Broken but not lost

Chapter 5, BRIAR

Flynn stares at me a moment longer than I would've liked him to, but that doesn't stop him.

"Okay, Flynn. Why are you here? Who were all the people back in the lobby that I didn't recognize?" My mouth just started blurting out questions before I could stop myself.

He chuckled deeply. "I thought you were smart enough to figure it out already I suppose."

I sneer at him when a wave of realization hits me.

"Y-You're from Belholt?" I stutter. I've never met someone, that wasn't trying to kill me, from the border. We're enemies. We're not even supposed to be this close to them.

"Ah, so you are smart enough."

"Would you stop it! W-Why are you here? We haven't crossed the border there's no reason for you to be here. This whole group is under orders to kill you guys if you cross it to Redmage!"

"Then why haven't you killed me yet?" He smirks.

Damn him.

Damn myself.

I lunge for him, reaching for my sheathed knife, only to find that it wasn't there. That doesn't stop me.

I jump kick in the air, he uses a defensive move to block it with his arm. I swing a punch to his jaw which he quickly dodges by ducking under and going around.

When I spin I find him holding my damned knife.

I have every feeling that my eyes are shooting daggers at him right now. He frowns in a mocking way and that's the last straw for me.

I click the button which pushes my hidden blade from my sleeve. I swing, and he jumps back, again, again, again, until his back hits the stone wall I was recently leaning against.

He holds out his arms in surrender and I walk closer to him, my arm out and my blade pointed at his neck. I kick my knife from his hand and it slides across the floor.

My hand is burning, my fingers are throbbing. I'm dizzy. But I can't put the knife down. I can't kill him either.

I can. I would.

I just don't want to. He helped me.

He also infuriated me.

I lose my balance from the dizziness, I lean just barely to the side. He senses my hesitation and takes his chance. He punches my injured wrist, causing me to cry out and fall to the floor and draw my blade back into my sleeve. He kicks my side, forcing me the rest of the way down and I fall flat on my face.

He presses his knee to my back with unnecessary amount of pressure and his hand to the back of my neck to keep me down.

I'm too weak to stand anyway. Too light headed.

"Looks like twice I've pinned you now. Do they even train you how to fight?"

His words are just an echo in my ears.

"I would've killed you already if that's why we were here. I had many chances to and I didn't. I have no reason to."

Echos, echos.

"Briar?"

Echos of nothing and everything all at once.

I feel the release of pressure from my body and I'm finally able to take a breath, but I just lie still.

"Briar.." he says my name like a warning.

He flips me onto my back and all I can see are dark spots. Did I eat? It's not usually this bad when I don't.

As my eyes close and I feel my brain begin to rest, I feel arms go under my legs and around my waist, and the feel of the hard ground is no longer there.