Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) by Cesar Gonzalez Page A

“I said where is Chonsey Meloth?”
    “Go on, Chonsey. Just do your best,” said Falcon.
    Chonsey staggered forward, trembling like a warthog headed for the slaughterhouse.
    Delita signaled Chonsey forward. “C’mon, dwarf. You think we have all day?”
    “You can do it!” cheered Aya.
    As much as Falcon wanted his friend to win, he doubted he would. Delita was too big. He easily weighed four times what Chonsey did. It didn’t help that Chonsey wasn’t much of a fighter either. Falcon knew his small friend would rather spend his afternoons painting a canvas than in a confrontation.
    The announcer stepped between both wielders. “No excessive attacks; just do enough to defeat your opponent. Is that understood?”
    “Yes,” answered both wielders. Chonsey’s voice sounded more like a whimper than a shout.
    “Begin!”
    Chonsey twirled his staff. A faint, blue glow started from atop his weapon and crept down.
    “He’s water wielding too slow,” said Lao, pointing out what was obvious to everyone.
    With shaky hands, Chonsey continued spinning his staff. Delita rushed and slammed into Chonsey, who flew through the air like a cloth doll and crashed to the ground.
    “Get up, midget,” growled Delita. “I’m not done having fun with you just yet.”
    “You can do it, Chonsey,” said Falcon. “Get up.” He wasn’t sure if his encouragement had done the trick, but his friend rose to his feet. His shirt and pants were now dirt brown. With loud breaths, Delita ducked and rushed Chonsey once more.
    Chonsey rolled out of the way, dodging his opponent’s reckless attack by a millimeter. He slapped his hands together and wielded a small wave of water that quickly made its way to the unsuspecting Delita. The weak attack soaked the back of Delita’s leather tunic.
    A roar of laughter rose from the crowd.
    “A bucket of water has more power than that!” shouted Laars.
    Falcon sighed. He hated seeing his friend mocked like this.
    The combination of the attack’s ineffectiveness and the laughter seem to destroy whatever little hope Chonsey still had. His lips quivered as backed into the wall.
    “Time to finish you,” said Delita as he rushed at Chonsey.
    Chonsey put up a water shield before him, but Delita broke through it as if it wasn’t there. Once again Chonsey’s frail body flew through the air. This time he crashed into a rack of weapons. Swords, lances, maces, and javelins of all sizes scattered on the dirt. 
    To Falcon’s surprise, Chonsey picked himself up.
    Delita stomped his feet and beat his chest. “I’m growing tired of you.” He brought both hands together as a medium-sized ball of fire formed between his hands. With a manic scream he released it.
    Chonsey brought up his water-infused staff. The weapon absorbed some of the attack but Chonsey took the brunt of it. He fell, face-down, to the floor. His body jerked a few times before it stopped moving.
    Falcon held his breath, as did most of the arena, as the medics rushed in. He allowed himself to breathe once he saw that Chonsey was conscious and moving. After a minute of rest, the medics lifted him to a mobile medical bed.
    As he was carried away, Falcon noticed Chonsey’s deep-set eyes look over to where the army officers were seated. Falcon knew who he was searching for, but he wouldn’t find him. Chonsey’s father had stormed out of the coliseum as soon as his son had stopped moving.
    Tears trickled down Chonsey’s cheeks and into the dirt. Falcon knew he wasn’t crying because he lost the fight.
    Before Falcon had a chance to wave goodbye to his friend, the announcer returned to the center of the arena. “Next up we have another fire versus water duel. Aya Nakatomi and Drusilla Nord, step forward.”
    “You can do it,” whispered Falcon just loud enough for Aya to hear. He and Lao gave her a thumbs up as she headed to the middle of the arena.
    Drusilla’s friends cheered her on. Unlike Aya, little beauty could be found in