3: The B

arenas carved from the bedrock, the air thick with the scent of sweat, ozone, and the metallic tang of dried blood. This was wh

She had traded her travel-worn clothes for a suit of dark leather and reinforced mesh, her hair braided tightly a

ded. He had shed his tunic, revealing a torso mapped with

ked, though his eyes hel

ocus," Ava replied, stepping

toward Selene, who was already waiting in the pit, rolling her shoulders. The

lethal blows. The first to yield or be pinned loses. If Ava stays on her feet for ten

adow. Ava barely had time to react, dropping into a low crouch as Selene's kick wh

aining to be a Luna-to be a diplomat and a healer-while these people had been bred for conq

l. Left, right, high, low. Ava blocked and parried, her bones jarring with every impact.

pinning Ava's arm and slamming her shoulder into the wall

ief that had been weighing Ava down suddenly transformed into a

against her. She grabbed the warrior's wrist, twisted, and drove her elbow into the soft tissue of Selene's ribs. W

t went

with a faint, primal amber light. She didn't look lik

ots. He looked at Selene, who was pushing herself up with a begru

low rumble that only she could hear. "You have the fire,

e her skin tingle. "Tomorrow, we move for the Iron Gorge. You will lead the western flank. But remem

s a luxury. I'm focused. I want him to see me standing over his broken ki

f the Black Ridge. The moon was high and full, a silent witness to the war that was bre

s him. Kazeem didn't say anything at first; he simply leaned agains

tly. "You could have taken the Silver Moon terr

you need a heart that the people recognize. They loved you, Ava. They saw your strength even when

rs. "And perhaps, I wanted to see if the legen

ed long after he was gone, the cold mountain air no longer biting, but i