Wooing the Echo by Lee Morgan

Author:Lee Morgan [Morgan, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78099-895-4
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
Published: 2013-08-30T00:00:00+00:00

13

‘I wander by the edge

Of this desolate lake

Where wind cries in the sedge:

Until the axle break

That keeps the stars in their round,

And hands hurl in the deep

The banners of East and West,

And the girdle of light is unbound,

Your breast will not lie by the breast

Of your beloved in sleep.’

—W.B. Yeats

‘I don’t want to hit you,’ he murmured.

‘I don’t care,’ Seth replied, grinning at him, his eyes shining darkly. ‘Come on, Christopher. I thought you wanted to be a warrior? That involved cutting people up with swords you know. This is just a punch in the face. But it’s the reality.’

‘I don’t wan—’

‘No one cares what you want!’

‘Seth! Can I at least explain?’

‘Explain what?’ Seth’s face was lit by moonlight and glistened with the sheen of sweat.

Christopher looked at him and shook his head. ‘I care about you too much.’

‘I didn’t tell you to stop caring about me. I told you to hit me. It’s just like with the rabbit.’

Christopher felt like he was about to cry. The response shocked him. He found he was still shaking his head. It felt wrong in his whole body and he was torn between his desire to please Seth and his own internal feeling that told him not to strike people he cared for.

‘Christopher,’ Seth sighed, standing back and crossing his arms, ‘I respect the fact that you won’t be bullied or ridiculed into it. But you know what? You wanted to learn to fight. You thought you wanted to be an old-school warrior and you want to be able to protect yourself and those you care about. I can’t do that without us hitting each other. So you’re going to need to accept, that for you to serve compassion and rightness, protect the weak etc, you’ll need to do violence.

‘Think of it as one of those Zen paradoxes if you like. Do violence to preserve gentleness. Whatever! Just fucking hit me.’

Christopher nodded. It was like with the rabbit. Something hardened in him, snapped into place but it wasn’t callous. It was about understanding and it came from the softness in him. With no anger or dislike Christopher punched Seth in the mouth with medium hardness. Seth stumbled slightly and his hand went to his face. Christopher felt sick to his stomach as soon as he saw the blood on Seth’s lips. But Seth grinned at Christopher.

‘Good, that was a decent punch,’ he said, licking his top lip free of blood. ‘I was beginning to think you were fucking soft.’

Christopher shrugged. ‘Maybe I am. But last time I checked punching people you love in the face isn’t normal.’

Seth raised his eyebrow. ‘So you love me do you?’

Christopher smiled and rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, you prick, of course I do.’

‘Love you too,’ Seth said, blew a sarcastic kiss to Christopher and punched him in the mouth.

The force sent Christopher staggering. He felt it jar his jaw and the dizziness of his brain impacting with his skull. Shaking his head he turned to look at Seth, a little shocked.

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