Dying Is My Business by Nicholas Kaufmann Page B

him.
    “What’s the matter, are you too lazy to climb up here, or are you just afraid of heights?” I taunted. “How many fights has the mighty Black Knight lost because someone got up on a chair? Are you always this pathetic, or is this a special show just for me?”
    The Black Knight rose straight up off the ground, levitating like a circus trick until he hovered at the same height as me.
    Shit. I backed away. Hanging in midair, the Black Knight took a step forward, placing one armored boot onto the Explorer, then the other. Balanced on its roof, the Explorer tipped forward under the Black Knight’s weight. He stomped toward me, the tip of his blade pointed at my chest. I backed up the incline of the overturned vehicle, raising my hands defensively.
    “I told you, we don’t have the box,” I said.
    He took another step forward. I got the feeling he didn’t care whether we had the box or not. He just wanted us dead. I took another step back.
    “Trent, get away from him!” Bethany shouted from the sidewalk.
    I reached the end of the Explorer, and stopped. There was nowhere left to go. Below, it was only a short drop to the street. I could easily make the jump if it weren’t for the fact that it would lead the Black Knight directly to Bethany and Thornton.
    The Black Knight took another step forward. Standing at the center of the vehicle now, his weight shifted the balance again. As the Explorer tilted, it threw both of us off our footing. I wobbled and steadied myself, but the Black Knight was wearing heavy, cumbersome armor. It took longer for him to regain his equilibrium. I wouldn’t have another chance to catch him off guard, I realized. It was only when I was already barreling toward him and saw the Black Knight lift his sword to skewer me that I realized I’d done something stupid again.
    I was close enough to grab the wrist of his sword hand before he struck. I struggled to keep the sharp edge of the blade away from me, not to mention the hooked barbs on the other side. This close to the Black Knight, I could see through the slits in the visor of his helmet, but I didn’t see anything inside, not even streetlight reflecting off his eyes. There was nothing on the other side of that visor but darkness.
    “Don’t let him touch you!” Bethany shouted.
    But it was already too late. The Black Knight wrapped the hard fingers of his gauntlet around my neck. The metal felt unnaturally cold against my skin. To my surprise, the fingers of his gauntlet grew even colder, burning my skin like frostbite as they squeezed. I struggled to catch my breath.
    Something wormed its way into me then, something dark and icy that flowed from the Black Knight and hollowed me out inside. It sapped my energy. I felt sluggish all of a sudden, exhausted. I had to force myself to stay upright. Desperate, I moved one hand away from the Black Knight’s wrist and clutched the metal gorget over his neck. We wrestled, locked in our awkward embrace as we tried to overpower each other.
    The Black Knight’s sword inched closer. I gritted my teeth and pushed harder against him. The icy metal fingers sank deeper into my neck. The frozen blackness inside me continued its work, draining my energy. In a few moments I would either black out or my windpipe would be crushed. Probably both. I pushed as hard as I could, every muscle in my body tensing to the breaking point. My head throbbed. It felt like I was going to explode.
    Suddenly, a bright, bluish-white light poured out of my hands and spread like lightning across the Black Knight’s armor. He released me, and the cold darkness that had been spreading through me dissipated instantly. He stumbled back and staggered from side to side, rocking the overturned car precariously. Then he doubled over like a drunk in pain.
    I stared, my mouth hanging open. What the fuck …?
    I didn’t have time to think about it. The web of bluish-white light around the Black Knight sizzled out. He started to