long fights would have trouble keeping up. Each knew that this was where the mistakes would be made and were ready.17

Tam made the first error; she assumed that Damian was tiring quicker and that her feet would always carry her out of the reach of him. Instead of trying to stay back, Tam began to grow careless when Damian missed her and so slowly began to lessen the distance between them, taunting him. Damian watched this with experienced eyes and let her grow closer, waiting for the right moment…18

"Stop." 19

Tam stared at her foe without understanding. Wasn’t this a fight? 20

"We’re both tired and I doubt the outcome will be good," Damian said, a touch of a grin twitching at his lips. He didn’t sound tired. "Perhaps we can settle this in an easier fashion..." Putting his sword roughly back into its sheath, he smiled gently and walked towards Tam with his arms hanging loosely at his sides, showing that he meant no harm.21

A frown creased Tams forehead as Damian drew closer and she took a step backwards, gripping her sword a little tighter. "What do you mean, Damian?" she asked, her voice betraying her by cracking a little.22

"Magic." He whispered back, eyes dancing. "Magic is the quickest way to solve any problem."23

"There is no such thing!" Tam sneered.24

"You don’t believe me?"25

"No."26

Damian licked his lips and pulled his sleeves off his hands. "Then, little Tamitha, I will show you magic, and perhaps you will no be so hesitant to reject its power..." Damian concentrated hard on the palm of his hand, muttering unintelligible words at it. Slowly, a faint blue tinge appeared, wrapping itself around his hand and was followed by a large sphere of crackling raw energy.27

"It’s not possible..." Tam watched in horror as the sphere grew to the size of a chicken, then almost equal to the size of a dog. 28

"Tamitha," Damian sighed, shaking his head, "I’ve told you that you had little idea what you were against; I have learnt how to destroy without the blade. Now, where should I throw this?"29

Tam almost laughed. "There is nothing around for miles! You would only hit trees!"30

"Are you so certain?"31

"Of course! I’m the only one who lives around here..." Realising what she had said, Tam turned to Damian with pleading eyes. "You wouldn’t! There’s a whole family in there! Leave them be!"32

Damian shook his head regretfully. "You challenged me. Be prepared for the consequences." Damian stretched out his arm in front of him, aiming for where the small house would be.33

"No! I won’t let you do this!" Tam ran forward, determined to stop him.34

"Too late." The energy flew from Damian’s hand, tearing through the trees like paper, ripping their roots from the ground. Tam listened tearfully as the sound changed when it hit the wood of her house and as screams were bit off suddenly. Collapsing on the ground, she wept, tears falling in droplets onto the dry ground.35

Damian glanced at Tamitha, but did not move to kill her; he regretted being so hasty and destroying lives without any reason but a dislike of Tam’s growing sword skills. Perhaps if she was trained, she could be of use to him, although it wasn’t certain if she would join him anymore. What weighed more; revenge or dreams? Either way, she would make an excellent student if she could only be persuaded...36

Damian sighed and left Tam where she was; he would return in a month and offer her the same power he had shown to her and hoped it would be enough.37

* * * * *38

Tam sighed deeply and tried to get the burnt smell from her mouth; she felt like she had swallowed half the ash around the destroyed house. 39

"It was my fault," muttered Tam, coughing into her jumper, "but I must live with it and move on; there is no other way. I will train harder, I will avenge my family and I will show the world exactly what I am capable of."40

Tam stood and watched until the flames around her house had died out. Looking to the future was fine, but first, you had to bury the past; picking up her family members one-by-one, she carried them to their graves. 41

Whispering to the wind, she closed her eyes. "I swear, brother, that I will have my revenge."42