To Touch a Warrior Read Online Free

at the six students across from them, three women and three men. All were slight of build, but then, Communications and Engineering specialists hardly needed to be expert fighters.
    “You!” Professor Irtundrew out the word as he circled to the other side of the room and stared down the row of small, pale students. “Chances are if you ever see any real combat, it will end in your deaths. You will show the basic understanding of the techniques I’ve instructed you on, because it is required of you.”
    “And all of you…” He turned to face us, his gaze sliding down our line, hesitating as our eyes connected. “The academy does not allow fights to the death. Apparently, your precious parents would complain. But you will learn to fight, and you will learn to do it well. Understand?”
    “Yes, sir!”The men and I answered as one.
    “Good.” He nodded. “Let’s get the less exciting fights over with first.”
    We circled the outside of the mats. William and Sanders were up first. Both the redhead and her friend look toward her. She smiled her most reassuring smile.
    “Go!” the professor said, clicking his timer.
    The entire fight was so cringe-worthy that Hannah wished she could look away. They danced around each other for a painfully long time before Sanders hopped on William and pinned him to the ground.
    Professor Irtun clicked the timer and rubbed at a spot between his brows, his expression pained. “Next.”
    After three rounds, the winners fought each other. In the end, Sanders was the champion of her group of students. The professor didn’t congratulate her. Instead, he scowled and asked her and the rest of her group to sit to one side of the room.
    William hadn’t made eye contact with Hannah since his fight, even though she shot him a sympathetic glance as he crossed the room.
    “Now…” Excitement finally crept into the old Keltair’s voice, “the interesting stuff.”
    He crossed to a dark cabinet in one corner and pulled out a dagger that glittered in the bright light from the large windows. “The champion of these matches will receive this symbol of their superiority. This is a Keltairian dagger.” He spun it in his hand. “Perfectly balanced.Diamond-tipped blade.Anda laser that can cut through six inches of solid steel.”
    “Damn right!” Greg shouted, elbowing Hannah slightly.
    Brody and Peter bumped chests.
    Hannah rolled her eyes. She’d heard of daggers like this one, but never held one. It was exciting, but the guys didn’t have to go all bro on her. Constantly having to prove what cool guys they are must be exhausting.
    “The winner will carry this weapon on them until the end of the next session’s fights, when a new champion may be named. At the end of the year, the student who kept the dagger the longest will get to carve their name here.” He opened the cabinet to reveal a long list of scribbled names. “Does everyone understand?”
    “Yes, sir!” they shouted.
    “Good,” the professor said, putting the dagger away. “Now, here are our initial matches. Greg and Hannah will be up first. Brody and Liam second. And Peter and Gurlock third.”
    There was a lot of bumping and grunting as the excitement built between the macho bro brothers, but she had to admit that she was excited, too. Stepping onto the mat, she grinned at Greg. He returned her smile with just the slightest bit of worry on his face.
    “Don’t look the Assassin in the eye!” Peter shouted.
    “Come one, man,” Brody taunted. “You’re zero for fifty with this girl. Don’t let it be fifty-one!”
    “Go!” the old Keltair shouted.
    She tossed her grin aside and came at him. His arms rose to block her, but at the last second, she swept his feet out from behind him. Climbing on top of him, she forced her forearm against his throat and wrapped the other one behind his head.
    He bucked beneath her, trying to throw her off. She increased the pressure on his throat.
    Rolling, he was suddenly on top of