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Another ball of Fire popped into Hazel's hand. "Not if I kill you first, bitch. "
Instead of answering, I threw myself at her.
I stabbed out with my knives, trying to end Hazel once and for all, but she reached for even more of her magic, turning her fists into two flaming torches. Every time I swung at her, she thrust the flames of her magic into my face, making me retreat. So I reached for my Stone magic, used it to harden my skin, and went after her again.
Hazel realized that I was coming after her through the flames, and she stepped up to meet me.
Slash-slash-slash.
Whoosh!
Slash-slash-slash.
Whoosh!
Every time I swiped at her with my knives, Hazel reached for even more of her magic and tossed it in my direction. Since I didn't want to get burned alive on the spot, I kept my distance.
Finally, though, I grew sick of Hazel's game and stepped through the flames toward her. One knife to the heart, and she'd forget all about using her Fire power on me. She'd forget about everything except how much I'd hurt her.
And I did so want to hurt her.
But Hazel was as good a fighter as I was. Strong, quick, decisive, ruthless. Every time I lashed out with a knife, she managed to block the blow. She punched out with her fist, flames shooting out from between her fingers, and made me duck to one side. I came back up on the left with a knife, but she was already there, anticipating the blow.
Slash.
Punch.
Slash-slash.
Punch-punch-punch.
And on and on it went, with neither one of us able to do any real damage to the other. All we were really doing was wearing each other out and using up all of our magic in the process.
Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Grimes watching us while we moved in circles around the yard. Every once in a while, he would turn and throw a ball of Fire at the woods, forcing Bria to use her Ice power to counter it, and keeping the others pinned down there, but mostly, he watched me battle Hazel.
Yeah, he'd be the kind who liked to watch. I wondered if this was another way he got his kicks, besides torturing people in his pit of death or hunting them down like deer in the woods. I hoped he enjoyed the show, because he was going to get a front-row seat for round two. I was killing him as soon as I finished with Hazel.
I shut Grimes out of my mind and focused all of my attention on Hazel once more. Back and forth, we fought, kicking up dust, dirt, grass, gravel, and everything else that was underfoot, as though we were in the center of some whirling dust storm.
Finally, though, I saw an opening, and I took it. I raised both of my knives high and went in for the kill.
Hazel caught one of my hands in hers, then the other one. We seesawed back and forth, with me trying to drive the blades into any place on her that they would go and her easily using her mix of giant and dwarven strength to keep me at arm's length.
"What are you going to do now?" she hissed, the flames of her magic licking at my skin, trying to break through the protective shell of my Stone power.
"How about this?" I hissed back at her.
I head-butted the bitch as hard as I could.
I caught her square in the nose, the bone crunching like cereal under my forehead.
Snap, crackle, pop.
For the first time, one of my blows actually seemed to have an impact. Hazel staggered away, blood spraying all over her face, her eyes rolling up into the back of her head. The Fire dancing on her fingers dimmed down to a manage - able level. I twirled my knives in my hands and went after her, pressing my advantage.
Slice.
Whiff.
