“You cheat!” Xavier spat, jumping to his feet and stepping angrily up to his father.
“No, it’s not cheating, son. You could prevent me from knowing your every move if you’d bother to practice your impediment.”
He was right.
“Damn right, I’m right!” his father answered his thought. “Now, quit whining and fight me. You wanted this!”
Xavier reacted without thought, and as a result, the king was caught off guard as Xavier propelled him twenty-five feet across the field. His father landed awkwardly, injuring his shoulder. Xavier turned, spotted his sword, summoned it to his outstretched hand, and turned just in time to parry his father’s attack. He countered with a complex move Ephraim had taught him a year ago. It sent the king reeling in defense, leaving his abdomen opened for a sharp uppercut that forced the breath from his lungs. The king reacted by stooping forward, which allowed Xavier to punch him squarely in the face. The king dropped to the ground as blood gushed out of his nose. Xavier raised his sword to finish with a kill strike, but the king sent him to the ground with his gravitational powers. Xavier squirmed but found he couldn’t move, and the pressure hurt!
Groaning, he closed his eyes, conjured his immolation ability and sent a wall of flames around him. The heat of the power broke the king’s concentration, and Xavier was released from the gravitational pull. Xavier stood and grabbed his sword, which had fallen a few feet from him when the gravitation had hit. Unfortunately, the sword had been in the line of fire, and the heat from his power had melted the sword so that it was no longer usable.
“Great!” Xavier muttered. So much for sword fighting.
The king approached, saw the state of his son’s sword and smiled. “So, we’re going without swords now? Ready for a little hand-to-hand combat?”
No! He wouldn’t stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat against his father.
The king threw his sword to the side and took off his armored vest and mask. Xavier mirrored his father’s actions. Without swords, there was no need for the armor. It would only get in the way and make his movements more cumbersome in hand-to-hand. His father was the first to attack. His first punch made contact with Xavier’s abdomen. With his breath knocked out of him, Xavier staggered in retreat, but his father kept advancing. Another punch came quickly and grazed his right temple. It would have knocked him out cold if he hadn’t dodged at the last second.
His father threw a left hook, and he threw up his forearm to block the punch. It only slowed the punch and nearly broke his arm in the process. Hand-to-hand was a losing battle. Xavier had to get some distance between them and resort to empowerments. At least with empowerments, he had the advantage.
Xavier thrust his hand into his father’s chest, but the king knew what was coming and turned his body at the last second. Xavier’s empowerment only grazed the king and sent him stumbling back a step or two. The king grabbed him, trapping his arms to his side in a strong bear hug. Barely able to breathe, Xavier squirmed to get free, but his father simply lifted him into the air so he had no purchase to throw him off balance. He began to kick the king anywhere he could. After making several solid, painful contacts to his father’s shins, the king took him to the ground, nearly squashing him under his weight. Chuckling, his father whispered in his ear, “Do you yield, son?”
“Never!”
The king chuckled louder. “All right, son. You’ve brought this on yourself.”
Suddenly his father pressed his fist against Xavier’s lower back, and Xavier cried out in pain.
“The kidney is an easy pain receptor. It can be used to subdue any opponent,” his father told him, easing up on the pressure he applied to Xavier’s back.
“Really. That’s good to know,” Xavier managed past a grimace.
“Do you yield?” the king asked again.
“Never,” Xavier hissed and tried in vain to buck his father off him, but it was like trying to move a brick wall. He tried to use his telekinesis to remove the king from on top of him. The king simply pressed his palm to Xavier’s forehead, and suddenly a cold sensation snaked through his body. Great! He had just taken his powers! Now what?
“Do you yield, now?”
“No!” Xavier’s thoughts reeled for a plan, but nothing came to mind. Suddenly he blurted with a grin, “What are you going to name the baby?”
The king froze and stared down at his son.
“What are you talking about?”
“My sister. What are you going to name her?”
“You don’t have a sister.”
Xavier’s grin widened. “No, not yet, but in a few months, I’ll have a baby sister. Lana’s pregnant.”
The king sat up suddenly and looked as though a feather would blow him over. Xavier took advantage of the king’s shock by knocking him to the ground, reaching into the king’s cloak and withdrawing a knife, holding it to the king’s throat.
“Do you yield?” Xavier asked with a smirk.
Surprised by how quickly the boy had gotten the upper hand, he gave him a nod. Xavier stood and helped his father to his feet. Jeremiah continued to stare at his son. He knew the answer to the question before he asked, but he asked anyway, “Were you telling me the truth about Lana? Is she… is… is she really pregnant?”
Xavier grinned broadly. “Yeah. I wasn’t making that up. I found out when I found her unconscious on the bedroom floor and I scanned her.”
The king suddenly raced from the pitch.
“Dad! Where are you going? Lana’s in the stands!”
The king froze and scanned the stands. He couldn’t see her, so he called to her above the growing whispers of the onlookers. “Lana Wells? Lana?”
Lana stood and began to make her way out of the stands to the king, but it appeared the king couldn’t wait that long. He jumped the six-foot wall, grabbed the ledge and hauled himself into the stands. He took the steps two at a time until he had her in his arms.
“Is it true?”
Lana gave him a puzzled look. “Is what true?”
“Are you pregnant?”
Lana glanced around, suddenly aware that everyone listened intently to their conversation. “I… I was going to tell you this evening. I found out this morning at my appointment, but yes, Jeremy, I’m pregnant.”
Jeremiah let out a loud whoop, scooped the woman he loved into his arms and kissed her. The stands erupted in cheers and laughter.
Xavier watched his parents from the field with a large smile on his face.
“Xavier! Xavier! Did you hear them?” Robbie blurted, racing toward him. “Lana’s pregnant!”
Xavier caught Robbie as she threw her arms around him. He hugged her close, spinning her in circles.
“I know. How else do you think I won this fight? I was a goner, so I played dirty and told my dad Lana was pregnant.”
Robbie giggled. “Well, didn’t your dad always tell you all is fair in love and war?”
Xavier smiled down at her before whispering, “Yep.”
He kissed her then and felt her melt against him. It was at that moment Xavier realized how right his father had been. Love and friendship were cures for loneliness and a broken soul. He had never felt so complete in his life. He had never felt so loved or at such peace. He was home! He was finally home.
The Prince of Warwood and The War of Kings Page 27
