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I roared, the sound filling the arena and momentarily drowning out the crowd’s anticipation.
It was a battle cry, a challenge.
Sneik turned just in time to see me coming, his eyes widening in surprise, but he was too slow to evade the blow entirely.
The sharp clang of our swords meeting reverberated in the pit.
I could feel the shock of the collision travel up my arm, but it was quickly overshadowed by another sensation:
The ground rushing up to meet me.
Sneik, using the momentum of my charge against me, twisted and threw me off balance.
I landed hard; the wind knocked out of me.
For a second, I was disoriented.
But as I struggled to push myself up, Sneik loomed over me, his triumphant smirk plastered across his face.
The heat of his presence, the looming shadow, made my skin crawl.
I wasn’t going down without a fight.
In a last-ditch attempt, I summoned my bird spirit.
It manifested swiftly, its majestic wings unfurling as it shot down from the skies with a piercing cry.
With talons bared, it targeted Sneik’s face, hoping to blind or at least disorient him.
I felt the raw, primal energy of the hawk, its sharp eyesight, the smooth glide of its wings against the warm air, the quick beat of its heart.
There was a fleeting moment of satisfaction as I heard Sneik’s grunt of pain.
I could see streaks of red on his face as my hawk tore at him, and for a moment, hope ignited within me.
The scent of blood was overpowering, and the sound of the hawk’s triumphant screeches was music to my ears.
But the triumph was short-lived.
Another shimmering cage snapped into existence, trapping my hawk just as it had the other spirits.
The pit was littered with these shimmering prisons, a stark reminder of the psychic prowess of Sneik’s ally.
A heavy weight settled in my chest.
I pushed myself up on one elbow, my eyes seeking Nova.
The expression on her face mirrored my own despair.
The bright light of the arena cast shadows on her face, making her look both ethereal and so painfully real.
We had given it our all, but it seemed it wasn’t enough.
I met Nova’s eyes, and a silent understanding passed between us.
My gaze conveyed my regret, my sorrow for not being able to protect her, to keep my promise.
Sneik’s laughter echoed around the pit, his victory seemingly assured.
