Forbidden Queen

Katy

The next few hours pass slowly. We finally arrive at the location that the scouts have selected for our camp site. It is on a hill, open to the elements, but we will be able to see any enemy coming from miles away. Joseph selects warriors to stand guard and keep watch to ensure that Lucius forces aren’t able to creep up on us during the night.

Alex walks off to take charge of the camp. He is soon directing wolves to set up our tents and getting the cooks to prepare our dinner.

Joseph calls over one of the wolves that I haven’t met before.

“This is Graham, your highness. From now on in each training session I am going to pair you with a different wolf. They will each have different strengths and weaknesses, and it will be your task to work out a way to defeat them.

Last time you had to take down Alan whose advantage lay in his size and immense strength. Graham on the other hand is smaller, and has a less muscular physique, that hasn’t stopped him from being one of my best warriors. This is down to the intelligent way that he fights, he is able to assess each opponent and spot their weaknesses. He is a formidable warrior, who is adept at winning fights.

I want you to try and defeat him. Just as with Alan, you won’t succeed if you try to use the fighting techniques you have learned in standard warrior training. Graham has been training and fighting for years, you have no chance of winning this fight by conventional means. In the same way that you managed to stop Alan you need to find a way to defeat Graham, or at least buy yourself time to escape.

I look at Graham and try to think of the best way to tackle him. There are no sand or stones nearby to allow me to use the same tactics I did against Alan. There are however metal poles not far away that are needed to set up our camp. I figure that I could use one of these as a weapon, if I can get to them they will provide my best chance of winning. I look back at Graham, I don’t want him to guess what I am going to do.

On Joseph’s command we both take up our fighting positions, and then as quickly as I can I lunge towards the metal poles, hoping to grab one quickly before Graham can pounce.

He has already anticipated my move, and before I reach the poles, he is standing in front of them blocking my way. He doesn’t attack, he just stands there with a smirk on his face, as he watches me trying to plan my next move.

I hurriedly try to work out what to do. My instinct is to try and use one of the fighting techniques that Euan taught me. I move back into the fighting stance. I partially shift so that my claws are extended. I lunge at Graham’s neck hoping to be able to land deep scratches across his throat.

He is too quick for me. He grabs my extended hand and uses pressure to push me back, twisting my arm so my whole body is forced to turn. He moves forward and grabs my throat.

“And with that you are dead” Joseph says. The poles would have been a good weapon, but they were too far away. It was too obvious a move to fool an experienced fighter like Graham, who will already have worked out in any given situation what opportunities their opponent could try and exploit.”

“So how do I successfully defeat him?” I ask.

“Ignore you fighting training for the moment. Don’t move into a fighting stance. Stand loose, look and act frightened. Lucius and his warriors are not expecting you to fight back. They will know that you have been raised as an Omega. As soon as they get close enough you need to lunge forward quickly and thrust your fist into their throat.

Don’t try to make it the perfect move, there is no need to get your hand into the perfect fist shape, or try to shift so that you can use your claws, that will waste valuable seconds. Instead concentrate on making the hit before they realise what you are trying to do. A blow to the throat with reasonable force is going to cause your opponent difficulty in breathing.

I want you to try to defeat Graham again, using this technique” he instructs me.

“He knows what I am planning now I will have no chance of being able to hit him” I protest.

“Try again” Joseph insists.

I pause for a moment, trying to collect myself, before I attempt to attack Graham again. He just stands in front of me, the smirk has returned to his face as he waits for me to make my next move.

I leap forward as quickly as I can, my hand beginning to form into a fist, but before I can even get close to his neck, he has grabbed my hand again. He pushes me back, and then lets go, which cause me to stagger and almost lose my balance.

“Too slow, try again” Joseph orders.

I ready myself to attack again and lunge at Graham. Again, he manages to stop me before I get anywhere near his neck.

“Again.”

We continue like this for an hour. I am steadily getting more and more tired. My right arm is becoming sore and weak from being grabbed over and over again by Graham. I still can’t manage to punch him in the throat. I finally manage to get to within an inch of his neck before he is able to push my arm away, which feels like a result. It isn’t a hit, but it is the closest I have gotten throughout the training session.

“Good” Joseph tells me. “That was much quicker, you would probably have succeeded if you were facing another warrior who doesn’t know what you are trying to do. That is enough for today. Get some rest and tomorrow morning we will begin again with your formal warrior training,

I sigh with relief, I am shattered. All I want to do now is sleep. I won’t though not yet.