I came up with an idea for a much later book. It’s part of the final battle between Nyx and Trinity, which isn’t a spoiler because it’s made very clear that they are going to have a fight like this. My question has always been the how. They are incredibly powerful spellcasters, which usually leads to a draw. So, I came up with the following. It is more the middle of their battle and I would change it to include some spoiler-level info.
The smoke from the magical explosion clears as Nyx and Trinity get to their feet. Gentle tinkling of broken crystal draws Trinity’s attention to her palms and forehead. Her enhancer gems are shattered and falling to the ground, their destruction bringing tears to her eyes. With a primal growl, she lashes out at Nyx with a spell that sputters on her fingertips. She looks up to see Nyx arrogantly smile and try to throw her own spell, but only a trail of smoke wafts off her palms.
“You locked my magic,” they say together.
They stare at each other in silence until Trinity draws her stiletto from her boot. She flips it in the air a few times before tossing it over a nearby boulder. An approving smile crosses her face when she watches Nyx throw her mourning star and crossbow away.
“I can’t walk away from this fight, Nyx,” Trinity announces, sliding into a martial arts stance. The muscles in her long legs flex as she prepares to move. “If you don’t want to finish this fight then leave.”
“Stop tal-” begins Nyx before Trinity sprints at her. She is unable to block or retreat as the quick chaos elf hits her with a kick to the head.
Nyx stumbles to the side and gets her arms up to block another kick. She pushes the leg away and dives in to punch Trinity in the stomach, feeling an explosion of breath hit her neck. A knee strikes Nyx in the shoulder before her enemy flips over her. The solid kick to her shoulders sends her flying forward, landing on her hands and knees. Nyx immediately flips onto her back and swings her legs, catching the pouncing chaos elf in the chin.
“Bar fighting won’t help you,” Trinity mutters through her aching jaw. “I’ve been training to fight without magic since childhood.”
“I’ve been sparring with my friends,” Nyx declares, rolling to her feet and charging. She tackles Trinity, receiving a painful elbow strike to the shoulder. “Try having daily bouts with a barbarian and trying to keep up with a forest tracker and a gypsy. I think I’m more than a match to handle you.”
Trinity throws Nyx against a boulder and swings for a chop to the throat. Nyx manages to block her arm and grab the wrist, but she is gracefully pulled in for a choke hold. She can feel Trinity trying to snap her neck, but the struggling makes it difficult. Out of desperation, Nyx turns her head to bite into the soft flesh of Trinity’s hand. The chaos elf curses as she lets go while Nyx hold her bite to twist Trinity’s arm behind her back. Releasing her enemy’s hand, Nyx grabs Trinity around the waist and hurls her over her head. Trinity lands back first against a slab of rock and groans as she gets to her feet.
“What kind of move was that?” she asks, examining her bleeding hand. “You fight like a rabid beast.”
“I may be better trained, but I’ll always be a bar brawler,” Nyx proudly answers.
They charge at each other and crash like a pair of raging bulls. Nyx catches Trinity and slams her into the ground only to have her legs taken out from underneath her by a kick to her knees. Trinity pounces on Nyx’s back and begins beating on her head until Nyx flips her over and gets on her chest. The half-elf continuously slams her fist into her enemy’s face while knees strike her lower back. Trinity uses her legs to hook Nyx’s shoulders and they flip again with Trinity pinning the half-elf’s arms down. The beating is just as brutal as the one Nyx performed and Trinity grins as she feels blood on her knuckles. Nyx grabs a small stone and expertly flicks it into Trinity’s eye.
“You little-” Trinity starts to shriek.
Nyx grabs her by the hair and slams her face first into a boulder, letting the chaos elf collapse at her feet. Spitting blood on the grass, Nyx takes a few steps back and tries to get her aching head to clear.
“Get up!” she shouts at Trinity. “Get the hell up!”
Trinity fluidly rolls and flips at Nyx, driving her legs into the half-elf’s chest. As Trinity lands on her feet, Nyx trips over a boulder and falls on her side. The crack of broken ribs is like a siren song to the chaos elf, who leaps at the grimacing half-elf. Nyx gets her knees up to catch Trinity and grabs her by the wrists as they roll to their feet. With a shout, Nyx pulls on Trinity’s arms and slams her forehead against the chaos elf’s face.
“Savage brute!” Trinity yells, stumbling back.
“Losing your composure, your highness?” Nyx mockingly asks as she reaches out to grab Trinity again.
Spinning her around, Nyx attempts to smash Trinity’s head against a boulder. A tight fist grabs the back of her head and pushes her forward. The two woman slam each other’s head into the solid stone, leaving matching blood marks on its surface. They collapse to their knees, but find the energy to drag themselves away from each other. Using the boulders, they get to their feet and stare at each other.
“You know how this is going to end, Nyx,” Trinity gasps, pushing away to walk forward.
“To the death,” Nyx says with a cruel smile. “That’s how it was always going to end.”
